Refuge of Delayed Souls

Part 12 - Choir of Gargoyles

Present Day

Sarah did not get the chance to speak before Elizabeth began to see and hear past events unfolding.

Two glasses and wine bottles on the polished steel coffee table. Sarah sitting stunned on the sofa. Mathew prowling around the room like an angry cat, his voice slightly raised and cold.

“What the hell do you want from me? I’ve no idea where all this has come from! You must be deluded or something! I’m not ready for commitment or anything remotely like it, and probably never will be, so don’t hold your breath!”

“But... I thought you loved me! I thought...”

“No, you didn’t bloody think, did you? That’s half the problem; you are too busy dreaming to ever really think.”

Sarah pulling the pieces of herself together, searching around for a little self-respect as Mathew fights to regain his control and get rid of her without too much of a scene.

“Just forget what I said, will you? I’ve had too much to drink and you know how emotional we women get with alcohol.” Her smile hollow.

Mathew looking relieved to pretend it was not serious, his interest now concentrating on smoothing things over while he had to. “Right! Happy to do so! Look... I’m sorry for going off on one, too. You know it was just a shock... I thought you understood it was a bit of fun?”

“Yes, of course, a bit of fun. As I said, too much to drink.”

“No problem. Look, it’s late. I have work in the morning.”

“I can’t drive home. I was supposed to be staying over; I’ve been drinking.”

“You can sleep in the spare room. I’ll be up and out early in the morning.”

The spare room.

Spare...

Spare.

Elizabeth looked across to Sarah. It was all clearly written on her face. How had she failed to see it before? “You took your own life?”

Sarah flinched. “They were going on at me -– the voices. I wanted to shut them up. I didn’t really want to die!” She began to cry again, this time silent tears.

Elizabeth heard the voices, a choir of gargoyles whispering dark words.

He would never love you

No one ever will

“I know, Sarah. It's OK. I understand." Elizabeth moved closer to Sarah and Tashriel, who was comforting her. "Did you see a light Sarah? Can you see the light?" she asked tenderly.

“I’m too scared to go into it.”

“Many are,” Elizabeth looked at Tashriel. “Others find their options are limited.”

Tashriel stood back a step and held Sarah tenderly by the shoulders,. “The light will be waiting for you whenever you feel ready to go into it.”

Elizabeth put a hand on Sarah’s arm . “You are ready to leave Mathew and this flat behind for good, though, aren't you? Isn't that why you came to us?"

Sarah acknowledged Elizabeth’s words with a slight incline of her head.

“Come on, then. Let’s leave,” Tashriel said, breaking away.

A concerned Sarah wandered over to Mathew, “How are we going to explain this to him?”

“No need to worry about him. He'll never know we've been here,” said Tashriel.

“But he’s already seen you!” she exclaimed.

“Ever had a moment where you forgot what you were doing? Searched around in your brain to remember and it never came back to you?”

Sarah smiled. “You’d be surprised. Happens quite a lot lately.”

Tashriel and Elizabeth laughed. “Well, it’s about to happen to Mathew,” Elizabeth said with a grin.