Gisèle meets Elijah for the first time...

"Good evening." The shadow said without turning around. "I trust you slept well?"

The terrace was… an unreal sight. It looked like a Renaissance painting. A lovely plate of cheese, fruit, and a baguette lay out on a white cotton tablecloth with a warm, glowing hurricane candle at the center. A pitcher of water, a chilled bottle of Sancerre, wine glasses, cutlery, and cloth napkins all accompanied the tall, handsome stranger sitting in the chair facing the night.

"Hello again… why, yes, I did…" Surprisingly, I felt clear and well rested, and oddly, the fact that there was the strangest of strangers addressing me on my terrace seemed to hold no sway over my concern.

He stood up and turned toward me, all six-foot-three of him. He looked straight out of a fairytale and probably had his Friesian tied outside.

"Elijah Laurent, at your service."

"Uh… hello… Elijah. Gisèle Gareau, uh, thank you…"

"I bet you own a horse too." I often defaulted to sarcastic humor when I was nervous.

"Why, yes, I do. His name is Windchanger." he answered matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Oh, and I suppose he's just outside." I pressed again. I felt giddy.

"Mmmm, no." He looked at me quizzically, as if he were figuring something out. "He is stabled at my home."

"Of course he is… and where might your home be?" My bravado…I didn't even recognize myself.

"That is a long story, which I will be happy to explain, but in the meantime, I have a proposal..."