Post by Lorpius Prime on Jan 17, 2008 2:46:28 GMT -5
Jay made sure that Jack had a proper burial.
Münchhausen had actually opposed the suggestion, briefly. Jay, shivering with rage, had stared the Baron down until he relented. He supposed he might feel good about that moral victory, but he actually just felt ill.
Some of the others had helped him dig the grave in the small lot behind the inn and then stood respectfully for a while; Münchhausen and the innkeeper himself were the only notable exceptions. None of them were priests however, nor had they known Jack very well. Even he had only met Jack a few days ago, Jay reflected. But that didn’t mean his body shouldn’t be properly respected in death. After several minutes of silent memorial, the others filtered back inside the inn, leaving Jay beside the fresh grave marked by its crude wooden cross.
For his part, Jay was sitting on the ground and paging thoughtfully through his grandfather’s prayer book. Having it to fall back on had been immensely reassuring.
Almighty God,
as you bring us face to face with our mortality,
we thank you for making each one of us in your own image
and giving us gifts in body, mind and spirit.
We thank you now as we honour the memory of Jack Duggan,
whom you gave to us and have taken away.
We entrust him to your mercy,
and pray that you will show us the path of life,
and the fullness of joy in your presence
through all eternity.
Amen.
He sighed and turned to the next page of the funeral services, then paused to read something written in the margins. Jay had to squint to make out his grandfather’s handwriting, the lamp beside him pushed only timidly back at the dark.
Buried Anne today. It feels as if all my strength were spent and I fear I shall not long survive her. Lord watch over our son.
It took several deep breaths before Jay had fully processed that. He wondered if it was the last thing his grandfather had written in the little book. Nothing in it was dated, and to Jay’s shame he didn’t know how closely to one another his grandparents had died.
He knew that they had been older, much older, than Jay’s own parents had been when they were married. He couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for his father. Baron Blake had put himself through school and started his career without any family around him at all. Jay shuddered at the thought of that kind of loneliness.
Not that he was exactly in warm company himself at the moment.
Something flickered at the top edges of his vision and Jay looked up. The boy, Theodore, had walked out to the little plot, crossing the lighted windows of the inn along the way. He wore a heavy travelling cloak, fastened at the neck and again around his waist with a thick belt. He made a small gesture with his hand, inviting Jay to stand up.
Jay would have preferred to stay where he was a while longer, but he couldn’t find any reason he actually needed to remain. Instead, he gently closed his grandfather’s book and pushed against the earth with his left hand to climb to his feet.
“Mr. Blake…” Theodore began, then trailed off.
“Yes?” Jay tried not to let too much of his weariness creep into his voice.
Theodore turned his head, as if to glance over his shoulder, but then checked the move and visibly set himself.
“I am returning to Munich, and from there I will be travelling on to the Chiemsee,” he said, his voice dropping into the harsh local speech for the last word. “I have asked that you be allowed to accompany me and the others… have agreed. I think you should come along, Mr. Blake.”
Jay met the younger man’s hard gaze and wondered just how old Theodore actually was. He certainly didn’t talk like the teenaged boy Jay had taken him for.
“I don’t want to go to Munich. Or at least, not right now, I’ll probably have to go to the air station there eventually. But I need to send some telegrams back home, first,” he explained. “And I’d really like to get some sleep before that, too.” Jay nodded towards the inn.
He could see the muscles around Theodore’s eyes tightening, “While I can sympathize with your feelings, Mr. Blake, I do not think remaining here would be a good idea for you any longer. It isn’t safe.”
“As if any place were safe for me these days,” Jay muttered bitterly. “But I do need to do this. And the Baron seems able to keep trouble distant enough.” Somehow, Jay added in his thoughts.
Theodore shook his head, “Mr. Blake, you must have realized by now that Karl does not like you. You have been very useful to him, to all our fortunes, but he blames you, or at least your countrymen, for some rather distasteful things. I believe he feels a great deal of shame about his circumstances, and I do not know how long he would continue to tolerate you.”
Jay quirked an eyebrow, “I thought he’d been rather rude and… uncaring, but—“
“Mr. Blake,” Theodore interrupted, “I must urge you to consider what I am saying very seriously.” He paused until he was sure he had Jay’s full attention. “You may think Karl has been ‘rude’ to you, but be assured that is only the mildest expression of his nature. He is an exceedingly dangerous man, and one with whom I myself only associate because of some extraordinary circumstances. I shudder to think what may become of you should you choose to remain here.”
Jay’s initial thought was to laugh, but Theodore’s eyes were deadly serious and he swallowed instead. He looked past the stout little fellow to the soft yellow glow of the inn windows, but could not see anything inside.
“You’re going to Munich?”
“I will be passing through Augsburg,” he nodded. “It would be easier for you to send a telegram anonymously from there.”
Jay licked his lips, considering. He didn’t really believe Theodore, but some dark corner of his brain was screaming its fears of the strange Baron, and Jay just couldn’t shake the discomfort of those thoughts.
“Very well,” he relented. “If I can just get my things again…?”
Theodore let the Englishman go. He didn’t expect anything gruesome to happen to the reporter while he still lingered. And the chore would give Theodore time to properly seal the grave against anything which might have designs on its contents.
Book One, Chapter:
-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-
-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-
-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-58-59-60-61-62-
Appendix: -A-B-C-
Münchhausen had actually opposed the suggestion, briefly. Jay, shivering with rage, had stared the Baron down until he relented. He supposed he might feel good about that moral victory, but he actually just felt ill.
Some of the others had helped him dig the grave in the small lot behind the inn and then stood respectfully for a while; Münchhausen and the innkeeper himself were the only notable exceptions. None of them were priests however, nor had they known Jack very well. Even he had only met Jack a few days ago, Jay reflected. But that didn’t mean his body shouldn’t be properly respected in death. After several minutes of silent memorial, the others filtered back inside the inn, leaving Jay beside the fresh grave marked by its crude wooden cross.
For his part, Jay was sitting on the ground and paging thoughtfully through his grandfather’s prayer book. Having it to fall back on had been immensely reassuring.
Almighty God,
as you bring us face to face with our mortality,
we thank you for making each one of us in your own image
and giving us gifts in body, mind and spirit.
We thank you now as we honour the memory of Jack Duggan,
whom you gave to us and have taken away.
We entrust him to your mercy,
and pray that you will show us the path of life,
and the fullness of joy in your presence
through all eternity.
Amen.
He sighed and turned to the next page of the funeral services, then paused to read something written in the margins. Jay had to squint to make out his grandfather’s handwriting, the lamp beside him pushed only timidly back at the dark.
Buried Anne today. It feels as if all my strength were spent and I fear I shall not long survive her. Lord watch over our son.
It took several deep breaths before Jay had fully processed that. He wondered if it was the last thing his grandfather had written in the little book. Nothing in it was dated, and to Jay’s shame he didn’t know how closely to one another his grandparents had died.
He knew that they had been older, much older, than Jay’s own parents had been when they were married. He couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for his father. Baron Blake had put himself through school and started his career without any family around him at all. Jay shuddered at the thought of that kind of loneliness.
Not that he was exactly in warm company himself at the moment.
Something flickered at the top edges of his vision and Jay looked up. The boy, Theodore, had walked out to the little plot, crossing the lighted windows of the inn along the way. He wore a heavy travelling cloak, fastened at the neck and again around his waist with a thick belt. He made a small gesture with his hand, inviting Jay to stand up.
Jay would have preferred to stay where he was a while longer, but he couldn’t find any reason he actually needed to remain. Instead, he gently closed his grandfather’s book and pushed against the earth with his left hand to climb to his feet.
“Mr. Blake…” Theodore began, then trailed off.
“Yes?” Jay tried not to let too much of his weariness creep into his voice.
Theodore turned his head, as if to glance over his shoulder, but then checked the move and visibly set himself.
“I am returning to Munich, and from there I will be travelling on to the Chiemsee,” he said, his voice dropping into the harsh local speech for the last word. “I have asked that you be allowed to accompany me and the others… have agreed. I think you should come along, Mr. Blake.”
Jay met the younger man’s hard gaze and wondered just how old Theodore actually was. He certainly didn’t talk like the teenaged boy Jay had taken him for.
“I don’t want to go to Munich. Or at least, not right now, I’ll probably have to go to the air station there eventually. But I need to send some telegrams back home, first,” he explained. “And I’d really like to get some sleep before that, too.” Jay nodded towards the inn.
He could see the muscles around Theodore’s eyes tightening, “While I can sympathize with your feelings, Mr. Blake, I do not think remaining here would be a good idea for you any longer. It isn’t safe.”
“As if any place were safe for me these days,” Jay muttered bitterly. “But I do need to do this. And the Baron seems able to keep trouble distant enough.” Somehow, Jay added in his thoughts.
Theodore shook his head, “Mr. Blake, you must have realized by now that Karl does not like you. You have been very useful to him, to all our fortunes, but he blames you, or at least your countrymen, for some rather distasteful things. I believe he feels a great deal of shame about his circumstances, and I do not know how long he would continue to tolerate you.”
Jay quirked an eyebrow, “I thought he’d been rather rude and… uncaring, but—“
“Mr. Blake,” Theodore interrupted, “I must urge you to consider what I am saying very seriously.” He paused until he was sure he had Jay’s full attention. “You may think Karl has been ‘rude’ to you, but be assured that is only the mildest expression of his nature. He is an exceedingly dangerous man, and one with whom I myself only associate because of some extraordinary circumstances. I shudder to think what may become of you should you choose to remain here.”
Jay’s initial thought was to laugh, but Theodore’s eyes were deadly serious and he swallowed instead. He looked past the stout little fellow to the soft yellow glow of the inn windows, but could not see anything inside.
“You’re going to Munich?”
“I will be passing through Augsburg,” he nodded. “It would be easier for you to send a telegram anonymously from there.”
Jay licked his lips, considering. He didn’t really believe Theodore, but some dark corner of his brain was screaming its fears of the strange Baron, and Jay just couldn’t shake the discomfort of those thoughts.
“Very well,” he relented. “If I can just get my things again…?”
Theodore let the Englishman go. He didn’t expect anything gruesome to happen to the reporter while he still lingered. And the chore would give Theodore time to properly seal the grave against anything which might have designs on its contents.
Book One, Chapter:
-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-
-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40-41-42-
-43-44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-58-59-60-61-62-
Appendix: -A-B-C-