Trapped In Time: Love's Secrets

Chapter Eighteen

Late Saturday afternoon, Matilda reached her destination at the tiny apartment in London. It was quiet and solemn as her master lay in bed wheezing softly; beside her sat the good friend who had been over to visit every day for the past couple of months. Matilda landed on the bed post and hooted softly, startling Alissa who had been slowly nodding off while watching over Irma.

“What do you have there?” She asked and reached forward for the parcel. She still didn’t like birds but she was getting used to Matilda who was a gentle bird if a bit aloof at times. Taking care to be quiet, Alissa slowly unwrapped the wax paper and bark string thinking it was very odd for Shannon to be wrapping parcels with bark. When she saw the writing on the topmost parchment, she gasped and almost dropped it.

“What’s wrong dearie?” Irma asked in a soft raspy voice reaching out a long aged hand to pat Alissa’s leg.

“Nothing at all, it’s a letter from my... from my love” Alissa had fought the urge to say “husband” and jumped up excitedly to sit in the chair near the window so she could read her letter. The kids were either napping or watching TV so now was as good a time as ever.

“That’s lovely” Irma whispered and fell back asleep while Matilda kept watch over her.

Upon opening the letter with her name on it, a silver chain slipped out and fell in her lap. She lifted the chain to shimmer in the weak winter daylight and saw that the pendant hanging from it was a silver heart with a bright star of tiny diamonds in the right upper half. It was simple but beautiful and elegant. Putting it on right away, Alissa spread the folded letter open and started reading with tears in her eyes.

My dearest love,

It has been months since I last saw your beautiful face but its memory still burns within me. It would be hard to explain to you what my loneliness feels like when not clear headed as I am now. Every fiber of my being longs for nothing more but to sit at your feet and experience the touch of your hand. Every day we are apart is torture and I find myself becoming reckless in the search of ways to ease my mind.

I have little time to spare as the morning will soon rise and reveal the smoke of a humble fire, I must send my love to every one of our beautiful children in turn and so I will ask your forgiveness when I keep my letter short.

It is with all my heart that I wish you a merry Christmas with blessings for the New Year that will see us together again. I love you more than life itself; know that I think of you every minute of every day.

                                                                                      Your Star

Alissa read the letter many times over, memorizing every line. Being alone had turned Sirius quite poetic and the words soothed her aching heart. It was only about five months before she would have him home to hold but right now five months might as well have been an eternity. She opened the next letter and read the first line of “My oldest, treasured child” and a fresh bout of tears started filling her eyes. Lyla, not even his child was going to read these words and feel a father’s devoted love. When Sirius finally came home, Alissa was going to find a million different ways to show how much she loved him.

Irma slept on as Alissa rose to take the letters to her children. They spent the evening talking of Sirius and the things he had said in the letters, like the promise of moving them in to the family home once it was cleaned out, and spending every day doing homework with his kids and helping them all to be the best witches and wizards they could be.

“Dad says he’ll know if I do magic Momma” Daniel lisped, turning four at the end of the month, he was already reading well enough to get through Sirius’s simple letter without any trouble. “But he didn’t say anything about Aqui’s scarf, so I think he’s lying.” He beamed feeling quite clever and Alissa feared for their safety and sanity if Danny was bright enough to figure out that his dad couldn’t do anything to stop him right now.