Chapter 21

Thursday 3 June - Haunting - [Robert]

I went into my room in college half in anticipation - ready for a disappointment - but there was none - better! She was there, curled up and asleep, trusting, in the armchair. I didn't want to wake her - I could guess how badly she was sleeping from my own wakeful nights. She had bought cakes and set things ready for tea. Enjoying domesticity with me. I stood looking down at her suddenly realising that there was no going back. I thought of kissing her awake, but then decided to let her sleep while I made some tea. I opened the cubby hole where the kettle lived, filled it from the bottle of water and plugged it in.

As I turned back to the room, Sarah was now standing by the window. She drew the curtains closed - or so it seemed. And then things went haywire.

I realised that, although the curtains were closed, it was dark outside that window - night-time dark. And it wasn't Sarah standing by the window - she was still in the chair, but awake now, sitting up, turned away and looking at the other woman who had now been joined by smaller figure.

The woman by the window was familiar. My heart seemed to stop.

"Elizabeth?" I couldn't see her face, but the sound of her voice tore at my nerves.

She was cold and distant, "You are a fool Robert! You never were very well organised." She sounded exasperated - the way she did when I fell short of her high standards of personal discipline. But this time there was no hint of a loving edge in her voice.

"Don't you remember? I made sure you'd know who had been chosen for you."

Chosen for me? How did these two get in? And who was the other one by the window?

"Look," she went on, still with an edge of irritation in her voice, "I've sorted things out for you. This is the right one. The one with the right name." She pushed the figure forward into a shaft of light coming through the other window - and the figure was a corpse! I could smell it now and see sodden putrefying flesh beginning to peel from its face. I knew I wasn't dreaming. This was all too real - too detailed. The corpse was wearing Sarah's shirt and jeans, but the jeans were fouled around the crutch where the corpse was leaking. It had her hair too. I wanted to vomit.

And then the light faded and the figure was just a silhouette. "I've got rid of the other one - the wrong one. Now we can have some peace." Elizabeth was being her usual reasonable organising self. "You just have to remember who the right one is."

The awful corpse walked towards me, but I couldn't move. It sat down in the chair where Sarah had been sitting. Elizabeth pulled the curtain back from across the night dark window and the room was suddenly flooded with sunlight, blinding me for a few moments.

There was still an awful smell - but not the sweet smell of putrefying flesh. I couldn't place it. Then a sound from behind me made me turn. The cubby hole was wreathed in steam. I stepped quickly over to it and unplugged the kettle. It had boiled dry! I looked at my watch - just after six! I had come in a little before five - where had the last hour gone! The encounter with Elizabeth had been over in a couple of minutes. Reluctantly, I turned back to look into the room. There was only Sarah, still asleep in the chair. I went to her, reaching out to shake her awake. There was no response. Her body moved as though - dead. Her face was so pale. Her neck was cold as I ran my fingers beside her throat, feeling for a pulse. Nothing! I ran for the door, then turned back with thoughts of cardiac massage amid my panic.