When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,' Then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions...
Job 7:13-14
The rustling outside of our tent wakes me. Supposedly, there's no wild beast out here, but I check on my four girls. They're sound asleep. For a moment I sit listening, then as soon as I start to lie back down the rustling starts again. I call Malika. Groggy she answers, "Hey Jade. What's up?"
I whisper, "Sorry to wake you, but do you hear anything moving outside your tent?"
Yawning she answers, "No. You're probably just spooked because we're outside in the woods."
"You're right. Good night. Sorry to wake you."
"It's okay sis. Good night."
As soon as I hang up from Malika, the rustling gets louder. Dear God protect us, I pray. It stops but I still feel uneasy. Quietly, I crawl to the tent's opening and unzip it. Is that a figure walking into the woods? Startled, I scoot backward but hurry and crawl back to my peephole to look out again. There's nothing but I'm entranced, staring at that same spot, trying to get my focus. I'm listening so intensely that I can hear bugs crawling. It's all in my mind because now I see nothing. I'm sure if I stare long enough I'll find something, so I shake myself. Here I am supposed to be the brave one teaching the kids not to be afraid of the dark, yet I'm up fearing bumps in the night. Seeing my girls still sound asleep, I laugh at myself.
Just as I return to my sleeping bag, I hear a female moaning in the distance. It's that high moan that sounds like a laugh at the end. It seems as if it's getting louder and closer. I return to my makeshift peephole watching and listening. My eyes are fixed on this trail opening into the woods. My heart's beating so fast that I hear it in my ears, so I stop breathing. Feeling light-headed I pause a moment more, then take a deep breath. As soon as I exhale, I hear that woman again. She's no longer moaning but sighing as if she's humming. The creepiness of her voice causes me to shiver. It's a moment of eerie silence then I hear her moaning further away. Motionless I listen until her voice is no longer heard, then I sit watching all night.
It's morning, but I haven't slept at all. I wake my girls and we shower. Everyone's now dressed and ready for breakfast. Four ministers, including myself, decided to take the children to camp. We have a small church in this small city in Michigan called Deep Woods. It's only twelve children in all. Eight girls and four boys. Ministers Blake, Malika, Toni, and I collectively planned this outing. We didn't do scary stories by the fire, we did bible stories. The children were able to have fun and learn. We only planned a weekend and now it's Sunday morning so we're headed to church.
"Did you sleep well, Jade?" Malika asks.
"No!"
"What a squirrel had you pleading the blood of Jesus all night?" Malika laughs.
"I wished, but seriously I peeked out and I thought I saw a man walking away. Now that could've been an illusion, but I heard some woman moaning!"
"Are you serious? Why didn't you wake Blake?"
"Well, the man was leaving. Plus I wasn't convinced anyone was even there."
"It was probably a ranger with his girlfriend. Was she moaning or cooing all night?" Malika teases.
"You're gross." I chuckle, shaking my head.
We finish breakfast, load up the van, and then head to church. I'm the last person to enter. As I head to the back seat I see a man standing in the woods.
"Malika look!" I shout.
She turns to look, but he has disappeared into the trees.
"Jade, are you alright? You're scaring me now."
"I'm scaring myself. Get me out of here." I laugh.
Soon my laugh fades and I sit quietly for the remainder of the ride. After church Malika, Blake, and I go out to eat. I enter and greet the bartender Phillip. He says hello but he's engrossed with this news story. Deep Woods campsite had two gruesome murders last night. A father and son camping by the lake were dragged from their RV and mauled.
"Oh my God! We were there last night!" I gasp.
Phillip turns facing me saying, "That's crazy! There are no bears or lions in Deep Woods! What in God's name could've done that?"
Malika and Blake run over to the bar. "Is that the man you saw last night, Jade?" Blake asks.
"I don't know! But I thought I saw him this morning too, so the murdered man can't be the guy I saw, right?"
"You probably saw the murderer!" Malika gasps, wide eyed .
"You think you can give the police a description?" Phillip asks.
"No! I never saw anyone. I simply thought I saw a man's figure is all I said."
We stayed at Phillip's Bar and Grill for a few hours talking about this story. Everyone in our small city must've come there to hear me tell of how I saw absolutely nothing. Finally, I'm home. Although I'm safe and sound I feel weird. I guess knowing I was so close to a murder and seeing this mysterious figure has left me feeling icky.
I try to rest my mind so I go out to my balcony and admire the sun setting over beautiful Lake Saint Clair. Now lying on my lounger, I fall asleep. Heaving, I wake up from a nightmare. After a careful pan of my surroundings, I hurry inside, locking my doors and closing the blinds. I dreamt I was back in my tent in the woods and this man entered. He was very handsome, but he had glowing neon eyes and his face was covered in blood. He entered the tent and glanced over my girls. I was in my sleeping bag peeking from underneath the covers when his eyes met mine, then I woke up!
It's three in the morning. I fell asleep around eight last night, so I've had enough rest. I put on my teapot and then turned on the television. This local story is now on the world news. The man and his son were brutally murdered. Every limb was removed. Their organs were removed. They were even decapitated. Seems there was no weapon yet they were ripped apart. This small wooded area doesn't have any dangerous animals so obviously some wild beast has crossed our borders. Fortunately, the government has called in the military and has closed the campsite until they have answers.
This is comforting because our city is only twenty minutes away from the woods. I'm watching horrified, then I think to myself, Ugh! The news is always bad! I cut off the television, make myself tea, and then relax.
Although I've been up all night I'm very excited to go to work. I'm an interior designer. I'm also an aspiring millionaire. I make decent money and I've even done a few celebrity homes. Although Deep Woods is a small city many wealthy people live here. I stay in a condo off the lake, but outside of my condominiums, this lake is lined with multimillion-dollar mansions. My church is fairly small, but at least half the membership is very wealthy.
Blake is an engineer and he's been building a relationship with one of the top executives in his corporation. This executive just recently built a new mansion off the lake and Blake told him I could decorate it. I will meet him this morning.
"Now remember you're saved, Jade!" Blake teases.
"What does that mean?" I ask snickering.
"How far are you from Mr. Black's home?"
"I'm driving up his mile-long driveway as we speak."
Blake chuckles, "Well, you'll see what I mean in five minutes. Be professional. Love you, bye."
Mr. Black's home is fabulous. The landscape is perfection. I'm excited yet very intimidated by this job, so I take a deep breath and then ring the doorbell.
"Ms. Warring? Hello, I'm Tristan Black. Pleased to meet you."
"Hello, Mr. Black. P-Pleased to meet you as well. Please call me Jade." I stammer out.
"Okay call me Tristan." He chuckles.
Oh my God! He is gorgeous! I know the look on my face is of sheer amazement. He's tall and fit. He has on a black t-shirt and black khaki shorts, with black gym shoes trimmed in turquoise. He's wearing a black Detroit baseball cap. Although it's down slightly covering his face, I can still see that he is flawless! From behind I can tell he has a buzzed haircut. When he laughed, he flashed a set of perfect luminous white teeth with no overbite. His skin is a golden tan, and his hands are manicured but a little rugged. Although he looks like a model, he has an edge to him. He's nice and manly.
"Jade, don't let my home deceive you. I'm an outdoor man. If it weren't for my job I'd live in a cabin. I want a homey-looking home, and please no Art Deco. Yuck!" He frowns.
Laughing I think, he's so friendly. He's way too rich and way too hot to be this nice. It's an act. I'm following him all giddy and flirtatious then I see Alexandria. All the life goes out of my face I'm sure.
"Jade, this is Alexandria, but we call her Alex."
"Hi, Alex." I greet with a smile of defeat.
Grinning she says, "Hi Jade. ...Tristan, I have to go. Remember we meet on the yacht at six. Please, baby, don't be late!"
Alex kisses Tristan and then leaves.
Alex was sunbathing on the patio, so Tristan had put on his shades, looking even sexier. I want him to remove his hat so I can get a full view of his face. Since he has a girlfriend I'm desperate to find his flaw. "You want to sit on the patio or in the kitchen?" Tristan asks. "Let's go see the kitchen, please." "Alright follow me." We enter this massive kitchen and it's marvelous. He has dark grey and black marbled countertops and stainless steel everything with black and gray marbled handles. "Mr. Black this kitchen is very modern. Are you sure you're a cabin man?" I tease. From the fridge he takes out two bottles of alkaline water and hands me one answering, "Call me Tristan. Please sit down." He pulls out a chair from under his kitchen table. We sit down as he removes his hat and shades. Head down, he plays in his buzz cut then he looks up. His eyes are a bright teal blue. For a moment, I sit stunned. "Jade, are you okay?" "Yes! I-I'm sorry, I-I'm fine. Thank you." I stu
The following Thursday I have Tristan's bill all completed. I leave a message on his voicemail asking him to call me before my office closes. He doesn't call. I'm assuming he's probably going to cancel altogether after I didn't accept his tasteless invitation. I'm now home preparing another presentation for a client I received yesterday. Of course, she doesn't own a newly built twenty thousand square foot mega mansion off the water, but it's a job. She wants to meet tomorrow evening so I'm up late trying to get the perfect ideas. It’s just after eleven at night and Tristan's calling. I don't answer. I want to see if he'll leave a message and to my surprise he does. "Hi, Jade. Sorry, I missed our appointment. Please may I reschedule? I'm still excited about you doing my home. Please call me as soon as you get this message. Thanks." He sounds winded as if he's been running. I don't want to return his call tonight, but this is a major monetary deal. I tell myself to call early in t
Wednesday morning me and my crew arrive at Tristan's. We're greeted by his house sitter Monique. Beautiful, tall, Black lady, with long wavy hair. She must be a model too. "Mr. Black says you may start anywhere you want." "Is Mr. Black available?" I ask. "No Ms. Warring, he's in New York attending his wife's funeral." I'm working for the devil. Monique stands observing my reaction. I give a pursed smile then respond, "We'll be starting in the living area." She answers with an exaggerated, "Perfect." After leading us to the living room she then sashays into the kitchen. I'm instructing my crew but watching her as she makes a private phone call. While playing in her hair she gives a flirtatious laugh when she's speaking. The way she's biting her bottom lip I can assume she's having an erotic conversation. Shaking myself, I focus on my task, but pray she's not sexually talking to Tristan only days after his wife's funeral! How in the world was Alex his wife? What kind
I'm almost done with Tristan's home. It has been three weeks and he hasn't been here once. My feelings are mixed. I'm relieved yet disappointed. Knowing he wanted to meet me long before now was flattering, but learning of his wife tainted it. I had assumed he lied about being in the services too, but Blake confirmed that was true. Monique never offered any information on Tristan's whereabouts so I assumed they were top secret. She started anal but after three weeks I learned she was a sweetheart. Monique had a fiancée she was crazy about. She and Tristan were just friends. "Oh my goodness Tristan is a born charmer. I met him in Paris during a runway show. Alex was the star. Everyone was so busy praising her that the rest of us felt useless. Tristan felt our pain and took every model out for dinner. He too wanted Alex's attention, so he won it by giving attention to us all!" She giggles. "What happened with them?" I ask. "My guess is they were too different. Alex was a bona fide div
The children are having another Christmas play. After rehearsal, I'm rallying my kids to bundle up to leave. The parents drop their children off, but we return them home. Jordan is my absolute favorite. She's a beautiful seven-year-old full of personality and an old soul. The naivety of the other children annoys her. It's comical to observe her interacting with them. Tonight, she comforts another little girl named Chelsea. I walk over and kneel, asking, "Everything okay? What's wrong?""Chelsea saw a monster, Miss. Jade." Jordan answers."Where?""The night we slept in the tents." Chelsea pouts."Really? Did you tell your mom about it?""She did, but her mom doesn't believe her."Now hugging Chelsea, I say, "It must've been terrifying since you're still afraid. I can only imagine your fear.""Miss Jade, I see it all the time, not just that night at camp!" Chelsea cries."Where?" I ask."It lives in my backyard!"She begins weeping, but Jordan quickly kisses and embraces her, whisperin
Although he's not running his business, he looks and acts more like a businessman today—no joking or tactless conceited remarks. Shane just talked and talked as I discreetly watched Tristan. If only he knew how I've longed to find him all these months. I must've observed him for fifteen minutes, and he never cracked a smile. Where's my outdoor, fun-loving Tristan? Had the now yacht-owning billionaire overtaken him? I was curious to find out, and tomorrow evening couldn't come fast enough. We're now driving to drop me off at home. Shane had finally come off his Tristan high. Deep in thought, Shane asks, "I wonder what happened? Tristan was really into Monique. I hoped they'd make it despite everything." "Despite what?" I ask. "Oh, it's too complicated, and I don't want to reveal my friend's business without his approval. He's a great man. You're going to like him! You'll see!" Shane seemed nervous as he escorted me to my door. We kissed good night, and then he left. Wide-eyed, I gl
I'm in the office with a new client when Pastor Gene calls me. I thanked her and told her we'd meet next Tuesday."Hello, Pastor Gene, give me one second," I say as I lock my office for the day."Hey, Jade. I just wanted to check on you. We've been missing your after-service fellowship as of late. All is well?""I appreciate your call, Pastor Gene, and yes, all is very well. God has opened doors for me. I have four new clients that I'm simultaneously trying to accommodate. I've never had this much business since I started. I miss you all very much, too. Once I'm done, I plan to take a vacation. Hopefully, no major deals come along so that I can relax.""Well, we don't want to hope against your blessing!" He chuckles."You're right." I laugh."Well, you sound good. I'm glad. I needed to get in touch with you for Mrs. Connors as well. Her chastity seminar is in a week or two, will you have time to help? She's been incessantly requesting you since she met you on her son's yacht.""Really
This guest room runs circles around my hotel suite. It smells like lavender and vanilla, my favorite. The fireplace is burning, and the atmosphere is so peaceful. I put on the gown at the foot of the bed and fell asleep. Soon awakened, I looked at the clock at 3:54 a.m. After using the bathroom, I sit in front of the fireplace. Suddenly, I hear faint yelling. Tiptoeing to my room door, I crack it, and It's Mrs. Connors ordering someone to do something. I hear a dog growling, and she yells, "Get him out of here!"I'm terrified of big dogs, so I lock my door, and thankfully, I do. Seconds later, I heard the dog running up the stairs. He's barking and growling right outside my door. I am petrified!"Where's Tristan?" I hear a man ask. I assume it's Mr. Connors."Get him outta here!" Mrs. Connors screams.Seconds later, I heard all this tussle and bustle. I see shadows under my door. It's several men fighting to get this dog out of the house. They must've slammed against my door ten times