Saving Kitty - completed

chapter 15

Phoebe didn't sleep particularly well; her dreams were troubled ones. When the alarm irritatingly bleeped out, with shrilling annoyance, Phoebe rolled over and groaned she felt like she hadn't slept a wink all night. She dragged herself from her warm, cosy bed, she washed and dressed before making her way downstairs in a zombie like fashion. James was already sitting at the table reading the morning's paper and her aunt was busying herself cooking umpteen breakfasts. Phoebe strolled in and put on her apron, as soon as James saw her he jumped to his feet and kissed her fully on the mouth, Phoebe blushed bright red, she wasn't expecting such a spontaneous welcome. "Good morning!" James finally said when he released her.

"Morning..." Phoebe felt awkward with her grinning aunt looking on, "much in the paper?"

"Oh the usual, murder, gloom, sex and more misery," James returned to his paper and his coffee.

"Right if you can go and take the orders my luver, breakfast will begin."

Phoebe took her pad and paper, she was managing well with her bruised body, and she was starting to feel a lot better already. The dining room was full as usual. Phoebe took their orders and returned to the kitchen.

When she returned to the kitchen James was nowhere to be seen, her aunt explained that he had left for the restaurant as he had to deal with some ordering that hadn't arrived.

Phoebe took out the trays of breakfast a table at a time, when she returned to table 5 there was a little old lady perched on the edge of her chair. Phoebe was sure there had been a gentleman with her when she took her order; she had brought out two full English breakfasts anyway.

The slightly built old woman smiled as Phoebe placed down her breakfast, "will your husband be back?"

"Oh yes, he just had to nip back upstairs, he forgot his glasses and pipe."

Phoebe placed the other breakfast down opposite her, "can I get you anything else?"

The old lady quite unexpectedly took Phoebe's hand, "Excuse me but I must share something with you, and I must do it quickly, my husband doesn't agree and gets quite cross when I mention anything..."

Phoebe was completely confused, what on earth was she going to mention?

"I meant to speak to you yesterday when we arrived, I felt it the moment I saw you." The old lady's long spindly fingers gripped Phoebe's arm with surprising strength she was obviously quite anxious, and her wrinkled face seemed to rapidly age even more.

"Felt what?" Phoebe stood perfectly still; the other guests seemed oblivious to their conversation.

The old lady pulled Phoebe down closer to her face, her voice was a hush hurried whisper, "there is great love around you but also great evil, you need to be very careful, I fear for your safety. And there's something about the past that you must not give up on, I can't quite figure that out, but you must listen to your heart, you have the opportunity to save two lost souls and you are the only one that could do this," the old lady looked behind her, checking for her husband's return before carrying on "there is also something you must find, something of great wealth, here in this house, it's been forgotten, not lost."

"Ahh breakfast, it smells lovely. Sorry, my dear, it took me ages to find my pipe, I left it in my jacket pocket yesterday," the old gent chuckled as he bent and kissed his wife, just as she released Phoebe's arm.

"I could have told you that, it's your age darling you're getting forgetful." Phoebe was completely ignored and was made to feel it was time for her to leave, which she did in a dazed way. What an odd thing to happen? To say? Did she just trip into another universe? Could this holiday get any more bizarre?