‘Liam I suggest that you start to the left.’
I cast my eyes to the left and saw a heap of kids off in that direction.
‘No. I’m good. Ladies first,’ I said, and then watched as Sarah mounted the wall. She reached out with her arms here and there, and positioned her long legs for balance. Then she moved one limb at a time while she scaled the wall with ease.
I followed her example, and was ready for the next challenge, and the next. The last wall that we climbed was exhilarating. It was also the last wall that we climbed. Sarah clashed with another climber, and spiralled to the floor, caught up in the ropes and landed awkwardly. She sat on the floor and held her ankle, and rocked to and fro with her eyes squeezed shut.
I descended the wall at speed and knelt beside her. I ran my hand down from her knee to just above her ankle. It was swollen already. ‘Let’s get an ice pack on that.’ I picked her up in my arms and carried her to a chair nearby. I raised her leg on a free standing cushioned seat as the ice arrived.
Sarah held both of her hands over her face, covering the pain that she was in.
I placed the ice pack around her ankle with care.
‘Please Liam, take me home. I want to go home,’ she said. She looked into my eyes, pleading. Tears ran down her face.
I kissed her forehead, then picked her up once again and carried her to a cab outside. I slid in beside her after gathering our belongings and held her hand in mine. She laid her head on my shoulder, and I felt the coolness of her tears soak through my shirt.
I kissed her forehead once again. ‘I guess this means no dancing tonight,’ I commented to cheer her up.
I felt her smile against my chest. ‘I will have to take a rain check on that Mr. O’Connell.’ Then she winced in pain.
‘You know I took dancing lessons when I was a kid,’ I added.
‘You did?’ she said, her voice a little brighter.
‘No.’
Sarah hit me in the arm.
‘I just wanted you to hit me again,’ I said, smiling at her before I got lost in her eyes.
I carried her from the cab into her building and then entered the elevator.
‘Just as well you know how to operate an elevator Henry,’ she commented.
‘Aye. Maybe I could get a job as an Elevator Operator Miss Flynn?’ I said.
She giggled and then kissed my neck, creating a silence between us. I wanted to turn my head towards her and let my lips caress hers.
But I didn’t.
I put her onto one foot while I unlocked the door of her apartment, and then lifted her up into my arms again and carried her inside.
‘Does this mean that we are married now Mr. O’Connell? You just carried me over the threshold,’ she said smiling at me.
I smiled back at her and winked. ‘Oh, but that is old fashioned, and times are a changing Sarah,’ I commented.
‘Maybe I like old fashioned manners Mr. O’Connell,’ she responded in barely a whisper as I placed her onto the sofa.
I elevated her foot with two cushions and fetched some ice from the freezer.
‘Hello Liam, Sarah.’ The voice came from the front door. Sarah’s mother.
‘What have you done my dear?’ Sarah’s mother inspected the swollen angry ankle. ‘Well, it’s not broken. But it will keep you out of mischief for a few days. I will make us some tea.’
Sarah looked at me and gave me a broad smile. ‘I will be able to chase you in a few days Liam!’
‘You can chase me, but you won’t catch me,’ I said, and narrowed me eyes at her.
‘There is more than one way to skin a cat,’ she responded with a shy smile on her face. ‘Besides, you will be the one chasing me.’
I think I have already caught you Sarah ...
At nightfall I returned home. Albert sat in his reading chair knitting.
‘Ciao Albert.’
‘Hello yourself Liam.’
‘I told Sarah that you were my Uncle and that you home-schooled me if ever you should meet her,’ I said and sat opposite him.
‘Mmmmm.’
‘Mmmmm ... is that all that you can say?’ I said, unimpressed by his response.
He looked at me and raised his eyebrows unimpressed with my response.
‘She damaged her ankle when we were indoor rock climbing Albert. I wanted to heal it for her desperately so that she was not in pain anymore. But I didn’t.’
Albert burst out laughing, scaring the cat away.
‘Albert! That is most inappropriate. Sarah is in pain, and it will be days before she can walk on it again!’
‘It’s not that Liam. The vision of you engaging in a type of sport just blew my grey matter. Never, in four hundred years have you even hinted at a desire to use your body physically, even though that was what your body type was created for!’
I smiled at him, seeing the irony in his words.
‘Actually, I did enjoy exerting my physical form Albert. It kind of felt ... liberating.’
‘Then you should do it more often. Maybe this Sarah girl is good for you?’
‘And maybe she is making me feel confused. I seem to be thinking about her all the time. And I do not like to be away from her. She is forbidden. My mother was sure to tell me what was allowed and what was not.’
‘Friendship is allowed Liam. Immortal and mortal physical intimacy is not. And by that I mean in a sexual relationship. Anything that you do with her is okay, as long as you do not make love to her.’
I breathed in deeply. It was bad enough that I was stuck in this human physical form as an immortal. Now, I was falling in love with a beautiful woman with whom I could not express my love for her in the most intimate way possible until I was mortal.
Courage, temperance, wisdom, justice, patience, these I had. But now I had one more to add to the words of meditazione ... Love.
But I could never tell her, could I?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Storm clouds hung low when I started my work day with the three remaining Elevator Operators. I greeted each one with a hand grip and a man hug. We were interspersed amongst the thirteen elevators presented to the occupants of the building. I was still the operator of Elevator Thirteen, the last one in the line of elevators.
The day proceeded slowly as the novelty of pushing your own button in the elevators attracted most of the occupants. At 10 am however, I was staggered to see a mobile Sarah.
She hobbled at a slow pace towards me, holding another painted canvas in her hand.
‘Good morning Miss Flynn. I am surprised to see you two days after hurting your ankle. I thought it would have been at least two and a half days until you could put weight on your foot again!’ I said, and tried to get a look at her ankle. The bruising was concealed by the black stockings that she wore.
‘It is still sore, believe me Li—Henry. But I have one of many paintings to deliver. Can you take me to the thirty-third floor please,’ she said smiling at me, the pupils of her eyes dilated.
‘Absolutely, step into my office,’ I said, and offered my arm to her to take as support.
‘Thank- you,’ she said as the doors closed.
I smiled and nodded to her, and the elevator car started to ascend to the thirty-third floor.
She stepped closer to me. ‘For going out with me on Saturday I mean. I had an amazing time with you, and it didn’t quite end the way that I wanted it to Liam,’ she said quietly, and stepped even closer to me, her lips parted as she searched my eyes and then focused on my lips.
My heart accelerated as a magical feeling came over me. I pointed to my name tag.
‘Henry. I am Henry Miss Flynn,’ I said in a low husky voice.
She stepped away from me then, and blinked at me with a look of panicked confusion over her face.
‘So Henry, you are not Liam, is that what you are saying?’ Her breathing was shallow and fast.
I reached out my hand towards her. ‘No ... I am saying that I have not pressed every button so
that you can escape from me.’ I tried to explain my feelings for her without saying them explicitly.
She just stared at me. Her face was unreadable and I didn’t like it.
The doors pinged open and she stepped out of the elevator and our conversation was left unfinished. When the doors closed, I took my hat and gloves off, and ran my hand through my hair before I put them on again. The elevator stopped at floor thirteen. The doors opened and closed again, before I was transported back to the ground floor.
Odd.
I started to feel anxious after my conversation with Sarah had not ended the way I wanted it to. I exited my elevator, about turned and re-entered my elevator, closed the doors and held its position on the ground floor so that nobody could enter it.
I took out my cell phone to call Sarah; totally against company policy for which I could lose my job over.
She didn’t answer it, so I left a message.
‘Sarah, I need to talk to you. Meet me over in the park under the ancient oak tree … the one that has a park bench under it, at noon. I really need to talk to you.’ I replaced my cell phone into my pocket and released the elevator doors.
I couldn’t stand still outside my elevator as was required. Way too much nervous energy flowed throughout me. I just wanted to see Sarah again, and make sure that everything was alright between us.
The colour of scarlet hair to my left caught my attention as I paced. Sarah had chosen to return to the ground floor via Elevator Nine. She did not even turn to see if I was here.
My heart dropped, and I hurt emotionally for the first time in four hundred years. And I hated it.
I looked outside of the expansive glass windows. Angry storm clouds brewed outside. I just hoped that they held their raindrops until after I had met Sarah.
I closed down Elevator Thirteen at 11:50am, and bolted to the staff locker room and changed into my mufti clothes. I made it to the old oak tree by 11:58am.
I leaned against the tree, closed my eyes and tried to calm my nervousness. A terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that she wasn’t going to turn up.
And by 12:07pm she hadn’t.
I stepped away from the tree and walked a short distance with my hands behind my head. Emotional pain pierced my heart. I dropped my hands to my sides and headed back to work, with one last glance toward the old oak tree.
It was then that I saw Sarah, leaning against the tree. Her hands were behind her back, and her eyes glued on me. She wore a faint smile that caught me unaware.
I hung my head and walked towards her with my hand over my heart, and stopped in front of her. ‘Please forgive me Sarah?’ I said to her. I looked deeply into her eyes, and hoped with all of my heart that she would.
She placed her hand onto my shoulder. ‘I am the one who should be sorry Liam. You were working. I put you in a difficult situation. Will you forgive me?’ she asked.
A tear fell from my eye. I had never cried in my four hundred years. I didn’t know whether to wipe it away or to leave it there. ‘How could I not forgive you? … You make me feel … you make me feel …’ I placed my hands over my heart, lost for the words to describe how I was feeling about her. I turned around and ran my hand through my hair in frustration of not being able to express my feelings. When I turned back to her, she reached out and latched onto my shirt and pulled me closer to her. I stilled, and became lost in her beauty. Her eyes were so full of life and of love.
I moved my lips closer to hers, and barely let them touch, before I pressed my lips more firmly to hers in a slow lingering kiss.
I pulled away from her.
My head had started to spin from the high that I felt, and I was pulled to her again by our fatal attraction. I moved my lips back to her and kissed her with a passion that I never knew that I had.
It was emotional hunger—it was new, and it was addictive. I wanted more of her in a way that I could not. When I pulled my lips away from her, I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, never wanting to let her go.
‘Liam,’ she whispered into my ear, and kissed my neck holding me tighter, pressing her body into mine.
I felt like I was going to melt into her then and there. ‘I have to go Sarah …’ I whispered with a husky voice, and with my eyes still closed as I relished in her closeness to me.
‘I know,’ she whispered back, ‘but I don’t want to let go of you ...’
I kissed her below the ear, and she ran her fingers through my hair at the back of my head. I breathed my strong emotions out, trying to bring myself back to Earth.
‘I really have to go …’ I said, and stepped away from her.
She stood, still with her eyes closed and then opened them slowly. ‘Where did you just take me Liam? I want to go back there again,’ she said.
I lowered my head and smiled crookedly, wondering whether it was my blue energy field, or my amnis that had caused her reaction. I felt it too, but she was mortal and did not have those things.
I reached out and held her hand. ‘I’ll walk you to a cab. Your ankle looks swollen Em,’ I suggested.
‘No. I would like to just sit here and enjoy the floating high that you have given me. And ah ... it is not the “halo effect” Mr. O’Connell,’ she said looking up at me through her long eyelashes.
I stepped towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips again.
‘I am glad that I could make you feel happy Miss Flynn.’
‘Oh Mr. O’Connell, you made me feel far more than happy, and I think that I will just sit here on this bench on this beautiful day, just for a bit.’
I looked up to the dark clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance and I chuckled to myself. ‘Je dois aller mon amour,’ I whispered into her ear.
‘And you said?’ she whispered.
‘I have to go ... my love,’ I whispered.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
‘Liam …’ she whispered again, and I kissed her one last time before I left her sitting on the park bench in a dreamy state, to return to the humdrum of Elevator Thirteen.
The heavens opened up at 3pm. Torrential rain poured relentlessly while lightning lit up the skies and thunder vibrated throughout the building.
People ran here and there in a frantic state, and then everything slowed down, until the arrival of Albert on the ground floor.
I knew that his appearance was not good. He wasted no time in greeting me.
‘Hanno Sarah,’ Albert said in a serious quiet voice.
‘They have Sarah? By they … do you mean the three immortals?’ I asked, starting to panic.
‘Sì,’ he replied gravely.
‘Dove?’ I asked, feeling anger building inside of me.
‘At the vacant warehouse down the road.’
I bowed my head and clenched my fist. I closed my eyes and furrowed my eyebrows suppressing the anger inside of me.
I had done this to her. My immortality had put her in danger.
We could never be together. It could never work.
‘I have to go to her, and have her released,’ I said between my clenched teeth.
‘Then you are playing into their hands my boy,’ stated Albert.
‘Yes. I will not have them hurting her. It is me that they want.’
‘If you are certain about this, then wait. One of the three will be here soon with a message. Send me a mind link if you need me. I must not be seen with you or they will become suspicious. Dio sia con voi,’ Albert said, and then placed his hand on my shoulder before he disappeared.
‘God be with you too Albert,’ I mind linked.
I had to play the game, but play it better.
I wanted to run. I wanted to run and find Sarah to protect her from the evil vices of the three immortals. A surprise visit that was unexpected and catch them off guard could be effective. But Albert had told me to wait for one of the three. He was my Protector and my Guide, and he would not tell me of this if he did not know something that I did not.
Was this situation what the red energy ball was warning us of?
At 4:15pm precisely, the dominant immortal made his appearance. He held Sarah’s necklace in his hand and swung it around and around, and then back the other way. He stepped into Elevator Thirteen and leaned against the hand rail with a smugness spread across his face that I wanted to remove with my fist.
But I didn’t.
I closed the elevator doors.
‘Henry, we must talk,’ he said touching my name badge with his grungy finger.
I looked again at the necklace. ‘Of course, how can I help you?’ I said, pretending to know nothing about the capture of Sarah.
‘We need information from you. And we are prepared to exchange it for your girlfriend Sarah. Meet us in the empty warehouse down the road at 5:15pm. Really, she is as pretty as a picture. My boys have been salivating looking at her. I have given them napkins to wipe away their drooling saliva.’ He brushed my shoulder as if he was removing some lint. ‘See you soon.’
He opened the doors with his fingers after tucking Sarah’s necklace into his breast pocket, and then walked off with a kooky sway. He was fortunate when he left the elevator when he did, as my blue energy force was turning red in violence, one that I found difficult to contain.
I paced the marble floor at the elevator hub on the ground floor in between the few patrons that still chose to use serviced elevators. Clock out time for the day could not come fast enough. And when it did at 5pm, I moved like a bull at a gate to the staff change area, and then out the revolving doors to the empty warehouse a block away.
I walked the perimeter of the warehouse, taking note of structural features, escape possibilities, and weaknesses before I knocked three times on the workman’s door.
Within seconds it opened with a loud rusty screech, and the blurted aggressive command of “Enter”!
Directly in the centre of the warehouse was a table. Sarah sat there. Her face was ashen, her eyes damp and overly bright. Her hands where atop of the table, clenched with white knuckles. Two immortals on either side of her.
I walked at a steady pace towards them and stopped opposite Sarah. I lowered my head and looked into her eyes. I wanted to know that she was unharmed. She blinked once at me and swallowed.
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