Solid Walls

Chapter Three

They sat with Talia and Amos for another hour, at first interjecting questions and munching on sandwiches, then eventually just listening as the pair detailed every moment of what led up to that day six months ago. Talia did most of the talking, but every once in a while Amos corrected a detail or added something she forgot. As she spoke, the flush of Talia's cheeks dimmed, her laughs grew fewer and farther between. Amos went from looking tired to totally spent.

By the time they reached the end, there was no more fidgeting in chairs or pouring of sangria. Everyone spoke softly and sat still, as though the simple sounds of living might be more than the walls around them could take.

"We haven't made any further, well, attempts since then." Talia almost whispered now. "So it's been six months of no change. Six months of being too afraid to try...anything. I've called or written to every doctor and specialist I can think of, anyone who might be able to shed light on what's happening. But they always leave without answers, or even leave us with more questions than before. Amos came to live with us just a few weeks after that awful day, and he's been such a wonderful help."

Amos looked down. "I don't know about that. Sometimes I feel more like an extra burden."

"Why did you come live here, if you don't mind my asking?" Chloe asked.

"Well, I wish I could say I came to be closer to my grandchildren, but the truth is I fell. Broken hip. Doctor said I shouldn't live alone anymore. I want to help more upstairs to take some pressure off Talia, I mean I hate feeling so useless, but..."

"But you can't be climbing any stairs at your age and in your condition," Talia said firmly, reaching out and touching his hand. "Honestly, Amos, you do so much for us already. It's high time you took your rest."

Amos patted Talia's hand but didn't look her in the eye.

"Well, that about brings us up to date," Talia said. "I assume you'd like to go upstairs now?"

For once, Chloe and Nell spoke in unison.

"Yes."

Talia tried on the smile she'd worn when they first entered the house, but it didn't seem to fit quite as well now. She stood and gestured for them to follow. It was clear Amos wouldn't be joining them, so Chloe reiterated their thanks for the refreshments and the story. He just waved them off, his smile brief, hands busy gathering up cups and plates from the coffee table.

They followed Talia back into the foyer to the staircase they'd passed before. Talia started up without hesitation, the old wood slats creaking with her every step. Chloe and Nell exchanged a glance before starting after her. They climbed single file, pinned in on either side by walls of shadow. When they turned the bend in the stairs, they came to an equally narrow hallway running straight along the side of the house.

At first glance, the second floor seemed much like the first—or at least there had been some attempt to make it so. The hall was illuminated by more thick-paned windows, the walls painted cream in an effort to bring in more light; a few paintings and tables with vases of flowers even dotted the corridor. But none of these halfhearted touches changed the fact that the space felt wrong. The walls too high, the old-fashioned sconces too dim.

"As I said before, the second floor is a bit of a maze," Talia said. Her voice had dropped down even quieter than before. "This is sort of the...well, I suppose you could call it the 'outer layer.' It's the only bit I've really been able to cheer up with decoration." As they passed, she gestured to a pleasant painting of a woman standing in a field, staring up at something far off in the sky.

She kept chatting softly as they continued on, letting out the occasional nervous laugh, but then she fell silent as the hall grew progressively darker, the sunlight blocked out more and more by the woods. The hall turned again and continued along the back of the house.