Its rapier teeth grin savagely through the viscous liquid, which reeks like boiling sewage.
Sutherland proceeds with his incantation, but the thing shouts, “Touch me, you craven old woman!”
But Sutherland does not.
After the endless hour had passed, I staggered out of the room and stood for a long time in the hallway. I felt nauseated. Moving with my hand over my mouth, I gained the nearest bathroom and leaned against the closed door.
When I’d successfully fended off the urge to vomit, I shambled to the sink and stood panting in front of the ornate, gilded vanity. Clutching the sides of the white basin, I took stock of myself in the mirror and decided I didn’t look nearly as wretched as I felt. In my mind echoed the damning words the thing on the bed had uttered. Father Sutherland termed it clairvoyance , and I supposed that was right. But to me it felt like the worst sort of torture. Laying bare my soul and ridiculing my most private thoughts and deeds in front of a man whose opinion I valued over all others, a man who was like a father to me. How could I face Sutherland again? How could he ever look upon me without embarrassment after learning of the depravity lurking within me?
I splashed cold water on my face and decided I looked presentable, if a trifle unkempt. The welts on my face, coupled with the damp hair darkening my forehead, added five years to my appearance. I reached into my pocket, found a stick of spearmint gum and popped it into my mouth, wanting my breath to be inoffensive should I bump into Liz.
So my surprise was great when I opened the door and beheld her standing in the hallway.
I smiled weakly and said something about not feeling well.
She nodded, studying my face in a way that both excited me and made me exceedingly nervous. “I passed Father Sutherland on the way up. He said he needed to discuss Casey, but that he wanted you to be there too.”
I nodded, made toward the stairs, which were perhaps twenty feet away.
“Don’t go,” she said, a hand on my chest.
Gazing down at her, I felt suddenly weightless.
“I know you’re not used to this sort of thing,” she said, “and I want you to know it’s okay for you to be scared.”
I decided clairvoyance might run in her family.
She moved closer to me, our faces perhaps eighteen inches apart in the dim hallway. “I want to thank you for coming tonight. You’ve been very brave, especially for someone so young.”
I’m afraid my tone was churlish. “I’m not that young.”
“Don’t be angry,” she said, smiling. “I think you’re more mature than my husband in most ways. You have a much better personality.”
“Mrs. Hartman…”
“Liz,” she said. “You’re more handsome too. Please don’t think badly of me for saying that.”
My mouth worked for a moment, my throat emitting a dusty click.
“I’ve never cheated on Ron,” she said, and there was a fervent, imploring look in her green eyes. “He’s stepped outside the marriage. Lots of times, I’m sure.” She grunted bitterly. “He doesn’t make much of an effort to conceal it anymore. Like it’s his right as a man or something. The breadwinner enjoying his dalliances.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“He’s an idiot,” I said.
She wiped her eyes, sniffed. “Thanks for saying that.”
“It’s true, Liz. He…he doesn’t know what he has.”
She looked at me wryly. “And what is that? A woman who married for money? Who deluded herself into thinking she really loved a man who wasn’t all that nice to her even when they were dating?”
“You mustn’t be so hard on yourself. There must have been other reasons—”
“He bought me things,” she said flatly. “Took me to nice restaurants. I acted like it was a fairy-tale romance. But it was only him buying me off, date by date.” She shook her head. “And I liked it. How’s that for shallow?”
“At least you see him for what he is now.”
Her face clouded.
I mistook her
Sutherland proceeds with his incantation, but the thing shouts, “Touch me, you craven old woman!”
But Sutherland does not.
After the endless hour had passed, I staggered out of the room and stood for a long time in the hallway. I felt nauseated. Moving with my hand over my mouth, I gained the nearest bathroom and leaned against the closed door.
When I’d successfully fended off the urge to vomit, I shambled to the sink and stood panting in front of the ornate, gilded vanity. Clutching the sides of the white basin, I took stock of myself in the mirror and decided I didn’t look nearly as wretched as I felt. In my mind echoed the damning words the thing on the bed had uttered. Father Sutherland termed it clairvoyance , and I supposed that was right. But to me it felt like the worst sort of torture. Laying bare my soul and ridiculing my most private thoughts and deeds in front of a man whose opinion I valued over all others, a man who was like a father to me. How could I face Sutherland again? How could he ever look upon me without embarrassment after learning of the depravity lurking within me?
I splashed cold water on my face and decided I looked presentable, if a trifle unkempt. The welts on my face, coupled with the damp hair darkening my forehead, added five years to my appearance. I reached into my pocket, found a stick of spearmint gum and popped it into my mouth, wanting my breath to be inoffensive should I bump into Liz.
So my surprise was great when I opened the door and beheld her standing in the hallway.
I smiled weakly and said something about not feeling well.
She nodded, studying my face in a way that both excited me and made me exceedingly nervous. “I passed Father Sutherland on the way up. He said he needed to discuss Casey, but that he wanted you to be there too.”
I nodded, made toward the stairs, which were perhaps twenty feet away.
“Don’t go,” she said, a hand on my chest.
Gazing down at her, I felt suddenly weightless.
“I know you’re not used to this sort of thing,” she said, “and I want you to know it’s okay for you to be scared.”
I decided clairvoyance might run in her family.
She moved closer to me, our faces perhaps eighteen inches apart in the dim hallway. “I want to thank you for coming tonight. You’ve been very brave, especially for someone so young.”
I’m afraid my tone was churlish. “I’m not that young.”
“Don’t be angry,” she said, smiling. “I think you’re more mature than my husband in most ways. You have a much better personality.”
“Mrs. Hartman…”
“Liz,” she said. “You’re more handsome too. Please don’t think badly of me for saying that.”
My mouth worked for a moment, my throat emitting a dusty click.
“I’ve never cheated on Ron,” she said, and there was a fervent, imploring look in her green eyes. “He’s stepped outside the marriage. Lots of times, I’m sure.” She grunted bitterly. “He doesn’t make much of an effort to conceal it anymore. Like it’s his right as a man or something. The breadwinner enjoying his dalliances.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“He’s an idiot,” I said.
She wiped her eyes, sniffed. “Thanks for saying that.”
“It’s true, Liz. He…he doesn’t know what he has.”
She looked at me wryly. “And what is that? A woman who married for money? Who deluded herself into thinking she really loved a man who wasn’t all that nice to her even when they were dating?”
“You mustn’t be so hard on yourself. There must have been other reasons—”
“He bought me things,” she said flatly. “Took me to nice restaurants. I acted like it was a fairy-tale romance. But it was only him buying me off, date by date.” She shook her head. “And I liked it. How’s that for shallow?”
“At least you see him for what he is now.”
Her face clouded.
I mistook her
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