Elliotte

Chapter Three

"Elliotte!"

With a jerk and loud gasp, Elliotte sprang back to reality. Her chest heaving in heavy pants.

Instinctively, she clutched the bedding. Her unusually coloured eyes wide with fear – and uncertainty.

"What seems to be the matter?" Deidre rushed up to her and drew her into her arms. "By St. Martha's soul, ye are close to convulsing" She drew her closer.

"Cold" Elliotte whispered.

"What?"

"Cold."

A string of explosive curses escaped her lips as she drew her in and dragged the blanket around her trembling body.

"You poor soul" she whispered as she ran her hand over back. Cooing calming nonsense.

"'Tis the same with her mama, ya see," Deidre went on. "Poor soul suffered the spells until the very last day"

"'Tis a curse then?" Mr. Norman queried over the pit where he toasted a carcass of a deer.

Ernice shook her head before she could muster words.

"Nah," said Deidre. "Not a curse.!

"But then?"

"A blessing?"

Deidre heaved a heavy sigh as she readied her vegetables for lunch. "'Tis both a blessing and a curse."

"| see more a curse than a blessing, if ya ask me," Mr. Norman quipped as he returned his attention to the roasting meat.

It had all started that fateful night when the clouds had been enraged and expressed its rage in vibrant lightnings and thunderous roars. The wind had picked quite a staggering pace and had threatened to rip everything off the face of the earth. It had started that night when the light had become too bright and the expressions of rage so intense it had scared the bones off a righteous man.

Everything has grown so intense that not a brave man had braved the outside.

Lil Jacob had sworn he had seen the throne of Judgement right there in the middle of the chaotic dark sky.

And right there, in the midst of all the light and chaos, sprawled a strange lady.

Deidre shook her head to dislodge the disturbing memory.

"We haf ta keep her well outa danger, ya know."

"And who would keep me outa danger, miself?" Mr. Norman asked in askance.

"Even the great good Lord wouldn't bother with the likes of ya." Ernice threw over her shoulder and joined Deidre in a snicker.

The moment lasted but a brief moment.

"Do you think 'tis the prophecy manifesting?" Ernice asked suddenly.

"She's been plagued by nightmares such as these and many for as long as I've known her" said Deidre. "and I've known her for way too long," Ernice nodded.

"Aye" Mr. Norman agreed. "Do ya think 'tis the prophecy responsible for the misery her life is wont to be?"

A heartbeat, that's how long the silence lasted.

"St. Andrew's soul, your tongue

would be the very death of you, I say."

They switched to other topics unrelated to the matter at hand; and yet, like a persistent shadow the questions they had pushed far away into the backs of their minds remained unanswered and beckoning.

Like Dolores, the diviner would say, one foot in and one foot out.