Longbourn's Songbird by Beau North

Author:Beau North
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781681310022
Publisher: Meryton Press
Published: 2015-10-25T21:00:00+00:00

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August 1945

Richard woke suddenly, soaked in sweat with his heart slamming in his chest. For a few moments, he wondered where he was until the dark emptiness of his room became familiar to him again. He could hear the ocean outside his window, the sound of the tide beating against the sand in its own helpless rhythm. Charleston, he reminded himself. The scars on his abdomen throbbed dully; his fingers probed the area with care. When he was satisfied everything was where it should be, he sat up, putting his feet on the floor. It helped acclimate him to his surroundings. Still shaking from his dream, he made his way to the tiny bathroom, snapping on the light before splashing his face with cool water from the sink.

His reflection in the mirror rattled him. He thought he’d been getting so much better, but his hollowed cheeks told him he’d lost weight, and the dark shadows under his eyes spoke of his recent sleepless nights. The puffy scar on his collarbone shone garishly against his tan. Richard shuddered and touched the tattoo on his arm. He could trace the lines of it with his fingertips. It soothed him somewhat, though the vestiges of his dream still clung to him. The specter of James hovered over him in that bombed-out café in Brest, his flesh bloated and grey. Richard could still feel the rubble digging into his back, the stickiness of the German’s blood as it cooled on his skin. James opened his mouth to speak, and rank, briny seawater spilled out in a flood, drowning him.

Richard turned off the bathroom light and flopped back on to the lumpy bed. He closed his eyes and conjured her image. Slim laughing. Slim running. Slim tired and happy in his arms. It wasn’t enough to send him to sleep, but after a few minutes, his heart resumed its normal rhythm. Brandishing his thoughts of her like a miner holding a lantern, Richard felt himself plunged into an unnavigable despair. Would he ever know sleep again? Or peace and calm? Helpless tears rolled down his face. It can’t go on this way.

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