The Unforgiven Sin

by R. Twine

  I thoroughly studied the contract: they were offering me a decent sum for a year’s work. Two weeks later I was in Paris again. There was no going back.

  Preparation for the advertising campaign of a new perfume was underway. There were a lot of photo sessions, but Henry was amazingly easy to work with, and he really turned out to be an outstanding expert in his field. Proofs were regularly sent to the customer. After approval, my pictures were to appear in the next issue of the magazine. All I had to do was to wait for the outcome.

  ‘Soon we’re going to film an advertising clip, Miriam. I will call you later,’ said Madame Derek instead of goodbye, and there was contentment in her voice.

  As the cliché goes, I woke up one morning several months later and found myself famous. The bumper contract I signed with the company represented by Madame Var promised me excellent prospects. After all the pain I had gone through, it was like a godsend.

  ‘I told you they’d offer you something interesting,’ blurted Nat, and actually jumped.

  ‘Who would have thought that I would be so lucky?’

  ‘You fully deserve it, Miriam. I’m so glad you’ve got what you wanted.’ And Natalie wrapped her arms around me.

  Elian was happy, too; so much so that she nearly started crying.

  ‘This is great, Miriam! Now you are almost famous! Mom showed me the magazine with you on the cover. I just couldn’t believe my eyes – you look so great! I had no way of knowing you had set your mind on becoming a fashion model; you didn’t tell me anything about it,’ she said, clearly hurt by the fact that she wasn’t in the know.

  ‘Don’t be angry with me, Elian, I wasn’t sure myself how things would play out,’ I apologized, feeling slightly embarrassed in front of my girlfriend.

  Chapter 20

  ‘Would you care for a soft drink, Miriam?’ asked Madame Derek, putting a tray on the table.

  I poured myself a glass of apple juice, and sat on a soft couch. Our snow-white yacht was heading for Corsica, carrying some twenty people on board including a camera crew and models. I was supposed to be filmed for a new advertising clip, and in the previous few months I had already done several of them. The clips were meant to promote a series of new perfumes which followed one another. The sales grew and everything went well.

  ‘There’s some exciting news I want to share with you, Miriam,’ Madame Derek moved closer to me and said in a barely audible whisper. ‘I had a phone call from an agent of a very big American film studio. He took an interest in your portfolio. He’s going to be in Paris in a month’s time, and asked me to arrange a meeting with you. There will be a lot of hopefuls for the role,’ she added, and then paused for a long while. ‘Miriam, the agent is looking for a lead character in the film which is supposed to be directed by none other than Jack Nilsson – can you imagine? If he fixes upon you, it will be the most marvelous piece of luck for our company!’

  Over the following year, business began to pick up for the modeling agency, and it was partially thanks to me. After several rather lucrative offers Madame Derek’s attitude to me drastically changed: her matter-of-fact benevolent tone became a thing of the past, and soon she started calling me up for no specific reason – just to chat and ask me how I was. I knew she was single and lonely, and I tried to become a little bit closer to her. It seemed to me that she had come to regard me as the daughter she once said she regretted not having. As for Henry, I made friends with him, too; he ceased looking as repulsive to me as when we first met. During photo sessions we would fall into step perfectly, and sometimes we even had private conversations, like good friends.

  ‘Miriam, you came to my agency, and good luck came along with you!’ Madame Derek would tell me. ‘I’m so happy it was to us that you turned. It was Henry who advised me then to invite Madame Var to the casting. She saw your pictures and fell for your candidacy in no time. And now you have a chance to become an actress!’

  I listened to her with great interest, and then said,

  ‘As for your offer, Madame Derek, I will take great pleasure in meeting Jack Nilsson. I like his films and consider him a very gifted director.’

  ‘All right, Miriam,’ she said, and leaned back in her deck chair.

  I reached out for the glass of juice, and Madame Derek suddenly started, took off her sunglasses, and stared in awe at my hand.

  ‘You have such a beautiful ring, Miriam! I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things in my life, but this emerald is really impressive! Where did you get it?’

  ‘This ring belonged to my late mother. It’s a very ancient piece of jewelry.’

  ‘This is a stone of startling beauty, and one of rare purity. In former times, such pieces of jewelry belonged to representatives of royal families,’ gushed Madame Derek.

  ‘In our family, this ring has been passed from generation to generation for hundreds of years. My Mom wore it only a little, whereas my granny almost never took it off. This ring is said to protect its owner – the color of the stone can change abruptly, thus warning about danger. My mom would tell me it started looking like it was filled with blood several days before my granny died. Legend has it that this emerald can only serve our family. If, in some way or other, it happens to come into the possession of another person, then he or she will be in for bad things: the ring will bring nothing but problems upon that person. Therefore it is without the slightest fear that I put on such an expensive thing.’

  ‘That’s some story! By the way, I do believe such jewels live their own lives and tend to choose their masters. But sometimes such things kill those to whom they belong. There are many legends supporting this belief!’ said Madame Derek, clearly excited and agitated by the subject.

  ‘My mother once told me that many years ago this ring had been stolen from my great-grandmother, along with other jewelry. After the theft was revealed, she’d been grieving for the loss and reported the theft to the authorities. The thief left no traces, but then a rumor started to go about that some wealthy woman died about two hundred kilometers away from our family estate. Everybody was talking about a strange ring with a large emerald in it found on the dead woman’s finger; the emerald looked like its inside was filled with blood. My great-grandmother set out immediately for the place where the deceased had lived. Her heart was telling her that it was the ring she had been robbed of. Having arrived for its identification, she was struck dumb: the green emerald had become so dark that it looked almost black. She took it away and put it in its former place. Several days later my great-grandmother opened her jewel box to marvel at the ring she had been so lucky to recover, and was greatly amazed to see that it had become as green as it had been before. Since then, it has never been lost.’

  ‘Your story gives me the creeps! I wouldn’t like to find myself in the shoes of a person who came into possession of the stolen ring because the woman who’d bought it didn’t have the slightest idea of how her purchase would turn out.’ Madame Derek suddenly looked frightened.

  ‘He who doesn’t steal may sleep a peaceful sleep.’ I replied with a slight grin, and went down leaving her alone on the yacht’s upper deck. An outline of the island already materialized in the distance.

  Having thrown my sheathed “Angel” over my shoulder, I snatched my suitcase and went ashore. The view that appeared in front of my eyes was mesmerizing. This was the first time I had come to Corsica, and I wanted to see everything I had heard about and read about so much. But first there was work to consider. The film crew was already on the bus, and Alan, a photographer, was waving his hands energetically, trying to draw my attention as it was time to go to the hotel.

  I was lucky to have gotten a spacious light-filled room with a terrace overlooking the sea. I stood there for a while, enjoying the view and then, after sighting a deserted beach which would be terrific for an evening walk, I got down to my luggage. I hung up my clothes and unpacked “The Little Angel”, leaving it on a bedside chest. Now I had several free hours for the sea and for myself.
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  I walked along the shoreline, leaving my footsteps on the wet sand. There was an expression of permanent bliss upon my face: I was in a good and care-free mood. Seagulls drifted high above in the azure sky; their shrill squeaks echoing over the sea in the crystal-clear air.

  ‘Wait a minute, Miriam, don’t go so fast,’ came a voice from behind me. ‘Who are you trying to run away from – from me or from yourself? So now we meet again. I’ve come back, just as I promised I would. You owe me something, and now is the right time to pay off the debt.’

  I turned round – there was the Angel of Death standing at the water’s edge.

  ‘Have you come for me?’ I asked him.

  ‘No. Not for you. I’ve come to collect the souls of those around you. I’m here to execute your will.’

  ‘My will…? But I didn’t ask you to collect souls,’ I said in confusion.

  ‘These souls will become the pay-off for the ones you sent me several years ago – do you remember?’

  I shuddered. This encounter was the last thing in the world I wanted.

  ‘But I don’t want you to take the lives of innocent people,’ I said quietly, staring at him in bewilderment.

  Sea foam was caressing my feet.

  ‘I warned you, Miriam. It was you who predetermined these people’s fate, and I’ve only come here to execute your will. Bear in mind that asking for something always means giving something in return.’ The Angel of Death disappeared, leaving no traces on the sand.

  ‘Oh, my God!’ I exclaimed, seeing that my feet were washed by blood-colored water.

  I looked up and stiffened, shocked by a terrifying scene. The sea went blood-red, and started swallowing up a white ship. Sea birds, hungry for prey, screamed diving into the water, and then flying swiftly away with bits of human flesh in their beaks. I was suddenly short of breath; the sight of the tragedy literally stung my eyes. Unable to bear the grim spectacle anymore, I squinted with fear for several seconds, trying to drive the vision out of my head, and then started running – gore upon my feet was mixing with sand. It wasn’t the vision I was trying to run away from, it was the reality I was trying to escape. The Angel of Death always comes for a reason.

  Our film crew had been working hard for a week. I asked Madame Derek to allot me several free hours as I was keen to explore the whole island. But the time out that I spent exploring the island led to our being behind schedule.

  ‘Don’t worry, Miriam,’ said Madame Derek. ‘I’d also like to take in as much of my new surroundings as possible. You never know whether you’ll have another opportunity to visit this place again someday. It’s not a problem, you may return a day later,’ she added, dispelling my doubts. ‘There’s more to life than career alone; you have to relish every second and every beautiful moment. When I was younger, I devoted myself entirely to work, and saw nothing around me – I simply didn’t have time for anything else. I was married three times, but none of my marriages survived. My first husband wanted very much to have a baby, but then it turned out that I was sterile, and he filed for divorce,’ said Madame Derek, bitterly. ‘It was very hard for me to part from him, but there was nothing I could do about it – this is life, and gradually I accepted his decision. Work became my salvation at the time.

  ‘The two next marriages fell apart by themselves: I had neither the inner strength nor the desire to keep them going. At that time my career started to gain momentum, and I spent days and nights working. Naturally, following my last divorce, I had a lot of love affairs, but none of them turned into anything serious. My one and only knight in shining armor never came, but I came to realize that human life is very short, years pass by too quickly, and you have to spend them prudently and economically - without pursuing false and illusory values, but trying to relish every day you live instead. A man must live in the here and now, Miriam.

  ‘You know, I set up my agency when I was thirty-four, after climbing all the rungs of the hierarchical ladder in the fashion model business: from an assistant stylist up to a top manager. There was a bit of everything in my life throughout these years: both ups and downs, and relative stability… Career is very important, Miriam. Career means personal fulfillment, always being in demand, independence and social success…But you shouldn’t let your work overshadow the whole world; work cannot and must not be its substitute. Money per se cannot make a person happy.’

  ‘Money… But you cannot do without it. Money talks and rules the world,’ I remarked. The subject of money got me going. ‘Money has a very powerful inner energy. I remember reading somewhere that the constant lack of money makes an individual nervous and nasty…’

  ‘You’re right, Miriam. Several years before you came, the Podium Stars Agency encountered some financial problems caused by enhanced competition and the economic crisis. I developed an antidepressant drug addiction then, because I was in no way able to cope with the problems on my own. Every day there was only one thing I was thinking about: how to put the agency back on track, and pay off my debts. I had to hide my depression because, in our business, nobody wants to deal with a desperate individual. But, it goes without saying, it’s impossible to hide such a deplorable state for long,’ said Madame Derek with a sad smile. ‘You came just in time, and thanks to you and Henry I was able to rise from the ashes. I’m very grateful to you, my dear…’

  ‘But we got diverted from the main thought I was trying to convey to you: work is important, but don’t forget about yourself in the process, and try to live for your own pleasure. I’m confident that everything in our lives is predestined, and nobody has yet managed to escape from his or her fate. You never know whether you are going to have one more chance.’

  Madame Derek turned out to be a wise woman. I felt pity towards her – she never found happiness in her life.

  Corsica was magnificent. I made a mental note to go back there with Natalie and Elian: I wanted to show them this magical island.

  The week flew quickly by, but we were still behind schedule – there still was some work to be done on the promotional video. Henry couldn’t stay on the island any longer, and he asked his companion, Eddy, to finish shooting the video footage.

  ‘I’ll call you as soon as our work is completed,’ I said in the morning, standing on a pier and seeing off Madame Derek and Henry.

  They smiled, and kissed me slightly on both cheeks.

  ‘Good luck, Miriam!’

  A dark premonition squeezed my heart. I wanted to tell them that I was afraid. I was afraid something bad would happen to them. I was afraid I would never see them again.

  Chapter 21

  ‘Well done, Miriam,’ Alan praised me. ‘Henry was right: you’re easy to work with. One more wide shot – and we’ll call it a day. Like this…Great!’

  The wildlife of the island amazed me with its beauty. I stood at the edge of a cliff, looking out into the sea kissing the horizon while the setting sun was flooding the bottomless sky with its pink-red water color. Salty wind was blowing through my hair.

  A mobile telephone rang. Alan answered with his usual “Hal-l-l-o-o-o-w” and stepped aside, putting some distance between him and those always eager to listen. In a couple of minutes he returned and sat down on a boulder, staring blankly into space. He was as pale as death. I had the impression that he had stopped breathing.

  ‘What’s the matter, Alan?’ Eddy asked him. ‘Why are you sitting dead-still? What happened?’

  ‘Who called you, Alan?’ I asked him quietly. ‘Please, don’t be silent, tell me whatever you want.’

  Alan got to his feet, slowly.

  ‘Another floozy of yours stood you up, right?’ Eddy tried to joke.

  ‘I’m doing fine with my floozy, Eddy; Try to come up with a better word next time, would you?’ Alan finally gathered himself up and started reacting to what was going on around him. ‘It was the police. The yacht that was carrying our film crew back to the mainland exploded, killing everybody who was on board. There were no survivors.’
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  I couldn’t wrap my mind around what I just heard. I shuddered all over, my legs went rubbery and I slumped into a chair in order not to collapse to the ground. Eddy was shocked. He stood with the same expression Alan had some moments ago and kept on saying, ‘God Almighty…. How and why could it have happened? I can’t believe it! What a tragedy! We could have been killed along with them if filming had been completed on time …’ He buried his face in his hands.

  ‘Alan,’ I said, forcing myself to speak. ‘What did the police tell you exactly? Give us the details.’

  ‘An explosion was registered. When a rescue helicopter approached the place of the catastrophe, there were no traces of the yacht remaining in the water. The crew of the yacht and its passengers died, and the cause of the accident is still unknown,’ Alan said in a trembling voice.

  ‘That is so awful! We’d also be dead by now if we had been aboard. Now I’ll be dreading boats for the rest of my life!’

  ‘We should be grateful to you, Miriam, for the fact that the three of us are alive and well. We’d be feeding the fish if it weren’t for your museums and trips,’ Eddy mumbled.

  ‘What an awful disaster! Henry is dead! And so is Madame Derek!’ I collapsed to my knees and broke into loud sobs: I finally fathomed the sense of what had happened. ‘God, Almighty! Why did You let this happen?! Why have their lives been taken?’ I exclaimed, tears in my eyes. Then I broke down completely and went into hysterics. ‘This isn’t fair!!!’ I hollered, looking up to the sky.

  I had always kept in mind my recent encounter with the Angel of Death, but up until the very last moment I kept hoping that nothing bad would come out of it; that in the end everything would be all right. I tried to cheat myself, knowing full well that wherever I went and however hard I tried to hide myself, Death would still be following my footsteps anyway. You can cheat yourself, but you cannot cheat Death – he’ll finally catch up with you, and take what is due.