Three Ducks

by Celia Northam

Every summer for the past six years, Margot checked into Room 6 at Three Ducks in Westhampton. She never told anyone that the real reason for her visits wasn’t the beach or the quiet, it was the man who visited her dreams only when she slept in that room. He wore a white linen shirt, smelled of salt and lemons, and spoke to her in a voice that felt like music she’d known as a child. Every year she came hoping, irrationally, that she’d wake up and find him beside her, real and smiling. This year, on the sixth night of her stay, she awoke to find the window open and the scent of lemons on the pillow beside her. She heard water running in the bathroom.

6S

Celia Northam believes some places remember you, and some dreams might just be real.