“Good boy, you can have it back, just come with me,” she whispered. Her hands were trembling as she picked up a large iron frying pan from the dish rack. She held Aristotle’s collar as they crept back up the stairs towards her bedroom.
She pushed the open door back with her foot with such force that if anyone was hiding behind it they would be hit hard. The doorway now wide open, Beth and Aristotle took a step inside. She released her hold on his collar.
As soon as they entered the room, Beth let out a scream as Maple sprang from the top of the wardrobe onto the bed. He landed on her bed and turned to the far wall; his shadow cast against the lamplight revealed an open jaw, his sharp canines bared, and hissed, having a face-off with Aristotle.
“You naughty cat! You scared the heck out of me!” Beth scolded. “What’s gotten into you? Stop hissing at Aristotle!”
The dog had raised his hackles and made a rumbling growl. His teeth were bared and his lips aquiver. Maple was still hissing, his back arched, fur upstanding and his tail had puffed up three times its normal size.
“Enough! Both of you!” Beth yelled. It seemed odd that she hadn’t witnessed this behavior from either of them before. She then noticed a gold collar around Maple’s neck, and leaned forward to take a closer look. The cat turned his head, and she noticed Maple’s left eye; it appeared to be closed over with a row of thick black stitches. “Whoa! What’s happened to your eye, buddy?”
The cat pounced from the bed and landed in the doorway, scampering down the stairs, scurrying towards the cat flap in the kitchen. Aristotle raced after him.
Maggie didn’t mention he’d been in a fight. The poor thing, he was probably the one who made a mess of my bed, she thought as she pulled up the bedding and smoothed down the covers, still wondering, though, how the drawers had come open.
Beth reached for her backpack and picked up her phone. She went to contacts, her trembling fingers pushing Toby’s number. She’d feel a bit better if she knew he was on his way.
Toby’s familiar voice answered. “Lady Macbeth, I’m about two minutes away. Need anything?”
“No, it’s all good. Just checking if you were still coming.”
Beth couldn’t believe how jittery she felt. She hoped the cat was okay as she couldn’t get close enough to inspect the wound. She wasn’t usually one to panic but her gut instinct was slow to settle down, her stomach still churning with nerves.
When Toby arrived, she described the door sound, explained the pet saga including the discovery of Maple’s wounded eye, and showed him her room. He agreed it was most likely the cat who had ruffled the bedding and she had probably left the drawers open.
“Don’t worry about Maple, he probably just got in a fight with one of the neighborhood cats. He wasn’t bleeding or anything, was he?” asked Toby.
“No, but his eye was completely stitched over. I just can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier and that Maggie didn’t let me know. I hope he’s all right out there.”
“He’ll be fine, you know, nine lives and all that sort of thing.”
“Come on, then, I’m starving.”
They decided to order a pizza and have it delivered.
While they were waiting, Toby suggested eagerly, “Let’s go up the lighthouse. I haven’t done that at night for ages.”
Beth nodded and Toby took off down the adjoining passageway like an excited puppy.
This reminded Beth that someone had been patiently waiting for his bone. “Just hang on a minute, I’ve got to give Aristotle back his bone.” Beth threw the bone on the kitchen floor and the dog settled back down to work on it.
Beth led the way up the tiny spiral staircase. This would be the second time she had climbed it. The first had been with Lionel one morning before school, when he had been repairing a section of the railing in the lighthouse.
The darkness gave the whole area a new perspective. Reaching the timber platform at the top of the stairs, they looked over the harbor. It was striking with the lights of the shops and restaurants reflecting in the black water as the waves moved under the sea canvas, giving it a shimmering effect.
“Whoa, this whole scene is so amazing.” Beth looked out of the polished windows. Lionel had cleaned them when he was working the other morning. It was a constant job with all the sand and spray.
“If you think this looks great, wait ‘til it’s Luminaria. It’s the most incredible sight. The whole harbor and coastline is lit with thousands of candles. It’s like a million stars have fallen out of the sky and lit up as a jeweled necklace for the coastline.”
“That sounds beautiful, I can’t wait to…” Beth’s voice trailed off and she pressed her face against the window that curved, facing the car park. Under the bright streetlight, in the near deserted carpark below, Beth was positively certain that she had just witnessed a cat morph into a human. A thin, cloaked figure walked towards the lone vehicle, then hopped in, and the car sped off down Lighthouse Road with a roar.
“Whoa! Did you see that?”
“Yes, and I’m starving.” Toby was busy watching the set of headlights coming towards the lighthouse with the ‘Pizza Delivery’ sign aglow on top of the little car. “Come on! I’ll race you down!” He took off down the stairs.
“Not the car, the cat!” Beth called after him, hot on his heels.
On opening the front door, Toby paid the driver. “My treat tonight. How good does this smell?”
“Thanks! Hey, how much did you order?” Beth looked at the three boxes.
“Enough to throw you a slice or two.” Toby grinned, as the aroma drifted up through the carton and Beth grabbed a couple of plates and napkins from the kitchen. They set up on the rug in front of the fireplace. Even though it was late summer, the evenings were already starting to get an autumn feel and Maggie had lit the fire by late afternoon most days.
They sat and ate in silence, watching the flames flickering around the small logs. Comfortable silence; that summed up how it was between them. Beth loved that fact that she had finally met a friend who didn’t fill the room with mindless banter. Silence never felt awkward with Toby, it was pure peace. The friendships she had made at boarding school were transient, as often girls would just breeze in for a semester while their parents were on contract for international firms in Beijing. It felt totally different with Toby, as though they belonged together.
When they had stuffed themselves full of the warm, crispy, delicious pizza, Toby put two of the empty cartons into the fire. They ignited in a ball of colorful blue and gold flames. Some of the gooey cheese was left dripping onto one of the front logs, sizzling and forming a few charred globules on the grate.
Beth was ready and wanting to give Toby some insights into some of the strange happenings in her world. Where to begin? Her therapists over the years had advised that because people would struggle with some of the stories her imagination created, it was best to share them by writing them down, as creative writing pieces. This had proved a great tool as getting the visions down on paper helped get them out of her over-thinking mind.
To be able to talk openly about all the weirdness with her newly found other half would be such a relief.
Toby actually took the lead and began the conversation. “I know, let’s play 3s!”
“Is that a card game?” asked Beth.
“Nope, it goes like this; you tell me 3 facts about you, two truths and a lie and I have to guess which is the lie. I’ll go first. Okay, so here’s my 3.” Toby sounded a drumroll with his fingers on the small timber coffee table.
“Fact 1; I hold the record number of fails at SHS in Drivers’ Ed.
Fact 2; I am currently working on a grand master plan, for an Amendment for the U.S Constitution.
Fact 3; I use my status as DJ to send subliminal messages to the segments in the cafeteria. I’ll give you some think time and when the buzzer sounds…give me the lie.”
He made a ticking clock noise for a minute, then made a buzzer sound.
/> “Well, as we are the only two seniors on bikes, I’ll go with the record for Drivers’ Ed fails as a truth. I wouldn’t be surprised that you would take on the impossible, so fact 2 is true, you obviously have a Grand Master Plan in store for the Constitution.” Beth laughed. “And recalling my experience with the song dedication, you’re undoubtedly working on this plot as well, but I think you haven’t yet cracked the subliminal code, so there’s the lie.”
“Correct. I wonder if they’ll put my name on one of the honor boards for my Drivers’ Ed. fails! And yes, I am working on a Constitutional Amendment.” He again played out a drumroll. “And the lie goes to… I still haven’t worked out how to reprogram the masses via radio yet. Okay, over to you.”
Beth had been mulling over which facts to deploy that would steer the conversation to a place of insight for Toby. “Right, here are my three:
Fact 1. I hold a Black Belt 2nd Dan in Karate.
Fact 2. I have swum across the Ganges River.
Fact 3. Tonight, I just witnessed a cat transform into a man.”
Beth looked into the fire, feeling a lump catch her throat, awaiting his reaction.
Toby laughed. “What is Big M burning in the fire to make you see that shite? Okay, here goes. You’ve been in China for a while so maybe you are a real Karate Kid, making it handy to have you around. You’ve spent time in India, so I’d say the Ganges swim is real. They’re your two truths.” Toby sounded another drumroll. “Therefore I’m going with your lie is Fact 3, which I must add—you made it pretty easy with the shapeshifting bit.”
“That’s where you are wrong, my friend. The answer is Fact 1, true: I am a proud holder of a Black Belt, 2nd Dan. Martial arts were a compulsory part of my last four years and, as a full-time boarder, I was able to train seven days a week, which expedited my progress. Fact 2 is my lie: I haven’t ever swum across the Ganges. You need to brush up on your Environmental Science. Have you seen how wide that river is? As for fact 3, Toby, that’s a definite truth. Maggie isn’t burning anything strange in this fire. I saw a cat turn into a man in the lighthouse carpark.”
“Don’t you think you may be seeing things after the Maple scare in your bedroom? You probably were a bit more shaken up than you let on.”
“Toby…somehow I don’t think that cat in my room was Maple…” Beth pointed at the hallway door where Maple stood looking at them and meowed loudly, both bright yellow eyes wide open and not a sign of any stitched eye socket or damage.
CHAPTER 7
Illusion
“Illusion is the first of all pleasures”
– VOLTAIRE
“Beth, are you sure it wasn’t just a shadow or something on his eye? You’re starting to trip me out with this.” Toby gave her a half smile to try to lighten his disbelief. Beth had been standing right in front of the fire and staring silently into it for a while now.
She slowly shook her head, not knowing how or where to start with the ‘tripping out material’ Toby alluded to. “I need you, of all people, to not ‘trip out’.” Beth felt a hot, wet tear roll down her cheek. She brushed it away and continued, “I need you to listen. I’m not expecting you can solve any of the mystery surrounding the stories I tell you, you’re just going to have to trust that I’m not crazy. The cat’s eye in my room was sewn shut with thick black stitches. It was not Maple, and the shapeshifting I witnessed was real, too. I can’t explain why I see these sorts of things, I just always have. I’ve had loads of therapists over the years and not one of them has been able to enlighten me with any scientific reason. I’m always told the same thing—I just have to accept my overactive imagination.”
“Okay, you don’t need to get defensive about anything with me. I’ll do my best to work with you on this shite. Don’t feel you have to give me your whole shrink history, just let me know what I can do to help.” Toby put his hand gently on her shoulder. “Everything will work out, and rest assured it takes one to know one.”
“One what?” asked Beth.
“Complete looney.” Toby grinned.
Beth laughed softly and gave him a playful whack in the arm.
“Let’s not work on the English assignment tonight. Come on, we’ll ride into town and see what’s happening. I know, I’ve got a 2 for 1 coupon, so we can check out what’s on at the movies.” Toby grabbed his jacket. “I’ll bring your bike around, go and get ready.”
Beth wrote a note for Maggie and left it by the phone, locked the door and they jumped on their bikes, the gravel drive crunching beneath their tires, and took off into town.
There was a bike rack in the carpark behind the cinema and they secured their rides and headed in.
“Excellent, that new ‘Pixar’ film is showing; let’s get amongst it with the kids.” Toby handed her the coupon. “You get the tickets, I’ll get the popcorn.”
Beth lined up behind several family groups with high-pitched, excitedly noisy voices coming from several of the smaller kids already.
“Wait until they have cotton candy on board as well,” Toby said as he appeared, handing Beth a soda and balancing what looked like a bucket of buttery popcorn.
“How are we going to eat all that after the pizza?” Beth pointed to the oversized serve.
“Don’t worry, my stomach always makes room for the important food groups. Popcorn definitely being one of them.”
They headed into the nearly full cinema, took their seats, and found themselves immediately transported into the fantastic visual feast and, as ever, a great emotive story.
“Pure genius that stuff is! See, doesn’t the world seem a better place after that?” Toby chatted away about his favorite character as they made their way back to their bikes. A low-lying misty fog was rolling in off the harbor; the masts that were visible appeared as though they were bobbing straws in a steaming cauldron. When they reached their bikes, Toby bent to unlock his bike chain from the rear tire. Beth heard loud male voices across the carpark down towards the pier. It was difficult to make out what they were saying, but one thing was sure – they were drunk.
Through the haze, she spotted three intoxicated figures and, between them, the giant familiar silhouette of Likely. They were taking it in turns to stagger up and try to push him over.
The biggest of the three had his turn, then fell about laughing, and yelled to his accomplices, “See, I told you he doesn’t even move. He’s like a big dumb rock.”
“Toby, stop fiddling with that lock! Likely is over there and it looks like he needs our help!” Beth tapped his shoulder, pointed to the melee and started to sprint across the carpark.
Toby, who had his earphones in while messing about with the bike, looked up, sprang to his feet and raced after her calling out, “Hang on, you don’t know what you’re dealing with yet. Wait up, I’ll call the police!”
Adrenaline flooded through every cell in Beth’s body, as, ignoring Toby’s pleas behind her, she called out to the trio, “Stop it! Stop pushing him around NOW!”
They looked up and, seeing Beth racing towards them, started to laugh again. “Looky who we have here, it’s Wonder Woman to the rescue! Come on down, princess, you’ll be even more fun to play with than kid rock here.”
Beth stepped between the bigger boy and Likely. “I said, leave him alone. Why don’t you take yourselves onto the pier and cool off ?”
The reeking thug took a step towards her and, as he reached out his hand, she grabbed his arm and with one swift move, had him immobilized. He went down easily, his balance compromised by the bottle of vodka he had recently consumed.
Toby approached the other boys. They were all so drunk they could hardly stand up. “You heard her – Feck off! Otherwise, we’ll have to bring you all down. You wouldn’t want that getting out, that you were brought to your knees in one move, would you?”
The boys looked a similar age to them and Toby recognized the sweater on one of them from the private boys’ boarding school up the road. They were obviously aware of Likely’s uniqu
e condition as no one in their right mind would consider picking on a boy of his size and they were also unaware that Toby did not hold Beth’s martial art skills.
Beth held the bigger boy’s arm in position. He turned his head to look at Toby slurring his words, “Ouch! Get your psycho girlfriend off me! We were just having some fun, no one could cause that giant lump any harm.”
“You apologize to my friend first. You’re a pack of drunken, spineless cowards!” Beth’s voice remained calm and strong. She looked at Likely who was still standing there, his inscrutable expression unchanged and unfazed.
Toby joined in, “And then, get lost and go back to your boarding house before I call the school and show them the footage I just shot.” He waved his cell phone at them. “And don’t think about taking my phone because I just sent it through to facey.”
With the threat of that news and the guaranteed expulsion and consequences that would result, the three of them apologized. Beth released her prey and the three boys staggered off towards Front Street, pushing and shoving each other as they went.
“Come on, Likely. You come with us, buddy. We’ll ride out with you to your place, okay? You can have my bike and I’ll ride double with Beth. It’s only a mile or two out of town.”
Likely followed them back towards their bikes. His size made Toby’s bike look like a circus toy. They pedaled out of the main part of town down a lane and, as the moon came out from behind a cloudbank, it revealed a small rundown cottage at the back of a large heavily treed allotment. A soft glow from a lopsided lampshade was just visible through one of the dirty front windows.
Likely dismounted upon reaching the dilapidated wrought iron gate, and leaned the bike against the gatepost. He walked over and shook Toby’s hand in his massive one. Then he turned to face Beth. He did not move to approach her but instead looked so deeply into her eyes that she could almost feel his soul enter them. Placing his hand in a fist he put it up to rest on his heart and held it there.
Beth took a minute to register how to respond to this incredible gesture of heartfelt intensity and then instinctively made a fist and placed hers on her heart, smiling up at the gentle giant.
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