The Locket

Chapter Four

I could not sleep a wink last night. All I could think about was what I saw or well what I thought I saw. It just does not make any sense, how could someone just disappear? I really need to speak to Father Mulligan now.

I decide to get up and shower, so I can get an early start on the day and visit Father Mulligan. It is only 7am so I know Brooke won't be up. I'm kind of glad about that, I don't think I could face her just yet because I know I wouldn't be able to keep what I saw from her. I think it would be better to get some answers before I start telling her more crazy stuff. I grab my purse and head out the door. I don't think I have been this nervous about anything in my life. I decide to send Brooke a quick text before I pull out of the driveway, so that she won't worry.

Me: Hey, I decided to wake up early and head over to the church to talk to Father Mulligan. I'll text you when I'm done...xoxo

Brooke: K. Good luck...xoxo

I wasn't expecting her to text back, but at least I know she knows where I'm off to.

The drive to the church usually only takes about 5 minutes but I decided to take the back roads and avoid Mills Street and Main Street. I'm not sure when I'll be ready to drive through there but right now I know it will be awhile before I am.

It takes me about 15 minutes to get to the church. It's a Tuesday morning so I know no one will be in church; it's the perfect time for Father Mulligan to hear about the crazy in me. I open the doors to the church and as I suspected its empty, except for a tall slim figure in the front of the church, dressed in black.

"Father Mulligan?" I ask, nervousness resonating through my voice.

He turns around, his face solid and sound but with a slight hint of sorrow. He must have been wondering when I would come in. I did used to come here multiple times a week to talk to him. He was always easy to talk to; he didn't even care if we didn't talk about religious stuff. He was just a great listener and always gave great advice. I'm just hoping that I can still count on that today.

"Charlotte, what a pleasure to see you, it has been far too long. How have you been?" he asks.

"Well I guess I'm hanging in there, just taking it one day at a time," I say.

"That is good. The days will get easier as they pass. It just takes time to heal," He says. His words make me relax a little but I'm still pretty nervous about what I'm going to tell him.

"Yeah, I'm hoping they will get easier. But I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"Of course Charlotte, you can talk to me about anything. Please why don't you take a seat?" He motions for one of the pews.

"Well I was actually wondering if we could talk in your office." I really don't want anyone walking in on this conversation.

"Of course we can, come this way," He says.

I follow him through the wooden door in the back of the church. I don't think I've ever been in this part of the church before. It looks extremely old, like it was built in the 1500s or something. The hallways back here are very narrow and the smell of candles and incense lingers in the air. It has sort of an eerie feeling but at the same time, it's very calming. We stop in front of an old wooden door. There are three separate carvings on the wooden door, each of them more magnificent than the other and towards the bottom they blend into one, like they are trying to tell some sort of story.

"In here," Father Mulligan says and motions for me to walk through the door.

"I don't think I've ever actually been in your office before. It is pretty amazing in here," I say.