Necklace of Memories (2)

As a purple haze slowly faded I saw a middle aged human female. She looked distorted through the thick glass of the kitchen window. She blurrily finished crimping spider pies and placed them in an oven box suspended over the kitchen fire. After closing the iron door with a burnt cloth, she sat down on a fresh pine stool by the gently popping fire. She looked up directly into my eyes as I stepped forward and eased the door open. Snow blew in swirling quickly before skidding onto the stone flagons as if they had suddenly discovered gravity. Her brown eyes widened in recognition and a smile rapidly dominated her face “Oh, Kendrick, I have been waiting for days. Grandmother said you would be here before the midwinter feast tomorrow, but, oh, Kendrick, I am so happy to see you”. She leapt up and embraced me, both of us failing to hold tears back. I had to hold back my joy to avoid being overwhelmed at holding my sister for the first time in five years as the purple haze came swirling back.

The memory ended there and Emrys slowly removed his trembling hand from the first pearl on the necklace. The recall of a memory from the pearls was always followed by confusion as his ego reasserted itself. Blinking away random thoughts from another soul, Emrys stood up from the pine stool and turned to warm his shaking hands on the low fire in the kitchen grate. The tall elf physically towered over the slight human figure by the window, but his presence was diminished. This was partly due to the now receding confusion, but mostly to tiredness. The fatigue had come on recently, and Emrys put it down to being in the warmth after a hard days walking in the snow.

Picking up the half empty wooden cup from the mantelpiece, he swigged the remaining bitter tea. A shuddering hand reached out and gently placed the empty vessel on the table, next to the plate of dark crumbs. An exhausted voice broke the silence “Ta muchly for the tea and cake, they have refreshed me greatly. My thanks for indulging my fancy for a chocolate slice, instead of your renowned spider pies, my thanks indeed. I am greatly pleased” Inclining a nod to his hostess, she replied with a deep curtsey but remained silent, her eyes not raising to challenge the obvious lie. “As an Investigator, I get little chance for the finer things in life. I am indeed fortunate you had one slice left.”

“So, to business. Your name is Matilda, correct?” The woman nodded once. “Good, and you reside here with your husband, who is away now at the monthly market in Hamtun with your two sons.” Another nod. “And during the past two days you have been here alone?” A slight pause and then a nod. Emrys sighed and rubbed his forehead forcefully. “Forgive me dear lady, but you lie. The pearl contains a memory from a dead man I found this morning at Tevis’s farm.” Matilda’s face became more blank. Leaning forward and placing his hands on the side of the table, Emrys raised his voice. “I suggest you tell me who your brother is, and why he visited you last night.”

Matilda stared hard at Emrys for a few seconds, then stiffly sat down in the ornate but worn chair beside her. “That was not my brother, but I only discovered that later in the evening. He had been using chocolate powder to make his eyes brown, to pass as human. Fortunately for me, he only had a limited supply, so when his eyes turned green during latefeast, I grabbed an iron knife and showed him the door. My brother died five years ago, the lord rest his soul, but the likeness was uncanny, so I imagine he was a shapeshifter. You call them Siaffts.”

Emrys went still for several long seconds. Getting his fur coat from the stand by the door, Emrys turned to Matilda. “Many thanks for your candour, and my deepest apologies for doubting you. My appreciation again for your hospitality”. Bracing himself, he opened the door to a flurry of snowflakes and closed the door behind him as he left.

Once the door was closed Matilda rushed across the room and locked the door. Then she closed the rags acting as curtains. Lastly, scuttling across the kitchen she opened the door to the large cupboard and brown eyes looked back at her. Behind a gagged face. A face that looked like hers, but shaking, with multiple tear streams marking her face. Matilda blinked furiously a few times, then turned her green eyes to the two spice bottles laying on the floor. Stooping to pick them up she replaced the empty bottles on the shelf. The labels read ‘Chocolate Colouring’ and ‘Tiredness’, and they stood next to the cake, missing a slice.