Snake Charmer's Curse

Chapter 6: Hope

The large ancient curtains were drawn open, and the whole mansion basked in the rare comforting morning rays. The airy building, now void of its usual gloom, made the servants feel the pleasant change in atmosphere. However, their ease was short-lived when fear ensnared them. In a panic, they desperately began closing everything, whilst searching for the culprit audacious enough to break the master’s most important rule.

“Good morning, Master Aspis. I am extremely sorry for... Oh my, what a pleasant surprise finding you here!” William exclaimed, flabbergasted.

“It is a good morning indeed, William, a good morning indeed!” Aspis hummed with a broad smile, while completely immersed in what was in front of him. “Now, what was it you wanted to apologise for?”

“The curtains have all been…”

“Yes, that was me, no need to worry. From now on, I want everything pulled back and opened,” Aspis hummed.

“Of course, sir. Anything I can bring you whilst you continue to enjoy your painting?” William asked with a large grin forming over his lips.

“Yes, some tea would be delightful, William,” chimed Aspis as he expertly cleaned his paintbrush in a large glass of murky water, a clear indication that he had been painting for hours already.

“Of course, sir,” William said, then left the room with a slight kick in his step. It had been years since he last saw his master paint like this. The one pastime which gave Aspis such joy, before it all shattered on one fateful sunny day.

Aspis sat up straight as he took a much-needed break from his hunched position. He spun around to look at the wall behind him, which was covered in a collage of rough paintings and scamps. He smiled tenderly as pleasant thoughts filled his head whilst observing his work.

“Your existence has reawakened this long-forgotten will to want to live life to its fullest, my dear Faith. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I woke up wanting to be awake, excited to face life’s challenges and reap the sweet rewards that follow.” His green eyes seemed brighter and glistened with vibrancy; even his physical appearance had changed.

William returned after a few minutes had passed, carrying a tray in his hands. He gracefully placed it on the table and began making his master’s tea. “What is on the agenda today, sir? Are you planning on spending the day at the mansion, or should I organize for Stuart to take you to your twelve o’clock?”

“I will skip the café today. I finally finished my book and have something different in mind.”

“Ah, understood sir,” William uttered as he served Aspis his tea.

“Thank you,” the man sang as he thirstily lifted his cup to his lips. He took a generous sip and then continued, “What you could do for me is try contacting Kendrick Heartly.”

“The investigator?” William asked, somewhat perplexed.

“Yes, I have not spoken to him in years! A bit of catching up is due. Find out when he is available for me, will you?”

“Yes, of course, sir,” William reassured, and then left the room.

Aspis spent another three hours in the art studio until he had enough. His hands, clothes, and face were covered with paint stains, but he did not care. He thoroughly enjoyed every moment. He wiped his hands on a wet cloth when familiar, poised footsteps echoed in the room once more.

“Sir, I finally got hold of Mr. Heartly; he said he is available to pop by at four this afternoon. Will that be a convenient time for you?”

“Ah William, splendid! You came just as I was about to retire to my room. Yes, that is perfect; let the servants know to get the drawing room ready to receive Kendrick’s audience.”

“Of course, sir, anything else?”

“As a matter of fact, yes there is,” Aspis said with delight and proudly pointed to the table behind him. “Please have that painting framed in the most elegant golden frame there is.”

William looked at the painting and gasped, “This is absolutely breathtaking; your talent never wavers, Master Aspis. Could this be the reason why you are in such a jovial mood?”

“Haha, nothing gets past you, William,” Aspis laughed heartily, then continued towards his room for a much-needed wash.

After he finished, it was half past two in the afternoon when he retreated to his office. He stood for a few moments, looking outside the window, observing the garden.

“Hmmm, that will be perfect,” he murmured to himself as he observed the large space. “You are jumping the gun, Aspis. I can’t start plotting now, not until I have—”

He turned to his desk and eagerly opened his laptop. He quickly checked his emails. As he read the most important ones, a smile developed over his lips as an idea formed in his mind. He grabbed a nearby diary and started jotting down a list of things that came to mind. He continued to steal glances at his screen as though looking for inspiration for what he needed to write.

He then remembered something and typed Galaxy Design Retail Solutions in the search engine. Once he found what he was looking for, he clicked the About page and scrolled down to ‘Meet the Team.’

He carefully read each name until Faith Ellis appeared on the screen. “There you are, my lovely,” he murmured hopelessly. He studied her photo intently; it was black and white like the rest of the staff pictures. She had her hair down and wore a gentle smile on her lips. The dark shade must mean she had deep red lipstick on that day. He placed his elbow on his desk and rested his chin on his knuckles. He sighed dreamily as he became lost, absorbing every detail of what was in front of him.

Faith truly was a beautiful woman. Although she did not have any striking features, every element she was composed of—her silky hair, the shapes of her eyebrows, the fullness of her lips, those almond-shaped eyes—her whole being was like a beautifully composed symphony. To Aspis, she was not sexy or a piece of meat that needed to be devoured and ravaged. No, this woman was a rare jewel that needed to be protected, loved, made to shine, and celebrated.

He snapped from his reverie, then right-clicked on the photo and opened it in a new tab. As he hovered the cursor over the image, to his delight, it changed into a magnifying glass with a plus sign, allowing him to enlarge the image to its true size with one click.

He saved and printed two copies of her photo: one half-page and the other A7-sized. He wrote her name on the larger image before placing it in his diary. He then carefully cut out the smaller image and slid it into the clear display sleeve of his wallet.

An hour and twenty minutes had passed. Aspis closed his laptop and grabbed his diary before leaving his office, waiting in the drawing room until his guest arrived. Keeping his word, Kendrick arrived at the mansion on time and was greeted by William, who escorted him to where Aspis was.

“Master Aspis, Mr. Heartly has arrived,” William announced, then extended his arm to show Kendrick to enter.

Aspis eagerly stood up to greet the old man coming through the door. “Kendrick, my good man! Welcome!” he bellowed in utmost joy.

The grey-haired man grabbed Aspis’s strong hand and pulled him in for an endearing embrace. “Aspis! So good to see you, but my goodness, you look like you have not aged at all; in fact, you look even younger than when I last saw you! I am glad you are keeping well.”

Aspis released a chuckle and showed Kendrick to his seat before he answered, “I have both good genes and habits, my dear friend. How have you been?”

“I wouldn’t mind learning some of them, seeing that I am retiring in a few months.”

“Retirement already? Dear me, how time flies!”

“Indeed, but I look forward to it. A long-awaited holiday! Now tell me, what can I do for you?” the old man asked, curious, still not able to take his eyes off of Aspis.

Aspis smiled, then took out the picture of Faith from his diary and gave it to the investigator. “I’ve recently been bumping into this woman. She reminds me of someone who was very dear to me a long, long time ago. I would be grateful if you could dig up anything about her, especially her heritage.”

“I see; you think they are related?”

“I have a hunch she is from the same tribe, so to speak. She is married, and her surname could be her husband’s, leading me astray when I attempted an investigation of my own.”

Kendrick studied the photo intently. “Faith Ellis,” he murmured to himself, then spoke again. “Very pretty; definitely not local; otherwise, I would have made a mental note.”

Aspis frowned at the man’s remark, then said grimly, “She recently moved here and works at Galaxy Design Retail Solutions. Find out everything you can about her. Here is a list of things I could think of, but if you can gather more of anything else, I’d appreciate it.” He carefully tore the page from his diary and handed it to Kendrick.

Kendrick took the sheet and quickly skimmed through it. “Jeepers, Aspis, you are not leaving anything unturned. What is she to you if your suspicions are correct? A daughter?” he questioned, taken aback.

“That is none of your concern. All that matters is the quality and outcome of your search, Kendrick,” Aspis snapped somewhat hostilely, causing the investigator to look up at him in surprise.

When he saw his host’s dark expression, he quickly cleared his throat and said, “Understood. I will do my utmost best and make sure everything on this list and more is uncovered.”

“Thank you, Kendrick. I know you are the best, and that’s why I only trust you with this task.”

“I’m deeply humbled you think so highly of me, my friend. Now, as for the person who was most dear to you, could you provide me with more details about her?”

Aspis’s face suddenly deflated as he heard Kendrick’s request and sadly replied, “Her name was Hope River; she was my first and only love. We were inseparable until she decided to go away with her sister, Love, on a little hike. I should never have let the two of them go without me. When I went to search for them, I was too... late.

"Though that was many years ago, you won’t be able to find anything about her. I was in a different part of the world then, and everything of hers and her sister’s was destroyed by her family as a means to cope with their grief. I wasn’t even able to acquire a keepsake.” Aspis cleared his throat and readjusted his posture to appear confident once more and continued, “As long as you can find what is on that list, I’ll be able to handle the rest.”

“I am sorry, my friend.” Kendrick genuinely felt touched by Aspis’s display of vulnerability. “Give me two weeks; I’ll send you everything via email.”

“Thank you, Kendrick. I promise I will make it worth your while.”