Chapter 4

“Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe it’s real.” A strange woman appeared out of nowhere, cried out, and fell on her knees, half laughing, half crying.

Startled, Neil and the children jumped on their spots.

“I am so happy I don’t even know what to say. I had dreamed about this place all my life,” the woman exclaimed, mostly to herself. Her eyes darted around, wide with wonder. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I finally found it.”

The strange woman seemed to be talking to herself.

“Everyone thought I was crazy, but my dreams were so vivid, so real, that I could not ignore them. I just had to see it for myself,” she murmured. “Sometimes, they felt actually true, I thought I could wake up and keep living them.”

Then, the woman realized she wasn’t alone. A blush rose to her cheeks as she scrambled to her feet, smoothing out her dress and brushing off dirt.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you,” she stammered. “I can only imagine what you must be thinking.”

Three pairs of eyes stared at her, filled with confusion.

Neil sat up, studying her for a moment, pondering her words.

The woman met his gaze, an inexplicable sense of trust washing over her. She knew, somehow, that he wouldn’t judge her.

“I’ve been searching for this place for years,” she explained. “A kind farmer pointed me to this old clubhouse.” She glanced around, taking in the scene. “This is definitely the place from my dreams, though a bit different. The trees are much taller, for example.”

Awe filled her voice. “I can’t believe I actually found it! I guess I wasn’t crazy after all.”

She approached the group and extended her hand towards Neil. “I’m Mariah. Please forgive my unexpected arrival. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I’m Neil,” he replied, shaking her hand. “These are Red and Maggie.”

The children shyly waved at Mariah, who returned the gesture with a warm smile.

“Why did you come here?” Red asked directly.

“The truth is a bit scary,” the woman admitted, her gaze locked on Neil.

“We can bear it,” both children chimed in.

“I don’t usually talk about it,” Mariah continued, “because the last time I did, everyone thought I was crazy. My sister told my mom what I said, and she took me to see a doctor. I ended up having to see a child psychiatrist and they wanted me to take pills. That’s when my mom told them to forget it, and she refused to take me back there. I learned to keep my mouth shut, and everyone just kind of forgot about it.”

Mariah sighed and rubbed her face. “I’m truly sorry, this place just ... being finally here ... The feeling is overwhelming!” She shivered all over.

“Forgot what exactly?” Maggie pressed, leaning in curiously. “What happened?”

The young woman took a deep breath. “It’s kind of embarrassing. Back when I was little, around four or five, I thought I was someone else. I was convinced my name was Megan and I lived in Washington state. It’s blurry now, but Mom says I used to insist she wasn’t my real mom.”

Maggie tugged at Neil’s sleeve. He nodded, letting her know he had heard it, too. All the little hairs on his arms and neck started to rise and tingle.

Hearing the name Megan sent a shiver down Neil’s spine. A wave of nervous excitement rushed over him. He placed a hand on his stomach, where a million butterfly wings were flapping wildly, filling him with a rush of warm exhilaration. He couldn’t stop his heart from racing, and it sparked an unexpected happiness in him.

“Why’d you think that?” Red inquired.

“I had memories of another family,” she explained. “I told Mom I missed them, but she worried I’d say it in public and people might think I was a missing child. She was scared they’d think she took me.”

Maggie’s eyes widened. “Do you think ... maybe you were?”

The woman shook her head, picking up a twig and twirling it between her fingers. “No, it felt different. Like a whole other life, I lived before. In my blurry memories, I was older ... around your age, maybe a bit more. I mentioned it again to my younger brother a few years later,” she continued, “thinking maybe he would understand. He called me crazy and said I belonged in a mental hospital, threatening to tell everyone if I kept talking about it.”

“Sounds like a great family,” Red muttered, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“I still don’t get it,” Maggie insisted. “What do you think is going on with you?”

A blush crept up the woman’s cheeks. She let out a sigh and looked directly at Maggie. “This might sound crazy, but I’ve read a lot about the subject on the Internet, and I think I might ... have reincarnated.”

Neil couldn’t help but look into the young woman’s eyes. She kept looking at him, almost as if she recognized him, too.

“This feels strange,” Mariah said, her gaze fixed on Neil. “We’ve obviously never met, yet there’s something very familiar about you. I just can’t figure it out.” Her eyes scanned Neil’s face, silently searching for an answer.

“I feel the same way,” Neil finally admitted.

It was as if a spark of recognition flickered between them, though neither could say why. Even in casual clothes, Mariah was undeniably beautiful. Her blue eyes held Neil captive, and for the first time, he saw a future in them.

“When I was thirteen,” Neil began, looking straight into her eyes. Mariah swallowed hard, silently urging him to continue. “My best friend and I started to build this ... clubhouse. We had an ongoing argument because I called it a fort, but ... never mind. Actually, she was more than just a friend. I was in love with her, and I think she felt the same way about me. Her name was ... Megan.”

“Oh, my goodness,” Mariah shivered from head to toe; tears welled up in her eyes, as two streams ran down her cheeks.

“Megan and I spent an entire summer building this fort...”

“Clubhouse,” Mariah blurted out, correcting him without thinking. A laugh escaped their lips, breaking the tension.

A small smile played on Neil’s lips, which the woman found very attractive.

“And the argument goes on...” Neil said, raising an eyebrow.

“What happened to your friend?” Mariah asked softly.

“Megan and her family died in a car accident on their way to Texas,” Neil explained.

Mariah seemed to understand, then offered, “I actually avoid highways and prefer back roads. Neil nodded as if the information made sense. “I’m so sorry to hear about your friend,” she said sincerely. “That’s terrible.”

“Thank you,” Neil replied. “We used to play here all the time. We built a small stone bridge over the creek and started a little fort, or a clubhouse as Megan called it. We earned money to buy supplies by doing chores for her dad.”

“Why didn’t you finish it?” the woman inquired.

“We only built the floor and two walls before Megan and her family left for Texas. She made me promise I would wait for her return to finish it...” Neil’s voice trailed off.

A mourning dove cooed nearby, and the sound of the flowing creek filled the air.

Mariah walked around the structure, gently touching the aged wood. “It’s a shame it never got finished.”

Neil nodded, his throat tightening.

Mariah tilted her head back to look at the treetops. Neil and the children stood up; their attention drawn to her. Neil was captivated by her beauty and felt himself falling more and more in love with her with every passing second.