Read Online Soul Intent by Dennis Batchelder - Free Book Online
Authors: Dennis Batchelder
Ads: Link
walked over to the overseer’s large desk. “Did you see which drawer?” Val asked.
I opened the middle one on the left side and lifted out the journal.
“It’s so small,” she said.
I pointed to the first sheet. “Here’s that crazy writing I told you about.”
Val took the sheet. “Are they runes?”
I shrugged. “We’ll have to figure it out.”
“The first letter looks like a Russian, or maybe a Greek, F.” She handed it back to me.
“It all looks Greek to me,” I said. Then I heard the door handle rattle.
I slid the journal back into the drawer and closed it softly.
Somebody knocked on the door.
Val whispered in my ear, “What do we do?”
I pointed to the chairs around the coffee table on the other side of the room, and we tiptoed over and hid behind two of them just as we heard a key turn in the lock.
The door opened and closed softly. I heard footsteps heading toward the desk, and after a second or two I risked a quick look.
Madame Flora stood behind Archie’s desk, angling away from us. She opened the top drawer and rifled through the papers, then closed it with a whispered curse.
I looked at Val and mouthed “Flora.”
The fortune teller opened the middle drawer and let out a cackle as she lifted out the journal. She sat down at Archie’s desk, and since she was now facing more or less toward us, I pulled my head back behind the chair.
I heard pagers turn, punctuated by the old lady’s sighs, gasps, and after a minute, weeping. When I heard the chair roll back, I risked another look.
Madame Flora stood behind Archie’s desk. The journal was open to the first page. Her left hand gripped its cover, and she tugged on its pages with her right.
Should I stop her before she destroyed the journal, or should we stay hidden? Exposing ourselves didn’t make much sense to me, as the old lady had already blocked us once, but I looked over to Val and pointed at the desk to get her opinion.
She shook her head emphatically and put her finger to her lips.
I turned back. Madame Flora let out a quiet moan and started ripping out one page at a time. The sound of each tear slid down my back and made me shiver, and I cursed myself for not stopping her.
After she ripped out ten pages, she closed the journal and slipped it back in the drawer. She took the removed pages and tore them each in half, then did it again.
She gathered the tiny paper quarters into a loose pile. Then she brought Archie’s metal trash can up to the lip of the desk and swept the pile into it.
I mentally urged her to leave the room, but instead she carried the trash can over to the window. This caused Val and me to spin around and hide on the other sides of our chairs.
We both watched Madame Flora struggle to open the window, her scrawny body silhouetted by the fading sun. After a minute she stopped and banged her fist against the frame.
Then she snorted, pulled a lighter out of her pocket, flicked it on, and held its flame up to one of the quarter papers. After it was half consumed, she dropped it in the can, took a deep breath, and blew a puff of air after it.
The old lady sat hunched over the can, the flames casting a dancing orange glow over her wrinkled face. She tilted the can back and forth, then fell into a coughing spasm when a cloud of smoke rose up around her.
After a minute the flames and her coughing subsided. She remained still for a minute, then stood up, her knees cracking loudly. She carried the trash can over to the desk while Val and I crept back to the other sides of our chairs.
Madame Flora opened the middle drawer and poured the ashes inside. “Share that all you want,” she whispered fiercely. She set the trash can down and closed the drawer. She walked to the door, paused for a minute, then stepped into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her.
Leaving me with my only clue up in smoke.
fifteen
Present Day
Sterling, Massachusetts
“She blocked us,” I said to Val as the two of
I opened the middle one on the left side and lifted out the journal.
“It’s so small,” she said.
I pointed to the first sheet. “Here’s that crazy writing I told you about.”
Val took the sheet. “Are they runes?”
I shrugged. “We’ll have to figure it out.”
“The first letter looks like a Russian, or maybe a Greek, F.” She handed it back to me.
“It all looks Greek to me,” I said. Then I heard the door handle rattle.
I slid the journal back into the drawer and closed it softly.
Somebody knocked on the door.
Val whispered in my ear, “What do we do?”
I pointed to the chairs around the coffee table on the other side of the room, and we tiptoed over and hid behind two of them just as we heard a key turn in the lock.
The door opened and closed softly. I heard footsteps heading toward the desk, and after a second or two I risked a quick look.
Madame Flora stood behind Archie’s desk, angling away from us. She opened the top drawer and rifled through the papers, then closed it with a whispered curse.
I looked at Val and mouthed “Flora.”
The fortune teller opened the middle drawer and let out a cackle as she lifted out the journal. She sat down at Archie’s desk, and since she was now facing more or less toward us, I pulled my head back behind the chair.
I heard pagers turn, punctuated by the old lady’s sighs, gasps, and after a minute, weeping. When I heard the chair roll back, I risked another look.
Madame Flora stood behind Archie’s desk. The journal was open to the first page. Her left hand gripped its cover, and she tugged on its pages with her right.
Should I stop her before she destroyed the journal, or should we stay hidden? Exposing ourselves didn’t make much sense to me, as the old lady had already blocked us once, but I looked over to Val and pointed at the desk to get her opinion.
She shook her head emphatically and put her finger to her lips.
I turned back. Madame Flora let out a quiet moan and started ripping out one page at a time. The sound of each tear slid down my back and made me shiver, and I cursed myself for not stopping her.
After she ripped out ten pages, she closed the journal and slipped it back in the drawer. She took the removed pages and tore them each in half, then did it again.
She gathered the tiny paper quarters into a loose pile. Then she brought Archie’s metal trash can up to the lip of the desk and swept the pile into it.
I mentally urged her to leave the room, but instead she carried the trash can over to the window. This caused Val and me to spin around and hide on the other sides of our chairs.
We both watched Madame Flora struggle to open the window, her scrawny body silhouetted by the fading sun. After a minute she stopped and banged her fist against the frame.
Then she snorted, pulled a lighter out of her pocket, flicked it on, and held its flame up to one of the quarter papers. After it was half consumed, she dropped it in the can, took a deep breath, and blew a puff of air after it.
The old lady sat hunched over the can, the flames casting a dancing orange glow over her wrinkled face. She tilted the can back and forth, then fell into a coughing spasm when a cloud of smoke rose up around her.
After a minute the flames and her coughing subsided. She remained still for a minute, then stood up, her knees cracking loudly. She carried the trash can over to the desk while Val and I crept back to the other sides of our chairs.
Madame Flora opened the middle drawer and poured the ashes inside. “Share that all you want,” she whispered fiercely. She set the trash can down and closed the drawer. She walked to the door, paused for a minute, then stepped into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her.
Leaving me with my only clue up in smoke.
fifteen
Present Day
Sterling, Massachusetts
“She blocked us,” I said to Val as the two of
Similar Books
