Trev took Mairi to the back bedroom and laid her on the bed facing the ocean. She had felt lighter in his arms than he remembered, her hair more faded, her skin paler. Gently, he took a wet cloth and wiped the dry blood from her lips. She looked at him as a puppy looks at his master long gone, now returned.
Em stood on the other side of the bed, watching, as much Trev as Mairi. To her eye, he seemed different. His face looked different and his voice sounded different. She wasn't asked to help and as if an invisible wall existed between her and the two of them, she felt oddly out of place, no real reason, just an uneasy feeling, a tightening of gut, a stirring of intuition.
With tender strokes, Trev wiped her forehead and then her cheeks. Mairi looked up, her eyes on Trev as were his on hers. Em felt like jumping up and down. Yelling hey. I'm here too. She resisted. With effort. Strained ugly effort. The kind of effort to surpress nausea. A temporary fix.
Mairi spoke first. The back of Trev's hand resting on her cheek. "Just like old times, huh," she said, taking his hand in hers, holding it tight to her face.
Em's eyes locked on Trev, big as owls, the skin on her face tight. Trev looked up, a feeling not so different from a vise gripping his chest, from hand to eye, from Mairi to Em. He shrugged.
Mairi continued. "Remember the time?" Her voice but a whisper. Em leaned. Mairi repeated the query. "Remember?"
Em looked at Trev. The kind of look found in the courtroom. A look expectant. A look that had all day for an answer.
Trev remained silent. Em exploded. "Answer the question!"
__________
Ed note: Mairi is referencing three previous chapters in particular:
29 comments:
Wonderful title, I am too often remiss in mentioning them, like the images, so much a part of the overall. The image is magnificent!
Having read the chapters that you have linked before this one means that thoughts associated upon reading are different than they otherwise would have been. Firstly an ache settles, a heaviness as everything that Trev went through is remembered vividly, secondly it arouses still greater concern for Mairi, for whatever caused her collapse, for whatever is the matter with her. There's a certain satisfaction, a certain beauty to this switching of roles, of being there for one another when needed, of the same care given. I love the part that describes an invisible wall, a great example of your marvellous expression, relying on common experiences, as you have with the emotions that we are capable of feeling, and thus presenting the seed without a cartload of fruit. Repetition of effort works so well, this is when the steam really becomes visible. Visual, audible, I hear tone, I see faces, if it ever does go to film, I'd love to be part of the shoot somehow. :-D Full of suspense, full essentially, of the past, of the unwritten future, of the importance of the decisions made in the here and now and how fragile it all is. I (H) DT. PS To quote Ms Jones, feels like home.
Wow. You paint quite a picture with words!
Thanks Meleah. Welcome to Decadent Tranquility. Mac users always welcomed with open arms. :-D
Ms Storm, your comments blow me away. :-D
You know, I've been waiting ages to say that. :-D
PS: I just saw YOUR comment about my little video on DustBunny's site...
So I am the girl of your dream? Is that true??
Meleah, you're beautiful, creative and love your Mac as much as I love mine. Could there be any doubt? :-D
how fragile human relationships are...how one one bonding can lead to another breakage!
I am reminded of Tarzan, leaping from tree to tree. Leaping in the air as he lets go of one branch to catch the other...
The gap in between.. that is the most significant... that is somewhere you have to be careful, watchful and fully aware & alert!
Powerful chapter!
Mona, I've seen decades long relationships collapse in a single evening over a single argument. My father and his brother fit that mold. One argument, one night, both had been drinking and then ten plus years go by without them speaking. It took serious illness to bring them together again. Amazing to think about it from a distance. Yet, one only has to look around to see how fragile relationships are, like tender flowers needing care and attention, always.
I'd like to think Em is going to rise above what she is witnessing and learning but I have a bad feeling there is more going on than we presently know. :-)
I'm catching up today...beautiful as always...the masculine energy is always so well balanced... if that makes sense :)
Ryan, interesting observation. I'll need to contemplate what I think you mean and see how that is happening. In other words, I'm not consciously doing it. Each character exists in my own mind and when I write, I write as if I know the character, as if they are real, and I try and keep them within that 'field of play' as I see them and have them interact with others and events in a consistent way.
As always, thanks for the kind words.
Trée, that's one cool image. Vibrant colors aplenty! Nice job :-)
Thanks Deb. :-)
Whoa, Tree, the tension brewing under Em's skin here transferred right into me as if I were her!! You did a fabulous job of carrying that through this chapter. Wow...
--snow
Thanks Snow. :-)
I get a sense of strong, virile, masculine energy from the words and images. But it's well balanced, and that's hard to explain because you don't see it too often.
Well, Trev is not exactly the most masculine character in the story. In many ways, Trev could be seen as the metrosexual male in the story. :-D
aw. Thanks. Good To Know!
You're right he's not...but the energy still comes through (for me), with a wonderful sense of balance.
Meleah, :-)
Ryan, I wonder if what you see is just this post or Trev as a whole. Our youngest Hynerian has not always been quite so balanced. :-D
Trev and Mairi have such palpable love and history between them... And no, it would be too simple for Em to rise above it all quickly... Who loves who in this type of a situation is always a question fraiught with either such pain or such pleasure...
And sometimes I don't know what to say on your posts... Autumn Storm does it so superbly, like she is inside your head almost... So sometimes the most I can say is : ohhh, you made me feel with that phrase !
Annie, sometimes that is all that is necessary. :-)
oooh! i love finding new and interesting blogs such as yours!
very good writing here. you have a definite way with words!
TGIF to you! :)
Katie, welcome to DT. Thanks for the very kind words, always appreciated. TGIF to you too. :-)
LOVE the new art! It's so mysterious, yet with such a regal feel.
--snow
Thanks Snow. I started playing with Apophysis again. If you want to see all the new stuff, go to my image only blog, Trebuchet. The link is further down on my sidebar. Hope you have a fabulous Ninja weekend. :-)
Is it my imagination or is your artwork becoming more beautifully complex? I've been fascinated by the images for months now, but recently all I can do is sit and stare at the gorgeous colors and the intricacy. I have no idea how you even create them, but they're wonderful.
Greg, most of these images are created in a freeware program called Apophysis. In essence, the program allows you to manipulate 'math' to create art. I've created over 1500 of these images and use them, like ink blots, to ignite my imagination within the story. I find they are, for me, a wonderful creative tool with fewer side effects than whiskey. :-D
Thanks for the kind words. Always appreciated.
Is Maire asking for similar help from Trev as what he rec'd from her? It seems to be a plea - when Trev had been tortured and sexually abused she was the balm that made him whole. Now, because of her statement made earlier that went along with the flashback, it seems that maybe her experience has been the same as his was?
Would Trev feel beholden, especially since she is in such bad shape?
WOW! This chapter captured my imagination. It also makes me wonder if we are about to see a reappearance of the Hood.
Really good morning read!! I am off to run errands and will hopefully make it back to read more chapters this evening. Have a great day Tree!
Jen
Jen, I'm not entirely sure what has happened to Mairi and what exactly she is asking for. I'm content to let this scenario germinate a bit longer to see if more options appear than the two or three I currently have in my mind. As always, thanks for the very kind words. :-)
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