The Twins of Noremway Parish (21 page)

Then she spoke. It was the first time a human had ever initiated contact with a story teller. As soon as she spoke, she found herself whisked away from the basement darkness and into another world.

***

They were in lush greenery, a land which she had never seen before. Beside her lay a male figure that appeared to be flashing in and out of existence. He was on his back, rocking back-and-forth as if in pain. “
Story Teller
,” Teret said, putting her hand on his shoulder. The blue essence of which he glowed was not as brilliant in the daylight. The sun was high in the sky and burned brightly, creating a beautiful scene.

“
Who are you?” he asked. He pressed his forearm over his eyes as if shielding them from the bright sun, and then he attempted to sit up, but fell back down into the grass.

She could smell something in the air, a fragrance she had never smelled before, but something she immediately fell in love with. “What is that smell? That fragrance on the breeze?”

The story teller took in a lungful of air, and he smiled. “I haven’t smelled that in so long. Lilacs.”

She took in a fresh breath and held it for a few seconds, a smile spreading across her lips. “I love it,” she said as she exhaled.

In the light, the story teller’s form was more human-like despite the fact that he seemed to be flickering in and out of existence. It wasn’t his skin that was blue; what looked like blue bandages, like thick gauze, wrapped around his entire body, leaving slits for the eyes. He seemed to be gaining strength as he breathed the fresh and wonderful air.

“
Where are we?” he finally asked.

She thought for a moment, looking around, but didn’t answer his question because she didn’t know the answer. “I don’t hear your voice in my head anymore.”

“
My voice?”

“
The narration. As soon as I looked at Decon’s eyes, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, and I found myself watching your story unfold, your narration going through my mind as if it was from my own thoughts.”

“
Decon? Decon Mangler? Why isn’t he here? I called to him, not you.”

“
I’m the parochial vicar, Teret Finley. You may call me Sister Teret.”

“
I see. So you are; as lovely a story as was ever told, and as wonderful as lilacs on a warm summer breeze.”

“
Aye,” she said and blushed. “You called to Brother Decon?”

“
Aye, I did, but it seems my powers reach further than I expected. You see, my story has been stolen from me. The Darkness has taken it and has rewritten it, starting with the good mayor Tomias Waterman’s death. That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Now the story teller seemed to be at full strength, or nearly so, and sat in the long green grass, legs crossed. Teret sat cross-legged too, and pulled at pieces of grass as they talked. She was listening, but had to admit that despite the captivating nature of the conversation, the abundance of this green plant fascinated her. “A story teller cannot communicate with anyone that is part of the story that is currently being told. Not without his or her memory being compromised.”

“
Right. Decon said he’d had flashes of the story teller that he had mysteriously forgotten.”

“
Aye, yes. Finally I realized a sacrifice must be made. I had to give up complete control of the story. I thought that I had lost it when the Darkness held me captive, but seeing that I couldn’t contact Decon Mangler without him forgetting, I knew I must have retained some control.”

“
And you had to give that up?” she said.

“
Yes, I did. Aye, but a story teller’s control is a different creature than you might expect. We cannot alter events, change outcomes, or anything like that, but we can make things clearer.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
How did you feel when you first saw Decon Mangler?”

“
I thought he was a lovely man.”

“
Were you in love with him?”

“
Not as I am now, no.”

“
When did that happen?”

“
I suppose when the twins came into our lives.”

The story teller did not immediately respond with words, but he did smile. “Like you, I am unsure of the exact nature of the twins, but I believe it is imperative that you and Decon Mangler raise them together.”

“
You have
any
ideas about the nature of the twins?”

“
I do, but as a story teller, I can’t reveal things that would not already be clear to the listener.”

“
What?”

“
As a story teller, I cannot tell. I can show, but not tell. Seems like the name ‘
Story Teller
’ is a misnomer when I put it that way. The answers you seek will be shown–if not by me, then another–in good time.”

“
How did I get involved in this?”

“
That is, indeed, a good question, Teret Finley. I was attempting to recruit Decon Mangler, but somehow that power transferred to you. There is one way that we can change this story, set it back on the right track, but I cannot do it myself. It must come from the characters themselves. That was why I needed Mangler, but now I have you. It happens now.” The story teller then closed his eyes and the world around them swirled with ever-changing colors.

“
Teret, carry me with you. This is my sacrifice. I am a part of you now. The story must be corrected. Change it for the sake of Ragas and all who you care for in Noremway Parish!”

Then the world faded away, and the next thing she knew, she was standing in the parlor of her house, staring into Decon Mangler’s eyes.

***

“
You disappeared,” Decon said. It seemed like an obvious statement, something that offered no attempt at an explanation for the last several minutes. Or had it been hours? Teret didn’t know for sure, but judging by the light coming in from outside, early morning had passed. It now looked about noon.

Decon’s eyes were bright, reflecting that noon light, but even so, they were not nearly as bright as Teret’s, whose eyes shone with a red brilliance never seen before. “Teret, your eyes,” he said.

She opened them wide and blinked several times as if she were trying to blink away a foreign object. “My eyes feel strange.”

“
What happened? Where did you go?”

She collected her thoughts. Now that she actually thought about what she had just experienced, it seemed to make very little sense to her, but she did the best she could to explain it. “He was trying to contact you,” she said enigmatically.

“
Who was? The story teller? He did this?”

“
Aye. Somehow, whatever he was doing transferred from you to me. I think it happened when I looked into your eyes.” She walked him to the eating table and sat down across from him, holding both his hands in the middle. “Whatever happens now, I want you to know I love you.”

“
What happened, Teret? Tell me.”

She smiled. Her eyes continued to flash with a red brilliance. “I could just say that I can’t tell you. That I have to show you, but the story teller is only a
part
of me now, so I am not bound by his restrictions.” She stopped, thoughtful, and then continued, “Aye. I believe that’s right.”

“
You’ve lost me.”

“
I really would show you if I could, but I’m not sure how I would do that. I believe I have somehow merged with the story teller. He was trying to merge with you, but he ended up with me instead.” She spoke in a tone that she imagined Plague used when having to give out bad news to an ill patient or a grieving family. “There are things happening that are beyond anything that has ever happened before. The story teller’s tale has been taken from him. They usually have no direct control over the story, but they can foretell events, and they can move through place and time to tell the story in its entirety. But the story has changed. And the only way for him to put it back on the course that he had foretold is to become one with a player within that story.”

Decon appeared thoughtful, like he was interested in what it was Teret was describing rather than terrified by it. Of course, as the friar, he was aware of the religious implications: the Darkness had come, and this was perhaps the beginning of the final battle between the chaos and the ordered. “Well, then I suppose it’s up to you.”

“
And them,” she said, referring to the twins who were now beginning to stir in their crib. She stood and for the second time that day, her hand went to her belly. This time Decon noticed the motion, but he said nothing. She walked to the crib. The one they considered “the whole one” had his eyes open. He was smiling while the other still slept. “We are really going to have to name them,” she said.

“
Have any ideas?”

“
I know
you
do.”

“
But I want to hear what you think,” he said.

“
The big guy, we should name Julian. Julian Mangler.”

“
I like that,” Decon said with a laugh.

“
Alright, you name the other one.”

“
How about…Gaylen Finley.” He smiled and took her into the bedroom where they again made love.

Chapter 13

Plague was in his office, looking over the notes he had taken concerning the twins, planning the operation of his life. He didn’t know if he was going to be able to do it and give both children a good chance of survival. There were so many uncertainties and not enough spare flesh and blood. These two children were physically one-and-a-half. There was no way around it.

“
What are you thinking about, Bart?” Laura said, coming into his office without knocking. She was the only person that he allowed this sort of indiscretion. In fact, it was welcome.

“
These damn twins. There is no way they can both survive the surgery–just no way. Even if I had extra flesh to graft onto the smaller one, he would still be missing vital organs, not to mention an entire rib cage!”

Laura walked behind him and rubbed his shoulders. The papers were strewn about the desk with nary an organized notation in sight. “Everything will be alright. Maybe you just need to take a break from it all?”

He turned around and looked her in the eyes. “I can’t just do that, Laura. And I think you know it. These children—the twins…it’ll mean a lot to Decon and Teret if we can save them both.” He breathed a deep lungful of air and let it out in a loud sigh.

“
Look, Bart, I’m here for you if you need to talk.”

“
That’s the thing, Laura. I don’t need to talk. I need to
think
. And as much as I love having you around, you’re a distraction.” She looked hurt, just short of offended, and backed away. A tear rolled down her cheek. “Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

“
Aye,” she said in a weak voice. “I do indeed. I’m nothing to you but a distraction. I’m just someone you sleep with because you miss your poor damned Pamela!” The tears started streaming now, and she turned to flee. Plague attempted to grab her arm to stop her, to tell her that he didn’t mean it that way, but it was no use. She was gone.

***

He sat at his desk for another half hour. He couldn’t think. Now Laura was on his mind. As much as he appreciated having her around, sometimes he thought his memories of Pamela would be the best form of female companionship. It had been five years since her death, and even though it had been a tough five years, it got easier. He could now push those thoughts away when he had to.

But now that he had a companion in Laura, he had to actively maintain that bond. He’d gone five years purposely trying to push his love away, but now that he needed to do the opposite, he found that he could at times, but he had to be conscious of what he was doing. And there were many times when he reverted back to his negative ways. If he wasn’t careful, he would lose Laura for good, assuming he hadn’t already.

“
I need to give this a rest,” he said, pushing himself away from the desk. He left his office area and entered to his adjoining living quarters. His house was an attachment to the infirmary. It was convenient for when patients came in with serious conditions. He was already there, ready to work.

His daughter, Nora, sat in a rocking chair, reading a book. Unlike most people in the parish, she was not reading
The Book of Ragas
, but instead was studying one of her subjects in school: astronomy.

“
What you reading there, Nora?” he asked, even though he was familiar enough with each of her schoolbooks to recognize what it was.

“
Astronomy. This is so cool,” she said, talking like a lot of the kids did about everything but school. “Did you know that there are planets besides Earth?”

“
Aye, I did know that, but I’d love to hear more.” He walked over to her and patted her long blond hair. The room was dark, and had a maroon hue about it. The walls, the ceilings, and the wood of the floor were all a deep red-purple. It had been Pamela’s favorite color, and he couldn’t bear changing it.

“
All the planets are so awesome! We need to go out tonight and look at the stars. You know the moon is covered in craters?”

“
No, dear. I didn’t know that.”