A
New Beginning
by
Annette Linstead
A thin shaft of light sliced through
the gap in the curtains and cut a slash across my face. Had I been
dreaming? No, there it was again. Someone was knocking at the front
door. That sound made me feel nauseous. Too many horrific thoughts
were still sharp in my mind. It was daylight this time though. I
eased myself out of bed, feeling dizzy.
As I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to gather the strength to
move, the light silhouetted a picture frame on my bedside table.
It was just a black, blank shape from where I was sitting. The person
in the picture obliterated from my sight. Waking up feeling sick
was nothing new. I was often jolted from my sleep because I had
heard that knocking in my dream. This morning it was real though.
There was the knock again. I made my way gently downstairs and felt
relieved when I saw it was only Jackie.
‘Hi, Jackie. Come in,’ I said. Jackie was in her late
forties, and landlady of The Swan. She was petite with a booming
voice that didn’t match her size. Her soft, kind face hid
the sharp mind of a shrewd businesswoman. She was carrying a cardboard
box that filled her arms.
|
‘Hello, Ellie. Just thought
I’d pop round. Haven’t seen you for ages. How are you
getting on?’ she said, talking slightly too quickly, betraying
her unease.
‘Oh, getting on. Taking one day at a time, and all that stuff.
Would you like a drink?’
‘Would be lovely. Coffee please.’ She strode through
to the kitchen and I shuffled after her, tying the rope on my dressing
gown and tucking my uncombed hair behind my ears. She put the box
on the floor and pulled out a chair for herself. It was Alex’s
place at the table, but I said nothing, though a little shiver ran
through me.
Neither of us said anything while I made the drinks. The milk was
on the turn but I hoped she wouldn’t notice. I set the two
mugs on the table and eased myself gently onto one of the chairs.
That other morning it had been after one o’clock when I was
awakened by a heavy knock at the door. I got up thinking Alex had
forgotten his keys. Nothing unusual. I wasn’t worried. When
I got to the front door a great wave of sickness swept over me.
It was the sight you never wanted to see at the front door in the
middle of the night. A figure in black, with a deep frown, and lips
pressed so tightly together they appeared white. A policewoman.
She held up her badge, and I fumbled with the key trying to open
the door.
|
