Celestial Springs

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

1846

“Madam, is everything all right? Madam? Madam?”

She turned her head away from the window, and startled, let out a cry. “Oh, my! Scarlet! I had no idea you had entered. What time is it?”

The woman cleared her throat. “I beg your pardon, madam,” she said. “It’s nearly nine in the morning, and you’ve eaten nothing of your breakfast. Aren’t you hungry?”

Curiously, she glanced at the bowl on the table next to her and tipped it up so she could see. It appeared to be cold, lumpy porridge. “When did you bring in breakfast?” she asked, sitting it back on the table.

“Hours ago,” came the reply. “Now, would you like to try it or shall I take it away?”

It was coagulated and disgusting. Besides, she wasn’t hungry. The baby was fussing, and despite the beautiful clear sky and the pristine sea, it had not been a good morning. Not a single ship had come in. “No, you may take it. Thank you, Scarlet.”

There was a sigh as she picked up the dishes, and with a bit of hesitation, she finally said, “Madam, my name is Hazel. I know it’s difficult for you to remember, but I shall try to remind you.”

Her eyes shifted from the diminutive waves to the face hovering near hers now. She looked closely. This woman had kind hazel-colored eyes. She was twenty, maybe twenty-five, with brown hair pulled up in a bun beneath her cap. While she did look familiar, she certainly wasn’t Scarlet. Scarlet’s hair was red; she was confident of that. “I’m so sorry,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “I thought for certain Scarlet would be here. She always takes such good care of me and of the baby. I beg your forgiveness, Hazel.”

Hazel smiled and placed her hand on the woman’s thin arm. “It’s all right, madam. I know you’re trying. Is there anything else I can bring you?”

She glanced around the room. The baby was sleeping. She had a full glass of water sitting on the table nearby. “No, I think we are fine for now. Thank you.”

“Yes, madam,” Hazel said with a nod.

“It’s only…” she began but caught herself, and as her eyes returned to the window, she became fixated on the end of the pier where one lonely seagull fluttered, alone.

“Madam?” Hazel asked after a moment, her hand returning to a withered shoulder.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized again. “I was going to say… it’s only that the weather is so nice today. And the sea is so calm. Wouldn’t it be a lovely day for my husband to return?”

Hazel cleared her throat, hesitating. “I wouldn’t know about that, madam,” she said when deep brown eyes insisted on an answer.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” she asked. “Look—look out the window, Hazel,” she insisted gesturing. “Doesn’t the sea look like a sheet of glass this morning?”

Taking a cautious step towards the window, Hazel looked out. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “Madam, I’m afraid I can’t see the ocean from here.”

She was on her feet now, standing next to Hazel. “Whatever do you mean? I know it’s not a clear view of course. But you can see the ocean, most certainly. That’s why we chose this home, why my husband insisted we live here. So that I could see the pier. So that, when he returned, I would see his ship. Look, right there. Certainly you see the pier and that one, lonely seagull circling endlessly. You see it, don’t you Hazel?”

Silence filled the room for a long moment as Hazel pondered the question. “Madam, perhaps you need some rest…” she began.

“Hazel, it’s right there,” she insisted, grabbing the servant girl by the arm and jabbing her finger into the glass.

Pulling her arm away, Hazel began to rub it. “Please, sit down, madam,” she insisted. “I think it’s best if you got some rest.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Hazel, what is it? Why can’t you just tell me you see the pier? Why is that so much to ask? It’s right there!” She jabbed her finger into the window again, harder this time, and Hazel clasped her hand for fear she would hurt herself.

“Madam, I don’t want to tell you what I see for fear you will become agitated,” she explained in a hushed voice.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied, pulling her hand away. “Hazel—what do you see?”

Brown eyes impaling her, Hazel stammered, “I see… a courtyard. Some trees. That’s all.”

Her eyes doubled in disbelief. Stepping behind her, she took Hazel by the shoulders and turned her so that her attention was forced through the glass. “Out there? That’s what you see? That’s all you see?”

Completely uncomfortable and in a bit of pain, Hazel managed, “Yes, madam. And a few… buildings in the distance. That’s all. I don’t see the ocean. And I don’t see the pier. I see a few birds, but none of them are seagulls. I’m sorry… Mrs. Edwards.”

But she wasn’t with Hazel anymore. She had released her, and stepping towards the window, she pressed her face to the glass, looking intently for the scene as it was described to her. Before her eyes, the landscape shifted, and there, where the ocean waves had danced upon the rocks, where the seagull had circled the dock, where the ships had been coming in and leaving out for days and weeks and months, there was nothing but green. A grassy courtyard, some trees and shrubs, a birdbath with two occupants. In the distance, she saw only rooftops and a cloudy sky.

Her hands flew over her mouth, and she squeezed her eyes shut in horror. “What? How is this happening?” she muttered.

“Sit down, madam,” Hazel insisted, taking her gently by the shoulders.

She pulled away. “Where am I?” she asked, turning to face the stranger. “How did I get here?”

“Madam, if you work yourself up into a tizzy, I’ll be forced to go get help, and I know you don’t want that, so please, take some deep breaths and calm yourself.”

She glanced around the unfamiliar room. Nothing looked as it should. Even the bed was not the one she expected to see. “It’s the medicine isn’t it?” she asked. “It’s making me see things. It’s making me forget.”

“Please, madam, sit down,” Hazel insisted. She tried taking her by the shoulders again, and this time, she complied, melting into the chair. “That’s better. Breath deeply. Here,” she said letting go long enough to take the glass off of the table. “Take a drink.”

She eyed the glass suspiciously, as if it might make her become even more confused. Eventually, she took it, sipping the lukewarm liquid slowly. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as Hazel sat the glass back down. After a moment, a soft cooing noise grabbed her attention, and she opened her eyes to see the baby was awake and smiling at her. “Oh, my son,” she whispered. “My precious baby is awake.” She smiled and bent down to retrieve him from his bassinet. “Would you like to hold him?” she asked, returning her attention to Hazel.

A puzzled expression on her face, Hazel replied, “No, madam. Is… is there anything else I can get you?”

“No, I think we are fine, thank you.” She was focused on the window again now. “It is a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“Yes, madam,” Hazel said, gathering up the breakfast dishes one more time in an attempt to make a hasty exit.

“It would be so lovely if my husband could arrive on a day when the sea is so pristine, don’t you think, Scarlet?”

“It is a lovely day,” Hazel replied, a tear creeping into the corner of her eye as she stepped towards the door. Another glance over her shoulder, and she could see that Mrs. Edwards had returned to her rocking, her eyes focused on the make-believe scene out the window.