Dei Amor (formerly "Deus Relicta")

Chapter 5 : Another Chance

A single week without her new friend felt like several years, each day dragging longer than the previous one, each hour seemingly twice as long as the last.

Matron is usually right. Matron knows best. The words played in her mind like a gramophone stuck on repeat, unrelenting and after enough time; meaningless, and that made her question them.

"Matron, what are you doing?" Lucille leaned precariously over the stair railing, listening carefully for an answer.

"Having breakfast."

In an instant Lucille was leaping down the stairs, following the scent of oat-meal though the boot-room, and into the kitchen.

Matron was sitting at the table, a bowl of porridge set in front of her.

"I was thinking-"

"That's a surprise."

"Matron!"

"I was joking, come on now, what were you going to say?"

"Well, I was thinking that if...maybe if I could pray to the God or Goddess of Friendship, they could tell me if Aida is really dangerous or not?"

Matron scooped a large helping of porridge into her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully, buying herself time. "I suppose it's worth a try. Go get the big book titled 'Of Gods and Mortals' that's in Mrs. Ginny's office, it has the methods of contacting every God known to humans. It should be in Braille, but the title should be written."

Lucille obediently hurried to the office on the other side of the kitchen, thew open the door, and knelt down beside the cabinet of books against the wall.

After quickly reading through the titles, she found the desired specimen, and carried it triumphantly to the kitchen table, and dropped it in front of Matron.

"Here."

"Thank you." Matron pushed her porridge bowl aside and flipped it open to the first page. The aged paper was dotted in small, raised bumps, spreading over the entirety of the parchment.

"What's it say?"

"Patience, I have to find the right page first, these table of contents are rather complicated...ahh, here it is." Matron paused, running her fingers across the many page edges, until she found the correct one. "'The God of Love and Friendship first appeared to mortals around thirty years ago'-"

"When was the book published?"

"Lucy, it's rude to interrupt."

"Sorry."

"I believe it was published just over ninety years ago. Now let me continue. 'The God of Love and Friendship first appeared to mortals around thirty years ago. Although his name has never been revealed, many suspect he is one of the Moon Spirits. His exact appearance is unknown, but he has occasionally revealed himself to avid worshippers as a being consisting purely of what has been described as 'moonlight', hence the suspicions of his origin. Those who have encountered his presence often recount a feeling of comfort and calmness-'"

"Okay, so how do we contact this God?" Interjected Lucille, "It should say, right?"

"Have patience, young lady, and perhaps your questions will be answered."

"I'm sorry Matron. I just want to contact him as soon as possible, so can we please hurry a little bit?"

"There's no rush, a few minutes won't kill you." Matron took this opportunity to very slowly turn the page, so slow in fact that Lucille resorted to pacing back and forth the kitchen in an impatient state.