The Curious Swan

by Kenzie Hart

  Klara doesn’t miss his flirtation and sincere eyes, and her body instantly softens.

  “But only in the best of ways?” Klara teases.

  “Only in the best way,” Eddie repeats, bringing his lips down onto hers.

  “Now, come along; we’ve got plenty of time for that later.” Klara smiles at him as she ends the kiss even though she loves the way his lips feel on hers. “But, right now, we have to pick out some crystals for Grandmother. She needs something to help calm her spirit.”

  “And why is that?” Eddie questions, wrapping his arm around Klara’s waist as they continue walking.

  “The party got her quite excited, and she says there’s nothing worse than a woman with too much excitement in her life,” Klara teases. Her grandmother would never say such a thing. If anything, the more excitement, the better.

  “I don’t believe that for one moment,” Eddie comments with a laugh.

  “Of course not. Actually, she wants a few crystals that help with foretelling the future. She also asked that I pick up a deck of tarot cards. She is, for some reason, stuck on manifesting her future. She won’t stop meditating and lighting incense. There’s something she wants an answer to, and I have to admit, it has me quite intrigued.”

  “That is curious,” Eddie comments, thinking of the strange woman that is Cordelia. But, if anything, he knows it isn’t just Cordelia. Quirkiness seems to run in the family, and he loves it.

  “I forgot to tell you,” Klara says, twirling to look Eddie in the eyes. “Grandmother asked if you would like to come over this next week. She thought you might like listening to her recount her memoirs with me.”

  “That is kind of her,” Eddie replies, thinking that he is slowly being allowed more and more into their family.

  “Quite so. I told her how much you fancied the work Grandfather liked to do, and she said she was going to be recounting part of her time with him, so she thought you might quite enjoy it.”

  Surprise crosses Eddie’s face. His eyes flicker to Klara’s and then back to the street in front of him.

  “Thank you,” Eddie says, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead as they walk.

  “For what?” Klara asks.

  “Just thank you,” Eddie says.

  As Eddie walks into his house, his mind won’t stop running. Every time he is with Klara, he feels like he is living in a dream. He feels as though he can do anything. Be anything. She makes him feel that way.

  But then she leaves, and reality sets back in. His father’s expectations. The fact that he doesn’t seem to have a future he is in much control of. All these thoughts cross his mind, and he has to remind himself that he still has another year before graduation. Before his future is decided. He shouldn’t be worrying about these things. He isn’t one to worry.

  But he can’t seem to get the other night out of his mind. And the more time he spends with Klara, the more he realizes that he might want something different for his future. He might want to be something else. He has his own dreams, and maybe it is okay that he does.

  He sits in his room for a few moments before moving to find his mum out in the garden.

  “How was the pub?” Rose asks her son as he walks out the back door. She is trying to weed her garden before the rain arrives, thinking that the water will do her vegetables some good.

  “It was fine, Mum.”

  “I’m glad you went. It’s important you continue to make time for your friends.”

  “I want to talk with you about something,” Eddie says, moving along the edge of the garden, his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Is everything all right, dear?” Rose asks.

  “Everything’s fine, Mum. I just … I met someone at Klara’s party the other night, and I’m not sure what to make of the situation.” Eddie isn’t sure why he is beating around the bush, but he doesn’t know what to think or what he wants for that matter. And he has no idea why it seems to be affecting him so much.

  “Why don’t you explain to me what happened?” Rose replies, moving from the garden to her small patio table, feeling concerned. She takes a seat, watching as Eddie continues to pace, walking back and forth in front of her.

  “Well, I think I was asked to attend university at Cambridge,” Eddie finally blurts out. He watches his mum’s face, to determine her reaction.

  “What?” Rose exhales, her eyes growing larger. It’s not the wisest word she has ever chosen, but it came out nonetheless.

  “I know,” Eddie says, mimicking her shock. He is just as taken aback as she is.

  “Explain to me, how did this all come about?” Rose asks while trying to regain her composure. From the look on her son’s face, he is surprised as well, but there is something more. A deep excitement seems to rest below the surface.

  “Well, I ended up sitting near a man named Mr. Welland at dinner. He is the provost of King’s College, and we got to talking. I told him that I wasn’t applying to university but that ecology interested me. Klara told him I played football well, and Mr. Welland told me that, if I worked hard on my marks this coming year, they would love to have me.”

  “Oh, Eddie!” Rose exclaims. The idea of her son going to university is a foreign one, let alone the best in the country.

  “He gave me his contact information. Told me, if I decided to apply, I should let him know, and he would give me all the information on the sports scholarships they had available.” Eddie says everything in one large breath, feeling a sense of relief after the words finally came tumbling out.

  He wanted to talk to his mum about it straightaway but thought it would be best if he kept it to himself. After all, maybe he had read too much into it.

  And do I even want to go to university?

  But he has been starting to accept the answer to that question, which is that he might want to.

  “Is this what you want, dear?” Rose asks, trying to decide if Eddie just feels flattered at such an offer or if he truly wants to attend university.

  He has always been a bright boy, but he has never shown much interest in his courses. He has always preferred to be outside, playing football and working with his father.

  “I think it is, Mum,” Eddie says, sitting down in the chair opposite Rose. “But I never thought it was an option.”

  Rose stays silent for a moment, trying to choose her words. “I always thought that wasn’t what you wanted. That’s why I never pushed you. Do you understand that?”

  “Of course, Mum,” Eddie says, taking her hand. “But I always figured I had to take over the company for Dad. Regardless of if it was what I wanted to do.”

  Rose can’t help the tear that slips out of her eye.

  Eddie shakes his head, his chest aching. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  “Oh, dear, you couldn’t do such a thing,” Rose replies, wiping at her eye. She pushes her hair back from her face, taking in a few deep breaths.

  “I don’t know how to tell Dad,” Eddie says, dropping his eyes. “And the thing is, even if I apply, that doesn’t mean I will just get in. My marks are shit.”

  “One thing at a time,” Rose says, a smile coming to her face. “If this is something you think you want, then you at least have to go after it. If you decide later that you want to take over your father’s business, then you can. But, if you decide it isn’t for you, that is all right, too.”

  “I just hope Dad feels the same,” Eddie says, thinking about how upset his father will be.

  He knows it isn’t only that though. His father will be crushed. And he will show that through anger. And Eddie already knows the way his father will see it. He will think that Eddie is betraying him, that his work isn’t enough. He will lash out at the fact that Eddie wants something different.

  As he sits in his backyard with one weight lifting off his chest, another deeper one settles into its place.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “Come,” Cordelia says with her hands outstretched.

  She is seated o
n the floor of the formal sitting room. Cordelia has on a flowing embroidered caftan and a turban. Her usual jewels grace her fingers and wrists, but she looks like something out of an old, foreign film. Eddie thinks to himself that there is something about old women who seem to have cracked but really haven’t. They get this glazed look in their eyes, but don’t be fooled. The moment you start to assume they’ve lost it, they surprise you by being completely aware. Although it’s in moments like these when Eddie starts to wonder if Cordelia has actually gone mad.

  “Grandmother, we are supposed to be working on the memoirs.” Klara pouts, moving to the floor alongside her grandmother. The woven rug is thick beneath her, and her grandmother has contents spread out across the floor in front of them. There are candles lit and placed upon silver trays, and all of her crystals are out, as are the tarot cards that Klara and Edward picked up the day before.

  “We will get to that later,” Cordelia says, trying to ground herself. “Edward, take part in the circle, please.” She motions for him to leave his place upon the mustard-yellow tufted couch and move onto the floor.

  Eddie lets out a small laugh, thinking Cordelia is joking, but he gets a stern look in return, so he does as he was told.

  “Now, spread out, so we form a circle,” Cordelia instructs, looking around to make sure everything is in place. She has drawn the curtains, and the room seems to be glowing. The candles form shadows upon the walls, and it looks as though they are about to perform a ritual.

  And they are.

  “Now, explain yourself, Grandmother,” Klara says, trying to hold back a giggle. She finds the whole scene playing out in front of her humorous, and she looks to Edward, his eyes sparkling with the same delight.

  “We are going to be calling upon the spirits, my child,” Cordelia says. She needs answers, and there is only one way in which to receive them.

  “And what are we trying to find out?” Eddie chimes in, watching as Cordelia’s glasses slip down to the tip of her nose.

  She pushes them back up, just for them to slowly slide back down again.

  “That is not any of your concern. The only thing that matters is that I have support. The spirits will know my question, and the answer shall come to my heart.” Cordelia knows she sounds slightly mad, but she is getting down to last resorts.

  She has prayed, meditated, and read her tarot cards upon her question yet nothing. She even made a visit to her psychic, Madame Bougard, for answers, but her explanation was simply too vague. So, she is doing what comes next, and that is to call upon her own guides for an answer. With all the positive energy coursing through the room from Klara and Edward, she may get an answer.

  “Grandmother, how can we help you if we do not know what your heart needs answering?” Klara asks seriously, folding her legs under her. “Even if you don’t feel comfortable with telling us the whole story, we need some details.”

  “Yes, to better direct our focus,” Eddie adds, a smile tugging at his lips.

  His eyes move from Cordelia to Klara, and he takes in her yellow-and-blue dress. It is covered with swallows that match the ones upon her walls, and she looks radiant in it. She has her hair pinned back with her butterfly clip, but a few tendrils escape, framing her face. Every time he is around her, he feels slightly astounded that she would ever choose to be with someone like him. She is a ray of sunshine beaming out at the world. And he is just ordinary Eddie.

  Cordelia considers their request for a moment and cannot help but agree.

  “Fine,” she sighs out. What harm can come from giving them a few details? “I have reconnected with someone from my past, and I am curious to know what is to come of it.”

  “Oh!” Klara exclaims. “Does this have anything to do with the letters you’ve been receiving?” Cordelia’s face flashes with horror, but Klara adds, “The one who took ill. Are you still worried for her?”

  “Ah, yes, that,” Cordelia says, remembering her little white lie. “Well, not exactly. But that is beside the point. So, there you have it. I would like you to meditate upon this question.” Cordelia isn’t ready to share more, so that answer will have to do for now.

  Cordelia spreads her hands out, palms facing upward, and closes her eyes. “Spirits,” she says but then squints open one eye to find Klara and Edward staring at one another with love-struck eyes. Concentrate, children! Cordelia clears her throat quite loudly and gives the pair a stern look.

  Eddie quickly notices and watches as she motions for them to open their arms as well, and Klara does so, closing her eyes. Eddie can’t imagine how crazy they must look, but if Cordelia is taking this so seriously, he might as well do the same.

  “Spirits, we call upon you to answer the question held within my heart. I would like to ask my guides, what is to come from a recent reconnection with a past friend? What does this mean for my future?” she asks, squeezing her eyes closed with hope.

  Klara notices the seriousness in her grandmother’s voice and genuinely asks within her head and heart that her grandmother receives an answer.

  Eddie feels the tension rising in the room, but he doesn’t dare open his eyes. He is going to sit there with his eyes closed until someone tells him otherwise, afraid of the wrath Cordelia will lay upon him if he doesn’t.

  A throat clears from the doorway of the room. “Pardon, ma’am.”

  Klara’s eyes fly open at the interruption, and she sees their butler, Walter, standing at the doorway, looking as though he were a deer caught in the headlights.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you told me to let you know right away if you received a letter.”

  Eddie notices a trickle of sweat forming on Walter’s brow, and he laughs—internally, of course—because he isn’t the only one to fear Cordelia’s wrath.

  “Oh!” Cordelia exclaims, her hand flying to her mouth. She rises immediately—well, as quickly as one her age can—and waves Walter into the room. A single letter is placed upon a silver tray. “Edward, get the curtains,” she says in a high-pitched shriek.

  Eddie rises, moving to the windows, pulling back the curtains and tying them open with their thick ribbons. He turns, watching as Klara blows out the candles, and Cordelia shakily opens the letter, her eyes scanning over its contents.

  “Is everything all right, Grandmother?” Klara asks, concern in her voice. She isn’t sure if her grandmother is pleased or not. Normally, she is readable, but right now, her face is as straight as a stone.

  Cordelia lets out a giggle and instantly covers her mouth before folding the letter, tightly holding it against her side.

  Eddie can’t help it when his eyes go wide, and all three of them look between one another, quite shocked that Cordelia just giggled.

  “I’ve received my answer,” Cordelia says in as flat a tone as she can manage, but it feels as though her insides are buzzing, and she wonders if she is externally shaking as well.

  “How wonderful!” Klara says, her eyes bright.

  Eddie really looks at Cordelia, and for a moment, he can’t believe that she is actually being sincere. She did receive an answer, and he isn’t sure whether to be excited for her or slightly afraid of the power Cordelia seems to be able to call upon. Even her spirit guides know she isn’t one to be messed with.

  “Now, leave me,” Cordelia says, trying not to be rude, but she must respond, and she would rather do so alone. “Go enjoy the day before the rain sets in. Walter tells me that, by late afternoon, there will be a downpour that will last for a few days.”

  Eddie looks between Cordelia and Walter, noticing his eyebrows rising in surprise at her statement.

  “Of course, Grandmother,” Klara says, still a little shocked by the turn of events. She finds her grandmother’s actions secretive, but she supposes everyone deserves to keep a few things to themselves.

  As Eddie and Klara leave the sitting room, Eddie turns, looking back at Cordelia. She moves to sit down at her desk. Her face is beaming but getting increasingly flushed, and he watche
s as she lightly fans herself with the letter, a smile forming on her face.

  The thick air hits Klara’s face, the clouds pooling above them. It is a grey and dull morning, but the sky hasn’t opened up yet, so they might as well enjoy some time outside.

  As much as Klara loves being out in the sunshine, she also loves the rain. There is just something special about it. Right before it rains, everything feels so heavy. The air weighs upon you, gravity pushing you down. But, as soon as the rain starts, there is a beautiful scent that falls through the countryside. It smells clean. Fresh. Like moist grass or the scent of morning dew. All the smells of the forest are heightened, the scent of rich dirt permeating outward. Her favorite part about the rain is dancing in it. There isn’t anything quite like it. It’s as though you were a child, free to do anything. Being washed clean with the scent of flowers surrounding you.

  “There are some deep thoughts occurring within that head of yours,” Eddie says, watching the emotions wash across Klara’s face.

  “I was just thinking, I can’t wait for the rain,” Klara says, pulling herself back into the present.

  Eddie laces his fingers through hers, and he enjoys the fresh scent as they move past the garden, walking alongside the chickens. Klara spots Peter and Tink waddling about with their chests poked out while Alice lies, content, in her nest.

  “What were you thinking about?” Klara asks, keeping her eyes on the chickens. She drops down onto her knees, letting them come up onto her lap so that she can stroke their feathers.

  “Quite honestly, I was just enjoying watching you. You get lost in your own head, and it is lovely to watch you do so.”

  Klara’s cheeks flush as she feels the warmth flowing off of Edward. Everything he tells her is so sincere, and she looks up at him, taking in his broad chest and lengthy body. His hair is slightly a mess, but his oxford is freshly pressed, and he has on khaki pants and chestnut-colored dock boots. His freckles dot over his nose, and she smiles, thinking about kissing each one of them.