The mourner seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. I saw her as I turned the corner and noticed that she was just standing, a little way off in the distance silent and still. A dark silhouette against the afternoon sunlight. As we neared her, my mother and I walking side by side, I noticed that my shoes made a squelching sound on the damp grass. The mourner must have heard our approach because I saw her turn her head a little towards us. I was still too far away to see her face, but it seems she decided to pay us no attention. She turned away quickly and continued with, what I supposed she had come to the cemetery to do. I watched her intently, curiously as she tended to the graves, absorbed in laying flowers. There were two graves directly in front of her one large and one small, on which she laid her wreathes.
She ignored us still, even as my mother and I approached and stood now very close to her. She seemed to be reflecting by the graveside respectfully and peacefully. Where had she appeared from I wondered? I did not know as I could have sworn she was not there a few moments ago. As we got closer I noticed that she was wearing a heavy, slightly old fashioned looking black mourning dress, with a black hat and her face was completely obscured and hidden under her heavy veil. Suddenly she moved away from us. The bright sunlight was in my eyes and it was reflected by the black silk fabric of her dress. The material seemed to shimmer in the light giving it a strangely ethereal sheen. She also seemed to move in a strangely fluid motion, even over the rugged ground with its mounds and furrows. I watched with fascination as she glided around the cemetery, her movements were extremely graceful. And I was surprised by how soundlessly she moved despite the heaviness of her costume.
Suddenly, out of the blue, she began to walk straight towards my mother and I, and I involuntarily clutched tighter to my mother's arm as she did so. But seeming to think better of it. Deciding against making our acquaintance the woman stopped only a few feet from my mother and me. I blinked into the light to try to get a closer look at her face, but the light was still behind her and her veil was so dark that I still could not make out any features on her face. Then as if changing her mind again completely the woman turned away and went back to her previous position by the two gravestones. My mother, at first tried to drag me away but I stood steadfast , fascinated and literally digging my heels into the soft turf, so she could not wrenched away. My mother gave up and moved away on her own, walking over to the headstone of some distance relation of ours to clear away some dead foliage that was overhanging it.
I stood watching the woman who was bending over now to examine the smaller grave again. She raised a black gloved hand to her obscured face and I could see her body shake as if trembling with emotion. But if she was sobbing as she did this, despite her being so close to us. I could not hear her cries..
"Do not stare at her it is not polite." Said my mother returning from her task, and ushering me away again, and looking a little embarrassed at my stubborn resolve.
I had not realised I that I was staring so intensely at the mourner. But I was just so intrigued by her, and I was not sure why? I wanted to watch her. I wanted to know more about her and who it was she was grieving for.
"She does not want you staring at her in her private moment" My mother said again, and tried again to physically drag me away.
Suddenly the veiled woman turned her head towards me. I can only assume she was looking straight at me. She turned her head onto one side as if studying me, in the way I had been closely examining her. which she did for a long time. I still could not see her eyes from behind their heavy cover but I felt them burn straight into me.
Then I felt a slight pang of terror and a thrill of excitement as she once more resumed walking across the cemetery, very determined looking in her movements and posture and heading straight towards me again. She moved quickly, you could almost say she slid over the uneven ground and her movement was again surprisingly soundless. There was no bustle or rustle from the fabric of her dress. As she came closer I began to feel unnerved and afraid that she would barrel straight into me and knock me clean off of my feet. I felt alarmed and clutched tight to my mothers arm yet again. Then to my relief at the last minute just as she was almost on top of us she swerved and did an sharp turn to the right and moved off towards the large, stone mausoleum in the centre of the cemetery.
"Well!" my mother exclaimed in a little taken back. But to the woman she called out "Madame are you quite well. Are you in need of our help?"
The mourner who was now stationed in front of the very old and very large and mausoleum which housed the catacombs of the wealthy patrons from our small religious community, seemed to consider my mothers' offer for a moment. Then seeming to decline the offer of help, and still uttering not a single syllable, disappeared quickly inside the monument in a swirl. leaving behind only a dark streak.
I instantly wanted to follow her in there, I was curious about the vaults and crypts, but when I looked back to my mother she shook her head, "No" was her stern warning. "Don't go in there."
"Mrs Joseph," came a sudden cry sounding so distressed that we both turned our heads. Mr Trenwith was rushing towards us at a pace. "Mrs Joseph, Therese." he called again. "Miss Pontefract has had a fall on the church steps. Will you come?"
My mother nodded "Yes"
"It is not so bad," confirmed Mr Trenwith, reassuringly. "She just needs someone to help her to walk home, and I have to get back to help my wife Dorothea, she's sick too today, you know."
"I am coming now." confirmed my mother resolutely, who I noticed was always very much in demand whenever there was a crisis large or small. She had a patient kindness about her which even back then I felt the other community members relied upon a little too much and I would even go as far as to say they exploited on occasion. My mother turned to me and said. "I won't be long. It is not far to Crossgate Cottage. Will you wait here? You will be alright to stay here until I get back?"
I nodded "Yes" to both questions at the same time and my mother frowned looking a little concerned, but she rushed off after Mr Trenwith anyway.
I was standing alone now in the cold, dark shadow of the mausoleum in the middle of the cemetery. A small shiver ran over my body at the thought of mausoleum, but it was one of thrilled excitement rather than fear. I wanted so desperately to explore the labyrinthine like catacombs and seek out the secrets they held. My wish was unfortunately fulfilled that day, but not in a way that I had planned. As I was just standing there admiring the carvings etched into the stonework on the side of the crypt when I suddenly felt a firm hand on my shoulder and hot breath on the back of my neck.
"Don't turn round runt." said a gruff voice in my ear and it was followed by a high pitch giggle. I recognised the childish chortle of Billy Hale immediately. Jonah Dobbs had his grubby hand on my shoulder, he was a lot bigger and stronger than me and it was pressed down with some force. I could see the dirt under his fingernails, as I turned my head slightly to the side. "Don't look round rodent." He said again and I could smell the acrid scent of strong cider on his hot breath. I did as I was told and kept my head facing forward least they choose to punch or kick me as they often did. Billy Hale suddenly moved into my line of vision. "We got a job for you mouse," He said to me with menace and then to his cohort "Don't we Jonah?" He said with a little less conviction, as Billy Hale rarely said anything at all without Jonah's approval first.
Jonah nodded to him. "That's right." Then he grinned a smug, nauseating smirk at me as he said. "This way first." He said. "It is more private over here." Before I had time to say anything back they had grabbed one of my arms each, and dragged me across the cemetery back to the little fenced off area where I had earlier, seen the children's graves. Next to this area was a large yew tree with red berries on it, and the apple tree, a little further away, off to the left in which I had seen them scrump the apples. This part of the cemetery was indeed more secluded and hidden from the sight of the main thoroughfare. "Here is a better place to make a pact." Announced Jonah. "Next to the little graves. Easier to push someone in what won't co-operate." He said rubbing his dirty, mud stained palms together. Suddenly I realised that his hands were dirty because he and Billy had been setting mole and mouse traps. This involved digging holes into the mole or rodent's tunnel to set the trap, that would ensnare the defenceless creature and snap its neck. There were two shovels balanced against the bark of the apple tree. Behind the tree, I could see the little bodies laid out. There lay the corpses of about ten little moles in a row. I supposed that this was what they had wished for me to see? That this was what they had wished to show me. Their little macabre show of death. They wished to intimidate me further, but It did not frighten me. If they had wished to unnerve and unsettle me it had failed. The corpses did not repulse me, not in themselves, I had no fear of the bodies of the dead, quite the opposite in fact and they had already began to fascinate me. What did churn my stomach and make me furious was the fact that they had broken the necks of these innocent creatures. There was no need to destroy them. I thought that Jonah and Billy took too much pleasure in causing the destruction these harmless beings. If they had shown me these sights to threaten me into compliance, it would not work. I became even more defiant, deciding, to myself at least, that I would not do as they wished. Although, Yes I will admit my stomach did turn over at the thought of the senseless deaths of these poor creatures and this must have shown on my face because Jonah said. "Hey little mole. Your face has gone lime green." and he laughed.
I immediately thought these two cruel and sadistic. "Be quite pleasant here, wouldn't it Bill!" Jonah exclaimed taking a large gulp of cider and hiding the ceramic bottle in an empty hole he had obviously dug earlier. "Well if it weren't for all the rotting corpses." And he and Billy guffawed loudly at the joke and I could tell they were both a little tipsy on the strong cider. I also began to wonder if perhaps Jonah hadn't overheard the conversation I had had with my mother from earlier and was just mocking me. He was sly enough I realised.
"Right. To work we go." Said Jonah. I was not sure what they were up to but it worried me greatly.
Billy promptly climbed up to the lowest branch, which was only a few feet off of the ground while Jonah, the slightly bigger of the two, held me tightly around the chest so I could not move at all. I felt an overwhelming sense of panic rising inside me. They were so much bigger and physically stronger than me and I felt terrified at being so powerless against them.
"What job can I do?" I asked, struggling to try to wriggle free but only feeling the constraint contracting even more across my breast as if I was being crushed by a large snake. Jonah did not answer, but I could tell that he was smirking at my futile attempts to free myself from his clutches. I could feel him riffling through my pockets for something and wondered what on earth I could have that he wanted. Then suddenly I realised what they must be after, but why they would want it was a complete mystery to me?
"Here Billy, help me, grab his feet" Jonah said, and he lifted me up, clean off the ground like I was made of paper. I kicked my feet against the tree trunk and this allowed Billy to skilfully swing down from the branch and grab hold of, first, one foot and then the other one. Then between them they turned me over upside down so that I was doing a headstand and began to shake me up violently.
"Shake him until it falls out of him" said Jonah. And Billy gleefully shook me upside down, like I was some type of doll or puppet. Billy gripping me tight by the ankles and me bobbing up and down like a little wooden yoyo on a string, until finally they stopped, when the desired object fell out of my vest where I had concealed it and onto the soft grassy mound below me. This object to them was the desired prize. It was my father's white handkerchief and I known that these two devils would come after it, and take it away from me.
This handkerchief had very little monetary worth, but it had great sentimental value to me. It had belonged to my father and it had his initials embroidered into it. After his death it had been presented to me, left to me in his will because I had admired it so much, while my father had been alive. I had taken it to church once and proudly showed it off, boasting how precious it was too me. which was mainly childish hyperbole on my part I admit. But I had paraded it around as if it had been made of gold thread.
One that Sunday a while back, the priest had asked the children to give a little presentation to the rest of the congregation of things that had great value to us. I had boasted, (stupidly now I realise) that this handkerchief had great personal significance to me. I had seen at the time that all the while I was giving my little recital that both Billy and Jonah were sitting at the back giggling and pulling faces at me throughout, but I did not care. I quickly realised my error though when after the service I noticed Jonah Dobbs eyeing me curiously and I realised I given far too much of my honest emotions away to these parasites. My boasting was like the rag to the bull, it inflamed their bitter resentment.
After my father's death I to had kept the handkerchief under my pillow, as my father had done, only removing it when the bailiffs came and ransacked our house. I had been so terrified that even though in monetary terms it was worth virtually nothing, those heavy handed men dressed all in black would steal it away from me anyway. I had hidden it defiantly in my vest and the bailiffs had not searched me, so I still possessed it. I had kept it there ever since and I do not even think my mother suspected I still had it. But then of course, the inevitable happened. When running down the lane a few days later, the handkerchief fell out of my hiding place. It was only for a few fleeting seconds but it fell onto the cobbled stones. I quickly picked it up and stuffed it back more securely into my vest but the hawk-like eyes of Billy Hale who was sitting on top of the orchard wall must have spotted it, otherwise Lord knows how Billy and Jonah knew I had kept it on my person? Billy must have told Jonah who was frankly the brains of the pair and they must have concocted this plan to manipulate me together. I had suspected at the time that it was only a matter of time before they came after me.
Now that these two miscreants had my treasure Jonah gave the signal and Billy let go of my feet and they both let me fall down, head first onto the ground. I crashed down with a thump, but I was lucky that we were on the soft turf of the cemetery and so my head did not crack open. I knew these two would think nothing of letting my head split on the cobbled stones. And so, I lay on the damp ground gasping for air and rubbing my sore head.
"Time to get up and get ready for work" said Jonah and I thought he was going to kick me in the stomach, he raised his booted foot but stopped before landing the blow, obviously thinking better of it.
"What job?" I said, hating that my voice came out sounding weak and feeble and that I felt so shaken and breathless. I started to get up slowly of my own accord but evidently this process was too slow for Billy who began to drag me up saying "Up you get" and scoping me up like I was a leaf, up, and off of the ground until I was standing unsteadily me on my feet like a new born fawn.
Jonah was smirking again and I longed so much to spit at him, but I did not, I purposefully kept my decorum, but I admit it was very tempting.
"You see that mausoleum over there?" He pointed to it.
I nodded "Yes."
"Well I happen to know that, that woman in the black veil just put something very interesting inside one of the tombs. "
"It was me what saw her Jonah, weren't it!" Billy exclaimed interrupting him, " I saw her do it." he boasted gleefully.
"What?" I asked warily, wondering what criminal enterprise, because I was already convinced it was a was a dubious scheme, I was about to be embroiled in.
"You'll know it when you find it." Said Jonah. "Its a simple trick. Just sneak inside like a little mouse and snatch it."
"But It does not belong to you." I protested quietly. "That's stealing!" I said.
"See I told you he was smart, Billy" Laughed Jonah.
Billy parroting him laughed too.
"But you can't steal something that is not yours to take," I murmured almost sotto voce, knowing my moral outrage would hold little sway with these blaggards and that the worthiness of my words would elicit little sympathy.
Jonah's sharp ears still heard my earnest plea despite my whispered tone. "That is why we are not going to take it." He paused for dramatic effect "You are. Off we go to work" Jonah chanted the words in a sing-song tone and then roughly grabbing my arms, and pinning them tightly behind my back he frog marched me, like I was his captive across the cemetery stopping a little way off to the entrance of the mausoleum. He was whistling as he went. At the same moment the bells from the nearby church rang out on the hour and Jonah sang along in time. "Oranges and lemons....when will you pay me.." Billy ran after us, trying hard to keep up.
We stopped a short distance outside the small stone building, back to where we were before and I had a dizzying feeling that I was being lead around in circles.
I looked up again at the ancient monument that to me, looked like a little temple. Jonah kept me in his vice-like grip, but I could tell he was studying the surroundings least some inquiring patron stumble upon his devious little scheme and disrupt it. Unfortunately, for me at least, the mausoleum was in another quiet secluded part of the cemetery. I joined him in surveying the scene, furtively glancing around, but I was hoping that some kind patron who might be there paying their respects, might come to my aid that afternoon. But I was out of luck because it seemed that we were completely alone here. Jonah seemed to have decided this was also true and so he called out to Billy.
"Come on Billy. Clock's ticking. We got to be back at work at four."
Billy arrived then at Jonah's side a few moments later red faced, out of breath and panting hard.
"Everyone's gone home for their dinner, little mole, we are all alone" smirked Jonah clearly reading my thoughts.
"When is our dinner, Jonah?" said Billy. "I'm hungry."
"You are always hungry Bill." groaned Jonah. "Here have an apple." He took one from his pocket, where he had stashed it earlier and threw it at Billy, hitting him on the arm with it. But as he did this he loosened his grip on my arms a little and I quickly took my advantage and tried my hardest to wriggle free.
"Where do you think you are going mole? Stay still" Jonah said, squeezing and pinching my arms, tightening his grip again
"Ouch." said Billy rubbing his arm, then retrieving the fruit from the ground where it had fallen he began gobbling it greedily. "Eww," he said pulling a sour face in disgust. "It has a worm in it."
Jonah guffawed loudly. When he had finished his hysterics he began speaking to Billy but he put his mouth very close to my ear and was clearly directing his speech to me and said. "As soon as the little mouse here has grabbed the gold Bill. Then we feast."
"But I will get in trouble." I tried to protest
"Don't you worry about that little mouse. Better you than us. Hey Billy." Jonah laughed gleefully again. "In you go, in to your little hole." And he steered me closer the mausoleum entrance so that we were almost inside. Almost.
This monument to the dead had decorative, Doric columns on either side of the entrance, and an iron-bared gate which at present was unchained and behind that a slatted wooden door which had been left open. We all peered inside into the eerie gloom, which smelt musty and of damp and mould.
I quickly glanced around for the mourner but she was no where to be seen. In fact I did not recall having seen her for a while and I wondered if she had left the cemetery? I wondered what precious treasure she had put into this tomb that Jonah and Billy coveted so.
"It smells like death." said Billy. "I don't like it Jonah. Oh hell, I think I saw something move. It wriggled across the floor. look Jonah. Look there!" He said pointing his finger and then jumping back from the entrance quickly, and refusing to move any closer to it.
Jonah and I peered cautiously into the dark cave-like crevasse, but I could not see anything, and Jonah just shrugged. "It's just your imagination playing tricks Bill" he laughed, although I was not sure he was convinced by this. I detected a nervous tremor tremble through his voice. "You scared Billy-boy?" He asked, in a mocking tone.
"NO. I'm NOT." cried Billy defensively, but he still refused to move back to the entrance. "There it moved again!" He exclaimed and jumped about a foot backwards again.
"It's probably just all the rats, the spiders and the mice." said Jonah in the same gleefully smug tone as before, clearly enjoying himself. "Which one did she put the necklace in Billy?"
"Right at the end. There is a little wooden box on the outside of the grave. She put it in there." said Billy still keeping a safe distance.
"Right!" said Jonah as if taking affirmative action. "In you go little mouse." And with that he shoved me through the wooden slatted door, and slammed it shut after me. I heard a bolt lock from the outside
At first and in futility, I bashed with my small fists on the inside of the door. I could see out through the slender gaps in the door and I watched Billy wander over, clearly gaining courage now that whatever was lurking in here was trapped inside with me.
"Let me out." I cried, but Billy and Jonah just stood there, pulling faces at me through the cracks and I could see Jonah and Billy peering in at me from the outside.
"Go on then shoo, vermin go get the treasure." instructed Jonah.
"Yeah, grab our loot." squawked Billy, trying to sound confident, but I could see that his eyes were still furtively searching around the dim chamber. I was not sure what he had seen there, but I was certain that I did not want to meet whatever it was the dark.
"We'll let you out of there, when you fetch us our prize." said Jonah in a mock conciliatory tone,. "That is fair."
I thought he had a strange idea of what fairness was and I watched outraged as he waved my father's white handkerchief at me through the gap, just out of my reach. Snatching away quickly when I jumped up to try to grab it back.
"Tut, tut mouse. Treasure first. Grotty handkerchief afterwards."
"It's not grotty." I mumbled defensively, but by now I was feeling extremely hot and cross.
I then watched in horror then as Jonah blew his nose on it, soiling it and my father's memory and the revulsion must have shown on my face because Billy his lackey fell about laughing uncontrollably. My blood boiled. How I despised these two.
"Go fetch," said Jonah again. "Now hurry up, before someone comes and they call the constable."
Realising I had little choice but to obey I turned towards the end of the passageway and began to make my way towards the last tomb at the end. The inside of this ancient monument housed many of the graves of the wealthy parishioners of our village. These tombs lined the stone walls with a rectangular cavity cut into the stonework in which the bodies were interred. As I walked very slowly down the central aisle which was lit only by the light flowing in from outside through the slatted door. I began to create a little game in my head of not stepping on the dark squares. The low light from outside cast strange shadows and made a chequered pattern of light and dark patches on the floor. And my curious but overactive imagination began to flourish and I imagined all kinds of snakes and slippery creatures, lying, coiled-up in wait or slithering about in the shade. So I decided to walk on tiptoe, stepping over the dark and moving as silently as possible so as not to disturb anything inside this ancient relic. As I neared the end I could just about make out what looked like a little white prayer box nailed to the side of the grave. I supposed that there was no way around it and if I wanted my father's handkerchief back I was going to have to put my hand inside it and retrieve whatever it contained. I could hear Jonah and Billy calling out to me from afar.
"Hurry up. What is taking so long rodent?"
"Have you got it yet mole?"
But I choose to ignore them. I was just about to put my hand blindly into that box when I noticed that the passage did not end with this last grave and that it seemed to wind downwards to what I presumed was another subterranean level below. Although I had many trepidations about this, and where I may end up. I suddenly felt a little frisson, a tremor of nervous excitement as to what may be down there? I had already been drawn to the possibility and intrigue of exploration. I had previously been curious about what was inside that mausoleum and I realised that this may be my one chance to find out.
. She stopped and turned to me, and seeing that I was following her, she watched me for a few minutes before disappearing inside.