Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

Succumb – definition: 1) to yield or give in to force or pressure 2) to die

I am sharing an excerpt from my reincarnation love story here, The Twesome Loop. Two of the main characters succumb to the inevitable even though neither of them have any idea what is happening. They meet in an Italian villa.

At breakfast Gerald helped himself to coffee and went onto the patio. There he discovered he was not alone, a woman was lying on a divan, reading. He watched for a moment then approached her to introduce himself. As she turned to face him, he felt drawn to her. A feeling of recognition but how could that be with a complete stranger?

Melissa turned at the sound of footsteps and faced a tall distinguished looking dark haired man. The sudden rush of belonging and love that overwhelmed her, took her breath away. Whatever was going on? She didn’t even know this man but sensed a recollection of sorts. She must pull herself together and make an introduction. She was not a silly teenager with a crush.

Gerald noticed that she had a shocked expression on her face, much the same as he imagined he had. They reached out to each other simultaneously. What an odd feeling knowing a complete stranger. Gerald couldn’t reason with himself or resist the strong urge to hold this woman tightly in his arms. Straining to control himself, Gerald stepped closer and held out his hand but Melissa was already too close his hand grasped around her waist, it was the most natural thing to do.

His touch was electrifying and familiar. She shook her head unprepared for what her eyes were showing her.       Everything around Gerald dissolved and all he could do was look into her pale blue eyes and know them from long ago. As he gazed into Melissa’s eyes, he knew she was as lost as he was. Recognition but how can you know a complete stranger instantly? With total certainty Gerald knew she was what he had been searching for his whole life. This woman was his life without any doubt.

Gerald looked down at her and gently released his grip. At last he found his voice and introduced himself.

“Hello, I’m Gerald. Gerald Conway-Smythe.”

“I’m Melissa…… Melissa Shaw. Where have you come from? Do I know you?”

Confused Gerald blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

“I came from my room, actually. How about I fetch us some fresh coffee?”

“Oh, yes alright, that would be lovely, Gerald, thank you.”

Gerald needed time to think. His offer to get coffee would give him that time while he organized cups, milk and sugar on a tray. He needed to make sense of these pervasive emotions. As he walked back to Melissa, he glimpsed a different scene. She was in a long gown with her long hair coiled high upon her head. Where had that come from? He stopped in mid stride unsure if he was experiencing a hallucination.

“Gerald, are you alright?”

The concern on Melissa’s face broke his paralysis, he could never worry her.

“I’m sorry a touch of déjà vu I believe, although it had the strangest effect on me. I saw you in costume and your hair coiffured but the surroundings were exactly the same.”

“Thank goodness, I thought I was going mad. I saw you in a long frock coat and stockings. Whatever is going on?”

“I may have an explanation but need to do some research first. In the meantime let’s have coffee and enjoy this wonderful vista.”

“If you can explain this oddity I will be amazed and grateful all at the same time.”

Gerald resolved to investigate this strange occurrence but for now he knew with complete certainty that whatever happened, he would care for Melissa for the rest of his days. There were forces at work here that he could not comprehend at the moment. It was probably best to go with the flow and see where it led him.

English: The Victorians and some Edwardians wore frock coat suits like this in check and tweed much as we would a tweed lounge suit. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As always I’m open to comments, don’t be shy. This novel still has a lot of editing required.