Lark had given up on Emma in this lifetime. It was but the second lifetime since the curse had been cast on him but there were too many similarities between this life and her last life. All the obstacles were the same and the last thing he wanted was that Emma would suffer the same fate as she had before.Lark continued life on the farm without Emma. He missed her tremendously but there was no point in her being there. She had become hesitant to kiss him after he told her all about her past. He told himself he had been a fool to tell her anything. He had worked so hard to create the illusion that permitted him to get close to her and then he had torn it down when he had finally managed to get close to her. And where had it gotten him? Nowhere. Lark continued working the farm himself. He completed the plowing and planting and turned his focus to the buildings that needed repair.One afternoon as the sun neared the horizon, Lark spotted the cloud of

Lark walked along the cold winter sidewalk. It was late November and winter had arrived in full force. Snow fell heavily landing on his beanie and the jacket he wore over his hoodie as he walked. He passed shops but did not stop to look into them. His gloved hands were thrust deep into his pockets and he was hardly recognizable from all the clothes he wore.He crossed the entrance to an alley and stopped. He listened and then heard it again.“Help,” came a woman’s soft cry. “Help me. Someone, please.”Lark turned and glanced into the alley.“Help, please,” he heard again. He hesitated, looked around quickly and then, seeing no-one else, he stepped into the alley.“Help me please,” the woman begged again. He could not see her but he was sure she could see him. He advanced slowly into the alley looking behind him occasionally to be sure that no-one was creeping up on him from behind.As he

Lark did not return to the hospital again. He worked from home mostly and had carved out a career for himself as an author. He made more than enough money to support himself and added to the fortune he had built up over the years.When the doorbell rang a few days after he had visited Lynn in the hospital, he was surprised. He was not expecting anyone. He had few visitors since as an author he was able to maintain a largely reclusive lifestyle which served him well.He made his way to the door to answer it. As he reached the door he felt his transformation begin. He quickly incanted the words of the spell that masked his transformation and then peered through the peephole set in the door.It was Lynn. Lark opened the door and smiled. “This is a surprise,” he said smiling.Lynn smiled. She was carrying a big bag with something in it and the aroma of fresh, warm food reached his nose. His stomach growled hungrily.“I hoped it would

Lynn moved in two days later. Lark was happy about the decision to let Lynn move in. He thought it would give them both more time to get to know each other better and for him to build up her trust to an extent that she might not be as surprised when he finally told her the truth about his reluctance to kiss her. She might be willing to trust him to the extent that she wouldn’t hesitate to kiss him at all when he told her.Lark helped Lynn get as settled as possible. She told him she had stored the majority of her belongings with a friend since she was only staying in a room at Lark’s house and her possessions would never fit in the room that Lark had given her.In truth, Lynn had kept her place. She wasn’t in the financial difficulty she pretended to be in. This was all temporary until Lark trusted her enough to tell her what she needed to know. When he did that, she would be in control. Until then, as long as she lived in Lark’s house, she had

Lynn collected the sleeping pills for which she had obtained a prescription. She headed back to Lark’s place and placed them in her cupboard. Then she went to see Lark in his office where he was busy working on his latest novel.He looked up from his computer when she entered his study.“Hi there. Where have you been?” he asked smiling.“Oh, I needed to go and get some things,” Lynn smiled. “I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight.”“That sounds like a plan,” Lark smiled. “Where are we going?”“No, no, I mean just dinner here at home. I’m cooking. My treat.”“I certainly won’t say no,” Lark smiled.“Okay. Well, you just carry on doing what you’re doing and I will make dinner. I insist on doing it alone tonight okay?”“Okay but just shout if you want some help,” Lark smiled.“That will