Voices
Chapter 2
by Judie Lynne, published on March 3, 2001
Just as quickly as the tiny winged creature had appeared, it disappeared, leaving sparkling fragments of light behind. As the lighted particles faded, Gabriel realized his mouth was hanging wide open. He stared at the spot where 'it' had been for a few seconds more, then quickly panned the room for any telltale signs of its return. Nothing.
Gabriel bolted for the door, flung it open, and flew down the stairs, taking two and three at a time, nearly ramming his body into a pillar at the bottom. At the bottom, one hand on the rail, he turned his head, and gazed upwards, almost waiting for the winged creature to suddenly appear. It didn't. Suddenly he realized that the knuckles on his hand were white and cramped as a result of the tight grip he had on the rail. Releasing his hand, he backed away from the staircase, and quickly headed into the main living room.
In the corner of the room, Gerde sat at her desk, busy writing letters to various people who had requested help from the Schattenjäger. She hadn't looked up when Gabriel entered the room, although she knew he was there. She found it annoying when he bounded into a room, breaking her thought processes, and expecting her to drop everything to pay attention to him. She had long given up hope of Gabriel ever changing his abrupt and often crude ways. He wasn't like Wolfgang in that sense, but there was something about him that she did find endearing. She had promised herself that she would never reveal that to him. She didn't want any words or actions to be misinterpreted as more than casual and friendly. She wasn't even certain how deep the feelings went and wasn't willing to explore the matter. Her involvement with Wolfgang was so powerful and vivid to her still. She couldn't imagine having feelings like that for another man. She would, however, feel her heart skip a beat whenever Gabriel even intimated a possibility of leaving Germany. This was confusing, but all the same, she would put it out of her mind and refuse to analyze it.
Gabriel sat down in a very hard and uncomfortable mahogany chair with an ungiving thick brocade seat. Looking at Gerde at work at her desk, he wondered again why she would be willing to spend all her time at the castle researching after already spending long hours helping with the upkeep of the living quarters. She was still young enough to have a social life, and develop other interests. She was beautiful, and had such an air of confidence and serenity, that Gabriel did not have a hard time understanding how Wolfgang fell in love with her. There was something, though, that put a barrier between Gerde and him. He couldn't put his finger on it. It was almost as though any liaisons, other than business or friendship, would be taboo. He felt it. He hadn't even entertained any thoughts of seduction towards Gerde. That was out of the question. Still, he had grown comfortable with her in the picture, and knew that at least for now, he wanted her to stay in it.
Gerde finally looked up. "Gabriel?"
"Hey there. I saw that you were busy and all. I didn't want to bother ya. " There was that crooked smile again, the one he displayed when he was a little embarrassed or nervous.
She noticed that he was wringing his hands. Also, he was hunched up, looking around the room, biting his lower lip. Something was wrong.
"What is it, Gabriel?" Gerde was now out of her chair and walking towards Gabriel. When she reached him, he quickly stood up, and began fumbling with the chair, causing it to turn over and crash with a thud into the doorway. Now, she was positive something was wrong!
Picking up the chair, and righting it back where it had stood, Gabriel just shook his head slowly back and forth."Gerde, you won't believe what happened to me. I'm having a hard time believin' it myself. I gotta tell you about it though. Please promise me, you won't laugh."
Gerde wasn't smiling. A look of worry crossed her face, and she suddenly had real concern for Gabriel. His appearance reminded her of a time when Wolfgang had told her about an episode of a supernatural nature that had happened to him in his past. That same look.... .
"Come, Gabriel, sit and tell me what happened. You must know that I wouldn't laugh at you. I have already proven that to you many times over the past few years".
As Gabriel recalled his experience in the den with the tiny visitor, Gerde, sat, head cocked and listening with wonder and complete belief. Why wouldn't she believe. She knew Gabriel's history. If she would believe all of that, this would not be a problem to add.
When he finished his recollection, Gerde leaned forward, and asked, "Gabriel, what did it look like? Did it have a distinguishable face?"
Well", Gabriel drawled, " I really couldn't make out the face..all I could see was the form... a tiny angel-fairy like critter, with wings. The wings were constantly moving, and the space all around it seemed to have a blurred effect. There was that buzzing sound too..the wings... almost like a fly would sound. Then, there was a sound as though it were laughing at me..just a slight and very brief childlike laugh. There was also an awful lot of light all around it, and when it disappeared, the light sort of broke up into colors and smaller rays, and finally dissipated. Gone. Not a trace anywhere. All in all, it gave me the creeps."
Silence hung over the room for what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only 2 minutes.
"Gabriel, if it appears again, please call me. I think you should keep your camera with you so that you can take pictures if it appears again. If it does return, try to concentrate on how it looks, and see if you can communicate with it."
"Good advice, Gerde. I'll just do that. So what do you think? Any feelings on this..like what it could be?"
"Not at all, Gabriel. I have no idea what it could be. I wouldn't dismiss it as benign though. It may not have friendly intentions."
" My feelings, exactly!" Looking down, Gabriel noticed that he was holding Gerde's hands in his, and quickly withdrew them. Gerde's face was felt flush with embarrassment.
"Well, goodnight Gabriel, I'm going to retire now. I'll see you in the morning." Gerde quickly left the room and scampered up the stairs.
Muttering to himself, he turned out the lights in the room, and headed up towards his bedroom. After he showered and prepared for bed, he decided to take one last peek into the den, just in case 'it' returned. No. Nothing was there except for the furniture, and the ticking of the mantle clock. Turning off the light, he turned into his room again and lie down on his bed.
After 5 minutes or so, sleep was slowly coming on, and the faint sound of buzzing became louder and closer. A slight breeze and warmth made their presence around Gabriel's face. He opened his eyes slowly. It was back.
Last update: October 24, 2007
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