Time Standing Still

He had left the frail letter she had written over 130 years ago sitting out all night.

The quality of the letter was quite remarkable and in very good condition. Taking no chances of ruining that fine piece of history. Tom started to open the drawer.

No one could ever have predicted what would happen next. Not knowing that his life was about to be changed forever, he gently took the handle of the drawer and pulled it towards him ever so slightly.

Much to his surprise, the letter which he had placed inside of the drawer the night before was gone.

"I'm not crazy!" Tom thought to himself as he frantically searched the desk from top to bottom.

"I put that letter in the drawer just last night." He began to retrace his steps to try to make sense of what might have happened to the letter.

Growing tired of the state of confusion he was in, Tom decided to give up. After all it was not Louise's letter he had lost, it was only a letter of admiration.

Tom began to smile at how childlike it was pretending to write to a person who has been dead nearly 100 years. He was still deeply moved by Louise's letter and finds his thoughts turning constantly to this mysterious woman.

He continued his mad search and in the process tips over the vintage ink he had used to write his letter to Louise. The oil-like substance had spilled from the bottle onto some of the stationary paper and (by his estimate) pre-Civil War stamps.

Luckily no perminant damage was done, and the desk was safe.

However, in all of the confusion Louise's letter was slightly imerged in the pool of ink. Although it did not cause a great deal of damage, it tore at Tom's heart.

He opened the drawer once again to, finally,to put Louise's letter back where it belongs.

"My mind just isn't on the right track since Mary Louise died." He thought to himself, as he nearly got the chills looking at her picture across the room.

Shaking his thoughts away like cold sweats in the night, he pulled that brass handle back...and almost as if someone was playing a bad trick on him, a letter had appeared.

Tom blinked his eyes in disbelief as to what he saw before him.

The envelope had much the appearance as the one Louise McCloud had written those many years before.

The back seal was face up, leaving him to turn the letter over to see any identification. The handwriting was ever familiar, and the words written were "Mr. Thomas Parker."

Tom noticed that the ink and the stamps were the same as what he had on the desk.

Astounded by what he had in his hand, Tom unwillingly dropped the letter onto the desk. He was carefull not to take his eyes off of it.

Regaining all of the courage he has left, he took the envelope into his hands and began to open it.

Inside it was written...

Dear Tom,

My curiousity has gotten the best of me. Although I can never understand how or why I have received your letter, I am very glad that you have written. As you can imagine, I have many questions to ask about this place you call home.

I'm afraid I cannot understand how you know so much about me...and my life. I am now sitting at the desk you described so well, thinking of my husband, Kid. It has been so lonely since he has left to fight in the war.

The letter you described to me was the letter I had written to my husband just yesterday. My heart skipped a beat when you quoted what I had only written in less than 12 hours ago.

As you can tell, I was overwhelmed with joy as I had just found out that I am going to be a mother for the first time. I can't imagine going through the most important moment in my life without the Kid. We were just married only a brief time and already he has been sent off to fight in the war. We both new that the day would come, but we never expected it to be this soon.

I cannot believe I am writting a total stranger about such things, but I guess I have nothing to do in the mean time. I am beginning to believe I am a bit crazy.

Please forgive me when I say I find this hard to believe, but either I am dilusional or it seems this little desk seems to transcend through time.

Sincerely,

Louise

Tom was stunned as he remained to read Louise's letter over and over again.

He felt as though they each shared a common bond with each other... they both had lost someone they both adored greatly. Even though Louise's loss seems more temporary than anything, he couldn't help feel as though they were tightly connected together.

Tom was bound and determined in ways to find out more about Louise. There was something about her that was special, although he could not place what it was.

Millions of thoughts ran through Tom's head as he tried to take himself back to the year 1863.

He recieved this rather chilling thought of how she sat in that very desk. Outside that very window you can see the long drive with a path of trees on each side.

The morning fog made it nearly impossible to see very far, but the images of the past were ever so clear.

Tom could invision the horse-drawn carriage drawn just infront of the pilars in the front of the house.

He blinked his eyes and was taken back to the present.

Tom returned to the desk and began to pull out once again the stationary and ink.

He wanted this letter to be special, and with sympathy he began to write...

Dear Louise,

I was touched by your recent letter to me. I greatly understand what you are going through. It is very hard to lose someone in anyway, and it seems like you would give anything in the world to have them back.

If there is one thing that hasn't changed since 1860, it is emotions. I would be honored to have you confide in me if there is ever the need to talk to someone.

As I had mentioned to you in my first letter, Mary Louise your granddaughter, has told me so much about you. She was a very special woman, and I can see many of your qualities in her.

She had an eccentric way of her story telling, but she made you seem so real to me. She once told me that you were a rider for the Pony Express. Imagine that! I bet you rode with Buffalo Bill too!

She never mentioned your husband much though, and I always wondered about that. From the way you described him he sounds like a very wonderful man. I am sure he thinks the world of you as well.

You two are very lucky to have one another. Don't worry I'm sure he'll be home in plenty of time to see your child be born.

Sincerely,

Tom

Tom sealed up the envelope and immediately placed it into the desk drawer. He was ever so anxious to see if she wrote back, or what she would write back. In a strange way, Tom had never felt a more tighter bond with anyone before.

He had only one conclusion made up in his mind that would, make sense as to this "magical" experience was happening....Mary Louise.

He thought...even beyond the grave she has mysterious way of reaching out.