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“Thewalk in is just under a mile, but it’s easy terrain.Followme, and if you have any questions just ask,” saidAutumn.Theyfollowed her as she headed left out of the parking lot, down a gently sloping grassy hill, and then along a paved path.Thesound of the falls grew louder as they walked, andHazelcould feel the moisture in the air.Shetried to imagine it as it would’ve been all those years ago whenMaryElizabethAxtonwould’ve visited and been inspired to write her famous story.
Aset of stairs appeared on their left, andAutumnguided them down.Thestairs were concrete, wide and even, and all the breath whooshed out ofHazel’slungs at the sight before her.Thestairs were flanked by silvery trees, while directly ahead was the waterfall, misty and glorious as it poured out of the craggy rocks surrounding it.
“It’sbigger thanIexpected,” saidHazel, marveling at the way the moonlight caught the mist and cast shiny moonbows that disappeared as quickly as they manifested.
“It’s215 feet high, which makes it over thirty feet higher thanNiagaraFalls,” saidAutumnproudly. “It’sthe highest single-drop waterfall east of theRockyMountains.”
Halfwaydown the stairs was a lookout, and the group stopped there.Below,Hazelcould see others closer to the falls.Thescene before her was breathtaking, the moonlight glinting off of the falls, the creek below flowing rapidly, like liquid silver.Theair was fresh and cool, with an almost sweet smell to it.Rocksand trees surrounded them, as though sheltering them from the rest of the world.Cocooningthem in magic.
“WelcometoGossamerFalls,” saidAutumn. “I’mgoing to give you a brief overview of the history and the legend, and then if you want to walk further down to be kissed by the mist, we can walk on the paved path that goes quite close to the base of the falls.”
“Tofind our true love…” startedJeff, shifting back and forth on his feet, “do we have to like, make a wish or something?”
Autumnshrugged. “Ifyou want.Personally,Ithink that you just have to believe.”Shelet everyone enjoy the majesty of the falls for a moment before speaking again. “Thetown ofGossamerFallswas originally settled in 1730, but it was nothing more than a small settlement until the foundry opened in 1818.Youprobably saw it on your way into town, on the edge of the bay.Itstill stands, even though it’s in ruins now.Somesay it’s haunted,” she added with a gleam in her eye.
“Bythe 1840’s, the foundry was building huge ships, and the influx of workers created more housing and businesses.GossamerFallsofficially became a village in 1846, more than a hundred years after the first settlements.Thefoundry produced munitions during theCivilWar, as well as steam engines and pipework forNewYorkCity’swater system.Thecommunity was built around the economic prosperity from the foundry.
“Butat the turn of the century, the rise of steel making lessened the demand for cast iron, and in 1911, the foundry closed for good.Ifyou want to learn more about that part of our history, the local museum has a large exhibit dedicated to the foundry and its impact on the evolution of the town.Butthe most interesting part of our history,Ithink, is the story written byMaryElizabethAxton.
“ShevisitedGossamerFallsin 1888, and was inspired to write her tale.Somesay she wrote it as a way of explaining what happened to her here, as she is said to have visited the falls under a full moon and within six months was married.Everyoneshould have a copy of the story in your rooms back at the inn, butI’llsummarize it quickly for you now, and then we can go down for a closer look.”Shetook a breath and a sip of coffee from her travel mug. “Oh, that reminds me.Ifyou’re interested, we’ll have hot chocolate and decaf coffee in the main lounge around the fire when we get back to the inn.Anyway, the legend,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the falls.
“TheLegendofGossamerFallsis about a youngCivilWarwidow namedSarahBenjaminwho visits the falls after the death of her husband.Shefeels the mist of the falls on her face and describes it like the tears of angels weeping with her for her lost love.Withher heart open, she wishes for a new love, a true love.Andthe following week, she meets a handsome doctor, to whom she’s engaged before the next full moon.”
“Andwhat do you believe?” askedDolores, arms crossed, a skeptical slant to her mouth. “Doyou think the magic is real?Ordid the story’s popularity make people see what they wanted to see?”
Hazelfelt a little uncomfortable atDolores’ confrontational tone, but it didn’t seem to fazeAutumnat all.
“Obviouslyno one knows for sure if magic is real or not.It’slike faith—it’s real to those who believe, even without proof.Personally,Ithink life is short.Whynot invite a little magic in?”Andwith that, she turned and started down the rest of the stairs that led to the paved path.
MelvinandViolastayed huddled together at the lookout while the rest of the guests followedAutumndown the remaining steps.Hazelglanced over her shoulder at them, her heart twisting itself into a knot at the sight of their wrinkled fingers intertwined.She’dthought she’d found that, once.She’dthought that she andSethwould grow old together.Shewouldn’t have married him if she hadn’t seen a future for them.
Now, she just felt like a fool for thinking happy endings existed outside of books and movies.Notones where men and romance were concerned.
Which, okay, yes, sounded very jaded.Buther heart had been battered and bruised, then pureed in a blender.Slowly, she’d been trying to piece it back together, but it was never going to be the same.Itcouldn’t be, because she wasn’t the same.
Andyet here she was, reading stories about magical waterfalls and true love and it was hard not to get swept up in the magic of it all.NewYorkwas lots of things—glamorous, loud, exciting, big—but it wasn’t magical.Notlike this.Hazelcould see how a place like this would inspire someone to believe in things like legends and ghosts and true love.
Hazelcould feel the moisture in the air intensifying, and the roar of the falls grew, drowning out all other sound.Thepaved path ended, and there was a rocky outcropping a few others were standing on.
“It’ssafe to stand on the rocks, just tread carefully,” saidAutumn, hanging back. “Itcan be a little slippery.”
Slowly,Hazelmoved closer and closer to the falls.Everythingwas bathed in moonlight.Glowing.Ethereal.Beautifuland far more perfect than anything humans had ever made.Theair felt different so close to the falls.Itfelt…transformative.Itfelt hopeful.
“So,Hazel, single and not looking,” saidAutumnquietly from beside her. “Whatdo you think?”
Shesmiled atAutumn.Shefelt as though she’d known her so much longer than just a few short hours.Therewas already an easy familiarity that, if they’d met inManhattan, would’ve madeHazelinstantly distrustful.But, things felt different here.
“Ithink it’s beautiful, andIthink the story is compelling.Iwas reading it in my room before we left, andIskipped dinner becauseIneeded to get through it.”
“Butdo you believe?”
Shehesitated, biting her lip. “Idon’t know.”
Autumntipped her head towards the falls, where a spot closer to the edge of the rushing creek had opened up. “Maybeyou need to test it for yourself.”
“Seeingis believing?”
Autumngrinned at her. “Somethinglike that.”
