Mammon- Dark Rift Rising by J B Thomas

Author:J B Thomas [Thomas, J B]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781974565023
Published: 2020-01-26T07:00:00+00:00

After a long sleep, Grace woke. She stared at the ceiling as the dawn’s glow shed faint light on the forest floor. Her limbs relaxed; her flesh tingled from the dream – falling, over and over – then flying over the trees.

The way she felt- it was as if she’d died. Never again, she thought. Never will I let anyone do that to me again. She shuffled to the shower and huddled under a lukewarm spray. Shivering, she threw on a pair of grey track pants and white t-shirt.

As she towel-dried her hair, she glanced out the window. The cloud blanket had evaporated and new sunshine spread over the earth.

A knock sounded at the door.

‘Come in!’

Diana poked her head through. ‘May I come in?’

‘Sure.’

Her aunt sat on a chair and crossed her legs. ‘How did you find last night?’

‘Interesting.’ Grace sank on to the bed. She picked up her comb and ran it through her hair, watching as her aunt began weaving the frayed edges of the blanket through her fingers in a very familiar way.

She put the comb down. ‘Diana –’

‘I know what you want to say, Grace.’

‘I want to apologise. I should have told you about my gift.’

‘I don’t blame you.’ Diana’s eyes softened. ‘You don’t really know me, Grace. That’s my fault. I’m sorry that I didn’t stay in touch.’

‘You’ve been busy.’

‘I just want you to know that I am here for you. I’m so very sorry that things have turned out this way. I would have preferred to reunite under more happy circumstances.’

Diana reached into her pocket. ‘I hope this helps.’

She held out a photograph. Grace peered at the image of her mother, leaning over a newborn baby. The infant was touching her mother’s face, which radiated with love, softer than she’d ever seen it – not yet worn by the burdens to come.

‘This is me.’

‘Yes.’ Diana gazed at the picture. ‘It was from an old SLR camera I used to play around with. Your Dad took that photo.’

She leaned back on her hands, watching Grace hold the photo up in the light. ‘I forgot about it until after the funeral – it was sitting in a box of stuff.’

‘Thank you.’ Grace propped the picture next to her bedside lamp.

‘I know Susie can’t be here. I’d do anything to fix that. But I want you to know that I am here for you.’

‘Thanks.’

Diana leaned forward. ‘How are you coping? Do you need anything?’

Grace took a deep breath. ‘I feel like I’m still numb, or kind of frozen. It’s weird. I feel guilty ‘cause I haven’t cried yet.’

‘Mm.’ Diana nodded. ‘That feeling will melt away. I grieved the same way for your grandmother.

Couldn’t cry for days, and then one day –’

She clicked her fingers.

‘The dam broke and I was incoherent.’

Grace pictured her grandmother’s house in the country: the long grasses outside the weatherboard frame, the smell of hay in the barn and combined sounds of whistling kettle and butter knives scraping against fresh toast. ‘I miss Nan too.

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