The Key

"Come on," he urged her stepping out. She did so, watching him as he stepped back around the car opening the trunk. Moments later, he closed it, a large quilted blanket held within his arms. He extended his hand towards her. Miranda quickly closed the distance between them, taking his hand, allowing herself to be pulled a short distance away from the car where Brad soon after spread the large-sized blanket on the ground overlooking a gentle sloping hillside that presented them both with an even more spectacular view of the forested valley below them.

"Oh Brad! This is absolutely beautiful!" she exclaimed in surprised wonder. "I never knew this place was even up here!" she added. She heard him laugh.

"That's because like I said, my family owns much of this. Since it is private property, there have been very few who've even been allowed over into this area. But I thought it might be something you'd enjoy seeing, sharing with me. I love it up here, and often find myself coming up here merely to sit and think."

"I can see why," she stated once again glancing towards the moon, scanning the horizon as the soft light cast interesting shadows upon the landscape below them.

"Come...sit." Brad told her, almost as though he were commanding a pet dog. The thought of which struck her funny, making him realize when she laughed that it had indeed sounded exactly like that.

"Lay down? Roll over?" she now teased back.

Brad grinned, his boyishly handsome features once again causing her heart to skip several beats. "Well, perhaps lay down with me at least. We'll see about the roll over part later," he added lustfully.

Now it was Miranda's turn to surprise him. Before settling herself down onto the blanket next to him, she reached down, easily pulling the sweater she had been wearing up and over her head. Though the night air was cool, it was nowhere near chilly enough to make her uncomfortable. That, and added to the heat of her excitement, having removed that particular garment made her even more comfortable than she had been. But it was the look of delighted surprise etched within Brad's eyes that she'd hoped to see there.

"You really are beautiful!" he commented, reaching up, once again taking her hand, drawing her down next to him there on the blanket. This time, Miranda allowed him to gently ease her over onto her back, his lips urgently seeking hers out as they came together in a fiery embrace. The short time they'd allowed themselves to recoup from their earlier fondling and caressing had left their heated passions smoldering just beneath the surface. As though they had never even left off touching and kissing one another, Miranda felt herself engulfed in a frenzy of desire. She felt her bare breasts pressed delicately against his chest as they kissed. His hand now cupping her left breast, gently kneading it, finding the taut nipple that greeted his welcoming caress.

Miranda reached around pulling on his shirt, easing it up and over the waistband of his pants. She allowed her fingers to run beneath it once she had, feeling the touch of bare flesh as she dug into him, fingernails lightly scratching the firmness of him as his lips began to trace an intricate pattern down her throat towards the upper swell of her breasts.

He paused momentarily, leaving her hanging, expectant, as she had already prepared herself for the sensation of his mouth capturing one of her hard swollen buds.

"Miranda?"

This time she couldn't respond, her breath already stolen, but he continued on sparing her the effort.

"If ever you need me, or can't find me. Chances are this is where I will be. Remember that," he told her simply, then his mouth claimed what she'd already prepared herself for. Her taken breath was claimed even more greedily as she sucked for air, the pleasure and excitement of his gentle lips kissing the softness of her breasts overwhelmed her senses completely.

"Make love to me," she whispered softly, finally finding just enough air to allow the words to float upon the stillness of the night, echoing her unspoken, long unfulfilled desires to explode deep within the depths of her soul.

Brad released her, repositioning himself beside her on his knees as he quickly unbuttoned his shirt removing it. She watched as he then stood, the sound of his belt being removed. The moon sat behind him, silhouetting his form, his features now darkened, unrecognizable. Yet he stood above and before her like an Adonis rising up out of the ash. Miranda struggled out of her jeans, tossing them aside even as he bent to finish removing his own before casting them away to fall upon her own. Only then did he kneel down by her side once again, taking her into his arms kissing her face, her forehead, each eye and even her nose before sucking the fullness of her lips within his own.

He continued to kiss nearly every square inch of her body, slowly, methodically making his way down her torso, lingering a while paying homage to her breasts before pressing on. Her flesh tingled, alive as never before. She felt his tongue lightly spear her naval, planting sweet sucking kisses upon her flesh that sprang in waves of tiny bumps just ahead of him. When he moved, his hands already parting her legs though she were hardly aware of it, she again sucked in her breath holding it as the warmth of his breath came into contact with the now exposed vulnerability of her femininity.

For Miranda, time stood still. The exquisite sensations she now felt as Brad's tongue lovingly caressed her, robbed her of the ability to even think. Awash in a sea of ecstasy, Miranda felt herself floating upwards amongst the stars that twinkled as though knowing the secret of her pleasure. She fell into the depths of them, allowing each one to become a tiny kiss upon her flesh. She spiraled into the depth of the night, the moon her companion as it bathed her flesh in unbridled passion, warming her soul like a pair of soft hands as her body responded in ways it hadn't known or done in years. Even the cry of delight sounded foreign to her as she listened to it pierce the silence of the night, only then realizing it to be her own voice, her own joyous sound of release as she exploded there amongst the stars, becoming one of them.

Afterwards, they had made love, gently, slowly, perfectly. The initial urgency now gone, replaced with an almost too gentle kindness that was yet just as perfect, just as needed as the lust-filled wanton urgency of that first shattering climax.

How long they had pleasured one another no longer mattered. Miranda had lost count of the number of times she'd succumbed to the rapture of bliss. Amazed, that Brad too had successfully joined her there more times than she'd thought possible for a man.

When exhaustion finally claimed them both, they lay quietly entwined, hearts beating as one until the coolness of the night air finally caused them to stir. Now realizing the time, and reluctantly agreeing to finally get dressed and make there way back down the mountain to where Miranda's car sat waiting for her, Miranda settled back into the seat, eyes closed, reliving each and every precious moment she'd just experienced.

Brad saw her safely to her car in the now deserted parking lot. Going so far as to even follow her until reaching the primary highway where they then parted, she heading for home, he, heading back towards the city. By the time she arrived home, the sun was just beginning to peak its head above the horizon. She knew she was in no shape to attempt to work, already having decided to call in sick, catch a few winks, then perhaps spend the afternoon driving over to the address she'd been given in hopes of finding out more about Grace and or Wil, and whatever if anything had happened to them.

#

It was the sound of her phone ringing that actually woke her. Though initially she thought it to be her alarm, and that she'd allowed herself to oversleep. Reaching over to shut it off, the ring continued. Still half asleep, Miranda realized her mistake, snatching up the receiver, irritated, and answered.

"Yes?"

"Hey! You ok Miranda? I called your office earlier. They said you'd called in sick today. Everything all right?" she heard Darlene worriedly asking.

"Oh yes, everything's wonderful actually," she said now dreamily, the irritation now gone as she settled back into her bed, the soft pillow supporting her head as she closed her eyes, the image of Brad standing above her silhouetted by the moon now a permanent fixture within her minds eye. "What time is it anyway?" she asked leaning over to glance at the clock on her dresser.

"Nearly one," Darlene answered for her. "You sure you're ok? You sound a little strange."

"Not strange, just exhausted," Miranda teased back, knowing full well that would spark additional curiosity.

"Don't you dare leave me hanging there!" Darlene warned her. "I take it you saw Brad last night after all?" she continued to question.

"I didn't just see him," Miranda hinted, then giggled unashamedly. "I'll tell you all about it later. Right now, I really need to get up and get dressed. I have things to do, especially before Bill gets home this evening. I'll call you later kiddo."

And before Darlene could even attempt to pry anything more out of her, Miranda hung up the phone, laughing at the image she was sure must have been expressed in Darlene's face as she sat there in stunned disbelief at what she'd just heard.

"No doubt, she's calling Silvia at this very moment!" she mused to herself as she stepped into the shower.

As tired as she still was, Miranda felt better than she had felt in years. She showered quickly, dressed, applied the briefest of makeup and was out the door in less than an hour. The address she'd been given barely a thirty minute drive away. She was in hopes of discovering a lot more than what she knew now, though she figured the likelihood of really learning anything more than she already knew as extremely remote.

The address was an easy one to locate. Pulling up in front of the hundred year old home that was itself an antique, though beautifully maintained, she noticed a variety of children's toys scattered about the front yard. Obviously whoever had moved in to the old place was a much younger couple with children. Miranda shut off the car, stepped out, and immediately noticed a young woman kneeling over a small flower garden weeding it.

"Excuse me, but do you live here?" she asked knowing full well the young woman probably did. But at least it was a way to break the ice before introducing herself, or attempting to try and explain the reason she really was here after all.

At the sound of Miranda's voice, the young woman stood wiping away a bit of unseen dirt from the side of her nose. Her strawberry-blonde hair neatly piled beneath the bandana she wore.

"Yes I do. Can I help you?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"I sure hope so. I'm actually trying to locate the family that used to live here," Miranda began, hoping that by the sound of her voice the young woman wouldn't find that too odd or concerning a question to be asked. "Have you lived here long?" she added, hoping the additional question would keep the young naive looking woman off guard.

"Actually, we just moved in a couple of weeks ago," the woman stated now crossing the yard over towards the fence where Miranda continued standing, not wishing to step into the yard through the gate without being invited. "I think my husbands got some papers with the previous owners name on them. Not sure how much that will help you though, I don't recall seeing an address or anything like that. About all I do know, the people we purchased this place from sold it because one of them died."

"Do you remember any names?" Miranda asked feeling a bubble of excitement swell within her stomach.

"Not sure, but I think one of their names was Grace or something like that anyway. Not sure about the other one who was living with her."

As excited as she now was, she was disappointed to hear that it was Grace who apparently had died. "Do you recall hearing the name Wil? William perhaps?"

"No, wasn't a man's name. Kind of an odd one actually. Can't recall what her name was, funny looking old lady that's for sure. I guess she was living here with her sister, but it was Grace who actually owned the place, though the family took over the property and sold everything. We kept some of the stuff, things they didn't want. But they pretty much took everything else. A lot of old neat looking stuff as I remember."

Miranda really was disappointed now. "Would you mind? I really would like to see whatever documents you might have. It's really very important to me," Miranda near pleaded.

"I guess so, wait here. I'll see if I can locate them for you."

Miranda wasn't sure the young woman would even return. She was half sure she was in calling her husband at this very moment and would no doubt be told to mind her own business, and be on her way. To her relief however, a short time later the woman returned holding a hand full of documents as she once again crossed the yard, this time inviting Miranda to come in.

"This is all I could find," she began handing them over to Miranda.

Miranda quickly thumbed through the documents. There was indeed no address, just the name of the attorney who was obviously handling things, his address, but she did see the name of the party he was representing.

"Grace Richards," she said aloud. That at least confirmed that it was indeed Grace who had once lived here, but she still had no idea what had happened to Wil, if anything.

"Like I said, not sure that really helps much, but I hope you're able to find whoever it is you're looking for."

"Thank you. Actually, it helped a lot. At least now I know I'm on the right track," Miranda said thanking her again, handing the young woman the stack of papers. She turned waving good-bye and walked to her car.

"Oh miss?"

Miranda stopped.

"I think I just remembered the other woman's name. Like I said, odd sounding just the way she looked. Dotti Craven something or other as I remember. Not sure of the last name. But I do remember her first name was Dotti!"

"Craven? Cravenstance maybe?"

"Yes! That's it! Cravenstance! Weird looking old woman, sort of looked like a stork!"

#

Miranda made it back to the antique shop in record breaking time. With the jingle of the bells announcing her arrival, she was somewhat disappointed to see the young girl she'd spoken to earlier waiting on a customer. Impatient, she stood off to one side making it obvious that she wished to speak to the young woman, who though acknowledging her presence, continued to speak to the customer she'd been with.

Anxious, growing more and more impatient by the moment, Miranda did something she rarely if ever did...or was. And though she normally wasn't rude, the circumstances demanded that she get some answers, and now.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to speak with you. It's a matter of some urgency!" she explained trying to apologize for the interruption, but making everyone aware that she couldn't afford to sit waiting any longer.

The young girl smiled politely, then apologized to her customer as well. "I'm sorry, but if you'll excuse me one moment, I'll be right back," she said directing Miranda off to one side.

"Is there something else I can help you with?" she asked.

"Yes, I need to speak to Dotti, Mrs. Cravenstance," she amended.

"She's still not back, and won't be for the remainder of the week."

"Is there anyway I can contact her?"

"Sorry, no. My Aunt is rather old fashioned and doesn't even have a phone. Dotti has to drive into town just in order to call me and see how things are going. About the best I can do is relay any messages to her if and when she calls me again."

Miranda thought for a few minutes. "Maybe there is something you can tell me. Tell me more about Grace."

"Well, I really didn't know most of mother's sisters all that well. That side of the family never really was very close. Especially Grace for some reason as about all I do know, she was virtually disowned by my grand-parents, though I never really knew the reason why. Dotti's really the only Aunt I've ever been close to. I'm not even very close to Aunt May, who she's visiting and staying with now."

Miranda was even more frustrated. She was getting nowhere fast. If anything, she had far more unanswered questions than she'd had in the beginning. She stood there thinking for a moment.

"You mentioned something about some photo albums? Do you mind if I have a look at those?"

"Not at all, like I said, Dotti thought you might eventually want to look at them, so I kept them out for you."

"She did? That's odd. I wonder why?" she asked not really expecting an answer.

"No idea, only that she said you'd eventually get around to asking about them once things started happening."

Things were getting stranger and stranger by the moment. The young girl soon stepped behind the counter and pulled two large old volumes from off one of the shelves setting them down on the counter.

"Feel free to browse through them. I'll be back in a few minutes after I've finished helping that other customer."

"Thank you," Miranda replied, feeling a little sheepish at having been so demanding with her. "I wonder why she thought I'd want to look through these?" she asked herself once again.

She began flipping through one of the books. She soon came across some old black and white photo's that had to be pictures of all five girls together when they were fairly young. Miranda almost smiled. Even then 'Dotti' appeared to be the more homely looking of all the girls. Though her hair was dark and long, it was still stringy, and if anything made her long pointed nose appear even more prominent than it did now.

She continued to browse, noticeably the girls began to grow, change and develop. As they did, she began to notice something else as well. One of the girls looked vaguely familiar, but Miranda couldn't quite put her finger on why, or what significance that might make. It was when she began leafing through the second book that an eerie thought struck her. One of the women looked amazingly like herself. There were certainly enough differences between them, but anyone seeing this younger picture of one of the women, and a similar picture of herself when her own hair had been a little longer as a young girl. And anyone comparing the two would swear they were truly related in some way!

She was halfway through the second album when she found herself staring at a particular photograph. Stunned, she actually extracted the photo in an attempt to see it more clearly. The image was small, smaller than most. It appeared to be the type taken at a school dance, one of those typical 'sweetheart' photo's. The woman in the photo was the same one that now reminded her of herself, and even more so than any of the others. But what had caused her to nearly faint dead away was the man standing beside her. If Miranda didn't know better, she could have sworn it was the spitting image of Brad, perhaps considerably younger, but Brad none-the-less.

On a hunch, Miranda flipped the photo over and discovered writing that was barely even still legible. It took her a moment to make out the words.

"William and Grace, Valentines dance 1938."

Now she was getting somewhere. But the images she stood looking at haunted her. She felt goose bumps suddenly spread up and down her arms as she continued to stare at the images that still appeared to look more and more like Brad the longer she stared at them. But even Grace's photo reminded her strongly of her own self when she was that age.

"How much?" Miranda asked when the young woman had finished with the other customer and returned to her.