CHAPTER ONE

The black and white image spoke to her through each of her senses sans sound. A cardboard box of black and white photographs sat on the counter in front of her priced at $15.95, each one individually wrapped in clear, thick cellophane. The images appeared to be about twenty years old, but were relatively new compared to what hung on the walls in the rest of the shop. The stench in the air matched that of deteriorating paper, wood...life. As the only frame shop in town her options were limited and with the amount of photography Heidi did, she knew she'd be frequenting the shop several times. Eventually she wouldn't notice the stench. There were other parts of the town she would grow used to as well. Madison was the third, and hopefully the last, new town they'd moved to since she and Chad wed five years ago.

Heidi thumbed through the assortment of landscaped images, taken by the same photographer, Harry Smith, as noted on the back of each print.

"Mrs. Jacobs, right?" the salesman asked when he came through the saloon-style doors. They swung closed behind him as he placed her order on the counter.

"Yes sir. That looks like my portrait."

"Mr. Smith does nice work, huh?" he said pointing to the box.

"Yes, he does. Is this all of his work? Just these four-by-six images?"

"That's all I've got. I used to sell his larger prints and these are the last of the small ones. It's taken awhile to sell them. Surprising."

The cash register rang, distracting Heidi from the photos. She handed over a lump of cash and pulled one of the photographs from the box. Turning it over, she read the title, "Weeping Willow," and placed it on the counter. "Please add this to my order."

"That one doesn't usually sell as well as the mountainscapes, but it's one of my personal favorites," he offered.

"Something about it, isn't there?" she said.

Once back in her car, Heidi sat and studied the photograph. The willow blew sideways in varying shades of gray. Some of its branches dragged behind in the lake below. The wind unable to pluck them from the murky water. White puffy clouds matched the swayed direction of the free willows, enchanting the image. The lake's reflection of the tree rippled from the breeze. A peaceful flow of nature captivated her, but something else - something subliminal in the pixels - tugged at her as though the flowing arms of the willow could reach out and grab hold of her.

***

Before leaving for the frame shop, Heidi hammered a nail and hook into the wall. Now, raising the portrait to the hook she slowly lowered it until it caught and hung, mid-wall, covering the emptiness. She stood back and stared at it for a moment, wondering what Chad would think when he saw it. A friend of the family was a portrait painter and as a wedding gift offered to paint a portrait from one of their wedding pictures. At first Heidi thought it might be too tacky, but decided to go forward with the idea and ended up being quite happy with it. The original frame didn't match the decor of their new home so she had it reframed.

Tucker, their Labrador mix, entered the bedroom, wagging his tail. His favorite place to sleep was on their screened-in porch and he appeared as though he had just awoken from a nap in the early spring sun. After receiving a greeting from Heidi, he resumed a spot on the floor captured by sun. "The life of a dog," Heidi marveled. The two thumps of his tail reminded her that he understood more than she gave him credit for.

The sound of the front door closing downstairs startled her.

"Heidi? You home?" Chad called from below.

"Up here!" The familiar sound of his footsteps on the wooden stairs eased her. "You're home early," she said as he entered the room.

"I thought we could grab an early dinner." Tucker's tail thumped again, but he remained in the sun's beam. Chad turned and looked at the wall.

"What do you think?" Heidi asked.

"Good choice! Much better frame." He leaned in and kissed her, first on her forehead then on the lips. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him. "Mmmmm."

"Mmmmm back to you," she said between the first and second long kiss.

"What else did you do today?" he asked, now in the closet picking out a new shirt to wear to dinner.

"Did some photography in the woods. Macros mostly."

"You're going to need to start being careful of ticks now that the weather is warming up." He came out of the closet with a shirt partially pulled over his head and one arm in one of the sleeves. "Have you loaded the images yet?"

"Not yet. I'll do that tonight after dinner. Not sure they're worth keeping. Lighting wasn't great today."

***

The candle on their table flickered, reflecting in Chad's eyes. There were times Heidi wished she had her camera. This was one of them. He wore a navy blue shirt that lightened the hue of his eyes. Normally a blue that transcended sky and water, in some lighting they almost appeared light gray. His cheek bones, however, were what she was mostly drawn to. Their boyish appearance contrasted his matured eyes and trim beard. There were days that life drained the sparkle from his eyes, or that his beard needed trimming, but his cheeks - they were a youthful constant. In the dim light of night, either the moon or a candle lit them up. She'd stroke them, reminding her of his innate innocence. The single candle at their table offered the same lighting, yet she resisted the urge to reach across the table.

"How was the frame shop? Looks like they did a good job with the portrait," he broke her trance.

"It was okay. A bit tattered, but they do nice work." Remembering the willow photo, she pulled her purse to her lap. "Look at this picture," she said, handing it to him.

"Nice."

"No. Really look at it."

"It's a willow tree, hon. Nice reflection. Wind is apparent."

"Doesn't it pull at you?"

"Sort of. I mean it's got great composition. Why? What are you seeing?"

"I'm not sure. It just spoke to me in a love and fear sort of way." She realized she wasn't making sense, quite possibly because it didn't make sense to her. "I've never responded to an image like that before. That's all." She tucked the picture back into her purse, smiling at him - her way of dropping the subject.

Her silken hair cascaded in layers past her shoulders, falling around her face as she leaned over Chad. Finished making love, she kissed his lips and fell to his side, encapsulated in his arms - a thin layer of sweat holding them together before drifting to sleep.

The fluorescent red light illuminated 4:18 a.m. when Heidi awoke, this time drenched in sweat, her heart racing. She looked around the room fervently, anxious to know she was safe, dry. The lake had been so deep. So murky. What was floating on the top? She strained to remember the nightmare, but her abrupt awakening seemed to have shaken the images from her mind.

"You okay?" Chad murmured from his side of the bed, reaching out to pull her to him. She conceded and collapsed on his chest.

"Yeah. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

While Chad slept, Heidi stared at the ceiling until the alarm clock went off a few hours later.