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The woman sobbed uncontrollably. "I’m sorry for blaming the maid," she
finally managed to produce, nearly inaudibly. "She didn’t do anything,
Caric. I… I… was not myself when she just appeared out of nowhere. I
thought…" She hesitated. "It… no, it was not her fault, really, I was so
terrified." The woman lay in a large, white canopy bed, eyes constantly
staring at the ceiling as if searching for something of which she wasn’t
sure what it was.
"Shaerena…" Lord Vaeos began.
"It was not a dream..." Lady Shaerena insisted, though she was still
whispering as if talking to herself.
"Then tell me exactly what happened, dear. Just tell me."
Her delicate hand sought her husband's face who had knelt down beside her,
and caressed it. Instantly tears began streaming down her face again
"No..." She vehemently shook her head. "It was not a dream, not a
dream..." she repeated again and again. "You have to believe me, even if
it is difficult. I'm not mad, I didn’t imagine it. It was real."
Lord Vaeos took his wife's hand and kissed it gently, then went on to
stroke her raven hair that was curling down her shoulders. "Of course I
believe you, just calm down, my dear."
"I know you too well," Lady Shaerena spoke again, trembling, her eyes wet
with tears. "You don't believe me, Caric, and there's little I can do to
make you believe. No need to hide it from me." She tried to break a smile,
but it turned out forced and unconvincing. Her whole body was shaking.
"And I... I don't know how to put it all into words, it's all so much.
There’s… this feeling of… unease… and I cannot ignore it, however hard I
try. Ever since we moved in this place, I sense it." Her eyes grew wide.
"I didn’t want to bother you with it, as I thought that it was just
because it was all so new to me, so unfamiliar here in this mansion. The
spacious rooms, the servants, all those gardens… I feel so small and
insignificant at times, so forlorn."
"You needn’t, Shaerena. The place will liven up once Jeyriall blesses us
with our firstborn," Lord Vaeos tried to reassure her. "You’ll see."
"No it’s not that, Caric. You do everything you possibly can and I’m so
thankful for that, I couldn’t wish for any better husband." She kissed him
on the cheek. "But… that… feeling… it is getting stronger every day in me,
it is as if I’m being watched somehow, as if something’s lurking in the
shadows when I’m walking around these halls, even when I’m out in the
gardens. Something that’s looming over everything and never leaves. It's…"
Her expression became even more desperate. "I cannot explain, I’m sorry.
There’s that presence that has always been there, and it’s still there.
But am I the only one who has noticed it?" She wailed in a high-pitched
tone, looking at her husband questioningly. "Am I? - Don't you feel it,
Caric? You must have noticed something as well!" Lady Shaerena was nearly
shouting the last words, demanding an answer.
But Lord Vaeos remained silent. The words had started flooding out of his
wife, she just had let them loose. Her emotions had taken over, colouring
every further word she said with an air of mystery, irritation, finally
with plain fright and dread. The Lady's eyes had grown even wider now,
looking for an anchor to hold on to.
Avoiding her question, Lord Vaeos answered: "You still didn’t tell me:
What happened today?"
"I heard something," Lady Shaerena suddenly said resolutely, sitting up.
"It was clear as day. It happened when I walked down the corridor when I
noticed that strange noise, a steady sound, somewhere in a dark corner on
the other end, so I stopped. I wasn't sure what it was, and I listened.
Everything was quiet for a while, then I thought I saw a shadow moving. It
came nearer and then I heard it as loud as it could be for a moment: There
was someone, a person I felt, right next to me: it was as if someone was
crying, lamenting... And I felt as if that person walked towards me,
through me, yet I couldn’t see it. And then it was gone, that presence."
"A presence?" Lord Vaeos finally said flatly, raising an eyebrow, not
knowing what to make of it. He was pleased that it all was out in the
open, even though he didn’t like what he had heard. Not at all. But he was
also someone who didn't want to talk around the bush. "Are you suggesting
that this place might be haunted?" he asked directly.
Lady Shaerena calmed down a bit when she heard someone else uttering a
suspicion that was buried somewhere deep inside her heart. "Can it be?"
Lord Vaeos didn’t answer. He got up and paced to the window. Lake Ishmarin
lay still quiet there as if nothing had ever happened and the Injèrá
slowly but surely drowned behind the Warnaka, lending a majestic glow to
the landscape. He had wished so much to make her happy when he had bought
the estate.
His breath had become heavier and he sighed. "It’s getting dark…"
"…already, my
dear" the blond woman yelled. She waved at the boy playing two storeys
below in the garden, enjoying the last warm rays the sun had to offer for
the day. "Time to tell your friend good-bye – dinner is waiting! And don’t
forget to take your sister with you!"
"His friend, my lovely Baroness?" a sonorous voice asked. A man, featuring
high cheek bones and a well tended chin-beard emerged from behind the
woman. While letting his beringed hand touch the softness of the woman's
long flowing hair, he joined her. "How come that I only see our two
children down there, then?"
The woman turned around. "Oh, Baron," she mimicked his teasing voice.
"Your memory is dwindling! I’m sure I’ve told you about his invisible
friend in that well already. Just let the boy have some fun, he’s a mere
six years old! Give him at least a few years until he wins his first
Armerenda tournament."
The Baron loudly cleared his throat. "So you say that the glorious heir of
the estate should prefer talking to a mermaid instead of aspiring to
become another Armerson? I wonder whether we shouldn’t take some other
educational options into consideration at this point, so that he gets,
say, at least more interested in carving a wooden sword and then use it on
a scarecrow. Or explore the tactical side of warfare by learning how to
position figurines within a toy army, that’s all within a six year old’s
capabilities."
"Well, I don’t know if he’s ready for that kind of education yet, Baron,"
the Baroness answered snippily. "Properly educated men should know anyway
that the glorious heir of the estate can hardly talk to a… mermaid." She
stretched the last word awkwardly, rolling her eyes at her husband.
"Mermaids live by the sea, and you could at the utmost find only a
watersprog in our well, oh wise one!"
"Indeed, indeed," the Baron admitted, stroking his chin-beard. "Once again
I have to congratulate me that I’ve married an observant and intelligent
wife others can be envious of. As if everyone isn’t envying me already for
the apparent beauty that I have the privilege of sharing my life with, who
is hardly second to the famed Jenefra. Though, see, you forget a little
detail, dear, in regards of said watersprog," the Baron argued. "Our well
is dry, ever since we’ve bought this place. And I fear your watersprog
wouldn’t have much fun in it."
"Ah well," the Baroness smiled. "As she is invisible anyway, the water
she’s bathing in might be as well, right?"
"And right you are again…" the Baron confirmed with a wink and hugged her.
"I would have been surprised if the Baroness didn’t have a logical answer
to that one as well…"
The Baroness smiled and waved to her children once more. "Oan, time for
dinner!"
Her husband finally pushed her gently aside and shouted down to his son
himself, as he still seemed unconcerned about his mother’s order: "Don’t
let your mother wait, Oan! Oan!"
Finally it was the little girl who waved back to her parents in
understanding. Quickly she gathered the flowers she had been picking and
approached her brother.
"Mommy says dinner’s ready!" she told him excitedly.
The little boy stood next to the well and didn't seem to care much about
his surroundings. He was barely as large as the well itself and had
climbed on a stool to look into its pitch-black menacing throat.
Absent-mindedly he was humming a song.
"Oan?" the girl asked again.
The boy finally looked up, blinking into the sun. With the round face,
green eyes and blond hair he showed a great resemblance to his mother. He
had a cleft upper lip, though, and a slight scar on his right cheek.
"Are you humming a lullaby to your friend?" the girl wanted to know. "Is
she sleeping now? In the middle of the day?"
Oan nodded. "Yes, she is… Shhhh!" He finally stopped humming and got down
from his stool, following his sister into the mansion.
It was three months later that the house staff was awaiting their master's
return from a longer absence due to business reasons.
The day was bright and nearly cloudless when finally the sound of clapping
hooves announced an arrival. The maid was working in the garden, tending
to the flowers when she saw the carriage enter the driveway that displayed
the Baron’s emblem, a shield with a mace encircled on either side with a
row of three stars. She dusted herself off and hurried back to the house
to welcome her master home.
"Ho!" the driver shouted. The horses came to an instant halt.
"I hope you had a pleasant trip, Baron!" The maid greeted and curtsied as
the Baron stepped out of the coach.
"Can’t complain as far as the trip is concerned. The weather at least was
brilliant. As for business: Same old, same old. Though I fear I'll have to
leave again soon." The Baron pointed to his luggage at the back of the
coach. "Would you please be so kind as to tell Jaerin to fetch my things,
Amra? And if you could tell me where my wife and children are expecting
me, I'd me most grateful. As I cannot see them anywhere I at least hope
they did actually expect me..." He chuckled. "Let's just pretend that they
are delighted to meet me."
"Yes, Baron, I will tell Jaerin. And Oan and Triýsa are playing in the
backyard, I’ll see to…"
At that very moment the two children emerged from behind the house and the
girl, Triýsa, sped towards her father. The Baron caught her and lifted her
up to give her a kiss. She presented some flowers to him she had picked,
which were joyously accepted by the Baron.
"I promise to find a special place for them, Triýsa!"
"Will we also get some lilies afterwards for mommy?" Oan asked suddenly.
"Lilies for mommy? Why should we get lilies for mommy now? It’s me who has
arrived after a two week trip from Nyermersys," the Baron grinned. "So you
should bring presents to me, actually! On the other hand I also have
presents for you…" he continued. "Shall I get them?"
But Oan insisted. "Because lilies are her favourite, and if we put flowers
on her grave, then it must be those!"
The Baron stared at his son in disbelief. "Her…- what? What are you
talking about? I don't understand..."
"Her grave, dad," he said. "I know that the carriage broke and that mommy
died in that accident. I've seen it myself."
The Baron's face seemed to have turned to stone within an instant. "You
don't joke around with such things, boy, such wild stories you've just
made up!"
Oan opened his mouth, but said nothing. His sister started to cry in the
Baron's arms.
"Do you even know what you're talking about, Oan?" He put his daughter
down and grabbed his son’s arms aggressively with both fists. "How could
mommy have died when she isn't even away? How could you ever have seen it
if you haven't been there? Why do you tell such mischievous, outright
lies?" he threw infuriatedly back at him. "Can't you see that you made me
angry and your sister cry with all that nonsense you are saying? Then why
are you doing it?"
"You're hurting me," Oan wailed. "And I'm not lying, I've seen it, and I'm
sure mommy wants lilies on her grave!"
"And where would you have seen that?"
"I... I don't know where exactly. Down the road, not that far away. I... I
sensed it." He tried to point into the direction of the woods, but his
father held his arms tightly.
"You don't know exactly? You sensed it? Who has set you up for this? Who
has told you to tell me such things?" The Baron grew even further enraged.
"What kind of stupid joke is this? Now tell me!" he demanded.
Oan remained silent. All of a sudden he seemed frightened.
"I guess that's what we get in return if a child like you gets spoiled
beyond belief, Oan! I need to know, so tell me clearly: Who had that
disturbing influence on you? Was it one of the servants? The maid? You
haven't made any friends here yet, so... Wait… Don’t tell me – I get the
idea! Is it your invisible friend perhaps down there in the well who puts
these crazy ideas in your head?" He gasped. "I’m right, I know it. Say,
was it your friend down there?"
Oan stuttered, then uncontrollably burst into tears. "No, no, it wasn’t
her! It wasn’t her! Never! Never!" he shouted. He struggled, winding
himself out of his father’s grip and darted away. "Leave her alone! Leave
me alone!"
His father shook his head desperately. He had no energy to chase his son.
Instead he took his daughter into his arms and caressed her. "He didn't
mean what he said, Triýsa, believe me, he didn't mean it," he tried to
comfort her. "He's probably sick and needs help. We'll take care of that,
don't worry."
Then for an instant a doubt hit him that made him numb and dizzy. However
unlikely it was, he needed proof. He groaned, struggling with a never
before felt difficulty to breathe, but then he sprang up and headed back
to the mansion as fast he could.
"Baron." The servant who was taking the luggage upstairs stopped and bowed
as he saw his master.
"Jaerin! Where is my wife?" he yelled at him. "Tell me!"
The servant gave him a puzzled look. "Why, she must be upstairs having an
afternoon nap as she does every day at this time, Sir. Should I..."
The Baron interrupted him. "No, don't worry, I'll go look myself!"
"If she's not upstairs, then the Baroness might have driven into town just
recently," the maid suddenly interjected. She had heard the conversation
and joined in. "She asked to send for the second coachman, Dagmar, to head
into town later today. Yet she said that she'll probably wait until you
have arrived, Baron."
"And none of you actually know where my wife is?" the Baron shouted, sweat
dripping from his brow. "How..." He turned quiet for a moment as the
coachman his wife had asked for appeared. "Dagmar... What... Where is my
wife?" He trembled.
"She's just..." Dagmar pointed behind the Baron, to the stairway in the
hall: There she was, the Baroness, love of his life, alive and well,
descending the stairs. She looked irritated.
"What is all the commotion about?" she asked. "And then I see Triýsa
crying outside and you shouting at everyone. What's with you?"
"I'm sorry, my dear," the Baron apologized, "It's just that, well, I don't
know..." He hugged his wife tightly. "It's just that we need to have a
serious word with our son, that's all."
The Baroness smiled. "And I already thought something had..."
"...
happened, which I will never forget. There were villagers, lumberjacks to
be precise, who all of a sudden stormed into my cottage. I remember that
it was still early in the morning," the woman explained to Lord Vaeos, who
was listening intently.
"You have to know that I'm living close to the woods, and those blokes
knew my trade, so there was little other choice, I think. And believe me:
Rarely had I ever seen such strong men that aghast and shouting wildly,
telling me that it would be too late if I didn't hurry. So before I even
knew what had happened I was on horseback, galloping with them into the
woods. It didn’t take long until we arrived at that sharp turn on the road
about a stral or so from the village and maybe half a stral from here.
Maybe you’ve noticed it on the way to the mansion, as you find a rock with
an inscription now on the side of that road which the villagers have put
there.
Well, as I arrived I already saw that the lumberjacks that had stayed
behind were standing there with their hats in hand, greeting quietly. I
saw the huge root that was protruding into the road and had caused the
vehicle to overturn. And as I walked behind the carriage and I spotted the
injured driver crying there, my heart stopped for a moment as he was
looking at a scene I will never forget in my life.
Dressed in a magnificently laced white gown, the jewelery still unharmed
around her neck, she lay there on the side of the road. She was bedded on
leaves and moss, and appeared as if she had just fallen into a slumber
after a long exhausting walk. I knelt down and took her in my arms,
brushing the long blond hair to the side. It was then that I noticed that
her head was tilted back. I could only speak a last prayer for her and
closed her eyes, which were still staring at me. She was beautiful as
ever, the Baroness."
For a long moment Lord Vaeos remained silent, taken aback by the mental
picture the account had evoked in him. The woman had spoken quietly and
composedly, but the content was shocking and to Vaeos it tasted like salt
in an open wound. He couldn't speak even if he had wanted to, he just
lacked the words of how to utter what he was feeling and was still busy
with sorting out what was going through his head.
At first he had eyed the woman with suspicion as he hadn't made the
acquaintance of any of her kind yet, thinking of all of them to be nothing
more than macanti, charlatans. When someone had recommended seeing the
Eyashene, all he knew was that the woman worked in the name of the
Goddess, but mostly kept to herself. And even though the villagers seemed
to appreciate her services, Vaeos wasn't that convinced that he'd get
anywhere with her. But she had succeeded in calming down his wife, and now
that he had heard what the healer had to tell, he had gotten much more
than he had bargained for. Luckily, Shaerena was in bed now upstairs and
hadn't heard the Eyashene's bloodcurdling story.
"Lord Vaeos?"
He looked up. The woman's bright blue eyes seemed to look straight into
his soul, aware of his troubling thoughts. She was small, her dark hair
was held back by a hairband, revealing a high brow and a face dominated by
the captivating eyes. Her grey, simple gown looked inconspicuous, yet the
Eyashene's strong presence was undeniable.
"I'm sorry, Miss..."
"Wanrena," she helped him out.
"I'm sorry, Miss Wanrena," Lord Vaeos finally said, not sure exactly where
to continue the conversation. "I assume that it was after this that you
got to know the Baron and his son more closely. When exactly was that?"
"It all happened about twelve years ago, Lord Vaeos. The Baron invited me
to the funeral, where he thanked me for trying to save his wife's life. He
was a broken man. Which is not difficult to imagine taking into account
what had happened to him, not only regarding his wife's death, but also
being confronted with Oan's premonition coming true. So he approached me
as he needed the services of a mindsmoother to learn to understand what
was plagueing his son and how to deal with it."
Lord Vaeos looked at the threelobed clover symbol that hung around the
woman's neck, a representation of the healing powers of Eyasha. She knew
her trade, he thought, but...
"Were you able to help him?"
"Well, I think so, though there is no easy answer to that, I fear," the
mindsmoother said.
"How so?"
"Well, you need to know that I stayed here at the mansion for a few
weeks," Wanrena explained. She walked up and down a bit, her eyes briefly
glancing at the antique furniture and brilliant paintings that adorned the
room. "I called these rooms my home for a while as I tried to learn more
about Oan as the Baron had proposed himself. I talked with him, I touched
him, I tried to soothe his soul, but it was clear from the first instance
that there was suffering in him, terrible suffering, there was something
that tormented him. I couldn't heal him.
I'm sure that it wasn't his mother's death alone that left its traces. He
had known about that accident for a while, he told me himself, he had
taken it for granted. He didn't know when it would happen, though, but was
sure that it would. And when he uttered his vision he was probably as
confused as his father when he found out that his mother was still alive
and well. He didn't consider himself special, he had no idea that others
couldn't see things like he could sometimes." She took a deep breath.
"After that incident where Oan had revealed his vision the Baron forbade
him to talk with his mother about it, and he found ways to keep him
occupied. New tutors came that took over his education, and the Baron was
intent on eradicating all that nonsense he thought his son had made up.
Oan became more and more estranged from his father during that time, I'm
sure of it. - And nevertheless: When I came to the mansion after his
mother's death I felt that there was another kind of pain in him as well,
even though he didn't want to explain that pain, or he found no way to
articulate it. Yes, there was something in him that I sensed as... guilt."
"Guilt? About his mother's death? Did he feel responsible because he had
predicted it?"
"It is hard to tell, but I didn't sense that specific emotion in him, even
though this may sound confusing to you," Wanrena answered. "However, I
know many a scholar that would say that the sentiment of guilt is a
natural burden for those that the Ximaxians call the 'Gifted', those rare
people that see things that others cannot. Those who don't have the gift
can hardly understand them, even a mindsmoothers can only sense what they
feel, but not why." The Eyashene shook her head vehemently. "I don't
believe them, not in this case."
Lord Vaeos looked surprised. "I don't understand... You're trying to say
that it was something else he felt guilty about all the time?"
Wanrena nodded. "There was more than the death of his mother in him.
Though he didn't reveal it to me. He chose to pretend it never existed,
but it was there, I know it."
"Tell me more about those... Gifted," Lord Vaeos wanted to know.
"Well, what is there to tell? A 'gift' is often also a curse, sometimes it
is just that, Lord Vaeos. Only the Gods know why they endow someone with a
gift. Gifted people also see different things, some can even perform kinds
of magic, though this is even rarer than having the sight itself, or as we
mindsmoothers call it, the sensing."
Miss Wanrena frowned. "There are just a few basics we know about Gifted
seers: Most gifted ones see things that concern themselves or people dear
to them, both was the case with Oan. Others can picture images in their
mind related to certain places, they see things that haven't happened yet,
or they look at someone and have visions of their past. - Oan was gifted,
there is no doubt about that. He had difficulties understanding his gift,
however, and needed to learn to live with it."
Lord Vaeos sighed. "But I fear even as fascinatingly mysterious and
gruesome as the boy's tale is, it explains not why the mansion appears to
be haunted, or at least why my wife claims that this is the case. Say, has
the boy met a tragic death within these walls that he now might be
haunting this place?"
"No, he hasn't. And I'm sorry that I have no simple explanation concerning
your wife's condition," the mindsmoother answered. "Though it is
puzzeling, I admit, it adds to the mystery of this place. And to be honest
with you: The Baron left the estate for one because of the horrific
memories associated with it, and on the other hand because his son
deteriorated into madness the longer they stayed. It was very sad. It
became unbearable for the Baron, so that he was eventually convinced that
there was something here that was the cause of this. And that whatever it
was, it was why his son had these visions."
"Did you know where the Baron moved?" Lord Vaeos wanted to know. "Has his
son's condition improved there?"
"Yes and yes," Miss Wanrena said with her eyes lightening up. "I've
received several letters fromthe Baron over the years, who lives now
further south in Jernais, and in each one of them he mentions how well his
son is faring now, and that he is thankful for the advice I gave him to
leave the mansion."
Lord Vaeos face darkened. "So you suggest that whatever it is that plagued
the boy is still here, and now troubles my wife? Is that it?"
"It is a possibility," Miss Wanrena nodded. "The fact that Lady Shaerena
hears voices seems to make it likely. I'm sorry to have to say this.
Unless you believe that it's all only in her head, which the servants seem
to consider the most logical explanation."
"Have you experienced anything that would hint at a haunting while you
lived in this house, Miss Wanrena?"
"No, I cannot say that I have."
"Neither have I," Lord Vaeos said, raising his voice. "Nor have any of the
servants noticed anything out of the ordinary." He slammed his fist on the
oaken table in front of him. "Say, could it be that my wife is gifted as
well? That she sees things because of that? And whatever that presence
might be, that it haunted the poor Oan and now my wife?"
"She could be gifted," the mindsmoother said, contemplating. "That would
explain why no-one else experienced anything, just the two. But then what
exactly is that presence and what would it want? Has your wife made any
specific remarks on what she heard or saw?"
Vaeos shrugged. "Only that there was crying, lamenting, a moving shape
perhaps, and that the presence becomes stronger day by day. She has been
growing uneasier every hour, so I'm glad you could come and calm her down
a bit. But at any rate, I guess the truth must lie in what happened before
the Baron moved into the mansion, and we should find about that as soon as
possible."
The mindsmoother nodded. "I agree, we might be on to something here and
finally give that presence its name and cause."
Vaoes smiled for the first time. "I'll have a quick look on how my wife is
faring upstairs, then we'll continue our conversation. - Would you like
some more cha'ah tea in the meantime, Miss Wanrena?"
"Please." She smiled back. "And I guess I already have a clue where our
conversation might lead. Seen in a new light one detail just came into my
mind that we haven't paid enough attention to so far, I think..."
Quick... She needed to go... Now!
When she heard her husband mentioning that he'd check on her, Lady
Shaerena instantly pulled up her skirts and darted away from the door she
was listening at. Fast and quietly like a cat she took the back stairway
that led up to the upper floor, effectively escaping anyone's eyes that
would any moment make it out of the living room through the main door.
Step by step she tiptoed up, disappearing eventually in the darkness of
the corridor, where the bedroom just lay two doors away.
Lady Shaerena heard the door from below when she had nearly reached the
bedroom. But a sudden noise close by made her turn around. She froze.
The noise came from a corner near the only window through which light
shone into the corridor. What...?
But then she took her courage and steadfastly approached the shape. The
wailing echoed through the corridor, reflecting again and again in her
mind. There... Someone was cowering in the shadows, as unreal as it
seemed, as eerie as it felt. And she wanted to know who it was.
"I'm..." Muffled, whispered words reached her ears out of the darkness.
She trembled, but she couldn't let go. She stepped closer. The figure
moved towards her.
There it was, the boy's teary face, diving out of the darkness. The green
eyes, the slight scar on his cheek, the cleft upper lip. And the hand
reaching out to her.
"I'm sorry, Lady..."
It was then that she fainted.
"I'm sorry,
Lady..."
"I'm not a Lady," the voice of a little child complained stubbornly. The
girl came to a hault, hugging the doll she was carrying with her tightly.
She was dressed up for travelling, a straw hat on her head and a red
ribbon in the blond hair. "I'm not a Lady!" she repeated.
"I... I... didn't see you there," was the reply of the cowering boy in the
corner.
"Then why are you calling me a Lady?" Triýsa asked. "You are truly mad!
Mad, mad!" she shouted at him angrily.
"I'm sorry... I... I... I didn't..." Oan stuttered and wiped the tears
from his eyes.
"You talking to mommy then?"
"No, mommy doesn't talk to me. She's gone. There's no-one that can hear me
anyway. I'm talking to nobody." He sobbed. "But I always thought I could.
But I can't. Triýsa, I can't."
"But I heard it how you talked! Why are you doing such things like talking
to ghosts?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"So? But we are going now. Because of you! And that is why!" Triýsa
stamped on the floor, enraged. "Dad said that I should get you, we're
leaving right now. All your things are already in the carriage. And you
haven't even bothered to pack your stuff yourself!" Triýsa waited a few
moments for a reply, but there was none. "Just play with your ghosts if
you don't want to go. I'm leaving for Jernais with daddy!" she finally
concluded. "There's a huuuge heath with many, many flowers as far as the
eye can see..." She stretched her little arms as far as she could. "And
rolling hills, and tarepi and sheep!"
But her brother said nothing.
Finally she turned around and stormed back to where she had come from.
Silence fell again over the corridor once the last jaunty noises of the
little girl's steps had died away.
"Oan? We're waiting for you!" the Baron's voice boomed from below.
Finally Oan stood up, dusted himself off and started to follow his sister.
As he passed his parents' former bedroom he saw that the door was open. He
felt drawn into it and so he walked in. Everything was neatly cleaned up
now, and whatever reminded of someone having actually lived here was gone.
There were no clothes anymore, no books, no drawings on the bedside table
he had made for his mother. Not even carpets lay on the floor anymore, it
was cold and lifeless.
Oan stepped out on the balcony, looking downwards. His father was there
and his sister, and the carriage that stood by the well, ready for
departure.
"Oan! Time to go! Come down!" his father commanded.
The young boy's eyes started wetting again as he watched the scene. He
hesitated to turn around yet. Yes, again he sensed someone's reflection
behind himself in the mirror. He was aware that the figure was standing
right there next to him. It was late, he knew, it was late in the mirror
right now. It was night.
"I'm..."
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Image description. The well bears a dark
secret... Picture
drawn by
Seeker. |
"...coming,"
she whispered.
The wind was light and it was howling faintly, playing with her nightgown.
In the distance some trees rustled in the breeze close by the lake, hidden
under the cloak of the night. The evening had progressed quite a bit, but
it was not too dark, as the moon was full and the stars were glittering
through a cloudless sky.
For a moment Lady Shaerena felt chilly when she had that vision again, but
not for long. She looked down from the balcony in the garden below, but
she wasn't afraid anymore of what she saw. There was that shadowy figure
at the well, staring into it, humming a soothing tune that the wind
carried up to her. She knew who he was. But she didn't know his secret
yet. She was determined to find out, however.
"I'm coming..." she breathed almost to herself. "I'll be with you, have no
fear," she tried to console him from above. His melody sounded so sad.
Then she turned around, passing her husband's bed quietly, slipping out of
the door, through the corridor. Slowly she descended the staircase. The
mirror in her bedroom lost the figure it just had gotten used to reflect.
"I don't want to leave, I cannot..." the boy wept.
"Come, Oan!" the Baron commanded. "Please say good-bye to your friend one
last time, as we won't come back. Ever. This place is nothing for you and
your confused mind." His expression was grim. "You don't realize it yet,
but you'll thank me later for taking you away, son, there is no other
choice. Come now!"
"No... I can't let her alone!"
The Baron entered the carriage. "Triýsa, grab your brother's hand and get
him in here! He just needs some help to make this step into a new life
without the burdens of this place. Would you be so kind?"
"Yes, dad!" Triýsa said and followed. "Say good-bye, Oan!"
Shaerena moved closer to the figure, she could nearly touch it. The
weeping became louder. "Why are you crying?" she asked. "Why don't you hum
your song anymore?"
Triýsa squatted next to her brother, she pulled impatiently on his arm.
He finally got up, stepped on the stool next to the well, pointing into
the black maw. "It was me...," he said to his sister who looked up at him,
her eyes widening.
Triýsa starred at him not knowing what to reply.
"What was you?" the Baron asked, irked. He stepped out of the coach again,
fed up by the constant ramblings and inexplicable moods of his son, which
he had failed to harness.
"I saw her..."
"Come, boy. We know that you've seen your mother, that's why all this
started. Stop talking this nonsense. We need to be off."
"It wasn't just her, dad..."
"Stop it!" the Baron shouts, steams with temper. He grabs both children,
tries to pull them away forcefully from the well.
"Oan? Oan?" Shaerena whispers, but she doesn't hear him crying anymore.
"Oan?" she asks again, this time louder. She bends over the well: "Oan?"
she calls, but Oan is gone. "Where are you?"
"It happens because of me..." Oan shouts back at the well. He is taken
away by the Baron's strong arms. He will never return to it. The well
looks empty now. Forsaken.
"She will search for me, I know it. One day it will happen..."
A short piercing shriek.
Then a thud, a strange unfamiliar sound, far, far beneath the earth. The
noises are quickly swallowed by the night, and a moment later quiet reigns
again.
The moon isn't what it was just moments ago, I've never seen it this
way. It is round... but it looks strange... it is surrounded by a stony
wall... Wait... There are stars glittering in it today, something that has
never happened... It must be a special day, a very special day. But...
but... maybe this isn't the moon at all, the moon is bright... But today
it is dark, dark as the night... Dark as the night. - And why is it that I
don't feel the breeze anymore? Am I...
The wind howls over the well, the way mourners lament over a tomb. Then
again, if one listens closely it might just sound like a lullaby, or an
elegy. An elegy for Lady Shaerena.
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