Angel in the Rain
The dance was winding down. Diana Lynch leaned against her boyfriend, Mart, sipping punch and watching as her friend Dan brushed a lock of dark hair away from his face and grinned down at his dance partner. She was pretty, with long, blonde, spiral curls and wide pale grey eyes. Her dress was of a vintage style, white velvet bodice and satin skirt that coordinated well with her white-feathered angel wings, gold-glittered halo and matching half mask. There was something about her, though, that had Di feeling edgy. Mart leaned in and whispered, “What's wrong, gorgeous?”
Startled, Di smiled up at him through her own lavender and silver mask. “Nothing,” she assured him. “I was just wondering who that girl is. The one with Dan.”
Mart snorted. “Who knows? Count Dracula over there has danced with every girl in the place.”
“He's not that bad,” Di giggled. “Besides, even though he brought Dacia, they aren’t dating--they came as friends. But he’s danced with this girl at least four times.”
“Interesting!” Mart stroked his nonexistent beard. “Methinks I will hie myself o’er there and inquire.” He dropped a quick kiss on Diana’s forehead and hurried toward his friend, while her violet eyes watched his velvet court-jester-clad rump as it crossed the crowded dance floor.
The song ended just as Mart reached Dracula and the Angel. As Dan turned, Mart bumped into him. He stepped back sheepishly, sputtering, “Uhhh...Hey! You guys...uh...want some punch?”
Dan quirked an eyebrow. “Susanna, this…clown…is my best friend Mart. Mart, this is Susanna.”
Blushing beneath his jester mask, Mart extended his hand. “Hello, Susanna. My girlfriend sent me over to see if you two want to join us for refreshments.”
The pink lips smiled up at him as she answered. “It’s nice to meet you Mart, and I thank you for the invitation, but I should find my date and get home. I do believe the dance is nearly over, and Kevin promised my parents we’d be home early.” She turned to Dan and inclined her head. “Thank you for the dances, Dan. Goodnight.” She glided away, disappearing into the crowd.
I should find Dacia,” Dan said, moving away from Mart, ignoring the questioning look on his friend’s face.
It was raining lightly as Dan walked his date to her door. Dacia Kimes looked at him with a smile. “Thank you for taking me to the masquerade tonight, Dan. I had a great time.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she kissed his cheek. “Should we put on a show for Mart and Di?”
“Tempting. Tempting,” Dan mused, casting a quick look back at the steamed windows on the station wagon, “But I think they’re too preoccupied to notice.”
“Too bad,” she giggled.
“Indeed.” Dan agreed, raising her hand to his lips. “Goodnight, Dace.”
“Goodnight, Dan.” She disappeared into the house, and he headed back to the car.
As he drove down the road, the rain turned into a deluge. Looking in the rearview mirror, Dan asked sardonically, “Why is it I always end up the chauffeur? One of you could move to the front seat.”
Mart chuckled from the back seat. “The company is better back here.”
“I’m wounded to the...Holy crap!” The words burst out as Dan slammed on the brakes, the car fishtailing on the slick highway.
Diana screamed, her arms covering her face as the car slid to a stop. “What the...?”Mart asked. “What was that?”
“I think...I think it was a person. A woman. She came out of nowhere.” Dan’s voice was thready. “I don’t think I hit her.” With shaking hands, he opened the door. Mart squeezed Di’s hand reassuringly and joined Dan in the rain.
The mystery woman was easy to find. She crouched just off the road, a sodden mess of white satin and feathers huddled at the base of a huge elm tree. As they approached her, Dan called out, “Susanna?” She lifted her face, lips trembling. “What are you doing out here?” Dan exclaimed, reaching for her. “Are you hurt? I didn’t hit you, did I?”
“No,” she stammered, “I just...I’m sorry. I was just trying to get home. I...”
“You’re freezing!” Dan pulled her to her feet and led her to the car. “Let’s get you out of the rain. You can warm up in the car and we’ll drive you home. Come on.” He opened the door and helped her inside, and ran around to the drivers seat, cranking up the heat as Mart climbed into his seat next to Diana. “Mart, hand me the blanket under the seat, okay? She’s soaked.” Mart did as instructed, handing over a square of heavy plaid wool. Dan wrapped around the shivering girl, making belated introductions. “Susanna, you’ve met Mart. This is my other friend, Diana Lynch. Di, this is Susanna...?
“Haskel,” she whispered through her chattering teeth. “Susanna Haskel. I live on Chamberlain Drive.” She pulled off her mask and set it next to her on the seat.
“What were you doing out on the road?” Diana asked.
“I had a fight with my boyfriend.” Susanna wiped her face with the edge of the blanket. “I decided to just walk home. Kevin drove off. That’s when it started to rain.”
“Jerk,” Dan muttered. From the back seat, he heard Mart echo the sentiment.
“It’s okay, now,” Diana soothed. “Tell Dan your address, and we’ll take you home.”
“Four-eighty-three Chamberlain.” Susanna pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders. “It’s the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. You turn left after the oak tree.”
Dan followed her instructions in silence, concentrating on the road and the weather. Chamberlain Drive was dark, only a few houses bearing lit porch lights. Switching on the high beams, Dan spotted the correct house and pulled into the pitch-black drive. As he put the car in park, Susanna leaned across the seat and kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were ice-cold, but her voice was warm. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for bringing me home.” Before anyone could move, she was out of the car and gone, leaving the blanket and a puddle of water.
“Where did she go?” Mart asked, peering around Di. “I didn’t even hear the door close! She vanished!”
“It’s dark, Mart,” Diana told him, “and with all the rain, she probably just ran in through the garage.”
Unconvinced, Mart turned to his friend in the driver’s seat. “Dan?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. She said at the dance that she was supposed to be home early. Maybe she wanted to sneak in because it’s so late. And speaking of late...”
“We should get home,” Diana finished. “Before I turn into a pumpkin.”
“Halloween’s next week,” Mart told her. “You definitely don’t want to be a pumpkin then. The twins would carve you into abstract art.” Diana was still giggling when Dan pulled back out on the highway.
It took fourteen minutes for Mart to say goodbye. Fourteen minutes for Dan to sit in the car, not looking at the front door to the Lynch mansion. Finally, Mart dashed back to the wagon, a goofy grin on his face as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Homeward, my good man!” he intoned in a pompous British accent. “Hey!” Mart’s voice returned to normal. “Our guest forgot her mask.” Sure enough, the white and gold feathered mask Susanna had been wearing was wedged in the seat. Mart pulled it out and set it on the dashboard.
“I guess we can take it back to her tomorrow,” Dan said. “You can ask her how she managed to get out of sight so fast.”
“True.” Mart stifled both a yawn and a grin. “And you can ask her out for a burger and a movie.”
“What?”
“Admit it,” Mart teased. “You liiiiiiked her.”
Dan shook his head. “I almost ran her over, Mart.”
“But you didn’t. You saved her. Ask her out. I dare you.”
“You, my friend, are...incorrigible.”
“True.” Mart yawned again. “If we get there by eleven, you can ask her out to lunch.” He laughed, and ducked the punch Dan threw in his direction.
The house looked sad in the daylight. When they pulled into the driveway of four-eighty-three Chamberlain Drive, it was half past eleven. Mart and Di were once again in the back seat while Dan drove, the feathered mask on the seat next to him.
“Does anyone live here?” Di asked quietly. “The house looks almost abandoned.”
“We left her here,” Dan pointed out. “So someone must.”
“Let’s go find out.” Mart opened the door and slid out, holding the door for Di. She hesitated, the odd feeling she had had the night before resurfacing.
Dan seemed to be feeling it too. He picked up the mask and let his friends lead the way to the door, hanging back as Mart rang the bell.
Time seemed to drag as they waited. Finally, the door opened, revealing a neatly dressed woman in her mid-fifties. When she saw them, a strange look crossed her barely wrinkled face, and her pale grey eyes filled with tears. “You’re here for Susanna, aren’t you?” she asked.
“We brought her home last night, ma’am,” Mart explained. “But she left something in the car.”
“Her mask.” It was a statement, whispered in a resigned voice. “I figured as much when the storm came up.” She opened the door a little wider. “I’m Gretchen Robinson. Come in, please. I’ll make some tea and try to explain.”
The three Bob-Whites followed her into the quiet house, confused and a little uneasy. They followed Ms. Robinson into the living room, waiting while she fetched refreshments. Dan paced the room, looking at the multitude of photos and knickknacks that covered every flat surface. He recognized Susanna in several of them, posing alone, or with a similar looking girl a little younger than she.
“I made some cookies last night,” Ms. Robinson said, entering the room with a tea tray. “Sit down and I’ll tell you the story.” She sat down in a wing chair in front of the coffee table and began pouring tea. Dan settled himself in the chair facing her, adjacent to Mart and Di on the settee.
“I don’t understand, ma’am,” Mart said, taking the proffered cup and a cookie. “We brought Susanna home last night. What kind of story does that make?”
“One you might not believe,” she replied. “You aren’t the first ones to bring her home. There have been others in the last forty-five years.” Dan set his cup down and leaned forward. Diana’s cup began to shake in her hands.
“What? How?” Dan couldn’t form words, he just stammered incoherently as Mart choked on his cookie.
“Susanna was my sister,” Ms. Robinson explained. “My older sister.” She waited a moment for her words to sink in. “On her sixteenth birthday, her boyfriend took her to a masquerade ball. She looked so beautiful in her angel costume. Kevin promised to have her home by nine, so we could have a family celebration, but something happened. They argued, and Susanna decided to walk home. There was a storm that night, and she got caught in the rain. She was two miles from home, on that curve by the elm tree,” her voice rose a little, questioning. All three Bob-Whites nodded, mesmerized by the story. “Someone hit her. A hit and run, they claimed. Susanna died at the scene, still trying to get home.” Ms. Robinson smiled sadly. “I suppose she’s still trying to get home.”
Dan sat back in his chair, stunned. He looked at Mart, who wore an expression he was sure matched his own. Tears streamed down Diana’s face, even as she reached out for Ms. Robinson’s hand. “You knew,” she said. “When you saw us, you knew. You said this has happened before.”
“It has,” Ms. Robinson admitted. “In years when the masquerade falls on Susanna’s birthday.” She tilted her head, and the broken look in her familiar eyes sent a chill shooting up and down Dan’s spine. “It always rains.”
Author Notes
Written for Mal and Ryl’s 1st Annual Supernatural Challenge 2009.
The Challenge: Choose one of the following urban myths and rewrite it with a Bob-White spin. Will you put Dan into the story of Hookman? Portray Honey as the Woman in White? Does Trixie have a secret that Bloody Mary knows? Maybe Mart has an irrational fear of the number 40. Pick a Bob-White, any Bob-White, and write the story from their point of view. They can play any role, maybe one of them IS the Hookman, and has a tragic story to tell.
I combined the Woman in White and Vanishing Hitchhiker stories to create this. I like a good challenge. I hope you enjoyed it.
