*Forever Endless Night is registered with WGAW*
Chapter 7
"Doctor," Carmen began, "He is very sick, and you may hear strange things tonight," she warned.
"What are you babbling about now, Carmen?" Daniel asked bluntly.
"When Mr. Toby speaks, you will know."
She turned and led the way as Ben followed her out of the room and down the stairs.
They talked quietly among themselves as they descended the stairs and came to the sitting
or reception room. Ben was confused about something
Toby had ranted about in his room. Of course, the man seemed delirious
for whatever reason, but what he had said scared the two of them —
something about dying but not dying. What could he have meant?
The others were talking about the incident with Toby and the witch
and the horrible loss of life. Two innocent souls had perished that very
night. It would be hard on the family and would likely raise more
suspicions in the village. Old man Hamlin had died very suddenly and
under suspicious circumstances. They were now convinced the old witch
had brought about Joshua's strange and horrific death—choking to death
on apparently nothing at all. Now, a minister was dead, and Toby
O'Grady's new wife had apparently fallen to her death from the cliff's
edge. Carmen and Ben entered the room quietly as the others mourned
for the dead and grieved for Toby.
"What do you think the doctor will find with Toby?" Elizabeth
directed to Monique who was sitting beside her.
"Likely that the man is delusional from something the witch did,"
she was sure. "He was in perfect health until tonight when he met the old
woman."
"Surely she must have been the witch. Who else could she have
been?" Elizabeth reasoned.
"It's so strange that no one had seen her until tonight," Monique
continued.
"She obviously came out from hiding to confront Reverend Wicks.
Remember, he was attempting to exorcize her from the house," the
mistress replied.
"He must have succeeded, only it cost the poor man his life,"
Monique said softly.
"Yes," Elizabeth paused, and then went on, "we must remember to
be thankful for Reverend Wicks. His death will be hard on his brother,Malachi."
Ben walked over to the bay window to the left of the fireplace and
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stared into the night. It was dark, but the moon was out and gave some
light to the landscape and the ocean so near. It was an awful way to die,
he thought, to fall or be pushed off a cliff into the roaring sea. It was
more frightening than having another pirate thrust a sword at your belly
or another to run at you, firing a blunderbuss. He was used to such as
that. It was better than slowly falling to your death, being smashed on
the rocks below, and your body being washed out to sea, who knows
where.
Daniel and the doctor descended the staircase and came into the
room. Daniel offered Doctor Marlin a peach brandy and he accepted.
They both sipped their drinks quietly for the moment. Elizabeth could
not stand the uncertainty and wanted answers from the good doctor.
There were too many questions and not enough answers, she thought.
"Doctor, what is it with Toby?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
" I'm not really sure. He has a fever and is somewhat delirious."
"How so, doctor?" Monique wanted to know.
"Carmen was correct. The man did say some rather strange things,
likely from his delusional state of mind," Marlin continued. He took a
long sip of the brandy.
"What sort of things?" Elizabeth asked impatiently.
"I can only tell you what Toby said—I don't know what he meant,"
Marlin replied.
"I can tell you what Mr. Toby said and what he meant." Carmen was
standing near Ben at the window. The Gypsy was serious but obviously
alarmed. She waited for someone to persist with the question before she
dared continued.
"What DID he say, Carmen?" Elizabeth stood to hear her response.
"And what did he mean?" followed Monique.
"Mr. Toby rambled about not wanting to die, then about dying but
not dying," the Gypsy answered. "Then he said nothing could kill him,
but he was going to die." Carmen explained rather matter-of-factly.
"As I said, I could not make any sense of it all," Marlin remarked.
"I'm afraid that I can make sense of it, doctor, but I'm afraid none
of you will believe me." She stood facing them but not so eager to
continue. Carmen knew they would think she was just a superstitious
Gypsy.
"Tell us what you mean, woman!" Daniel blurted out.
Carmen moved closer to the window beside Ben. She looked into
the night for a moment, and then answered the question.
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"The witch must have put a curse on Toby O'Grady. He mentioned
the living dead, dying but not dying, living but not alive." Carmen turned
and looked at the members of the family. Her voice had been raised.
"Now, you are rambling!" Daniel interrupted her. "We know what
Toby said, we need to know what he MEANT, Carmen."
"Even Mr. Toby may not understand what the curse is, but I'm sure
that that I do. She cursed him with an endless night, the night of the
living dead. I have heard of this in my old country, from my mother and
her mother."
"Are you referring to tales of a vampire, Carmen?" Doctor Marlin
asked. "This is mere superstition, woman."
"I agree, myth and fairytales," Daniel asserted.
"Some thought witches were just superstition, but we have seen they
are not," Carmen retorted.
"This ain't happenin' to Mr. Toby, it can't be!" Ben interceded. He
shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be." He could not imagine such a
thing happening to anyone, let alone his best friend.
"If Mr. Toby should die, we will know soon enough," Carmen
replied.