Professor Layton: Love In All Adversities

19. I Knew You Would Come

The old man hobbled over to the cupboard and searched inside for a box. He lifted it out with some effort and placed it on the bed next to her.

"I just need to find it..." He started to take various items out, from childhood toys to more recent items such as bottles of perfume. "If only your father hadn't had the nerve to chuck valuable items into random boxes!"

Katia felt nothing. She thought she might stir at the mention of her traitorous father, but not one shiver of warmth seemed to prevail. Maybe her father was dead. He was left under that bridge. The rope might have snapped or maybe the parts of the castle that did collapse spread wide enough to bury him under it. Maybe he got away? A day or two had passed and he was only frozen when the moon was out. It didn't matter. She found a lot of things didn’t seem to matter to her anymore.

"Ahah!" He beamed, holding a large record disc high like it was some magical item of great importance. Grinning at his granddaughter and tapping his nose, he found the phonograph sitting askew on her bedside table, dusty, but still in working condition. He placed it down but did not work the machine just yet.

"One thing I asked was what music he liked. He mentioned he liked classical pieces and the like, but there was one that stuck out to me because, you see... I did a little research on some of his cases. One such that was on the news a few years back. You would remember it. It was the incident where that opera house vanished. Where those poor people went missing and then washed up on a beach in submarines explaining they took part in some game for eternal life. It was just the extravagant idea and I knew he would be involved in some way."

"What are you getting at, grandfather?"

She said it plainly, with that cold tone, but just hearing her speak, and hearing her call him grandfather again filled his heart with warmth.

"Just listen to this." He smiled, placing the scratcher on the disc and taking a step back.

A moment's gap and then the music started. It was light at first with high notes from the piano and violins and then harsher notes came in. It left a soothing feeling within Katia. Within seconds the singing began. It was gentle at first, but as it grew, Katia found herself caught in the sprinkle of piano notes and the slow, but piercing cello interludes.

The singing swirled through her head and then she felt as if she had transcended into another world, another existence. Different to what she thought of this world these past few days. This was an existence where peace and beauty transcended the ages just as she had transcended into this beautiful realm.

She never wanted it to end and when it did she felt almost empty inside. That may have seemed strange before, but all she had been feeling before was empty. To have felt that in that almost state was a big deal. She had allowed the warmth to enter her heart once more.

She turned to see her grandfather smiling at her and then she gasped and turned away quickly. How could I let my defences down?! She thought in irritation. Never will I allow that to happen again. No one will hurt me like he did!

"Please, Katia. Don't do this. I understand you are hurt. I understand what you are feeling!"

"How could you possibly understand what I am feeling?!" She said furiously, a tear forming in her eye.

Anton looked taken aback and he struggled to say anything for a moment. His mouth wavered in confusion and then he sighed.

"You mean that I do not know what if feels like to lose the one I love? To feel betrayed?!"

Katia was speechless as she remembered the pain and anguish her grandfather felt as Sophia left Folsense. In truth, she had done it to keep their child safe from the disease that had plagued the town. She never told Anton because she knew that he could not leave. His father didn't allow it and she knew that if she had told him, he would have convinced her to stay which she just couldn't .Or he might have tried to go with her which would have only ended in them fleeing the rest of their lives as the mad Duke would tear apart the country looking for his son.