Angels & Shadows

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was Sunday morning four years to the day after the accident. They had breakfasted early and driven to the cemetery to place flowers at Elizabeth and Ben’s parents’ well-tended graves.

Elizabeth was arranging the flowers in the silver vases whilst the rest of the family knelt by her side. Each was deeply involved with personal thoughts and memories. There was a feeling of deep calm and finality about the place and although their hearts were grieving, soft caring smiles were on their faces. When she had the flowers to her liking Elizabeth looked up at Uncle George and her voice was soft and soulful.

“Where did the old mirror in the hallway come from Uncle, I mean I know that it was in our house until the day of the accident but before then?”

“What a strange question to ask Lizzie, especially at a time like this.” Uncle George was clearly slightly guarded in his response “Well as you know it was your father’s. It’s been in the Robinson family for generations and dates back to the late 17th century apparently.”

Elizabeth was already intrigued, absorbing every word.

“It’s believed to have been crafted by Grinling Gibbons, a famous sculptor of his time.”

George was beginning to enjoy the telling of the story. There is something deeply satisfying about being authoritative.

“Gibbons was a master carver to King George the first, he worked for Sir Christopher Wren on St Paul’s Cathedral and for many other famous people of that time. It’s worth a small fortune actually.”

Uncle George was clearly proud of its heritage, not to mention his knowledge of it.

“Traditionally it’s been passed on to the first born in the family, that makes it is yours now Lizzie. I was only keeping it until such time that you have your own house. I just hope you get one with a room big enough to take it!

It was almost as big as a doorway and few places other than a grand hallway could ever support it.

“Your father hung it in our hallway for safe-keeping the morning before the accident. One day it will belong to you and your children Lizzie.”

Elizabeth was struggling with the logic of her father having to down-scale their family home when he was sitting on such a valuable antique.

“If it’s worth so much, then why didn’t Dad sell it to have money to keep our home?”

“Well I am not sure that it is worth quite that much Lizzie, besides your father would never have parted with it, it was very special to him. I can remember as a boy, after our father died, he would sit for hours in front of it almost in a trance, he seemed to be lost somewhere deep in thought. You couldn’t talk to him at all, it was very strange.”

Elizabeth was putting the first pieces of the puzzle together, there was something very special about the mirror and she knew that for sure now. Her father was the mirror’s Guardian as were his forefathers for many hundreds of years. She deduced that this responsibility had now passed to her.

“It will be my responsibility but why and what must I do?” Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide in astonishment as the enormity of it hit her “So I did see something!”

Elizabeth was intrigued but it was a mixture of excitement and deep dread. She needed to know more but she kept her tone nonchalant.

“Have you ever found anything strange about the old mirror Uncle?”

“No Lizzie it’s just a very old and very beautiful mirror. Come on we must be going now it’s getting late.”

Elizabeth could tell that Uncle George was holding back but she decided not to push it and followed him obediently to the car. Nobody had seen the look on Ben’s face when Elizabeth had asked Uncle George about the mirror. The colour had drained out of him at the shock of it.