seasonswintersolstice

While We have access to Toni’s computer...

We have noticed that she usually writes a little preface to her stories about us. This is very sweet and personal of her. There are things she knows and does not know concerning us. True, we are magical the magic here is ancient and has always been the magic of love.

I am sure you know if you have been following her stories that the magic has changed. She does not know this but she changed it herself, yes, she did. She has the magic but she does not know. We will not tell her but wait and see if she comes to realize it. The strength of her love and her commitment to her seasons makes her strong.

We sometimes step in when necessary and have charmed John and Terry. They each have their own magic which protects them. Perhaps it saved Terry this past Fall, perhaps it will be needed again. We do watch carefully and if she does not use her power out of love we will use ours. You might wonder why we have not charmed Max and Bud. To put it very simply, they have not required such but should they, we will provide.

You may be wondering exactly what this magic she has will do. She already uses it... she summons, she requires, and her needs are met. We are amused that she blames it all on us. We will tell you a little secret. She was selected to come here because she is vulnerable to the magic, has accepted it and unknowingly uses it daily. We would not have given it to her if we did not believe she only acts out of love.

We have paid very close attention to her process and approve most heartily of her forever choices. She has balanced her loves well, each bringing out a different season of her love. It has been a most interesting process and sometimes we were surprised, sometimes exasperated, but in the end she has made the right choices to see her through.

We have changed to accommodate this new magic. No longer will we have to rearrange, add and modify unless something specific is required. We are as we will be and we are at last a home again. Oh, yes, we once were a home on this very spot. We are, alas, still a home of four seasons but now we do not believe Toni would have it any other way. She has fallen in love four times and they are all strong, getting stronger with each season that passes. She cannot imagine one without the other. This is as it should be. This is as it must be.

We will strive to keep them all safe and loved. You may have noticed…we, too, have fallen in love with her loves. We are excited for the season has changed again today and while we would like to spend more time with Fall, for we find him most interesting…Winter comes.

WINTER SOLSTICE

The House of Four Seasons

by Atonia Walpole

It has been a cold fall. The weather turned really nasty after Terry was returned to me. Rain, sleet and then the first snowfall followed in mid October. He left this morning before I woke up. He went for his run and did not return. I find it hard to write about the rest of our season together which is why I stopped it when I did. I have never met anyone quite like him. He takes me to another place, takes my breath away.

There is snow still in the forests around the house but the ground outside is bare and frozen. I walked along the cliff this morning. The sea is cold and the air heavy so I do believe it will snow, perhaps tonight. I thought of Jack out there somewhere and wondered if he were in warm waters or cold. I would wish him in warmth and comfort.

I plan to wait up for John tonight for I know he will be early. Last year he surprised me. This year I plan to surprise him. I dearly love this man.

Part 1:

Toni was piled up in John’s bed, watching TV and eating a bowl of Captain Crunch. It was just after ten and she was determined to be awake when he came home. She’d had her bath and pulled on one of John’s old tee shirts to sleep in. The fire was blazing on the hearth and Millie joined her, finding out there were in fact other hearth rugs to curl up on for a nap.

It began snowing about three that afternoon and it now covered everything. The weatherman said to look for near blizzard conditions. She wasn’t worried about John. He was, after all, used to cold weather. She wanted him to find a warm nest when he got home.

Finishing her cereal, she set the bowl on the bedside table and told it to go to the dishwasher. It obeyed. Such conveniences were absolutely wonderful. She pulled out a book she had been reading, gave the pillows another punch behind her back and settled in.

It was just after twelve when John quietly let himself in and received a rush of warmth from the house. He took off his down parka and hat and boots, leaving them on the bottom stairs. Quietly he went up stairs and saw the light on in his bedroom. He smiled when he stepped in the door.

“Nothing like coming home and finding a warm woman in your bed,” he said loudly.

Toni jerked awake, the book falling to the floor. “I was waiting up for you.”

“I see that,” he smiled, stepping out of his jeans.

“I’m surprising you,” she replied, stretching a little and moving over in the bed.

“You always surprise me, sweetheart.” John slipped into the bed and gathered her up in his arms.

“Oooo, you’re cold!”

“That’s why you’re here, to take care of that. I’ve missed you.” He kissed her softly and then got down to business.

His kisses always melted her bones and tonight was no different. He took his time, missing nothing.

The next morning Toni ordered breakfast in bed. It was a cozy scene, tucked up in the warmth and familiarity of his room. That was fine with John. It seemed to be snowing sideways outside.

“It must have been a cold fall for this much snow to be still around,” he commented, drinking his coffee.

“It was like winter came early, the middle of October It snowed but there were plenty of nice days.”

“So you were able to get out and about?”

“Yes.”

He smiled to himself. She wasn’t going to talk about him. “Terry, he came through his ordeal okay?”

“Yes, as it was with you. The house healed all his cuts and bruises while he slept.”

“Are you okay with him, Toni?”

“Of course, yes…very much okay…eat your hash browns before they get cold.” She turned and smiled at him. John was curious and always asked her about her other seasons. He got on well with them and out of the four he seemed to mind them the least.

“You got on all right with Bud. I know I suggested him but I wasn’t sure you’d go for it.”

“Bud was great, John. I never doubted your choice. I’ve got four so now we’re complete.”

“I think he’s still finding his way here. Be patient with him.”

Toni smiled and kissed his bearded cheek.

“What?”

“I love you, John.”

He smiled and blushed a little. “Um, what happened with the pregnancy thing you were going to ask each season?”

“Well, Max kind of put a stop to that. He said some pretty sensible things, made me rethink it. I know he’s right. I wasn’t really thinking of a baby beyond its babyhood, school and aging and all.”

John was glad Max had spoken up. “I think it was sweet of you to want to have my baby, Toni, but Max is right. It’s too complicated.”

“John, why didn’t you say something when I mentioned it?”

“I, uh, figured we’d make it work somehow if you wanted it. It’s hard for me to say no to you, Toni. You should know that by now.”

“Well, you should tell me no once in a while. I can get some wild ideas.”

“I’ll leave that to Max unless, of course, you come up with something really wild.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to think about that.”

He picked up her breakfast tray. “You’ve done enough thinking,” put it on the table by the fire, “enough eating, enough talking,” he got back in bed, “and not nearly enough loving this morning.”

“I’m ready to do something about that right now.”

Later they moved downstairs to the library. John was looking for something to read and Toni was curled on the leather sofa with her book. He found a book and sat on the opposite end of the sofa but his mind was on something else.

“You know, Toni, when I found you here in the kitchen after Terry disappeared and you were in that state where you couldn’t hear me or talk to me, I was so afraid, Toni, that we were about to lose it all, that I had lost you. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. There was nothing I could do for you. It wasn’t me that could bring you back.”

Toni put her book down. “The house put me in that state to save my sanity. I could hear you, John, I just couldn’t communicate. I was…devastated over Terry. After a while I became aware that he was alive and would be returned to me. It was the house magic, John. It then put me into a dreamless sleep.”

“Until Prince Charming arrived and woke you with a kiss.”

“What?”

“Ah, Max likened you to sleeping beauty. Is he…your Prince Charming?”

Toni got up and walked to the window. How could she answer that she couldn’t live without John, Terry or Max and now Bud, whom she was still building. “It was his season, John. It was his disappearance that caused the problem…only he could fix it.”

“I guess that makes sense, but what if he didn’t return, Toni? That’s what I’m getting at, not what’s between you and Terry. What would have happened?”

“I don’t know and I don’t want to think about it. You have to be careful, John…it could have been you and I would have been in the same state. Since I chose to stay here I have become very aware of a few things about myself. One is that I am divided four ways and one cannot survive without the other.”

“And I can’t survive without you.” He got off the sofa and went to her, taking her in his arms. “So I guess we all better stick together and look out for one another and especially you.”

Toni looked into his eyes and she knew. "There is no danger for you. You’re charmed, John. You have your own magic. I probably shouldn’t have told you that. You’ll be testing it out.”

“Not me, unless it’s something I have to do for you.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

Interesting…she has told him he has magic. Was that wise? John is solid, he is steady, he is loving, he is her anchor. We suspect he will not touch it …or will he?

John was not one to sit around in the house. He got cabin fever quickly. The snow was deep and walking anywhere was out of the question, but he tramped down to the tool shed and grabbed a snow shovel. At least he could clean the walk and maybe a path off the stone terrace. Toni watched him through the glass doors while he was working on the terrace. She smiled to herself, knowing it would clean itself if left alone but John needed something to do.

She walked through to the front and opened the door, brushing the snow off the greenery wreath there. The house had already neatened up John’s shoveling job on the pathway. Turning back into the entryway, she looked over her home...the living room with its ancient beamed ceiling, a warm fire, comfortable seating and the sheen of waxed wooden tables and fresh flowers. Today they were red and white roses, the significance of that was not lost on her...the summer and winter solstice. She loved her home and all who lived there.

It was along about the solstice, December 21st, that she and John rode up to Gloucester for lunch. They had finished their lunch and Toni went to use the restroom John was going to wait outside. He did wait for a minute or two but a familiar sound brought him around the corner of the building. There was a hockey rink and a game of sorts going on, mostly local high school boys but a few older out on the ice. John walked over to watch the game.

“Hi, how ya doin’?” asked the man against the fence.

“Good,” John replied. “Do you have regular games?”

“Yeah, we do when we can find enough players. Do ya skate?”

John smiled, “Oh, yeah. I, ah, used to play in the Saturday games back home.”

“Oh, where’s home?”

“Alaska.”

“Are ya stayin’ around here now?”

“For a few months.”

“Well if ya want and if ya interested, you can sign up for the next game. That'll be on the 29^th.”

John was itching to do it. What would it hurt, a few hours away from the house? He could do it.

Toni came out of the restaurant and looked for John. He was nowhere to be found. She felt the panic rising as she walked up and down the street, looking in and out of the few shops and stores that were open. “No, no, no!” she mumbled to herself, running back down the walk to the restaurant.

A young man came around the building and saw her crying. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

“Oh, I’ve, um, lost someone, my, uh, husband. He was going to wait for me right here, I’ve been all over and I can’t find him.”

“Well, there’s not many places he could go.” Just then a cheer went up. “Ah, somebody scored and I missed it.”

“What?”

“The hockey game. It’s back there.” He pointed up the side of the building.

“Hockey game…of course! Thanks.” She took off running.

Biebe turnlook.jpeg

“Hey, what’s wrong, Toni?”

“John, you were supposed to wait for me. I couldn’t find you. I was scared, John.”

He put his arm around her. “I’m sorry, Toni. I heard the skates and saw what was going on back here and had to come watch.”

Toni felt the weight of his arm around her and leaned into him.

“I, uh, signed up to play.”

Toni’s head came up. “You did what?”

“I signed up to play in the next game on the 29^th. Guy said they need players so I thought maybe I could play. It will only be a few hours. You know we can swing it.”

Toni tried to think of some reason to say no but couldn’t. She knew he wanted to play. “You’ll be careful, John? You know what I mean. We can’t have a repeat of last winter.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, smiling down at her. He was going to play out here in the real world. He was going to play hockey and he was thrilled. “I’ll have to start practicing, you know.”

Toni sighed, “Yes, I know, a thermos of hot soup and one of hot chocolate.” She looked up at him and smiled. He was infecting her with his excitement. “You’re like a big kid, you know?”

He brushed it off. “We should start for home,” he said with a sheepish grin.

Part 2:

The house decorated itself for Christmas. This year the theme was red and white with little elves peeking out from the pinecones on the mantle. The only thing left was the tree. Toni was beginning to wonder if they would have one as John was spending a lot of time down on the pond skating. He had goals on each end of the ice and would practice shots for hours.

“It’s only a little neighborhood game, sweetie,” she told him, pouring out a mug of hot spiced cider.

“Yeah, I know, but it’s the first time I’m going to play out there, you know, in the real world.”

“This is the real world, John.”

“You know what I mean, but you’re right. This is the real world, real life. That’s just part of it…the game.”

“It helps, doesn’t it, being able to get out and about like we live a normal life, like everybody else?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t feel any different in town than I do here.”

“But it is different. Here you’re safe. I can’t help it. I still worry every time we leave the gates.” She held up her hands. “Call me a worry wart.”

“Worry wart,” he smiled.

“Are we going to have a Christmas tree or do I have to go cut one down?”

“You want a tree, lady…you got one. Finish your cider.”

“I think it’s kind of cute,” Toni said when John switched the lights on the little tree growing next to the cliff.

John looked up at her. “If I’d known you were going to do this I wouldn’t have bothered dragging the other one in the house.”

Toni leaned against the warmth of his shoulder, his arm around her, and looked up into his eyes. That was what love looked like, she thought. He kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Let’s go in. I’m hungry.” John gave her bottom a pat and turned her toward the kitchen door.

Christmas came and went in a flurry of preparation and food and gifts. John got new skates, which made Toni think the house must approve of his playing in the game. It set her mind at rest. He said they needed breaking in so she went down to the pond with him to try them out. However it was John who almost broke.

Toni slip- slid out onto the ice. “John, are you okay?”

He looked up and smiled. “Ah, yeah, I think so.” He’d been more surprised than hurt. The house wouldn’t let him hurt, at least not for long.

“What happened, sweetie?”

“Well, nothing. I just need to break in the skates, that’s all, get used to the feel of them. I’m fine, Toni.” He got up on his knees and then stood, moving his back around, no problems.

“Maybe you’d better use your old ones for the game.” John said that he intended to.

The day of the 29^th dawned bright and sunny. Toni fed him a good breakfast and he went down to the pond for a final practice. Toni let him go by himself while she took a shower and dressed for the day. She could tell he was excited and prayed everything would go okay for him.

They arrived in Gloucester around eleven. The game would start at twelve. John was hustled off to the hut and she found a seat on the wooden stands after buying a cup of hot coffee at a little concession stand.

Her eyes never left him after the game began. He played well, and though she knew nothing about the game, she noticed he was getting slaps on the back from his teammates. It was half time and his team was up by two points. He skated by the fence and gave her a thumbs up before going to the hut.

Two women took a seat behind Toni for the second half. John had scored twice and they began discussing him. He skated by once and smiled at Toni. He was having a blast. She could feel it.

Eventually the voices behind her registered. “Who is he? I’ve not seen him before.”

“Um, Fred said he was from Alaska. His name is, let me find it here…John Biebe.”

“He’s awfully good looking. Alaska you say?”

“Yeah, Fred says he’s down here for a few months and wanted to skate. He’s good.”

“He looks familiar, very familiar…John Biebe. You know, I think he may be an actor. I’m sure I’ve seen him in a movie or on TV or something.”

“Here in Gloucester? Ah, go on with ya.”

“I’ve seen him. I know I have…Alaska…Mystery, Alaska! That’s it! A movie about hockey. He played the sheriff.”

Toni was getting uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be long before they started questioning how John Biebe was here. Things were going to be asked. These two women were going to ask questions. They’d want to talk to him, ask questions he couldn’t answer. She turned around to get a look at them so she would know to keep John away and as she did she wished they would forget everything they ever knew about a movie called Mystery, Alaska.

“I..I forgot what I was going to say…”

“What were we talking about anyway?”

Toni turned back to the game, smiling to herself. The house magic must have followed them to Gloucester. “Thank you,” she said to the house.

As the game ended and the players all gathered around talking and back slapping, John was in the middle of it with a big smile. He was a sociable man used to being around people. He was in his element. She pushed away thoughts that came into her mind, doubts about what she had done, and smiled as he skated over to the fence.

“You won!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, it was a good game. They want me to play again.”

“Did you tell them yes?”

“Um, yeah, I did,” he grinned.

“Good. How long before you’re through here?”

“Ah, ten minutes or so. I have to get out of this equipment.”

“We could have lunch?”

“Sounds good.” He skated away.

On the way home she told him he had been recognized.

“How could anybody here know who I am?”

“They’ve seen the movie, recognized your name. The house took care of it, though. They forgot about it.”

“The house didn’t take care of anything. What are you saying?”

“I wished they’d forget about it and they did. But next time I might not be there listening to a conversation, John. It kind of worries me, you know. If somebody else recognizes you, what would you do?”

“I don’t know…lie? What else could I do?”

“I wish I knew, honey. Tell the truth as far as you can and change the subject. You know in a town that has a hockey team somebody is going to have the movie. I’m sorry, John, but I thought you ought to know.”

“That’s okay. I’d rather know so I can prepare for it, you know?”

Toni leaned her head back on the car seat and closed her eyes. Was it fair to bring him out to town? There would be no going back now. He was out, he was a part of it. Was any of this fair to anybody? It had been her own desire that had brought him here in the first place. But he was real, he was human, not just a plaything for her own enjoyment. This real life that he felt so at home in, was it real at all?

John parked the vehicle in the garage. “You okay, Toni?”

Toni rolled her head over on the back of the seat and looked at him. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Maybe I’m having a conscience attack.”

John frowned, “you’ve lost me there. Let’s go in. I think I could use a soak in the tub.”

John settled down in the warm water and held his arms out for Toni to slide in front of him. “Ah, this is what I need!” He pulled her tight against him and kissed her damp neck. “So what were you talking about in the car?”

Toni didn’t know where to start, thinking she shouldn’t have said anything. “I feel a little guilty sometimes, like today when you were recognized.”

“That was my own fault, Toni. I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me and if it comes up again, I’ll have a story. Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re not afraid?”

“Afraid of what? That somebody thinks they’ve seen me in a movie? No, I was in a movie but I don’t think I’d tell anybody that. Maybe just say it was a story about me if I have to. Guys don’t think about things like that. I had no problem with the team or the coaches or anybody else.”

“Women remember somebody like you.”

“They think they do. What did you do today, Toni, use your magic?”

“The house’s magic, John.”

“We weren’t in the house or on the grounds. You used your own.”

“I don’t have any…I don’t…”

“You do, you just don’t realize it.” He kissed her neck again, letting his arms loosen around her and cupping her breasts in his hands.

“Mmm, you’re the one with the magic, John. I am totally under your spell.”

“Good! That’s where I want you.”

ON TO PART 3

BACK TO BONFIRE OF THE HEART

BACK TO WHITE ROSES IN SUMMER

BACK TO SPRING CAME A CALLING