The Room Beyond by Elmas Stephanie

Author:Elmas, Stephanie [Elmas, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-09-28T21:00:00+00:00

SERENA’S STORY

‘Come on Beth, you’ve got to be scared of something!’ Seb exclaimed from across the dining table.

‘Nooo,’ she nibbled on a breadstick. ‘I can’t think of anything.’

‘Not even monsters?’

‘Or large bloody wounds oozing with blood?’

‘Robert! Don’t terrify the child on her birthday!’ said Arabella.

‘Noooope.’

‘As I was saying... everyone’s got a phobia,’ continued Edward. ‘Beth just hasn’t discovered hers yet. I have one.’

‘Do you dear?’ Arabella looked around the table with stunned eyes. ‘I never knew.’

‘Yes, I do: the sound of two pieces of polystyrene squeaking against each other. Makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. I have to leave the room.’

‘Goodness, after all these years of marriage I never knew. But does that really count as a phobia?’

Robert smiled authoritatively. ‘I would say so. It’s not unlike the fear of fingernails scratching the surface of a blackboard. Doesn’t bother me, but spiders do.’

‘Boring!’ bellowed Edward. ‘Spiders, snakes, I’ve heard it all before. Anyone got something more interesting to add?’

‘Serena’s got a good phobia,’ said Seb quietly.

An array of expectant faces landed on me.

‘Do I?’ I stammered. ‘I wasn’t aware of one.’

‘Yes you do: broken glass. You hate broken glass.’

‘Is that true?’ Edward asked.

‘Yes, in a way. It makes me want to cry when I see it, or be sick. I don’t know, one of the two.’

‘Broken glass, that is a good one,’ he mused. ‘Well you win, a round of applause for Serena.’

They all began to clap heartily and I tried to make a gracious bow.

‘That’s a very pretty necklace Beth, is it new?’ asked Eva.

Beth was wearing a delicate little Celtic cross around her neck which I hadn’t seen before either.

‘Yes! Raphael left it here for me for my birthday. I’ve been waiting all this time to open it. Aren’t I good?!’

She blinked softly at us all with her innocent blue eyes and Seb began to laugh, so infectiously that in a moment we were all laughing too.

‘Ah! Am I interrupting anything?’ came a voice. Sasha was standing in the doorway, his eyes fixed on Eva.

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