Chrysalis by Jeremy Welch

Author:Jeremy Welch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Published: 2017-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Sitting in a pew in Oude Kerk he felt at ease waiting for a prostitute. The service was not due for another two hours. The church was sparsely populated, mostly elderly bending slowly and painfully, the air sterile and cold. Were they forgetting the years past in the hope of everlasting youth when they died or were they praying for those departed who were forever young to them? Sebastian often wondered why people prayed to an unseen better being that never seemed to answer the collective prayers of the faithful as war, famine and misery continued to rise. Even on an individual basis He always seemed just too busy with someone else to provide succour to the pleas and promises of those requesting help. What a waste of time, he thought.

He stared at the sunlight coming through the stained glass windows. The different-coloured lights reflected off the uneven wall surfaces like a kaleidoscope. Sebastian thought if at one stage during the day all the colours met at a single moment to create a white light shining on the crucifix it would be perfect, everything balanced. He would wager it never happened. The priest glided past him in the aisle and smiled at him to see if he could offer pastoral care.

“No thanks, Father, I’m fine,” Sebastian said pointing to a middle-aged woman dressed in black rocking on her knees in front of an arc of candles.

In the peace of the church Sebastian hoped the quiet might slow his thoughts. Had he blown it with Zoe? Their departure had not been quite as he had imagined. “Don’t contact me until the book is finished,” she had said. Had she said it because in the past he hadn’t and she thought he couldn’t? He was disconcerted and felt unbalanced. Too many things happening that he couldn’t control. The troupe would leave soon, leaving him alone in Amsterdam unless he could finish the book before they left. The book was nearly finished. Well not quite, mostly. Zoe had left him with the hope of a reunion, or was it in the knowledge there might never be one? He hated the responsibility of being in charge and the temptation to drift was strong, the current hard to resist. Let it all be someone else’s fault. He let his breath out in a resigned sigh.

“Fuck it,” he muttered to the nave.

He stood up to leave and walked towards the rear door. He turned with a cynical look at the crucifix. Below it was a woman walking towards him. She was pulling at the strings of a stained white apron revealing the uniform of all charity workers: practical loose-fitting trousers, soft nurses’ shoes and a patterned jumper. He waited for her at the door.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said wiping her hands on the apron. “They’re hungry that lot.”

“Hello Rosie,” Sebastian guiltily replied as he had been caught in the act of leaving.

“I’ll just get my coat.” She wandered off into the shadows, her presence now the smell of school cooking, cabbage mostly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.