Inktober 2019 #23: Ancient

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Darla called, limping across the living room to the front door. Goodness, who was ringing the front doorbell? She knew everyone in town, and they knew to knock at the kitchen door, even the Amazon package delivery people and the driver for the new Indian restaurant over in town. She’d barely been in the living room for a week, ever since she’d hosted the last monthly meeting of the book club.

She reached the door, unbolted the lock, and pulled it open. “Can I help–?”

And stopped, staring.

She should have pulled aside the curtain and looked through the window before opening the door – what she’d done hadn’t been very secure. But the person on the other side of the door wasn’t the kind of danger she could have called 911 about.

Waves of shining auburn hair, brilliant green eyes, pale, unfreckled skin… and no sign of age. At all. Forty-five years, and the woman on her porch looked exactly the same.

“Jolene…?” Darla whispered.( Read more... )

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Oh, I feel stupid even saying this, but this is based on the Dolly Parton song “Jolene”, for the approximately 12 people in the world who didn’t know.