Trishank: A Way In

Chapter 3

Chilly breezes in the middle of March wasn't something Evelyn was prepared for. Be that as it may, the breeze was the first thing to greet her as soon as she got down from the warm embrace of the loco-bullet.

Well, at least I wouldn't have to walk.

She waved at the guy holding a card with Ms. Graves written on it. "Good day Ma'am! Is this your first time here?" The first thing Evelyn noticed about him was his thick red moustache. The next was his stout figure. The man sounded as bubbly as he looked, which made Evelyn feel a figurative warmth in this singeing cold. The wide smile or the white coat, it was hard to say which made him more welcoming.

"Well yes Mr..."

"Judy Ma'am, Sherman Judy." He snatched her case and started trotting with what looked like a pseudo bounce. Ah, he keeps getting more and more amusing. As he walked, he ringed, "The car is right this way Ma'am, would you be so kind as to follow me!"

"Will do, Mr. Judy. You know, I have heard a lot about you from Uncle Roland from all those letters he wrote to me" said Evelyn as she was struggling not to walk ahead of him as Wales was new to her.

"All good things I hope" chuckled Sherman, and the creases formed while doing so clarified his age.

"You were the only person who was constantly with him, take a wild guess." Her smile carried a lot more melancholy than his did, but as they say, blood is thicker than water.

And he wasn't the type to brush away these emotional signs. "He was a great man Evelyn... not to mention, a right bastard" his reassuring smile wasn't much, but it sure was enough.

He loaded the boot with her luggage, and sat in. she followed suit, and they fastened their seat belts in unison. As the engine wheezed into life, Evelyn grew curious of the noise. "Is this a DC engine? Aren't these like, minimum 60 years old?"

"Indeed, you know your cars Eve. Can I call you Eve?" quipped Sherman as kept his eyes trained on the rood, despite a general lack of traffic.

"Of course Sherman" she smiled. They talked about cars throughout the rest of their journey, Evelyn occasionally stopping to admire the country-scape filled with hills and lush green forests.

__________________________________________________________

After the tedious formalities for entering the city, they finally rode their car in. First thing Evelyn's eyes caught was the cathedral. It was large enough to attract the eye of every newcomer, but what particularly captivated Evelyn was the structure. It was something she had seen before, but she couldn't place where.

As the car came to a halt, she got down, and waited for Sherman to park it in the shed. The black stone structure sure looked regal, perfectly in place with the rest of the city. When he came back, they entered the store. Never a believer of the supernatural, Evelyn still felt her uncle all over the store. The books, the arrangement, the lights, everything screamed 'Ronald'. "I've kept the place right as your uncle left it" Sherman spoke as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She squeezed his hand as a droplet of tear trickled down her eye.

She looked around, and got to the balcony that overlooked what seemed to be a gathering place of some sorts. She looked down to find a crowd booing and shouting. Upon further inspection, she saw two people battling it out in the middle of the crowd. "Bea! Bea! Bea!" the cries from the crowd were not in unison, but anyone who watched could have made out the name that was being shouted, as it never changed. One of the fighters was on a roll, scoring punches after punches. The one on the receiving end didn't seem to be retaliating. All she was doing was take punches from him. It was almost like she wasn't even trying to dodge. What made this bout interesting for Evelyn was that this girl wasn't reacting to the punches. All she could gauge from the girl's face, was that she was trying hard not to burst into a full blown laughter. That was when it happened.

Evelyn let out a gasp when one of his punches found its way to her face. The smile vanished. And the next punch did not connect. Evelyn couldn't hear what she was telling the other guy, but the look on the guy's face told Evelyn that it wasn't something pleasant. The crowd burst into a guttural yell of joy as this happened. After that hold, the girl slammed her head upon his. As if the previous yell weren't loud enough, the audience shouted even louder now. Disoriented, the guy flung his fist aimlessly into the air before getting hit in the neck by this ruthless girl. Until that happened, Evelyn didn't know she was holding her breath. When the guy fell face first to the ground, Evelyn's breath was thankful to be finally released.

Before she knew it, Evelyn was making her way out of her bookstore, and she entered the crowd. The crowd erupted in confused mutters as she shoved her way through it to enter the ring. The mystery girl tilted her head to the side. Evelyn spoke through her smile, "Can we fight?"