Short story
The Mysterious Maiden
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Long blonde hair down her back, a thin figure and her eyes were of the deepest blue, like the deepest sea. He was of rugged, wind- blown appearance with stubble that had not been trimmed for quite a long time. He spent his days working on the local fishing trawler and his nights drinking in the pub with his mates. This was where he was when he contemplated what might have been…
They met one night at the bar. This was not unusual as the bar was the main meeting place of the town. The moment she walked in the door, heads turned and men wolf whistled, it wasn’t often they saw a pretty girl in their small fishing town. She could have chosen any man, indeed there were some much more handsome than him. Hannah, however, only had eyes for him. She came over and introduced herself and as they sat and talked and laughed something began, something they would have forever. When they were together it was if she was one of the mates.
He could tell her anything and she wasn’t too delicate to play sport or rough and tumble. She had a crude sense of humour he had seldom seen in other women, but almost always in his mates at the pub or the guys from the wharf. In other ways, though, she was like a stranger to him. She left the flat they shared, often for hours at a time, but never went into detail of where she went. It was ‘her time’, as Hannah had called it. He assumed she went shopping; Peter hated shopping and was glad that he didn’t have to go and spend endless hours looking at clothes. He would much rather hang out with his mates.
They were from different places, but their differences were what brought them together, or so he thought… They had shared an apartment with no secrets between them. They shared everything; Peter thought they would be together forever. She was fun loving and a good friend to him. They spent many hours together walking on the beach, or watching the next game of football. She didn’t mind football; in fact, she seemed more into it than him. Maybe somewhere in his subconscious that was when he began to realise… As Peter sat in the pub he thought of her….. Why? Why did she have to be that way? He gave her everything, but apparently she did not do the same.
He sat forlornly in the bar. It was dull, as all the other patrons had left for the night. The lights had been turned down and the air had a sombre mood. The barman came over with a fresh beer. “So where’s Hannah?” the barman asked, “I haven’t seen her ’ere in over a week”
“She had to move further north for her work,” he said shortly. He did not offer any more information it was much too complicated. A small town like this would never understand.
Hannah felt bad for leaving Peter, since he had been one of her best friends, but when he proposed she knew she had to tell him the truth. It had been so hard her eyes welled up with tears and he had given her a rib cracking hug, saying he would miss her forever. She would miss him, but it was for the best. Now she had Erin and she had never been happier.
