The Protector of Memories (The Veil of Death Book 1) (3 page)

Hope
[iii]
had that much wine flowing through her body at the time of her severance she thought them to be the words of a song blaring out from one of the music boxes.

Even when she heard the name, Thalia, the penny still did not drop.

As to feeling the changes upon her body from that of a young and beautiful twenty year old to that of a worn out sixty year old, with visible signs of being somewhat of a heavy drinker, Hope felt not an iota.

Alcohol had numbed all her senses, including awareness and reasoning.

But then all the effects of alcohol drained out of Hope’s body and she was thrown into a state that she had not experienced for quite some time; soberness.

A white pain of light seared through her head and her muscles, joints and bones felt as if they have been hit with the illness of pneumonia.

“What the blazes,” she muttered, turned and looked at her reflection and when she saw how she looked, she questioned Mother Earth as to why she was so cruel. “I am the Keeper of Hope,” she said. “The essence of which is the most important in the times that you neglect your children_.”

A terracotta vat shattered; pieces of it and its contents erupted and splashed all over Hope’s hair and face.

Silence descended in the room for but a couple of minutes.

Then laughter erupted at the sight of Hope awash with the staining of red wine.

She shrugged – wiped her fingers down her cheek. “Waste not, want not.” she said and took a hefty swig from one of the wine bottles before tidying the mess of broken terracotta pieces and spilled wine.

When that had been done, she set more bottles of wine upon the wooden counter that ran the length of the left hand side of the room.

“Is everybody happy!” she shouted and placed more bottles of wine, boxes of crisps and packets of peanuts on the wooden barrels.

“Yes!” A mass of voices shouted out.

“Keep the wines flowing and we will be!” A man’s voice shouted, followed by the volume of the music, singing and laughter rising.

Hope looked about her and her heart soared with happiness at the sight of the energies of joy, laughter and merriment that was shining within all the auras of the mortals.
This is what life was all about.

She mingled with her friends and did what she did best: Listened to those who were never heard; laughed with those that needed to hear the sound of laughter, and offered words of encouragement, inspiration and confidence to those who were in short supply.

Hope then made her way back around the counter, poured herself another glass of wine and decided not to worry too much about her mortality;
besides, nothing had actually changed; she had the sighting of the auras and her friends cared not as to the age of her skin.

Wondering now as to how her sisters had faired from the severance of their Unity, Hope retrieved her phone from the shelving and listened to the message that Faith had left.

“Thank the stars,” Hope whispered in relief at the news that Faith could still see the auras and ghosts.

And then her heart soared ever further when she heard that Faith was coming to visit her home.

It had been a few mortal weeks since she had seen either Faith or Charity.

When they each had stepped out of their frozen state, they had been caught up within a whirl of Earth’s life.

Charity had found fame & fortune.

Faith had discovered comfort within the company of ghosts and she – Hope - had found the company of those who loved to live for the endless supply of music, love, song, dance and wine.

“We have a cause to celebrate.” Hope shouted into the room and was awash with the feeling of relaxation now that the severance was finally over. It was the waiting… she had known the fate that was to befall her, but she did not know when. The severance from the Universe was tortuous enough but being an earthling… yet not really being one - well that was just… cruel.

Hope laughed aloud and intended to do what she had been instructed to do. “Rejoice!” Hope shouted and collected bottles of wine from the endless supply that she had stored behind the counter, along the walls of the hallway, up the stairs (those that had steps still upon them), in the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms that occupied the floor above her.

When she had done that, she topped up her own glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp and set about the task of collecting up the latest batch of emotional energies that weighed the heaviest.
If I can see the auras then I must still be able to contain them?

But when Hope reached out and touched the energy of sadness that was accumulating within the room, it fizzled upon impact. “Oh but the joy of all things,” she whispered and held on tight to the edge of the counter at the sight of the acidity created from bitterness eroding that of kindness. Hope tried to touch their energies but these too fizzled and bounced back onto the person who had created them in the first instance.

“My abilities are equal to that of you all. I am now a real human being.” She said to the man who stood the closest to her.

“Indeed you are.” He replied and quickly added. “And long may your wine keep flowing.”

Hope laughed. “That,” she said. “I can still do. I may not be able to absorb your burden of heaviness but I can at least make it bearable for you to carry.”

“Av another drink Hope!” A woman slurred, “Yorrrr gettin tooo deep.”

Hope laughed along with her friends. “Forgive me,” she said. “Let us drink the wine and be numbed from the pain that our Mother Earth weighs us down with.”

The volume of the music was turned up.

The sound of raucous, drunken singing filled the room.

The front door opened and Hope watched the mortal she knew to be called, Sam walk into the room and up toward the counter.

Sam was five feet tall, chubby in build with short spiky hair; dyed in a multitude of colours. The many colours in her hair mirrored the bright and colourful clothing that she always wore as well as the outstandingly beautiful array of colours that her auras were; a walking rainbow.

“Sam you are a never ending rainbow of colours,” Hope shared. “Drink with me. Let us toast this bizarre and wonderful life that we sorry mortals live in!”

“Hope…” Sam paused and stared at the red wine that stained her friend’s face but decided not to comment – she does not have the time. “Please,” she pleaded. “Everybody is getting fed up with the constant partying. The noise…” Sam paused, looked around the room and again wondered how anybody could live the way these people do.

She frowned at the cartons of wine, empty glass bottles, half eaten pizzas, dried up noodles and half eaten chicken that scattered the floor and decided not to think too much as to what else lived among the shadows.

“Hope…” she raised her voice above the volume of noise, “you promised to keep the noise down. Remember? At the meeting?” She pointed toward the front door. “They are all outside. Residents, business people…” she put her hand upon her chest, “these people are also my friends. They have had enough and quite frankly I don’t blame them. You have tried their patience Hope. The constant partying and boozing is affecting our community. You have got to_.”

“Sam.” Hope interrupted her friend, “you talk with such seriousness. Be happy. Ask all your friends to come in and experience the joys of life…” Hope made her way around the counter before adding, “… fill their hearts and Souls with laughter, music, wine, love and song.”

Sam stared at Hope. “Why do you not listen?” She asked. “Why do you not see life for what it really is? You are not responsible for the happiness of the entire human race.” Sam swept her arms around the room, “these people don’t care about you. They are here because you keep them in an endless supply of free wine and food and because of that, our community is suffering.”

She raised her voice more out of frustration than anger. “These people are not your friends!” and kicked one of the DVD players to get rid of the; ‘boom – boom – boom’ that was invading her eardrums and getting on her nerves.

Hope held her hands up. “Sam…” she paused to drink some more wine, “I will go outside and speak with them. It has been made known within this very moment that I am officially a creature of the earth. At last, this state of limbo I have been living in has been cast off of my Self.” Hope laughed and looked at Sam before adding, “I am truly a part of this world now.” She squeezed Sam’s shoulder, wiped her face so as to clear away the wine and then stepped out onto the pavement to invite all those who stood outside to come in.

“Great.” Sam mumbled, “That’ll help.”

Hope looked upon the faces of the people that stood before her and read the words written upon the banners that they held within their hands.

‘Squatters have no rights’.

‘Our taxes pay for your dossing’.

‘Get a job’.

‘Get out of our neighbourhood’.

A tall grey haired man stepped forward. “We want you out,” he hissed. Our businesses… our livelihoods are failing because of you. Go squat somewhere else.”

An elderly lady now spoke. “You gave us your word Hope_.” But she stopped talking and gawped at the woman. “You’re not Hope.” She spoke over her shoulder. “That’s not the young girl.” The elderly lady continued to stare at the woman’s face and noticing some similarities said. “You must be Hope’s mother?” She quickly added, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself bringing your daughter up like that.”

Hope smiled at the small group. “My skin may have been aged by our Mother Earth but it is I – Hope - who stands before you. We are all children of the Earth. What is mine is yours. So! Fellow mortals come join with me and let us celebrate what it means to be alive.”

“You think this is a joke!” The tall grey haired man yelled out in anger.

The elderly lady added. “Drunken brawls and vandalism is what you bring to this neighbourhood.”

A man called Nigel said. “Every morning I have to clean the doorstep of my jewellery shop because you lot have puked on it. It’s disgusting!”

Sarah, Nigel’s wife, added. “We’ve had enough! No more.”

Sam pushed Hope back into the building, closed the double-doors and leant against them. She pushed her hands through her hair (a habit she often did in times of stress) and was relieved that none of her neighbours were trying to get in. “Strueth,” she said to Hope. “What were you thinking_?”

But Sam stopped in mid-sentence and stared up at Hope’s face.

Wrinkles were etched long and deep, tiny lines mapped the skin that was once of a flawless complexion. Her hair was not the colours of auburns and coppery reds, but grey. “Hope…” Sam’s words trailed away as she stared at her friend who looked pale, thin, haggard and gaunt. “What on earth?”

“Exactly!” Hope interrupted. “I knew you would understand. On Earth we walk and of the Earth we are.” She stepped closer to the mortal named Sam, “You speak with truth Sam. I am not responsible for the energies of Happiness, but I am responsible in keeping bright the energies of hope when your Mother Earth saps that very energy from you_.”

The room was plunged into darkness.

Wine bottles exploded and wine erupted all over the place.

Glass shattered out and across the room and into wood, skin, rotten grapes and moulding cheese.

The batteries in the music boxes seeped out their acid and the sound of music stopped.

Singing, laughter and conversation ceased.

Wine dripped from the counters and onto the floor and soaked into the mildew and gunge on the threadbare carpet.

“Sod me.” A voice shouted.

Flames flickered from people’s lighters as they attempted to relight the candles.

More batteries were added to the music boxes but not all of the machines worked now that the battery acid had leaked into them.

Hope collected up more bottles of red wine from her supply and dumped them onto the wine sodden counter.

Within minutes, the room was once more a mixture of laughter, music and noise.

Sam gawped at her friend and watched as she mingled with everybody in the room and her feelings of concern and frustration turned to annoyance.
Why do I bother? Why do I care about someone who is only interested in getting pissed?
She rubbed her hands through her hair – she knew why;
because I have fallen helplessly in love with this woman called Hope.

Sam recalled as clear as day the moment when Hope had walked into her book shop a couple of months ago. Within that single moment, a multitude of feelings had soared into Sam’s mind, body and Soul and she experienced something that she had not believed actually existed; love. And since then, she has tried to put reason and rationale to these feelings but it makes not a blind bit of difference. Her heart belongs to this wonderful, beautiful, good natured, kind hearted and, incredibly stubborn, woman who spends her entire days and nights ensuring that everybody is happy_.

Sam’s thoughts are interrupted by a woman shouting out Hope’s name.

“Hope! Hope. I’m looking for Hope!”

“Aren’t we all?” A voice shouted back followed by raucous laughter.