"S" by Heidi Eastman — Our September 2017 Bronze Medal Winner

Heidi Eastman is our third place winner from the contest posted in our September,2017 issue!

Meet Heidi

Heidi Eastman is a small town Ontario wife and mother to two delightfully weird girls. Her days are spent behind a desk in the financial world, so in her spare time she craves creative outlets, whether that be cooking, knitting, or writing.

Heidi has had a previous piece, I Had a Lover Once, published in the December issue of Blank Spaces.

S

the unedited story by Heidi Eastman

He was tall with broad shoulders and an athletic body. His jet black hair didn’t have a single strand out of place. His face looked like one you could trust, yet his eyes looked like he carried the weight of the world with him. Take away his apparent love of primary colours, and he was pretty much my dream date.

I saw him as he landed in the valley. That’s right. Landed. As in, fell from the sky. No jet pack. No parachute. Just him. And that spandex he was wearing wasn’t hiding anything.

Granted, his outfit allowed me to appreciate his perfectly toned physique more than jeans and a sweater would. But still... if you’re not riding a bike, why wear spandex from head to toe? And bright red boots? And a cape?

Who was this guy? And what did that “S” mean?

     Smart?

     Sexy?

     Spandex?

Clearly, the only way to find out was to follow him.

So I made my way to the cave he had entered.

I found myself in a tunnel – one that had been designed with intent, not formed by nature. But it felt ancient. Sacred. Like a fortress. A fortress of isolation, or solitude.

I was hesitant to keep going.

I knew he probably came to this place to be alone. But perhaps destiny had brought me here. Perhaps he would change his clothes and take me flying around the world – lunch in Paris and dinner in Sydney?

“I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering, splendid...”

Oops. I looked around, hoping he hadn’t heard me burst into song in my daydream.

Unless music was the way to his heart?

No.

Stay calm. Stay cool.

I needed to remember my real purpose – to find out who this man was, and what he was doing up in my great white north.

I allowed my rational brain to push aside the foolish notions of love, and walked purposely down the tunnel.

I rounded a corner, and there he was.

My heart skipped a beat, and he must have heard it. He looked up at me. Our eyes met.

Time stood still.