Beyond: A Tale of San Marco

By James Gagni Jr.

A supernatrual love story of a woman with a mysterious gift who has always been unlucky in love. She meets the man of her dreams through a strange circumstance but only time will tell if their love is meant to end or go beyond the test of time.

One of eight tales from the mysterious place called San Marco. From the author of The Sphere, Only One and Confessions of an Undying Man.

Eight different characters, eight supernatural stories. Binding each of them together is a place of untold mysteries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781105437625

Book preview

Beyond: A Tale of San Marco

Beyond: A Tale of San Marco

James L. Gagni Jr.

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 James L. Gagni Jr.

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-105-43762-5

Dedication

For my wife, Cherry Gagni

You'll forever be my muse.

Acknowledgments

The Tales of San Marco series was a product of blood, sweat and tears. Though not in the literal sense, I really never would have accomplished this if not for the individuals and groups around me.

First of all, my special and deepest thanks go out to my wife, Cherry C. Gagni. Without whom, I never would’ve started nor pursued nor continued this book. Through her ideas, suggestions, constructive criticisms and praises, my stories grew into something more than a thought that I wrote down on some paper. It became something I can finally share with others.

To my parents and in-laws, whose invaluable support, also gave me the inspiration to pursue this project. And they especially gave me the connection to those people who gave invaluable comments regarding my work.

My deep gratitude also goes out to the people who bought the first book I self-published. It is very humbling to receive your good feedback. It truly warms the heart of an author.

Chapter 1

Boom!!!

Thunder cracked overhead and rumbled for a few seconds as lightning whipped its bolts all over the sky. The rain continued to pound heavy drops upon the pavement, turning the highway into a slippery and dangerous road. What was dry ground and gravel on the side of the road hours ago became water-drenched mud, splashing itself on unfortunate vehicles that went through it. The plains beyond the highway transformed into a brown muddy pool of rainwater due to the strong downpour.

Hardly anyone passed through this highway during these heavy rains. Some who have tried found themselves moving slower than usual. They became overly cautious of the slippery road and the muddy shoulder beyond it. Others have even stayed at the closest truckstops. But that morning, a blue Bentley zipped through the wet road.

Inside her blue Bentley, Michelle peered through the windshield but she barely saw the road beyond. As she quickly picked up some discarded tissue papers from the passenger's seat, she wiped the windshield as much as she could. She still barely saw from the windshield when she saw her car's front hood approach the rear bumper of a huge slow-moving truck. She quickly let go of the tissue in her hand, held the steering wheel and quickly maneuvered the car to the left side of the truck.

As she planned to overtake the slightly slower truck, Michelle shifted to a higher gear and drove fast. Her Bentley has just caught up with the truck when she noticed something odd in front of her. A red Benz has just swerved to her lane from the opposite side of the road. And it zoomed straight towards her, blowing its horn!

With barely enough distance between her and the truck, she swerved right, a few meters in front of the truck, just as the Benz almost hit her with blazing horns honking at her. Her Bentley's tires slightly slipped and the car was almost thrown to the side of the road.

Michelle held onto the steering wheel then veered left. The tires finally gripped the slippery road and she was finally able to control it. The big horns of the truck behind her glared, obviously worried about how she handled the Bentley. She stared at the rearview mirror to analyze how far ahead she was from the truck.

That was when her car went through a muddy puddle on the road. The Bentley's tires lost its grip of the road once more and slipped towards the shoulder. Michelle tried to regain control and held onto the steering wheel. But it was too late. The front wheels of her car hit the muddy shoulder and pushed the Bentley forward in a spinning mode. As the car spun further into the muddy shoulder of the highway, Michelle let out a scream.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Chapter 2

Tit... Tit... Tit...

The heart rate monitor beeped as a woman screamed in pain.

The clinic staffs were in panic. Most of them have been in the room for more than an hour, all the while they squirmed whenever the woman on the bed shouted out loud. Blood has stained the bed as the staffs attended to the woman's wounds, all the while they worked anxiously to ease the woman's pain. Finally the doctor arrived.

Sorry I'm late. Traffic. There was an accident in the highway, the doctor said apologetically to his staff.

As he put on his lab coat, the doctor asked one of the nurses, What have we got?

Female in her early 30's. She suffered severe injuries to her body after an accident, the nurse quickly said. Then she paused, looked at the doctor then said The accident on the highway.

The doctor stared at the nurse for a moment, a little amazed at the coincidence. He gathered his thoughts quickly then looked at the woman on the bed who writhed in pain. Concerned, the doctor said Why haven't you given her any pain medication...

The nurse quickly interrupted him and said She's pregnant.

Stunned, the doctor quickly yelled out instructions to his staff and moved close to the woman. In a comforting voice, he said You would need to relax now. We're going to save you and your baby.

Controlling the pain she felt, the woman gave him a faint smile and said Just save my baby.

Amid the screams of pain and agony, the woman pulled all her remaining strength into delivering her baby. She managed to give birth to her child.

Carrying the baby, the doctor smiled at the woman and told her, It's a girl. The woman let out a faint smile and beckoned the doctor to come closer to her. Looking at her baby in the doctor's arms, tears fell from of her eyes.

With her dying breath, she whispered her final words: Her name is Michelle...

Chapter 3

Never.

Never ever.

It will never happen to me.

These were just three of the responses Michelle used whenever a relationship did not work out for her and she felt like she was slowly following in her mother's flailing footsteps.

Her mom never had a successful relationship, even with her dad. Within only months, they were divorced. Michelle knew her mother was tough. She pushed through with the divorce even when she was pregnant with her. But on her way to another place to start over, weeks before she was due to give birth, she figured in a car accident. Michelle's mom died shortly after she had given birth to her.

As Michelle's dad didn't want anything to do with her, she stayed at her grandparents' house at the sleepy town of San Marco. They