glad you like the sweet parts. and, no, they're still not married... as for what his mother left behind... well, he is bringing it back.
glad to see you here.

Quote:
...

dare i make a comment?...

no. i shall refrain. for now.
you know, you're very good at creating cliffhangers in unlikely places. i mean, most people will leave off with a vicious attack or a plunge into the dark unknown (*raises hand* guilty), but in this case, for example, i find myself anxious to know what that meeting will be like. so kudos on that.

*grins* glad you like it kaz... I think my skill in writing the unlikely/unexpected cliffhangers(not even meaning to) comes from most of my experience being in writing novels... With a novel, you can't have each chapter end with a super suspenseful or actiony cliffhangers.

In a strong but lilting doctor's script, Joenaus scribed his thoughts, Quote:
*****
Quote:
*****
Quote:
*****
Quote:
*****
Joenaus nodded to many people as we passed by but didn't stop or speak until we reached a homely cottage near the outskirts of the town. Leaping down, he tied the horses to a post and came to offer me help down. I gladly took it and he led me inside. His face bore a mixed expression, but nowhere in it did I see gladness. There was hope... but his face was almost gaunt, "Mother?"
A strong voice called from the back bedroom, "Joenaus? My dear Joenaus? You're back?"
Immediately relief swept over him and his face shone, that grin I'd become so familiar with and attached to finally reappearing on his face. He broke into a ran for the back and burst through the door. Chuckling to myself, I followed- eager to meet the woman he so adored. "Yes, yes I'm back... and I kept my promise, Mother. I kept it."
A sharp intake of breath, "You found-" she stopped as I walked in the door. Her mouth stayed slightly open and her eyes locked on me. Tears began to form in her eyes and I stared back, unsure. Joenaus turned around and beckoned me forward, still grinning. His anxiety was still there but he seemed almost boyish at her side. My legs seemed to move on their own toward them as I kept my stare fixed on his mother, "Joenaus?"
His mother finally broke her gaze from my face and looked at the rest of me- stopping at my leg, "You fixed her leg?" My next breath was sharp and painful- he hadn't written any letters.

Still loving it Marian and wondering why no wedding yet

lol. YAY! *makes a note that crocodile tears work* as for the marriage... all the clues are there. you've all guessed it in some way... and you will find out FOR SURE in the next update... but you should get it now.

mmk... I shall post the next update once I recieve three people's posts OR on the 9th, whichever comes first.

ok... couldn't wait. so... here it is... early.

"You fixed her leg?"
Joenaus nodded, "Hers wasn't even as bad as Henry's and I think she wanted it even more than he did."
His mother dropped her voice slightly, "Was she treated well?"
Joenaus's face immediately fell back to his brooding, pained expression. None of his happiness or glee was left. It was like the last year and a half had never happened. Seeing this change, his mother hid her face in his chest. Completely confused, I searched Joenaus's face, "Joenaus... what's going on? How did she know about my leg?"
Carefully and hesitantly, Joenaus wrapped an arm around his mother and calculated his answer, "Did they ever tell you how you were born? About your mother?"
My eyes widened and I almost choked on the very breath I was taking. With a very profound tremble in my voice, I gaped at him, "What are you saying, Joenaus?"
"My mother and I moved to this country when I was one. In our first week here, a man seduced her and she became pregnant. The pregnancy was very hard for her... and she gave birth close to delusional. She looked in fear on the child she'd carried. The little girl was very frail and small. Her leg was badly malformed. In the mental state she was in, Mother ran- telling the people the baby's child was a devil and asking them to take care of it. She, herself, was very frail and ended up being too weak to return once she was in a better mental state. I returned to find my baby sister..." he looked up, "to find you."
His mother looked up again, tears still streaming from her eyes and apology showing in every feature. I shook my head and slowly stepped back. This couldn't be possible. They couldn't be my family. I was alone. I could only ever be alone. He was my friend- my savior- yes, but I could only ever be alone. This is what I knew. This is what I'd been trained to think... and despite all that had changed for me, that was still all I knew how to think. Backing into the door frame, I turned and ran blindly out of the house and halfway back through the city. Stopping finally in the village square, I collapsed onto a bench, shaking with the tears I hadn't even felt come for years- much less have to fight.

aww... ...poor thing.
very moving, marian. excellent job as always. you never disappoint me.

one thing, though:
Quote:
you meant baby's father, right?
otherwise, bang-up job. (and here, again, is one of those cliffhangers you're so good at...)

yes... i did mean father... at first, i'd written "the baby was the child of a devil" but decided the second one would be better... guess i just didn't fully change it.
glad you like it. this one came so easily to me- like the first post I made for this(the poem that every urged me to expand).
Yes, this time it is even more appropriate to have a cliffhanger considering it is the last part of "Haunted". The next update will begin the final third of Angel's saga "Healing". ^_^
and finally... "YAY! Kaz came on and read!" *does a little dance*
ok, there... THAT'S out of the way...

Excellent updates! Love the cliffhanger.

^_^ yay glad you liked it.
I was afraid I was gonna get yelled at by someone for them being related. I seem to recall some frustration at the first clue they were brother and sister.

Ok... so... I have NO CLUE if any of my readers are still around... but... I have inspiration again so... here begins HEALED

TWO YEARS LATER
Angel. Just the name seems to help make up for my mother's dementia. From devil to angel. How often you see that?
She has changed so much since I found her out in the woods. Some of the townspeople say it's all thanks to me... but really, I just fixed her leg. Everything else is all her.
When she ran away, I wasn't sure she'd ever come back. The one thing I knew about my sister from the start--even before I knew she was mine--was that she lived her life running. Angel Jeannette Wright was never taught what to do with herself if she wasn't running, wasn't alone. And now?
"Joenaus! You're back!" a ball of energy slammed into my chest and slender arms wrapped around my back.
"Hey, there, Angel," a warm smile crept across my face, "how's your boy?"
She peeled away from me and planted her hands on her hips, corners of her mouth twitching, "Joenaus Wright, you have no business asking into my love life."
"I'm not asking into your love life. I'm asking after that Rich's welfare. Besides, I have all the business asking into your 'love life'. I'm your very protective brother."
She grinned and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "He's in the other room, waiting rather patiently to finally meet you."
Her fingers laced into mine and we moved into the living room. My eyes scanned the room, finding amusement in the various pieces of cloth and things of thread that showed her dedication and love for her work. Then they froze on the young traveler she had convinced to remain in town. He was a gangly young lad--face bright and eager to experience life... and he looked at her with such admiration.
"Richard Lankley! Hope you're having a good day!" his hand was suddenly two feet from my waist. I grinned and shook it.
"Calm down, Richard. If you've managed to steal my sister's heart, I'm going to give you a decent chance. Sit down, sit. Let's talk!"

first of all, don't pass out...
second, approximately 400 years ago, you mentioned to me that you updated this, and now i've FINALLY found a spare few moments to come here. (of course, finding the thing took more than a few moments...)
anyway, on to business. amazingly enough, i came in reading this, knowing exactly where it had left off, which is either a shining tribute to your writing skills, or a touch of dementia on my part. or both. either way, very sweet and touching, as, if i recall correctly, has been this story throughout.
thanks for bringing me back, so to speak. just be patient; i don't expect that my visits will be much more than few and far-between. unless you email me continually. XD

Nearly a year ago, you commented on this update. . . and I'm sure it'll be months before you comment again(though I will be emailing you again very shortly).
BUT who cares? I'm glad you enjoyed this as much as you've enjoyed the updates before this. I think that you remembering would be either a tribute to my skills or a shining glimmer of proof that dementia HASN'T taken over your brain.
As for further updates. . . well, I expect this to be like AoBL in that I plan to edit and outline before writing any more. . . and hopefully in the editing and outlining, I'll get inspiration to finish the story. This one, at least, is considerably closer to being finished.
Is there anyone else still interested in this story, perchance?

I don't know if any of my previous readers are still active and will see this... but I wanted to announce that I'm adapting this story to film form. I'm currently debating on whether I'll make it as a true film, short film, or web series. I'll likely be changing some of the story in ways that readers of the past will like. I remember quite a bit of yelling/griping about how I did it originally.
If anyone reads and is actually interested... let me know how you think I should carry this out--webseries, 30 minute+ film, or 5-10 minute film. <3

Movie? That... That is AWESOME. You've got people to go make it happen? That's usually the hardest thing to arrange, no?