Your next journey will take you to a place where the past resides, with treasures old, and stories hide. On Main Street, where time itself seems to slow its pace, you’ll find your next piece.
Where the past resides, treasures old- the old antique store on Main Street. My heart poundedwith anticipation. This was so much fun.
The antique store was dim and dusty, filled with old treasures and some interesting finds. I wandered through the aisles, my eyes scanning every nook and cranny, until I spotted it – a small, tarnished silver locket hanging from a display of vintage jewelry. It wasn’t the locket itself, but the tiny, rolled-up piece of paper tucked inside. Mr. Smithy, the owner, came out from the back, retrieving the locket for me and handed me the note.
Clue 5:
Your next journey will take you to a place where our summer days were cool and bright. A place where the water was pure and deep, a refreshing dip, where our memories keep.
This one was easy! The old swimming hole, now frozen over in places. A place where Colton and I had spent endless summer days.
The partially frozen creek was quiet, the ice a smooth, grey surface under the winter sky. I walked along the bank, my eyes searching, and there it was- a small, smooth skipping stone, placed carefully on a flat rock near the water’s edge, half-covered by a dusting of fresh snow. Tucked beneath it was the next clue.
Clue 6:
Next, seek the place where hoagies reign supreme, and Agnes’s sass is a vibrant, daily gleam. Behind the counter is a sweet little message waiting just for you.
Smiling to myself, I knew where I was heading next- Rose ValleyGeneral Store.
Agnes was behind the counter, humming a cheerful tune. “Well, hello, Ember! You look like you’re on a mission today.” When I went to pick up the jar of rock candy, she stopped me, gesturing towards the other end of the counter. Following her down, she pulled a small box and said, “This is a special piece just for you.”
Quickly opening the box, there was a pretty piece of pink rock candy with a small rolled-up scroll.
Clue 7:
Where two sides meet, and paths entwine. Beneath its cover, a clue is hidden,A step forward, by love given.
The covered bridge! The old, red wooden structure that spanned the creek, a landmark of our town, now covered with snow.
I drove to the covered bridge, my excitement growing with each passing mile. I walked slowly under the old bridge, my fingers tracing along the railing’s carvings. Looking down, I saw it – a small, hand-carved heart, tucked into a hole, it was attached to one of the beams. Inside, the next clue.
Clue 8:
High above, you’ll get a better view, where the horizon stretches, and dreams feel new. A place so quiet is where your next clue awaits you.
The old lookout point. It’s where Colton and I went when we were teenagers and I told him about my dreams of college and afterwards.
The view from the lookout point was breathtaking, the entire snow-covered valley spread out below. It didn’t take me long to spot it– a small, smooth stone, placed on the picnic table, itssurface dusted with snow. Etched into its surface was a single word: Firefly. And beneath it, the final clue.
Clue 9:
Alright, Firefly, this is it. Your final clue? Are you ready?
Return to where our second chance truly began, beneath the stars, where a certain movie played and our hearts found their way. A promise that you’re forever waits for you there.
My knees nearly gave out on me. It couldn’t be, I thought with shaky fingers still holding the clue. The island. Our first real date when Colton came back. The place where he’d set up the outdoor movie theater, where we’d reconnected, where we’d rediscovered each other. My heart hammered, a frantic, joyous drum. This was it.
I practically ran back to my car, jumping in and racing to Colton’s house. Once I parked outside his house, I ran the rest of the way down the snow covered road that led to the island. As I rounded the bend and looked out towards the creek, my breath hitched.
The clearing was bathed in the soft, romantic glow of fairy lights, just like that night, but now they twinkled against a backdrop of snow covered trees. A thick, plush blanket was spread on the ground, scattered with rose petals. And in the center, on one knee, was Colton.
He looked up as I approached, his eyes, those beautiful, intense brown eyes, filled with so much raw emotion that mirrored my own. A single tear tracked down his cheek, and my own vision blurred.
“Firefly,” he began, his voice thick with emotion, but steady. “Ember. “I’ve watched you, since you were a little girl with pigtails and dirt stains on your knees, always trying to keep up withyour brothers. I watched you grow into this incredible, strong, beautiful woman, with a heart so big it could heal the world. And through it all, even when I was an idiot and ran, my heart always belonged to you.” He paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “From the moment I saw you again, after all those years, I knew. I knew you were still the only one. The one I loved, the one I’d always loved.” He took a shaky breath, his gaze never leaving mine. “I messed up. I ran. I hurt you. And I’m still working on myself, I always will be. I’ll always work to be the man you deserve, Ember.”
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, blue velvet box. My hand flew to my mouth, a choked sob escaping me.
“Ember Rose Carter,” he began, his voice cracking slightly, tears now openly streaming down his face, mirroring mine. “You are my past, my present, and my entire future. You are my home. You are my everything. Will you please marry me?”
