The Unfinished Story by Char Marie Adles (best books to read in your 20s .TXT) 📕

soon I found myself sitting under a cherry tree, its pink blossoms waving in the light breeze of the cool morning.
I leaned my head against the tree closed my eyes.
Who was that lady? And that beautiful young man? And why am I here?
The more I thought about it the more my head hurt and the crazier I sounded. I know this must be a dream, but why am I not waking up or is it that I died when I really fell into the pond? But then why would I be here? Surely this couldn’t have been heaven or hell. But that man did look like an angel…
I sighed and opened my eyes. I froze. There standing in front of me was the woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She smiled and came over to sit next to me.
“Hello,” I said without thinking about it in Spanish.
“Hello,” she said back.
What?!
“You speak Spanish,” I said in disbelief.
“Yes, of course I would. I would never forget my first language,” she said.
“How…?”
“That is a talk for another time, my dear. Now I must get you back to the room. My son would be worried if you weren’t there,” she said taking me by the hand and leading me back to the room.
“Where am I?’ I asked looking down. She stopped for a moment.
“Japan,” she said and then we were at the room.
“I want to know what is going on. I don’t remember coming to Japan. I remember being in Spain and drowning in a pond.” I said slowly.
Her eyes were sad. “I know, but the only thing I can tell you at this moment is that we’ll talk about it later. I’m Leda by the way, honey.”
“I’m Ashlynn,” I said with a small smile, “But can you tell me what happened to me please? At this point I would believe anything.”
With a sigh she sat down next to me. “Okay…” she told me everything that had happened to me and the same thing had happen to her twenty-three years ago. It turned out that she was my mom’s friend that had disappeared in the pond although years ago.
By time she was done my head was reeling. I felt like I was going to pass out again.
“The current year here is 927 AD…You look like you need your rest. By the way all your things are in the trunk over in the corner…”
The room tilted and went black, but I heard her say “Girl’s got some stomach if she lasted through all this…” with a laugh.


Chapter two
Surprises never end


Japan 927, Fujiwara Mansion


I woke feeling as close to my old self as I could get. I now knew that this was no dream.
The leaves of the trees were bright green and the air warm and the sky a blue so clear you just had to stare at it.
A maid came to wake me up and dressed me in a very beautiful and very thick kimono.
It was made of white silk and it was the pattern of lilies in silver thread. It looked very expensive. I was afraid that it was too delicate for me to wear, but I guess not. One of them did my hair in a twist-thing and put in one pin to hold it in place. She told me how beautiful I looked and I thanked her with a blush.
It was beautiful and I thought now I look as beautiful as my mom might have once long ago when she was my age and alive.
When they were done I set out to find Leda. I looked all over the large mansion, but I couldn’t find her so I went to look in the garden. I couldn’t see her, so I went in to look. I went through a bush of lilies not to see Leda there, but the young man that had saved me. His eyes were closed and he was asleep. His breathing deep.
He was so beautiful. He looked no more twenty-two at most. He was tall and even thought he wore all those layers of clothes I could tell he was all muscle and finely built.
He was laying under a cherry tree and a blossom fell upon his brow. Without thinking I reached out and brushed it from his face.
His eyes opened just at that moment and I pulled my hand back, but he caught it. His silver eyes looked over my face.
“I’m sorry! I was looking for Leda and I saw you…you had a blossom on your face so I just brushed it off!” I said, babbling nervously.
“It’s fine. I’m sorry for scaring you,” he said.
What do I get out of this one? If I can just find Leda, everything will be… wait did he just speak in Spanish?!
“You speak Spanish?” I asked. Dumbfounded. Again.
He smiled. “Yes, one of many things my mother taught me.” then he frowned.
“You should be back in bed. You have been getting over your illness for five days. I don’t think you shouldn’t be up yet.”
I pulled my hand away from him before he got up and started dragging me back to the room like Leda did. I needed the air.
Instead I dropped to the ground next to him. He looked shocked at this.
“What is it do you think you are doing?” he asked, in astonishment.
“Sitting next to you. What does it look like?” I said with a small smile at his expression. He had cow eyes.
“But your kimono will get dirty! You must not sit on the ground!”
“It’s fine. I’ll wash it later,” I said thinking that they don’t have washing machines in ancient Japan.
“I’ll need a tub of hot water, some lemon juice and cream. I know how to wash silk,” I said thinking on it.
When I looked over to him, his mouth was hanging open. I put a finger under his jaw and closed it.
I stared at the sky and sighed.
“You know how to wash clothes?” he asked, in an awed tone.
“Of course. Even though I was rich, when I was left with no family before the age of three and was raised by servants and friends of the family. I learned so if one day I need to, I could take care of myself.”
After a long pause he asked: “Don’t you want to go home?”
I thought about that. I had no home really. Nowhere had I belonged. I had the family castle, but that would never be my home. There was nothing to go back for. No one either.
“No,” I said finally, “I have no home, no place had I belonged too, and no one I belong with. Here or there doesn’t matter.” I felt tears fall down my face. The same tears I had never let fall before, because of the sadness of being alone. The tears of the pain I had long hidden.
He said nothing more, but simply took my hand in his. When I had cried away all my tears I stood, gently taking my hand from his.
He looked up at me. “I best go find Leda. Thank you.” and with that I turned and walked away. I couldn’t let myself be cared for by him. Because if he cares for me, I’ll start to care for him. A lesson I learned from my parents.
My mother had loved my dad, and he had loved her. When dad died before I was just born my mom’s soul had been broken with her heart. She tried to hang on the best for me, but she died half a year later. After getting worse and worse, she died of a broken heart.
I walked back to my room and sat on the floor by a small table that had tea and some bread on a tray. I poured a cup of tea and ate a piece of the bread.
Knock…knock.
I got up and went to the door. I slid it open and saw Leda. I bowed and so did she, then we laughed as our heads knock together.
“You are Mira’s daughter,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks, I made a point to study the cultures and customs of most countries, as well as their languages. It was fun. By the way I have a question to ask you,” I said.
“Go ahead,” she said with a knowing smile.
“Who was the young man who saved me?”
She grinned. “He would be the dashing young lord of this estate as well as my son. His name is Kail Gen Fujiwara. He has the name Gen given to him by his father for his silver eyes. He is the heir of the Fujiwara Clan.”
“So the beautiful young man that saved me was your son?! The guy with the piercing silver eyes?”
She nodded. “He looks like his father too.”
“It must be nice to have a family you care for and that cares for you.”
“Yes it is. How is your mother?”
I felt myself pale. “After everyone thought you drowned in the pond she was no longer herself. She started to waste away. Then she married my dad and she became a little more like her old self. Then I came. Dad died a month before I was born. And mom was completely lost. She tried to hold on to herself for me, but it didn’t last long. She died a few months later. Grandpa died a year later. So I became my own guardian. I was left with no family. I was raised by servants, and the friends of my family.”
“Oh I’m so sorry!” she was crying now.
“It was fine. My first time at the castle you disappeared at, was the day fell in to the pond and came here. I don’t have anywhere or anyone I belong to. I never did. I don’t even know if I could go back and I don’t want to.” I said, closing my eyes.
“I never knew! To be so alone all your life…I can’t imagine it. And having no one to care for you.”
I took her hand. “It’s fine. I never knew what it was like so I can never miss it, but I won’t say it didn’t hurt.”
I talked to her for a while and then left the room. This place was huge and tall walls blocked it in. I found a