THE LONELY DESERT

PART TWO - THE BROKEN WOMAN

By Tessa Harvey


    There was a knock at the elderly patient's front door. As it was a very old house, the narrow door opened straight from the lounge to the street outside.

    Shayla leapt up in horror, trying to reach the medication tray. "Wait," whispered the now alert lady, "Stoneface never knocks.  Barges straight in. Open It."

Ariella stood at the top of the three worn steps, smiling. "Come in, oh come in," cried Shayla, desperate for a friend. They hugged briefly. "I've been trying to find you for days. It was awful finding your car abandoned in the desert, but then....." Ariella broke off, staring at the medicine tray and the now smiling patient.

"Renate!" Ari exclaimed, "what's going on?"

 "Get me out of here," ordered that lady. "I need to go straight to your boyfriend's father, the lawyer," she said, impatiently, weak but fully alert. "Avocat," she added, a little uncertainly using the French word for lawyer. Then her resolve returned.

Haltingly, using both French and German and then trying to translate, Renate Jaeger explained that Adolf and Hitler ( the words she used, not bothering about gender)  were brother and sister and distant cousins. It was a ridiculous story, Ari thought - farfetched and improbable. Why should these cousins want this old woman's money? But she saw the medication on the tray and googled the name on the little bottle. Shayla had not thought to question the orders given to her. Suddenly it came to Shayla that it was time she thought for herself.

But events were moving faster than thought. Renate, thin, emaciated even, was wobbling to the door. "I am helping her," Ariella said, "that stuff is a morphine derivative and she is not sick."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE CHASM  By Tessa Harvey     Driving into the school parking lot, Margaret saw her eldest loping towards the car. "Mum! I'm to represent the school in the Science Fair next week. Charlie, Joe and me with out spinning, adjustable wind tower. One of the two in our shopping centre never works,  or barely. Isn't it great?!"      Eva arrived next with Mischa between Luca and Livia. They had all had a good day and her smallest was smiling.     "Jeus love us," said Mischa in a clear high voice. The family were astounded and all fell silent. Mischa was on the autism scale. After a few months at school, he was looking people in the eyes and beginning to smile. Margaret did not minimise all the care the whole family had showered on Mischa, but now he was coming on in leaps and bounds. And now she had some more wonderful news, but that could wait for Nicholas. Ariella was perched on the edge of the hospital bed, swinging her feet like a child. Her par...
Read more
Image
THE CHASM   By Tessa Harvey     Sandra felt road beneath her feet. It felt so good. She closed her eyes in relief. Then light swept towards her. She waved frantically. The car slowed. The people inside opened a window.     Sandra was sobbing, but managed to explain. "I can't get a phone signal," she cried. "Please, can you try?" A  woman got out of the car and tried to phone, but there was no signal. The man said "I'll go down the road a bit." Breathless, Sandra begged to be in the car and climbed in. The other lady got a torch from the boot. "I will look while you get help." It felt surreal. Darkness was deepening the mist. The woman flashed the torch. It illuminated her feet and a little bit of the path. It was enough. "Lord, you are a lamp to my feet," she prayed. As she went, she called out. There was a faint answering cry. The woman knew that voice. "Hold on Dylan. I'm coming. It's time to pray, friend."  ...
Read more
Image
THE CHASM   By Tessa Harvey     Soon Eva sauntered over. At eleven, she was growing fast. "Where is Jono?" she asked. "Coming, we hope, and hello to you, Eva." "Oh, sorry, hi mum, hi kids." Margaret hid a smile. Eva had obviously decided it was teenage time.     A tall boy hurried up. Like his siblings, he had many of his mother's Italian features, but his hair was more auburn like his Irish father and his eyes a stunning blue, not a lovely toffee brown.     "Mum, the principal wants to talk to you. Someone rang up to ask about us." "Then it will be later, son. We have to eat."     "Yum, what's for tea!" "I'm starving," several voices asked. "I could eat a horse," Luka said. "How did you guess?" responded his mother, laughing.     Margaret hastened down the corridor dodging visitors, doctors, hospital trolleys, tea and coffee volunteers. She saw a young man ahead of her and slowed, puz...
Read more