there's anyone at that table, sweetheart,” she said cautiously, turning to look back over at her. “Maybe you mean one of the other tables?”
“The woman at the next table looked at me,” Elizabeth replied, sniffing back more tears. “I didn't want her to, but she did. She looked right at me until...” She paused, her bottom lip trembling slightly. “I haven't had an accident for ages, I didn't think it'd happen again, but when that woman looked at me...”
Her voice trailed off.
“When you said you saw a woman at the table in the corner,” Lisa said after a moment, grabbing some more tissues and heading back over to her, “are you sure you don't mean the next table along from that? The one with, I think it's four women sitting together?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
Lisa crouched down and wiped some more tears from the girl's face. “Or the one along from that? The one by the big plant in the round pot?”
“I didn't actually see the woman at the table,” Elizabeth replied cautiously. “I just saw her reflection in the mirror.”
Lisa felt a shiver pass through her chest. “I'm really not sure that's possible, sweetheart.”
“She was wearing a black dress,” Elizabeth continued, “and a black hat, and a black veil. She wasn't eating anything. She was just sitting there, right in the corner, and then...”
Lisa waited for her to continue.
“And then what?” she asked finally.
She waited, but the girl didn't reply. The only sound came from the clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen.
“Tell me what you saw,” Lisa continued. “I won't be mad. Just tell me.”
“When her reflection looked at me,” Elizabeth replied cautiously, her voice cracking a little as if she was once again on the verge of tears, “and I saw her face through the black veil...”
The girl's voice trailed off.
“What did you see?” Lisa asked.
Fresh tears were welling in Elizabeth's eyes.
“She looked really angry,” she whimpered finally. “She looked crosser than Mummy's ever been.”
“What was her face like?”
The girl's bottom lip started trembling more than ever.
“Tell me what her face was like,” Lisa continued. “It can't have been that scary, can it? Just describe it to me.”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“Why not?”
She waited, but fresh tears were rolling down the girl's cheeks.
“Is it too scary?” Lisa asked.
Elizabeth nodded.
Lisa paused, trying to work out what the girl had really seen. The most likely option, she figured, was that the supposed 'reflection' had actually been someone standing in the street outside the restaurant. After a moment, however, she heard a spattering sound from below, and she looked down just in time to see that the girl was soiling herself again.
“I'm sorry!” Elizabeth sobbed, choking back tears. “I'm really sorry!”
“It's okay,” Lisa replied, trying to stay calm. “You've just seen something that upset you, that's all.”
“She was looking at you,” Elizabeth said after a moment.
Lisa reached up with a tissue to dab the girl's eyes, before pausing. “I'm sorry? What was that?”
“The woman at the next table,” Elizabeth continued, still sniffing back tears. “Every time you came near, I could tell she was looking straight at you. And that was when she seemed angriest.”
Four
Slipping through the swing-door that led into the kitchen, Lisa finally stopped and leaned back against the wall, trying to regather her composure. Having finished cleaning Elizabeth up and returned her to table eight, she'd spent a few more minutes tidying the store-room, and now she was getting ready to head back out to the main part of the restaurant.
She just needed a moment to gather her thoughts, and to get Elizabeth's weird claims out of her mind. Feeling another vibration in her pocket, she realized her mother was still fussing, but this time she ignored the message. She figured her mother would just have to learn not to worry so
“The woman at the next table looked at me,” Elizabeth replied, sniffing back more tears. “I didn't want her to, but she did. She looked right at me until...” She paused, her bottom lip trembling slightly. “I haven't had an accident for ages, I didn't think it'd happen again, but when that woman looked at me...”
Her voice trailed off.
“When you said you saw a woman at the table in the corner,” Lisa said after a moment, grabbing some more tissues and heading back over to her, “are you sure you don't mean the next table along from that? The one with, I think it's four women sitting together?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
Lisa crouched down and wiped some more tears from the girl's face. “Or the one along from that? The one by the big plant in the round pot?”
“I didn't actually see the woman at the table,” Elizabeth replied cautiously. “I just saw her reflection in the mirror.”
Lisa felt a shiver pass through her chest. “I'm really not sure that's possible, sweetheart.”
“She was wearing a black dress,” Elizabeth continued, “and a black hat, and a black veil. She wasn't eating anything. She was just sitting there, right in the corner, and then...”
Lisa waited for her to continue.
“And then what?” she asked finally.
She waited, but the girl didn't reply. The only sound came from the clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen.
“Tell me what you saw,” Lisa continued. “I won't be mad. Just tell me.”
“When her reflection looked at me,” Elizabeth replied cautiously, her voice cracking a little as if she was once again on the verge of tears, “and I saw her face through the black veil...”
The girl's voice trailed off.
“What did you see?” Lisa asked.
Fresh tears were welling in Elizabeth's eyes.
“She looked really angry,” she whimpered finally. “She looked crosser than Mummy's ever been.”
“What was her face like?”
The girl's bottom lip started trembling more than ever.
“Tell me what her face was like,” Lisa continued. “It can't have been that scary, can it? Just describe it to me.”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“Why not?”
She waited, but fresh tears were rolling down the girl's cheeks.
“Is it too scary?” Lisa asked.
Elizabeth nodded.
Lisa paused, trying to work out what the girl had really seen. The most likely option, she figured, was that the supposed 'reflection' had actually been someone standing in the street outside the restaurant. After a moment, however, she heard a spattering sound from below, and she looked down just in time to see that the girl was soiling herself again.
“I'm sorry!” Elizabeth sobbed, choking back tears. “I'm really sorry!”
“It's okay,” Lisa replied, trying to stay calm. “You've just seen something that upset you, that's all.”
“She was looking at you,” Elizabeth said after a moment.
Lisa reached up with a tissue to dab the girl's eyes, before pausing. “I'm sorry? What was that?”
“The woman at the next table,” Elizabeth continued, still sniffing back tears. “Every time you came near, I could tell she was looking straight at you. And that was when she seemed angriest.”
Four
Slipping through the swing-door that led into the kitchen, Lisa finally stopped and leaned back against the wall, trying to regather her composure. Having finished cleaning Elizabeth up and returned her to table eight, she'd spent a few more minutes tidying the store-room, and now she was getting ready to head back out to the main part of the restaurant.
She just needed a moment to gather her thoughts, and to get Elizabeth's weird claims out of her mind. Feeling another vibration in her pocket, she realized her mother was still fussing, but this time she ignored the message. She figured her mother would just have to learn not to worry so
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