Sand Glass (9 page)

He raised he
bottle to me, and lifted one eyebrow; ‘Finally you have me. “You’re
training is complete Luke”!’

‘That’s not the
right quote.’

‘I don’t care.
It’s in my words genius-in-training, so be humble before your
master.’

‘Janey….’ I
whispered, ‘Janey? Do you hear me?’

She rolled over
in her sleep towards me. I knelt by the bed in the spare room. The
house was still and quiet. I couldn’t sleep. Then, with a start of
realisation I felt I must tell her what had happened while were out
there the first time. Alex’s idea seemed alright. They were
expecting her to arrive tomorrow for her “first” session and show
round. We’d got to her first. She didn’t know the layout, but she
did know a little about all of us.

I reached out
and touched her cheek. She stirred then, and moaned in her sleep.
Her eyes flickered slowly open.

‘Davey? What
time is it?’ her voice cracked and heavy with disorientation made
me feel guilty for rousing her.

‘It’s
three-twenty…. Sorry, I need to tell you something.’

She pushed
herself onto one elbow; ‘That’s three-twenty in the morning?’

‘Yes. I’m
afraid so,’ I kept my voice low, ‘I’m worried about tomorrow…’

That was an
understatement. I seriously thought I might be dead by teatime, in
what was now the same day.

Janey beat the
pillows into submission and sat up. Despite the obvious opportunity
afforded by the situation, I felt more in need of reassurance to
settle my whirling thoughts than anything romantic. And since Janey
made no move in that direction, but blinked and waited for me to
explain myself, I felt I ought to get it out quickly.

‘I think I’m
going to die.’ I said

‘It’s just a
bad dream.’ She pulled the duvet up at the side, ‘hop in, you look
frozen.’

I was shivering
in that early morning everything’s-not-good way.

‘Budge up
then.’ I said. She wriggled sideways, and I cautiously slid in next
to her.

‘Why are you
wearing jeans?’ she asked.

‘I always wear
them.’

‘In a sleeping
bag?’

‘I slipped then
back on…. Alright, I haven’t been to sleep, I admit it.’

‘Take them
off.’

‘No.’

‘No?’

‘I barely know
you. You are pretty scary you know.’

‘I’m only
asking you to make yourself more comfortable. Then you can tell me
about it all.’

‘I’m cold.’

‘Let me warm
you up.’ She put her arms round me.

‘Janey…. I
can’t…. I, please, you make me felt nervous. I’m sorry…’ I squeezed
my eyes shut, in an effort to contain my sense of helpless
petrifaction.

‘You really are
nervous of it all,’ she said in a gentler tone, ‘I didn’t know how.
I honestly thought you were just being clever, and not being
pushy.’

‘No… I am a
total lettuce.’ I said, glad that she did get it, ‘I have never….
That is to say; I’m….’

‘Shh! It’s ok.
Just cuddle to warm up. No pressure.’ She rubbed my arm absently,
‘I’m not exactly at my best at this time in a morning either. But I
think I can manage to listen.’

‘Umm… of
course. Sorry.’

‘Will you stop
apologising? Just talk ok.’

‘Thanks Janey.’
I said, and carefully slid out of the jeans and shoved them out
onto the floor. We got comfortable. I then told her as much as I
could remember about all the times that we had spoken. She said
very little. Her warmth spread through me, defrosting that deep
frozen part of my heart. I ran out of words.

‘Now I
understand.’ She said, ‘I see how difficult this has been. Will you
tell me the bit about Jared?’

‘I’d rather
not.’ I said with that curl inside of pain that I hugged to myself
like a teddy bear for a strange kind of comfort. I couldn’t quite
find it in me to rip the top of that barely healed tender part of
me.

‘Shall I tell
you something?’

‘Yeah… just a
simple thing that you remember.’

She smiled and
her eyes went glassy in the light from the light that glowed round
the edge of the door from the landing.

‘I don’t know
what to say.’ she said, ‘Isn’t that funny. There is so much, but
nothing seems right.’

‘Tell me about
your birthday then…. I must know about that.’

‘Jared and me,
we always go to our parents’ house in the summer. We both stay
there and spend some time together, just us…..’

‘Is it ok? Do
you want to tell me?’

‘Yes. You know
him too. And whatever happened to us, it’s still something that you
would need to understand.’

‘I know that
you are twins.’

‘Yes, we are.
Marcia told you. We have not considered anyone else coming into
this world we had created. But Marcia changed something for Jared.
He had seen her at a distance. He was fascinated by her. And he
asked me to invite her to the party. I mean, we were friends
anyway. So it would have been likely that I would have. But never
the less, I was a little jealous. So when Jared decided to leave to
come back to the Capital, I went with him. He had drunk something
earlier on, but had been on the fruit juice all evening. He liked
driving at night, and was feeling fresh from having had some time
out in the morning. He spent most of it in a sun lounger reading
heavy books.’

‘What kind of
books?’ I asked.

‘I’ll tell you
later. But the thing that is most cheering is the day it’s on.’

‘What day?’

‘Well it’s
Yorkshire Day!’

‘What does that
mean?’

‘You’ve never
heard of it? Shame on you!’

‘I didn’t know
it existed at all.’

‘You sad
creature.’

‘Yes; I am, I
admit to failing the test of a true native. I live just outside in
the countryside, not far away from yours. That is to say my mother
does. She runs a nursery.’

‘She looks
after children?’

‘No. Plants.
She grows allsorts.’

‘See. It’s not
so bad, is it?’

‘What?’

‘Cuddling, and
talking.’

‘I think I can
safely say that I could get used to this.’

We said a few
more inconsequential things. The gaps got longer between each of us
speaking. I found we had slid into a half laid down position. I
don’t remember how, but I fell asleep.

I came out of a
dream that felt uneasy and mixed up. I lay there in the dark,
looking up at the ceiling. Then I felt the slight movement of
Janey’s head against my chest. She was curled into me, and her
warmth was like that of a large pet cat. It warmed you right
through, right down to my toes, even thought it was quite cold in
the house at night.

I didn't want
to get out from that wonderful warm nest of quiet security, but a
call of nature was insisting I did so. I slid out sideways. She
curled deeper into the duvet. I retrieved the crumpled jeans from
the floor.

I was just
washing my hands a few minutes later, when something caught my eye
from the bathroom window. I wasn't sure what I had seen, so I found
my old shoes and my coat and trying not to jangle the keys, slipped
out of the back door.

The moon was
out. A few high clouds scudded across it. The night had a definite
autumnal chill, and I pulled my coat around myself closely as I
tiptoed out to investigate.

Nothing seemed
out of the ordinary. My mind was telling me I might have seen a fox
or perhaps a hedgehog. I took a few steps forward onto the dew
soaked lawn.

The strange
thing was, when I saw her, it was as if I had expected exactly
that. She was sitting on the bench just under the overhanging bows
of lilac bushes and other climbing plants that festooned the end
wall. In this cool little arbour she was perfectly still. So still
in fact, that I again looked and thought I might be mistaken.

'Listen to your
heart Davey.' the voice was like the pressure of that electrical
charge that is felt before a lightning strike. The roots of my hair
tingled.

'Hello?' I
guess I was being deliberately stupid, 'Who's there?'

She stood up,
and stepped out of the shade and into the moonlight.

She was tall,
and wore what I took to be at that moment, a long silver-grey coat.
Her hair was curled and pale, and swept away from her face. Her
eyes burned into me with a degree of intensity that I could not
bear for long; yet I was unable to break her gaze.

I guess I stood
there with my mouth open. Not being entirely stupid was what saved
me from totally embarrassing myself.

'What are you
doing in my garden?'

'It is not your
garden.'

'Ah.'

'It belongs to
Mrs Annie Longden, does it not?'

'My Landlady?
Yes....' my mind was thrown completely off track. I couldn't at
that moment recall the exact state of ownership as defined by my
tenancy agreement, and it seemed rather trite compared to the
alarming presence of this Goddess.

'What is your
name?' I was able to choke out. I could feel my throat
constricting. I suppose objectively it was simply a matter of the
unexpected event, and the double layer of fear about the day
ahead.

She stepped
towards me and spoke again. For a second she broke my gaze and I
saw snow and ice and felt a chill that drove into my bones. 'David
Jonathan Milnes will you take the path to the darkest place?' Her
lips were quite pinky-red and curved in cupids bow. I was
afraid.

'I don't....
know... what that is.'

'The place you
fear. There you will find a way to end the power of the deception.
You will find him there also.'

'Jared?' I
gasped quickly; the air was frigid in my mouth,

'Yes....' and
the eyes seemed to warm; she looked more like Janey then.

'Are you a
friend?' I said a little more bravely.

'We are on the
same side... So you would say. But we are not company that can be
kept for long without your discomfort.'

'But why?'

'An Angel does
not hide her fire unless a mortal cannot deliver the message.'

I realised
that, despite the stillness of the face and voice; her hands were
clasped together to constrain some terrible pain she suffered.

'I am sorry to
cause you this, ' I said, 'Please tell me how it must be done.'

'You must leave
soon. Awake your friends. They will know what to do. Take only one
thing with you.... Make it count. And leave Janey Amber Arden here.
She must follow at the time of the appointment.'

'But.... What
thing? Something. Something small? Is that it?'

'You hold it
with one hand. Certainly small. And hidden from view.'

'Am I
crazy?'

'No.' she
smiled, and it dazzled me, I began to wheeze and choke again,
'David; will you do these things?'

'Yes..... Yes.
I will.' I could not stand and dropped to my knees. It was harder
to breathe. I felt faint. I could see her cloak-like garment before
me. She held out a hand towards me. The intention was clear. I
reached out. She took my hand and pulled me to my feet. She was
warm like Janey, and there was a strong scent of roses.

I felt a little
stronger then. My chest eased. But I dare not look at her face.

‘Regard me.’
She said, still holding my left hand, ‘I am not a stranger.’

I looked up to
this dazzling creature. And saw instead my childhood friend. She
had the same curls, but a little less, well… glowing. She had blue
eyes. Those blue laughing eyes.

‘Angela? How
can this be?’

‘Davey…. You
have be surrounded by many… you have been guarded on every side; we
have watched over you. We have shared your joys and your
tears.’

‘Is it like
that for everyone?’

Yes… and No.’
she smiled, and little splinters of light fell like shattered
glass, yet floated silently to the ground like sparks; ‘Not
everyone has your inheritance. There are others. And the nature of
all you unusual people makes the science work. Without such people,
there could be no fault line in time. It could not be. I am one;
and you are one. But you are also the most envied creature in the
whole creation.’

‘What am
I?’

‘Human.’

‘But I’m
ordinary; just me, nothing more. What is so special about me?’

‘You have the
right amount of our fire, and your fallen self… and by mortal
dreams all this be made new.’

‘I don’t
understand.’

‘You are; as I
said, the most envied;’ she closed her eyes, ‘and the most pitied.
For unlike you; we cannot see what may be, only what is.’

She opened her
eyes again, and their fire had returned. She let go of my hand. And
her face was full of pain.

‘Turn from me.
Do not look at me.’ Flame like shapes licked round her shoulders
and shimmered over her head, in a searing violet-white blaze.

I looked to one
side; ‘But how come I could see you as a child? Why did you look so
different then?’

‘When you are
innocent you have nothing to fear from the light. But now you are
only on the first part of the road back to that innocence. Travel
the path Davey. Then you can see us all as we are; and our light
will not burn you! But for now, please look away!’

I could feel
the heat coming off her in waves. I put my hands over my face, and
then crouched down. There was a roaring, crackling cacophony, like
a fire on bonfire night. I twisted sideways and looked back towards
the house. I felt a sense of vertigo, despite being close to the
ground. The whole world seemed to be a riot of colour and light.
Bands of brightness that burned and then sunk back into the
background.

Oh No! Alex
stood at the door. His mouth open in what I took at that moment to
be a long drown out Oh!.... he just stood watching. It was only a
few minutes later that he noticed me.