Secrets And Styes

Chapter 26: The Three Wise women

I felt myself lighten; his message lifted some of my burden. I

watched him walk up the avenue and waited until he disappeared from

sight before I looked skywards, "Thank you, God, the Father, for

sending me that message, I'll make sure Maria gets it," I said before

taking off at speed down the manure covered lane.

......

With dinner over, Granny was in the scullery, washing dishes and

prepping for the evening meal. She didn't notice as I flew up the stairs

in a flurry of excitement to deliver a message from above.

Maria was on the bed by the window reading Black Beauty,

chewing on the end of Penman's pen, which bothered me. I wanted to

tell her to stop biting the pen, but when she saw me, she took it out of

her mouth, slammed the book shut and sat upright, "Gerard, what's

up?" she asked, alarmed by my panting physicality which she took for

distress. Such was my breathing, I couldn't get the words out, I raised

my hand, taking deep, recovering breaths. Maria leapt off the bed and

made to hug me, but I backed off, knowing her hug would impede my

recovery. "Gerard, what's happened? You're scaring me."

I managed to drop two words between breaths, "I've got...."

Maria crouched to my eye level, "You've got what?"

Two more fell from me, "A message...."

A tentative smile played on her face; she grabbed my shoulders,

"From the boy with Bruce Lee hair?" she asked, feverishly.

"Yes."

Maria shook my shoulders; the extremity of her joyful expression

made her stye bulge, and I threw my head back to avoid any demonic

spurts.

Feeling sufficiently recovered to deliver the message in full, I pulled

free from her grip. "Before you go back to England, he's going to take

you to God The Father." Maria reacted with a triumphant spin before

chuckling in my direction. "What you laughing at me for? That's what

he said."

I felt irked by her merriment. "You muddled up the words," she

said, still chuckling.

Indignant, I shot back, "No, I never, that's what he said."

She jumped back on the bed, "It's The Godfather, Gerard; a film

that's out at the end of the summer. You should know that! You love

films."

"Is it a horror film?" I asked.

She didn't hesitate, "No, it's about an American family," she said,

with a knowing authority.

I was scathing in my appraisal, "That sounds boring."

Maria answered with a strangely dismissive voice, "It's a grown-up

film; you wouldn't like it."

"Does it have singing in it?" I asked.