The Council of Ten

Chapter 15 - Mistakes (Lena Foscari)

Dedication: For Merlin. Merlin, you were and always will be loved. Sadly, on the 6th February we discovered my cat, Merlin, to have been killed in a road accident. Merlin was a lovely cat, one of a kind, I might say. And I hope he’s having fun in Rainbow Bridge, where I will see him again some day. I loved it Merlin, how you used to purr all the time. How you brought in leaves from outside, as presents or to play with, it doesn’t matter - I loved it all the same. I loved how you never wanted to play a simple game, you always liked a puzzle where you had to work something out. I loved it how you used to lie in the wet bath when I had a shower, even though it was a little odd. I loved it how you slept next to my bear cuddly toy and woke up and came to see me when I got home. I loved it that you used to talk, yes, you used to talk and even though I couldn’t understand you, I think you understood me. You were taken far too young Merlin, you didn’t even have a year to live, and although you’re somewhere else now, I hope you enjoyed your time with us, because we enjoyed our time with you.

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Chapter Fifteen – Mistakes (Lena Foscari)

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There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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I pulled out the drawer with a horrible screech and sifted through the papers that lay neatly inside. Just papers, nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t there.I screwed my eyes closed and rubbed them with my knuckles before looking back up at the disarray in the room around me. Spots danced before my eyes and I blinked rapidly whilst standing up, leaning against a wall and chewing my lip furiously. Oh I was done for. Not just because of the mess, the mess could be tidied up, the mess could be fixed. No, the mess wasn’t what was really on my mind, in fact, it served as nothing more than an itch in the back of my mind. But there was one thought circulating my head, one thought that refused to leave me alone.

I lost the book. Lost it! “I’m such a careless fool,” I muttered under my breath, picking up novels and pushing them back onto their shelves, in hope I’d somehow managed to bury the magical book in the chaos I’d created trying to find it. It was hopeless, really, but it was all I had.

“Wow, Lena,” said a wide eyed Cappi at the door “what did you lose, the Crown Jewels?”

“Cappi, I swear if you took it...“ I said, glaring at my brother in the doorway. He looked too smug for my liking, and although he couldn’t read the book, I wouldn’t put it past him to hide it from me.

“Hey, it wasn’t me,” he said, holding up his hands “I’m clean for once. What did you lose?”

“A book.” I said, picking up the papers on the floor and stuffing them back into the drawer. No doubt somebody would be angry that their organising had been ruined, but I’d be much angrier if I’d lost that book.

“Goodness, Lena. You have loads of books! What’s so special about this one, can’t you buy it again?”

“No.” I snapped, furious. “I can’t buy it again. Don’t you get it Cappi?” I marched past him, out of the room “this was a book one of its kind and if I don’t find it then...” I broke off and shook my head, racing down the stairs before my brother had time to draw breath. “Papa, Papa,” I said with great urgency as I ran into the kitchen. My father sat at the dining table, playing with a large conch that he thoughtfully rolled from one hand to the other. Once a keen fisherman, he still had an attachment to the sea and occasionally, I would catch him reminiscing about those days when he still had his boat. “Papa?” I said cautiously, uncertain whether or not I should disturb him.