Chương 26: Madness and lechery

The sky was a thick grey over the orphanage , the sun not been seen for three days then . The lands were finally cleaned and the building repaired , from top to bottom . It didn't gleam like a jewel but now had a fresh air of solemnity around it .

Henric lay in his bed , his eyes closed , trying very hard not to think . He had been told to rest by Sister Irene when he nearly collapsed at benediction . When she found out he had not been sleeping much , she'd pinched his ears until they turned red .

Now he lay still , his eyes closed trying not to think and trying to sleep . And ... to not think about what he had found a few minutes after he entered his room . He had walked in , sat on the bed , opened his drawer to get his crucifix but found his mirror .

He'd recoiled at first as if he'd seen a snake , his heart beating at the speed of a train . Then he'd calmed down and shut the drawer without taking anything out . He didn't know how it was back , Sister Becca had taken it the night they found him in the garden unconscious . He'd tried getting it back but she'd refused and claimed it was not appropriate for him to have a hand mirror .

After two minutes of failed attempts at sleeping he opened his drawer again and looked inside . The mirror was not broken , he saw , not a crack on its surface at all and that just made him confused . He reached in and took out his crucifix , then shut the drawer .

He curled himself into a ball and held his crucifix tightly until it left marks on his hand . Madness , he thought , he was going insane . First it was the dream , then the voice , then the mirror reappeared from who knew where and he knew that he was going insane .

He shut his eyes tightly and felt an abyss of fear and loneliness consume him . If only Sister Cali was there , she would have comforted him , reassured him that he was not mad , that it was something else entirely .

But she wasn't and each day after that night , he felt like he was slipping into a whirlwind of lunacy . He didn't eat as much , his body was more bonier , his eyes were darker and he seemed so miserable . Stuart always asked if he was okay and Henric said yes . Because what else could he say ? That he was going insane ? That he was possessed ?

Why , he thought sadly , why me ? I wish I could die .

{ Weeping }

Henric's eyes slowly opened at the sound of the voice . No , he thought , it had been in his mind not the real world . It hadn't been a sound but a thought , from someone or something else .

He thought of turning around and looking at his nightstand . It was there , the mirror , that's where the voice came from . He thought about taking it and giving it back to Sister Becca but the idea left a sour taste in his mouth . He didn't want to give her the mirror , it had been a gift from Sister Cali .

But had she known it would drive him insane ? That he'd be so miserable and afraid to close his eyes ? That he'd wish for death ?

{ Weeping }

Henric tensed as the voice sounded in his mind again . He unwound from his ball and looked at the nightstand . It was right there , he could take it and throw it out the window , maybe then he'd be fine again . But as soon as he thought it he dismissed the idea . He didn't want to destroy the last thing Sister Cali have to him .

After a few moments , he held his crucifix and with his other hand opened the drawer and took out the mirror . He was struck by its beauty again for a moment , it's silver gleam and shine from the jewel in its back . The clarity of the glass reflecting his face in the shadows of the little light in his room .

" Hello ? " He said to it and a moment later the mirror rippled like a puddle disturbed by a pebble .

{ Hello } a voice said from the glass , not the flat voice from his dream but the deeper voice from the garden . When it spoke Henric dropped the mirror on the bed and exclaimed in shock .

" Mother of Christ ! " He said in disbelief .

It was real , he thought , he'd heard it . Or had he ? Was it really real or just his mind ? Or a demon ? Oh , he ruffled his hair and groaned in frustration . How was he supposed to know what was madness and what was reality ?

{ Hello } the voice said again and Henric sighed before taking up the mirror again .

Its surface was still and not rippling anymore . He touched the glass and felt it's cold surface like ice in winter . Turning it around , he tried to see anything particularly wrong or out of place . Maybe some strange words or symbols , something to prove it was maybe magical .

{ Hello } the voice said again , not changing its tone and Henric paused when he heard it . It was a high voice with a dropping sound in it , like someone speaking a language they didn't know . The voice had an accent to it .

" Hello ... What are you ? " Henric asked the glass and this time when it rippled he didn't drop it in fear .

{ Hello ... What are you ? } The voice said and Henric frowned at having his own question thrown back at him .

" I am Henric ... I am a boy . " He answered it .

{ I am a boy } the voice said and Henric frowned at this. Did it just repeat things ?

" Are you a spirit ? " He asked it and the glass rippled slowly .

{ No }

Henric nodded his head , not sure if it or he could see him .

" Are you a ... demon . " He asked apprehensively and the ripples intensified .

{ Laughter . Laughter } it said and Henric frowned deeper .

" Why are you saying laughter ? " He asked it .

{ I am laughing at what you said . It no longer hurts me but amuses me . Laughter . }

Henric was surprised by the longest words it had ever spoken .

" Why don't you just laugh instead of saying laughter ? " He asked and the ripples became more faster and yet not as intense.

{ I can not . I can not , CAN NOT ! } It resounded in Henric's ears and mind like a large gong and the boy criinged .

" Stop it ! " He shouted and there was silence .

Henric took a deep breath , and blew out some air . This was madness , talking to a mirror or whatever was inside the mirror . He was interested he couldn't deny that , asking and speaking to it had been less scarier than he had initially thought . But ...

" What do you want ... from me ? " He asked it and the mirror stayed quiet . Henric repeated the question and the mirror became murky grey like the clouds .

{ I want to be free , } it said and a hand appeared on the glass , shocking the boy again { I want to be ... complete . To be whole }

Henric stared at the hand on the glass expecting it to disappear but instead it stayed there . He looked at it and then at his other hand holding the crucifix . Slowly , he took it off and then raised his hand to put it on the glass . Just as his hand was about to touch the glass , he paused and took a deep breath , then he touched the glass .

.....

Gerald Fox sucked the nipples of the woman infront of him and enjoyed her moans . He'd forgotten her name .

He stood with her legs around his waist , her back against the wall , his arms holding her up . He'd met her in a shop , atleast he thought he did . She was nearly twice his age and he loved it , he loved the older ones .

He lifted her up and rammed into her again , earning a plea for more that nearly had him unravel but Gerald held it in . He was good at sex , very good , had plenty of practice daily and weekly and annually .

He wasn't like his brother , his older brother , who ran the family business in Boston . He made all the money flow and sent Gerald his share of it as part of the family . Oh , the things Gerald had used that money for would have made his brother blush and thinking about it finally put Gerald over the top and he climaxed , which made the woman climax for the third time that night .

After a moment , he detached himself from her and pulled up his pants . The woman lowered her skirts and fixed her hair into a bun trying to look like she'd not just have her body ravaged .

" So when will I see you again ? " She asked him and he gave her a charming smile before kissing her on the lips , taking her breath away .

" Goodbye , darling. " He said , still he could not remember her name . He turned around and left her , holding her lip and looking at retreating handsome back with longing . But that's all she could do .

Gerald was handsome , with a strong jaw , red brown hair and a charm born from knowing his desires . From a young age , he'd always had a way of persuading anyone into giving him what he wanted and he always got it .

His brother had wanted him to put his charm to use in the family business but Gerald had disagreed . He had been young , he had wanted to taste the pleasures of the world and not spend his life in a suit and with a pen in his hand . But with a suit and a tit in his hand .

He chuckled to himself at the little joke as he walked the streets . Serena would hate that joke , he thought and frowned , Serena . He hadn't been to see her in weeks or was it months ? Although they were nowhere nearly as intimate as they had been , she was still his wife , even if it was on paper .

He turned a corner to go to her shop but as he rounded he bend , he remembered that her shop was gone and that she'd started working at the Pearl orphanage out of town . With all those boys and nuns . He shrugged his shoulders not caring .

Serena could do as she pleased , he thought , it's what he did . A light in his eye caught his attention and he turned around to see a woman entering an inn across the street . Even from this distance , he could see the grey in her hair and the round curves of her behind . He felt himself grow aroused again and quickly followed her into the inn .

Another conquest for the night .