“I knew this was a mistake” Reeney said aloud, looking for a street sign on a long, dark, dirt road in the middle of nowhere. “I am so about to be kidnapped, raped, tortured and left to die in the middle of this godforsaken place, and nobody will notice for weeks!”
She pulled into the first drive she came to, silently praying that someone would be outside. Just as the car came to a complete stop in front of the little trailer, an older gentleman poked his head from under the hood of an old Ford truck in the yard.
“He’p ya ma’am?”
“Great, I am lost, and I promptly run into the toothless wonder” she muttered under her breath. After putting on the biggest smile she could muster, Reeney asked, “Yes sir, can you tell me where Ponsbury Trail is located?? I have driven up and down this road for the last hour, and cannot seem to find it.”
The old man picked up a rag and began wiping his hands as he walked towards her car. “Ayup, I reckon I kin git ya pointed in the right direction” He took two more steps towards the car and pointed back the way she had come. “You’ll need ta go back down thar bout half a mile, and take a left right thar where the old Hillbourne Farm was, you’ll be on Ponsbury when ya make that turn. Can’t miss tha Hillbourne Farm, it burnt to a crisp bout two years ago, the ne’er rebuilt it.”
“Thank you very much, I knew I had missed a turn somewhere” Reeney yelled while simultaneously rolling up her window. “The sooner I find this place, the better”
As she was making her way down the dirt road, trying her best to stay out of all the potholes it had to offer, Reeney thought of the extraordinary circumstances that brought her to Edisto Beach.
Reeney was in town on a very peculiar mission, to retrieve something for her mother. The phone call came as a surprise, a mysterious stranger, from a mysterious place, had found something very valuable that belonged to her mother many years ago. This lady named Carolyn McPheaney had called out of the blue one day, and Reeney’s mother had immediately sent her down to South Carolina on this wild goose chase.
Reeney’s mother, Damaris, once went to Myrtle Beach, SC on spring break with her graduating class. While they were at the beach, Damaris and a couple of her girlfriends had written down their wishes for their lives, put them in a bottle, and thrown it off of the pier. That would be nearly 52 years ago. Apparently, the bottle containing their wishes had just washed up on the beach at Edisto Island, SC. Carolyn McPheaney had found the bottle, opened it and retrieved these very special wishes.
Carolyn could remember it like it was yesterday, she was walking down the beach one evening, and the bottle seemed to emit an internal light in the growing darkness of the sunset. As she reached for it, she knew instinctively that she had stumbled upon something special. She excitedly popped the cork and let the rolled up pieces of paper fall into her waiting hands. Upon reading such private and personal thoughts, Carolyn felt a desperate need to contact these ladies, if possible.
One of the pieces of paper only had a first name, Pamela. Pamela would be hard to get in touch with. This young lady had fairly typical dreams.
My name is Pamela, my friends call me Pammy. I am 17 years old and I just graduated from high school. In my life, I want three things:
1) Lots of money
2) Three kids and a handsome husband
3) A big mansion with maids so I don’t have to clean at all.
The next paper Carolyn unrolled was more than a wish; it was an agreement, of sorts.
Erika Tandy is my name. I am sure you already know my thoughts, God. I am only writing this because Demmie is making me. I want to be successful as an attorney. Don’t make me just a Paralegal either, I can do better than that and You know it!
Sincerely,
Erika
The paper that Carolyn opened next was one that broke her heart.
I have no wishes, I have no dreams. I only want to survive longer than my mother did. Just let me live to be 28 years old. That is all I could ask for.
Esther Rain Kennedy
Age: 18 and looking forward to 30
“Poor dear lost her mother young, I bet. No other reason for a wish such as this.” Carolyn realized that she was talking to herself again, and chuckled as she opened the final note, realizing that it was three times as long as the others.
My name is Damaris, but all of my friends call me Demmie. My list for you is probably a little different from those of my friends.
The first thing I feel that my future self will need is the confidence in me to trust my instincts. (if you can spare some good instincts, I will take them as well) You see, all my life I have been told not to think like I do. Grammy said I have a mind before its time, so, can I please let the times catch up with my mind? That way, I wont put my foot in my mouth so often
The second thing I want is a husband that love me for me, and wont try to change me like Dad does Mom. She is so different when he isn’t around. I want two children…one girl and one boy. A daughter to go to the theatre with, and to go shopping, and to teach how to cook; and a son to throw a football, and watch him grow into a man that makes his momma proud.
The third thing I ask for is that I live an exciting life. I want to have adventures, meet people and experience everything this world has to offer. And I want to have this while I am still young enough to enjoy it.
Thank you,Damaris “Demmie” Flowers
“Well, Damaris Flowers, let’s see what we can find out about you.” Carolyn was already getting settled in front of the laptop. A quick Google Search found a Damaris Flowers married Norris Gibson in Charleston County, SC. Another Google search of Norris and Damaris Gibson found an address in Atlanta, Ga. An address search came up with a phone number.
“Okay, the worst that could happen is they think I am insane.” Carolyn said to her constant companion, Snickerdoodle. The poodle looked up at his momma and sighed. “Oh, Snick, don’t be so excited. This probably isn’t even the right woman.”
“Hello, my name is Carolyn McPheaney. I am from Edisto Island, SC. This is going to sound really weird, but please don’t hang up.” Carolyn figured if she could just get the woman to listen, she might not sound like a loon. “Is this the residence of a Mrs. Damaris FLOWERS Gibson?”
“Yes, that is my mother, who is asking?” the young lady on the phone inquired.
“Again, my name is Carolyn McPheaney, and I found a bottle on the beach and it had some notes written. Well, wishes, really. Anyway, there are four of them and one is signed by Damaris Flowers. I think it is your mom’s and I wanted to return it to her. It looks pretty old; probably 50 years or more.”
“What? Where are you? My mom made a wish in a bottle? What are you talking about?” The questions were racing from her mouth just as quickly as the thoughts were racing through Reeney’s mind. “Who is this again?”
“A bottle hun, I found a bottle with little papers in it that have wishes written on them. One of the papers belongs to your mother; I only want to return it. I want nothing more. Do you understand?” Carolyn tried to soften her hurried nature.
After about 15 minutes of explanation, Reeney finally caved to Carolyn, “I don’t know who you are, but my mother is extremely sick, and she is not up to speaking with you.” Reeney continued, “But, I will be in Savannah on business next week, if you don’t mind, I will stop through Edisto and get this bottle, you have me intrigued.”
“That sound’s perfect’, Carolyn smiled. She gave Reeney her address and hung up the phone. Carolyn was beyond pleased with herself, “consider today’s good deed complete, Snick!!” she said to her faithful friend.
“There you are!” Reeney was so happy to see the little house at the end of the road “It’s about time.”
Carolyn came out of the house with her arms held out wide, waiting for a hug. “Awww, bless your heart, coming all this way.”
Reeney almost avoided the woman’s hug; after all, they have never met.
“Please come on in the house and let’s have some coffee, or would you rather sweet tea?” Carolyn was already pulling Reeney onto the front porch. “Actually I don’t have a lot of time,” Reeney could see the absolute disappointment on the woman’s face and changed her mind. “Well, maybe one cup of coffee.”
As the two sat down, Carolyn gave Reeney the bottle containing the wishes. Carolyn had already pulled Demmie’s wish out of the bottle and she handed that to Reeney also.
Reeney read all of the wishes, smiling as she did. “Ya know, I remember my mother talking about a friend she called Rainy. That is kinda where my name came from. My name is Noreen, called Reeney. Mom always spoke very fondly of her. I don’t quite know how to say this, but Rainy committed suicide just a month shy of her 24th birthday. Mom said she was always sad. That is all she would ever say about Rainy, she was always sad.” Both women were silent as they looked at the words on the paper…’ I have no wishes; I have no dreams’….
“I do know this lady though; Erika was my mother’s best friend until her death last year. Do you know Aunt Erika ultimately became a judge? I guess we can say that she got her wish, huh? She wasn’t just a Paralegal.” Reeney smiled at the thought of her Aunt Erika, she always was a very strong woman who knew exactly what she wanted in life.
“I have no idea who Pammy is though; I will have to ask Momma when she is feeling up to it. This is such a wonderful thing you have done…finding lost wishes.” Reeney said as she was standing to leave. “I will be sure to call you if I am able to figure out who Pammy is, thank you again for your kindness.”
Reeney sat in the driveway for a moment, just looking at the bottle. “Wow, Mom, you actually had a life without kids, you wanted so much”. Looking at the small piece of paper with her mothers beautiful penmanship dancing across the page, Reeney felt like an intruder; like she shouldn’t be reading something so personal.
When Reeney finally made it home, Demmie was actually awake and feeling good. “Mom, I am back from Savannah, do you feel like talking?” Demmie smiled, and said “Of course, darling, of course I feel like talking.”
The two sat for about three hours that afternoon, talking and laughing about the girls that put their wishes in that bottle all those many years ago. Reeney laughed and cried then laughed some more. Reeney never felt closer to her mother than she did at that moment.
Demmie went to be with the Lord early the next morning, content in her life, ready to move on to heaven. The last thing Demmie said before she fell asleep was “I have lived a life without regrets; I wish the same for you my dear Reeney. Go out, live life, and never stop wishing. Life will only get as good as you let it…so make sure you let it get real good.”
