3
It seemed to take forever to reach the doorway to the room that was glowing. With every step, the procession grew less sure of itself.
Ed remained at the front, propelled forwards by the slow momentum from those behind him. Considering they had only just met, this posse had become very intimate, very quickly.
Reaching the doorway, Ed put the brakes on. He wanted to see what was inside the room, and where the light was coming from. All that was visible from where the group stood was the back of a red velvet armchair, and a pair of slippers.
This was clearly a sitting room. There were occasional tables, vases, books and trinkets. The room was orderly and presentable, but a little eerie at the same time. The red armchair was the only seat.
Pressure began to mount behind Ed once more, and he found himself moving forward again. Before he knew it, he and the six other green-eyed visitors were over the threshold, and the procession broke apart. Now they stood in a line, looking around them, and wondering what came next.
One of the seven – Number Three, who was a woman in her forties, couldn’t take her eyes off the back of the armchair. As she stared, she suddenly realised that, just visible above the headrest were silver white threads, wisps that danced slowly in a jerky rhythm, the rhythm of a heartbeat.
Looking at the slippers next, Number Three saw them move slightly, too, and realised they were occupied. Nestled in that armchair, largely hidden from view, was a person.
“Look!” whispered Number Three excitedly. “There’s someone here.”
This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the visitors. They had been invited here. This was someone’s house. But the abstract nature of the situation had rendered them all rather nervous.
Remembering his manners, and that he was a fully-grown man with an expensive education and many letters to his name, Ed decided to “man up”. He walked around to the front of the armchair. His comrades sidled along in his wake. The closer they got, the more they saw of the chair’s occupant. It was an old lady. Small and frail, with hair of pure silver, tied up messily on top of her head. Her posture was poor, and even sitting, the visitors could make out the hump on her back. With a slightly hooked nose and wrinkled skin, this old lady couldn’t have looked more witchlike. She was mesmerising.
“Hello?” Ed thought he should instigate the formalities. “Er, hello? Excuse me, madam, but we, er…”
Before he could finish, Ed and the others found themselves taking a big step back. The lady in the chair began to move. Her feet twitched, and her fingers grasped at the air. She took a deep breath, and the intake of oxygen seemed to rejuvenate her. Her back straightened, her head rose up off her chest and then, when she was facing her visitors, she opened her eyes.
She did not smile at her guests. Neither did she shriek at the sudden appearance of seven strangers. Instead, the old lady surveyed them, one by one, and seemed to miss nothing. Her eyes devoured every detail about them, and her fingers twitched excitedly at her lap. But her mouth remained set in a line, even when she leaned forward to study Visitor Five’s shoes.
There would be no pleasantries.
“Madam,” said Ed, unnerved but also frustrated by this woman. “We hope we’re in the right place. We were asked here, you see.”
The old lady’s eyes darted to Ed. She focused on him, and seemed entertained, although no smile touched her mouth. With great effort, she stood, then came forward until she could reach out and hold Ed’s face. This she did, studying it now with touch, to his great discomfort. But his manners were stoic.
“Yes,” she croaked, when she’d finished. “I know.” Then she turned to face them all, piercing them all with her authoritative green-eyed stare. “I know who you all are.”
Ed didn’t like her manner, and that, added to the unwelcome physical contact she’d just inflicted on him, meant he was about ready to leave. This mystery wasn’t worth it. But just as he was about to bolt for the door, the old woman spoke again.
“I asked you here,” she said. “I am Edna.”
Well hello Edna