Malnourished

Chapter 7 Grandmother Knows

Devon gently knocked on the big wooden door and walked in. The old woman was lying on her well made bed with her eyes closed and arms folded neatly over her chest. The old lady  started to hear her well loved granddaughter.  "Oh I'm sorry Grandma for being late and for giving you a scare" Devon looked concerned. "What are you talking about girl?  I wasn't scared I just moved a little quickly, that's all" she protested.  The young woman laughed to herself and sat down in the chair next to the large bed.  The room had been luxuriously decorated. There were beautiful pictures with state flowers and fat little children hangin on the walls.  The furniture had been freshly painted all in white with a light blue thin trim.  Fresh flowers were placed on the small table in the middle of the room and on the large chest of drawers in front of the large sunny window. The curtains were made with one of the richest material she had ever seen with gold and yellow interspersed with each other.  No matter how beautiful this room was she said it had nothing on the comfort of her room at home.

Her home was now Devon's which gave her such comfort.  The house had been handed down to her from her parents and now it can continue to stay in the family.  When it is her time to go and she knows it will be soon because "a person can just feel it", she would say, the money she had put away for the last twenty-five years will go to her granddaughter.  It was her wish to surprise her with it and has given strict orders to her law firm to make the arrangements.  Now she can pass in peace with everything in order.

Devon pulled out the book they had started reading the other day.  The old woman loved to hear her read, she had a talent for delivering the true meaning of the book.  It was a history book about the great economic collapse of 2018 and how the now four most powerful companies run not just the country but the world.  They got together and rescued first this country then the others, some believed the companies bought themselves the world.  This particular book was sponsored by the big Four which meant that it only listed all the benefits of having these corporations in charge and in their point of view, why.  Grandmother would argue that one but she had to do it quietly because that sort of talk was greatly frowned upon and would eventually get her in some real trouble but a book was a book and the two women never turned one down. 

Devon closed the book then sat back and smiled at the old lady, "Well, what did you think?"  She already knew the answer to the question but she asked anyway.  It was important for her Grandmother to keep her mind sharp just like she has always been.  Everyone believed that as you aged your mind becomes lost and therefore has nothing of any importance to add.  They are dismissed and someone is assigned to them to make all of the decisions.  The local government tried to do that to  Elise thirty years ago then ten years ago but they lost their case.  She had to go through test after test and she passed all of them which meant that the authorities could not take control of her property.  This was one of the reasons why she was so famous the fact that she could still make informed decisions and her great age.  Devon was not going to let that decrease no matter what.

"Well?" Devon asked but her Grandmother simply nodded her head and said "child you already know the answer to that" then she whispered "what a load of shit!"  The young woman put her head back and laughed "Oh you old lady! You are just too damn smart!" she gave a proud and affectionate smile.  "Well when are you going to tell me what is really on your mind child?"  Grandmother sat up and pushed more pillows behind her.  She wanted to hear everything, this girl of hers is worried about something and she is never worried.  Devon came over to her bed and sat next to her "I have to keep this very quiet so noone must know about what I am about to tell you and we can't let anyone hear us talk"  "Dear God child, what has happened, and you know I would never say anything that can get you in trouble but me, now that's different. I was born to make trouble, you know that" the old woman was trying to put the child at ease so she could say what seems to be so very important.  Now Elise  was frightened for Devon because it didn't work, she didn't smile or even show she heard what was said. Elise grabbed Devon's hand to reassure her. 

It took almost five minutes for the fightened woman to speak "I found something by accident the other day and now I think I am being followed" she turned to look at her Grandmothers reaction.  Elise showed no emotion other than to squeeze her hand.  Devon continued "It was a metal box about the size of a file folder. Well actually I found two of them but with diffent things in them, well sort of, they had some things the same and others that weren't ...... the same."  She stopped and looked up at her Grandmother then started to cry "What have I done, what have I done!?  I wish I had never found them Nono."  Now Elise was scared, her child rarely called her Nono unless she was under huge emotional stress. When her parents disappeared then when her beloved Grandfather died she would cry in Elise's arms and call her Nono, a name she gave her Grandmother when she was just a baby. This meant it was something very serious and Elise had to listen carefully to what her child said. "Go ahead dear, I'm here with you."

Devon dried her eyes, took a deep breath then continued.  She told her everything, what she read, about the CD's and the hair on her arms when she was near Sharron's boyfriend and in the university.  Elise said nothing through the whole telling and when Devon had finished her face  had lost all it's colour.  The two of them sat side by side on the big well made bed and said absolutely nothing for a half hour.

"Devon my love, this is very serious and there is no use in me telling you it is not when it is.  It seems to me that you can't turn the clock back no matter how hard you try.  You have access to information that may have been better to have stayed hidden or perhaps it was meant for someone like you to find it.  Since you can't put it back then you must continue on with the journey that has been started.  The way I see it you need to get his information out in any way you can but I need to make this clear to you, it is very dangerous but I think you already know this.  It is obvious "they" know something and it involves you so now you must be more careful then you can possibly imagine.  You need to set out a plan then keep to it at the same time protect yourself.  Use what you have learned from the hundreds of books you have read.  They have to have given you some ideas about what you can do and how.  Don't be afraid any longer, get mad!  What they have done to everyone is unthinkable and must be stopped for the sake of the human race."  She stopped talking and watched Devon with interest.

She was still shaking but listened intently to the wisdom her Grandmother was giving her but the only thing that kept coming back to her was the fear that they were going to hurt the old woman.  Even more so that they would kill her and she could not stand for that.  "Nono I am not worried about me it is you that I am scared about.  You know that if they come after me they are going to come after you and probably kill you.  I can't allow them to do that, you are all I have left and I just can't do this without you.  I will just pretend I didn't find it and destroy the files then there is no proof that I know anything"  Suddenly her arm was hurting, her Grandmother had grabbed her with a grip as strong as steel. "Now listen to me young lady there is no reason to be afraid for me.  I can handle myself just fine!"  Devon looked at her with disbelief "Now don't YOU do that to me!  I know what I am talking about, do you really think they can come here and hurt me when I am as famous as I am?  The media come to see me all of the time, the government gives me awards for still being here and they ask me to be their spokesperson all of the time. Me disappearing would raise too many questions even for them.  The papers would eat them alive and you know all of this.  Sit and still your mind, you will see what I am saying is the truth."

The two went on like this for over an hour until the nurse came in and said visitations were coming to an end and Mrs. Rydell needed her beauty sleep.  The two gave each other a big hug when Devon whispered in her ear "I may not get back to see you for awhile." then pulled away.  Just as she got to the door Elise called out and said "Oh by the way dear, in the garage up on that old shelf you might find a big blue box that will have some interesting things in it.  It belonged to your Grandpa."  then she winked.  Devon walked away feeling better but wary of everyone.