chair.
âYou must not talk about the case or the sentence,â says the guard in a monotone. âNor of any matters pertaining to the judiciary or the penal system. If I raise my hand, like this,â she raises her right hand, âthen you must stop talking and I will inform you of the nature of the inappropriateness. Am I understood?â
Angelica mutters a âyesâ; the twins say nothing.
âYour mother is dead?â asks Perch.
âYes,â replies Angelica, slightly surprised.
âYour father is still alive?â says Carp.
âYes ⦠he is,â answers Angelica, almost apologetically.
âHe is the mayor?â says Perch.
âOf Tidetown?â adds Carp.
âYes, the mayor of Tidetown,â she replies, curious that as close as they are to her, the twins seem to be looking past her, speaking away from her, yet drawing her closer into their orbit.
Thereâs a short silence. The prison officer looks down at her nails and yawns. Somewhere beyond the walls of the room there is the clank of a heavy door. Carp leans forward and stares intently at Angelica. Her long, straight black hair falls forward like a veil. The guard inches closer in case of whispers and conspiracy. Perchâs eyes pierce Angelica like two jet-black pinpricks. The look, the glare, both unnerves and attracts her.
âYour name tells us you are a messenger,â she says softly, reminding Angelica of her favourite note from them.
Then Perch bends forward to join the closeness of her sister.
âThe Archangel has decreed we will live with you,â says Perch.
âIn your mansion,â says Carp.
âWhen we leave here,â says Perch.
The guard stretches her neck to hear where this might lead.
âWould you like that?â asks Perch.
âWe three,â encourages Carp.
âOh yes,â squeals Angelica excitedly, âlike three sisters.â
âYes,â says Perch, glancing at her twin.
âWe together,â says Carp.
âYou will arrange it,â says Perch.
âWith the mayor,â says Carp.
Confused as she is, the guard raises an arm.
âStop. Iâm not sure where this is going, but wherever that may be is far enough.â
Perch and Carp sit back and settle their gaze on a point just above Angelicaâs head.
âAny more to say?â asks the guard after a short pause.
âNo more,â say Perch and Carp in unison as they both stand and turn away to the door.
âOh ⦠goodbye then,â says Angelica, trying to be cheery, caught short by the abrupt ending.
Perch turns in the doorway.
âSpeak to the mayor,â she says, âAngelica the Messenger.â
Then they disappear. Angelica is alone. Another door opens and she is beckoned away.
âAngelica the Messenger,â smiles Angelica, whispering to herself as she walks back along the passageway to the front gates. âShe spoke my name.â
Three days later Angelica receives a letter with a postmark from the prison. As always it is stamped with the declaration âAPPROVED BY GOVERNORâS CENSORâ.
She loves the way the twins have addressed her as âAngelica the Messengerâ.
Dear Angelica the Messenger ,
It was nice to see you today and to have such an interesting conversation. We hope to see you again soon and, as we agreed, much more in the future to come. Please tell the Mayor we share the same special day as him, 7th January, and know he would hope all the good things for us and his precious daughter that heâd crave for himself .
In Truth, Perch & Carp Fishcutter .
âPapa,â she says, walking into her fatherâs study. He is sitting behind a huge mahogany table. Piled high in front of him are council reports, requests for building permits (his speciality and the source of much personal wealth and prestige) and volumes of proceedings of past meetings and committee minutes that he enjoys for
âYou must not talk about the case or the sentence,â says the guard in a monotone. âNor of any matters pertaining to the judiciary or the penal system. If I raise my hand, like this,â she raises her right hand, âthen you must stop talking and I will inform you of the nature of the inappropriateness. Am I understood?â
Angelica mutters a âyesâ; the twins say nothing.
âYour mother is dead?â asks Perch.
âYes,â replies Angelica, slightly surprised.
âYour father is still alive?â says Carp.
âYes ⦠he is,â answers Angelica, almost apologetically.
âHe is the mayor?â says Perch.
âOf Tidetown?â adds Carp.
âYes, the mayor of Tidetown,â she replies, curious that as close as they are to her, the twins seem to be looking past her, speaking away from her, yet drawing her closer into their orbit.
Thereâs a short silence. The prison officer looks down at her nails and yawns. Somewhere beyond the walls of the room there is the clank of a heavy door. Carp leans forward and stares intently at Angelica. Her long, straight black hair falls forward like a veil. The guard inches closer in case of whispers and conspiracy. Perchâs eyes pierce Angelica like two jet-black pinpricks. The look, the glare, both unnerves and attracts her.
âYour name tells us you are a messenger,â she says softly, reminding Angelica of her favourite note from them.
Then Perch bends forward to join the closeness of her sister.
âThe Archangel has decreed we will live with you,â says Perch.
âIn your mansion,â says Carp.
âWhen we leave here,â says Perch.
The guard stretches her neck to hear where this might lead.
âWould you like that?â asks Perch.
âWe three,â encourages Carp.
âOh yes,â squeals Angelica excitedly, âlike three sisters.â
âYes,â says Perch, glancing at her twin.
âWe together,â says Carp.
âYou will arrange it,â says Perch.
âWith the mayor,â says Carp.
Confused as she is, the guard raises an arm.
âStop. Iâm not sure where this is going, but wherever that may be is far enough.â
Perch and Carp sit back and settle their gaze on a point just above Angelicaâs head.
âAny more to say?â asks the guard after a short pause.
âNo more,â say Perch and Carp in unison as they both stand and turn away to the door.
âOh ⦠goodbye then,â says Angelica, trying to be cheery, caught short by the abrupt ending.
Perch turns in the doorway.
âSpeak to the mayor,â she says, âAngelica the Messenger.â
Then they disappear. Angelica is alone. Another door opens and she is beckoned away.
âAngelica the Messenger,â smiles Angelica, whispering to herself as she walks back along the passageway to the front gates. âShe spoke my name.â
Three days later Angelica receives a letter with a postmark from the prison. As always it is stamped with the declaration âAPPROVED BY GOVERNORâS CENSORâ.
She loves the way the twins have addressed her as âAngelica the Messengerâ.
Dear Angelica the Messenger ,
It was nice to see you today and to have such an interesting conversation. We hope to see you again soon and, as we agreed, much more in the future to come. Please tell the Mayor we share the same special day as him, 7th January, and know he would hope all the good things for us and his precious daughter that heâd crave for himself .
In Truth, Perch & Carp Fishcutter .
âPapa,â she says, walking into her fatherâs study. He is sitting behind a huge mahogany table. Piled high in front of him are council reports, requests for building permits (his speciality and the source of much personal wealth and prestige) and volumes of proceedings of past meetings and committee minutes that he enjoys for
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