Jerome turned out to be an excellent craftsman and Merry was quite the cook Jerome had been bragging about. At least once a week she would bake a pie, mostly an apple pie. By the time it got winter and the first snow fell most of the jobs around the house were taken care of and all remaining repairs would have to wait until spring. Jerome had gotten a job in the local pawnshop and Merry had a job in the local meals-on-wheals kitchen. And although they did notice his quietness and the fact that he left the house at sunset to return just after sunrise, they never asked him any questions.
That Christmas they invited him for diner in one of the fancy restaurants in nearby city. He accepted the invitation and in return rented a limousine with driver. They had a lovely evening and after finishing deserts went home to have some more Irish coffee and specially baked Christmas cake Merry had baked. He asked them why they had decided to live of all places in this village and Jerome told him that his great grandfather had lived here and made a fortune, a fortune his father had lost in stock trading. Jerome told him that he hoped to find the same luck his great grandfather had found and make a fortune for him and his wife. Merry added to this that she didn’t require a fortune, but just wanted to live a normal life, without the constant worry that at the end of the week they wouldn’t have enough money to last the next week. They told him that they were together since they were in kinder garden, and both of them never had been in love with somebody else, never even kissed anybody else. After both of them had finished college, Jerome went to Harvard, only to find that he’d rather be with Merry than to attend class, and Merry had felt the same while studying at Cambridge, after the first semester they both came home for the Christmas holidays and never went back to school. Jerome had found a job at the local gas station and Merry had worked as a nurse. And although they both were very intelligent, they never had felt sorry for their decision not to get a degree other than their college degree. They were quite happy the way they lived.
They asked him about his life and he told them that his parents died in a car accident when he was 12, after which he had lived until he was 18 with his grandparents. When he turned 18 he moved away from his hometown and started a small business in gardening gear, which became a reasonable successful shop and after 6 years he’d sold the business and bought this house, which was now 2 years ago. He told that it was his dream to go back to his old store and buy the gear to fix his garden that would be the irony of his life.
It was getting late and Merry and Jerome had planned to visit their parents the next day, so they wished each other good night. He looked at them while they walked to their room and envied them for their joyous lives. That night he didn’t sleep.
The next morning he heard them leaving to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones. It was the first time he could remember that he felt a loss the first time he felt an uncontrollable desire to be with somebody. The same night Merry had called him, they had an accident, Jerome had lost all control over the car and they hit a tree. Jerome hadn’t suffered, he was dead before the car caught fire and exploded. She barely escaped the explosion, mainly because she hadn’t worn her seat belts. If he didn’t mind, she would send somebody after the New Year to pick up her belongings as she was going to live with her parents for a while. Without a single pause she told him this and when she was done, she hung up. He was too shocked to notice his feeling of incapacity. It was after he realized that she wasn’t on the phone anymore when he found the words of comfort he wanted to say to her, but he knew that nothing would ease her pain, or his for that matter. He picked up the phone and without dialing started to talk to her, imagining that she was crying at the other end, but his words of comfort, him saying that nobody deserved to find death on a Christmas day, but that they should all be grateful that Jerome hadn’t suffered, these words would ease her pain, and make her for the time being feel just a little better. That night he dreamed of Merry and Jerome driving home after spending Christmas with their families. Jerome lost control over the car, but before it would hit a tree, he was there to bring the car to a stop before anyone got hurt.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Mansion (CH05E01)
He lived in a small village, no more than 500 inhabitants and most of them he knew by name. He had bought a small mansion that required quite some renovation. He enjoyed working on the house and after 2 years he had taken care of all immediate repairs. The house had a new roof as well as completely replaced stairs to all 3 floors. He had decorated most of the rooms. It had cost him a fortune, but it was a fortune well spent. He had made a list of all repairs and other duties that were still required and guessed he would be kept busy by the building for at least another year.
It had been September, the schools had just begun and he was working on the shed. He wanted it finished before it would get cold, as he planned to use it to keep his firewood. He already had a whole stack lying around.
He didn’t hear the doorbell and was startled by the young couple when they came around the house. The man introduced them as Merry and Jerome Johnville. Jerome asked him if he could use some help, as they just arrived to town, they needed a place to stay and a job. Seeing this beautiful mansion, they thought that he might use some help around the house and have them stay in one of the bedrooms. Jerome told him that Merry could bake the most delicious pies and he had been working in construction the better part of his adult life and could help him or do repairs on the house. He wouldn’t need to pay them, as they would get a nighttime job, but just for rent, Merry would cook dinner for them and he would take care of all the handyman duties. He agreed and 15 minutes later Merry and Jerome were unpacking their suitcases in one of the rooms.
It had been September, the schools had just begun and he was working on the shed. He wanted it finished before it would get cold, as he planned to use it to keep his firewood. He already had a whole stack lying around.
He didn’t hear the doorbell and was startled by the young couple when they came around the house. The man introduced them as Merry and Jerome Johnville. Jerome asked him if he could use some help, as they just arrived to town, they needed a place to stay and a job. Seeing this beautiful mansion, they thought that he might use some help around the house and have them stay in one of the bedrooms. Jerome told him that Merry could bake the most delicious pies and he had been working in construction the better part of his adult life and could help him or do repairs on the house. He wouldn’t need to pay them, as they would get a nighttime job, but just for rent, Merry would cook dinner for them and he would take care of all the handyman duties. He agreed and 15 minutes later Merry and Jerome were unpacking their suitcases in one of the rooms.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
The Voice (CH04E04)
He had a headache when he regained consciousness. He couldn’t move. He tried to move his arms but didn’t feel anything. He tried to only move his hands, but the only motion he felt was in his fingers. He moved his feet and legs and was surprised he could feel them and had the control over each muscle. Slowly he began to realize his condition, he realized that he couldn’t see anything, although he was sure he wasn’t blindfolded and he hadn’t closed his eyes. He panicked as he realized that he had to be blind. He started to understand that his hands were tied above his head and all blood must have ran out them, that was the reason why he couldn’t move his arms and hands. Than he heard a noise, it came from his left side and instinctively he turned his head, at the same time something was thrown in his direction. He felt a fresh blow of air and then pain in his left armpit. He had never felt such pain before and lost consciousness again.
A sting in his right arm woke him up. A voice told him that he didn’t have to worry. He couldn’t say if the voice belonged to a man or a woman. He asked where he was, but the voice was silent. A second sting now in his armpit made him twitch. He asked the voice what it was doing to him, but the voice didn’t answer. He asked again and again, but the world around him remained silent. He decided that he was alone again and stopped asking where he was. After a period no longer than 5 minutes the voice told him he was in the mansion and that he didn’t have to worry. He moved his head in the direction of the voice and felt how his head pulled back by a string. He was told not to move his head or his eyelashes would be torn of. He didn’t listen and felt how his left eyelid was being pulled by a string attached to a needle and slowly it was torn of his face. Blood was streaming into his eye and he felt how his sweat burned in the wound. He felt how somebody held his right leg and pushed a needle into it, then he lost consciousness again.
He was awake when somebody cut the ropes around his arms. They were pulled behind his back and tied together again. Hoping it was the same person he asked the voice what was going on. A different voice, definitely a man’s voice, answered that he didn’t have to worry about a thing if he remained silent. He obliged. He was guided to a bed and was pushed. He was lying on his stomach when he felt how his feet were tied to the bed. Somebody pulled on his hair and he felt how his remaining eyelid was removed with a surgeon’s knife. They let go of his head and he heard how a door closed. He was alone again. He heard water dripping and he realized that for the first time during his captivity he heard sound that wasn’t threatening. He listened to the water and tried to sleep.
He didn’t know how long he was lying on the bed, but he couldn’t sleep. This was how the clerk at the pawnshop must have felt before he got murdered.
A sting in his right arm woke him up. A voice told him that he didn’t have to worry. He couldn’t say if the voice belonged to a man or a woman. He asked where he was, but the voice was silent. A second sting now in his armpit made him twitch. He asked the voice what it was doing to him, but the voice didn’t answer. He asked again and again, but the world around him remained silent. He decided that he was alone again and stopped asking where he was. After a period no longer than 5 minutes the voice told him he was in the mansion and that he didn’t have to worry. He moved his head in the direction of the voice and felt how his head pulled back by a string. He was told not to move his head or his eyelashes would be torn of. He didn’t listen and felt how his left eyelid was being pulled by a string attached to a needle and slowly it was torn of his face. Blood was streaming into his eye and he felt how his sweat burned in the wound. He felt how somebody held his right leg and pushed a needle into it, then he lost consciousness again.
He was awake when somebody cut the ropes around his arms. They were pulled behind his back and tied together again. Hoping it was the same person he asked the voice what was going on. A different voice, definitely a man’s voice, answered that he didn’t have to worry about a thing if he remained silent. He obliged. He was guided to a bed and was pushed. He was lying on his stomach when he felt how his feet were tied to the bed. Somebody pulled on his hair and he felt how his remaining eyelid was removed with a surgeon’s knife. They let go of his head and he heard how a door closed. He was alone again. He heard water dripping and he realized that for the first time during his captivity he heard sound that wasn’t threatening. He listened to the water and tried to sleep.
He didn’t know how long he was lying on the bed, but he couldn’t sleep. This was how the clerk at the pawnshop must have felt before he got murdered.
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