Ms. Holly Bargo
Gwen inhaled the soft air, fragrant with the scent of lemon groves and some pretty pink and yellow flowers she didn’t recognize. As she climbed the well-groomed trail that led to the top of a scenic overlook, she wished Douglas could have been there with her on this long-anticipated holiday in sunny Italy. She sighed and paused to rest her aching knees and hips. Getting old sucked. She passed a young couple entwined around one another and taking advantage of the romantic ambiance of dappled shade scented with verdant growth and the distant rush of the sea. At the top of the hill, Gwen found a bench and took a seat, glancing back at the young couple and silently wishing them well. She and Douglas would have enjoyed an Italian honeymoon all those years ago, but they’d had to make do with a funky smelling cabin in a state park. The intervening years afterward offered no respite in the demand upon their modest incomes. Gwen sighed again, glad she had made this trip in honor of her deceased husband. She smiled and turned her face skyward as though worshiping the sun. “I’m here, Douglas, just like we planned,” she whispered. “It’s as beautiful as we imagined.” A warm breeze tossed her short gray hair and she raked the strands back with her hands. “I wish you were here with me.” As though he were, the breeze slid along her cheek in a soft caress. She sighed and decided to take comfort in the ethereal presence of what she fancied was her husband’s spirit. Unheeded, a single tear trickled down her cheek. Gwen quietly enjoyed the gorgeous view and absorbed the warm sunshine of late May on the Amalfi Coast. She assumed the shimmer making her eyes squint was just sunlight flashing off the Tyrrhenian Sea. From behind the shimmering portal between dimensions, Asher watched and waited. He’d felt her presence in the Old World the moment she stepped foot off the aircraft. So had Umberco. “She is not what I anticipated,” the prince murmured, his voice cool with disappointment. “She w
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