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"Are you sure? I mean, I've heard about this kind of thing before, Maud, and well, it's just bullshit, isn't it?" Richard sulked as they walked down the high street of Ulmington, a little town just outside of Surrey. They'd had to leave the car in a park and ride and he hated buses, so he was in a foul humour anyway.
Maud stopped and sighed, putting her hands on her hips and giving him "The Look."
"Do you have any better ideas, Richard Andrew Tinsley?"
Oh shit, she'd used his full name, and now he was in trouble...
"No, dear, no, I don't."
"Do shut up then dear." She hoisted her handbag like it was full of bricks and stalked off ahead; she had a surprising gait for a tiny, sixty-four-year-old.
The shop they arrived outside had all manner of weird statues and occult paraphernalia present; Maud cast her eyes over the Tarot cards, which had quite attractive designs, then stepped back and looked up at the sign.
"Rosa's Talismongery."
"This is the place." Maud stepped into a recessed doorway and pushed the door. She was rewarded with it pushing open and the tinkle of a little bell. The shop was small inside and had a musty smell of old clothes mixed with joss sticks and fragrant oils. She stood and held the door for her miserable husband while her eyes adjusted to the gloom.
A friendly-looking girl dressed in black and purple stood behind a small counter but stepped out as they entered. Her face was littered with piercings, and she had way too much makeup on for Maud's liking.
"How may I help you?" She asked.
"We have an appointment with Ella?"
"Okay, and your name?"
"Mrs Tinsley."
"Okay bear with, please." The girl headed out through a beaded curtain, Maud could hear her talking. Richard was bent almost double examining a fertility statue.
"Bit late for that dear." She said with a hint of cruelty, "Unless that Goddess is called Viagra!"
"Maud! Goodness!" Richard stood up way too quickly and groaned as his back protested. The girl came back through.
"She's ready for you, go on through."
Maud walked forward and ducked through the curtain; she followed a short corridor littered with boxes and then passed through another curtain into a kitchen.
The kitchen was a little dated and more than a little grubby, it was a works kitchen, but there was a round table with several chairs around it. A petite blonde girl in a simple white dress was pottering with a kettle; she turned and looked at Maud; she looked in her early twenties, pretty in a simple way; she had no make-up on and her long platinum blonde hair reached well below her waist. She wore no footwear or ornamentation at all, Maud couldn't even make out the line of underwear.
"Hullo, Tea?" She asked.
"We're here to see Ella?"
"Yes, that's me. Take a seat - would you like Tea?"
"Yes, please, I take it..."
"Lots of milk with two sugars. Your husband likes his black, but you tell him it will discolour his teeth, so he has a bare minimum of milk, and he hates sugar. Right?"
Maud's mouth fell open, the girl was good! She sat quietly as Richard came in and sat down at the table with her. Ella made the drinks and brought them over first, then went back for hers.
"Sorry, I don't have biscuits."
"You're doing the reading here?" Maud asked, sipping her tea, it was exactly as she liked it.
"Yes, would you prefer more theatrics? Your husband thinks this is bullshit anyway, so I didn't see the point of dressing it up. The spirits will come anyway."
The girl had the confidence of a woman three times her age, and how did she know the things she knew? Maud had been as sceptical as Richard, but this girl was something else. Ella sat down and smiled at them both.
"Okay, tell me what you're looking for; but be very specific, I don't need the story, just the facts."
"Don't you know already?"
"Yes, but I need you to ask; the spirits need to hear you ask. Otherwise, I'm crossing into personal gain. I don't know you well enough to take a hit like that for you... So... Ask."
Her face took on a very serious cast then, her eyes staring straight through Maud. "You're either here to ask a question, or stop wasting my time."
"The key; we need to find the key to Richard's mother's lockbox at the bank; the deeds are inside." Maud blurted.
"Good." Alice reached out and grabbed one each of Maud's and Richards's hands; for such a slight girl, her strength was intimidating. She looked into Maud's then Richard's eyes and her eyes washed out black then rolled up in her head.
"The Fawn... The fawn... Time keeps your secrets..." The voice was an older woman's, certainly not Ella's."
She let go then and fell back away from them, her nose started to bleed.
"You have your answer, get out." Ella wiped her nose and fell away from them.
"What about payment?"
"I will send an invoice when you have found what you need, it will not be cheap. Your family's spirits are angry..."
---
The car journey back had been slow and awkward; they had fought, and Richard was now just staring dead ahead, driving in angry silence.
"The Fawn... The fawn... Time keeps your secrets..."
"Well, that was a waste of our time." Richard ranted as they got out of the car, he stormed off ahead to their two-bedroom semi-detached, which wouldn't be theirs for much longer if they couldn't show the deeds.
Maud got in, took off her shoes and coat and walked through into the den. She sat on her favourite chair and sighed. After ten minutes Richard walked in and offered her a make-up cup of tea.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"Uhmm?" Maud looked up and cast her eyes over the clock on the mantelpiece. It had been Richard's mothers and showed two young deer, chasing around a tree stump. A small clock was on the stump. Maud had always hated it.
"The Fawn... The fawn... Time keeps your secrets..."
Maud dropped the cup of tea and fell over herself getting to the clock, she picked it up and shook it. Sure enough, there was a rattle. She lifted it above her head.
"Maud no!" Richard cried. But she threw it on the floor anyway. She cast her eyes over the wreckage, and yes, there in the middle of the shattered porcelain was a safety deposit box key. Richard came over as she bent to pick it up, she showed it to Richard.
"Load of bullshit huh? Better pay the girl whatever she asks..."
Maud stopped and sighed, putting her hands on her hips and giving him "The Look."
"Do you have any better ideas, Richard Andrew Tinsley?"
Oh shit, she'd used his full name, and now he was in trouble...
"No, dear, no, I don't."
"Do shut up then dear." She hoisted her handbag like it was full of bricks and stalked off ahead; she had a surprising gait for a tiny, sixty-four-year-old.
The shop they arrived outside had all manner of weird statues and occult paraphernalia present; Maud cast her eyes over the Tarot cards, which had quite attractive designs, then stepped back and looked up at the sign.
"Rosa's Talismongery."
"This is the place." Maud stepped into a recessed doorway and pushed the door. She was rewarded with it pushing open and the tinkle of a little bell. The shop was small inside and had a musty smell of old clothes mixed with joss sticks and fragrant oils. She stood and held the door for her miserable husband while her eyes adjusted to the gloom.
A friendly-looking girl dressed in black and purple stood behind a small counter but stepped out as they entered. Her face was littered with piercings, and she had way too much makeup on for Maud's liking.
"How may I help you?" She asked.
"We have an appointment with Ella?"
"Okay, and your name?"
"Mrs Tinsley."
"Okay bear with, please." The girl headed out through a beaded curtain, Maud could hear her talking. Richard was bent almost double examining a fertility statue.
"Bit late for that dear." She said with a hint of cruelty, "Unless that Goddess is called Viagra!"
"Maud! Goodness!" Richard stood up way too quickly and groaned as his back protested. The girl came back through.
"She's ready for you, go on through."
Maud walked forward and ducked through the curtain; she followed a short corridor littered with boxes and then passed through another curtain into a kitchen.
The kitchen was a little dated and more than a little grubby, it was a works kitchen, but there was a round table with several chairs around it. A petite blonde girl in a simple white dress was pottering with a kettle; she turned and looked at Maud; she looked in her early twenties, pretty in a simple way; she had no make-up on and her long platinum blonde hair reached well below her waist. She wore no footwear or ornamentation at all, Maud couldn't even make out the line of underwear.
"Hullo, Tea?" She asked.
"We're here to see Ella?"
"Yes, that's me. Take a seat - would you like Tea?"
"Yes, please, I take it..."
"Lots of milk with two sugars. Your husband likes his black, but you tell him it will discolour his teeth, so he has a bare minimum of milk, and he hates sugar. Right?"
Maud's mouth fell open, the girl was good! She sat quietly as Richard came in and sat down at the table with her. Ella made the drinks and brought them over first, then went back for hers.
"Sorry, I don't have biscuits."
"You're doing the reading here?" Maud asked, sipping her tea, it was exactly as she liked it.
"Yes, would you prefer more theatrics? Your husband thinks this is bullshit anyway, so I didn't see the point of dressing it up. The spirits will come anyway."
The girl had the confidence of a woman three times her age, and how did she know the things she knew? Maud had been as sceptical as Richard, but this girl was something else. Ella sat down and smiled at them both.
"Okay, tell me what you're looking for; but be very specific, I don't need the story, just the facts."
"Don't you know already?"
"Yes, but I need you to ask; the spirits need to hear you ask. Otherwise, I'm crossing into personal gain. I don't know you well enough to take a hit like that for you... So... Ask."
Her face took on a very serious cast then, her eyes staring straight through Maud. "You're either here to ask a question, or stop wasting my time."
"The key; we need to find the key to Richard's mother's lockbox at the bank; the deeds are inside." Maud blurted.
"Good." Alice reached out and grabbed one each of Maud's and Richards's hands; for such a slight girl, her strength was intimidating. She looked into Maud's then Richard's eyes and her eyes washed out black then rolled up in her head.
"The Fawn... The fawn... Time keeps your secrets..." The voice was an older woman's, certainly not Ella's."
She let go then and fell back away from them, her nose started to bleed.
"You have your answer, get out." Ella wiped her nose and fell away from them.
"What about payment?"
"I will send an invoice when you have found what you need, it will not be cheap. Your family's spirits are angry..."
---
The car journey back had been slow and awkward; they had fought, and Richard was now just staring dead ahead, driving in angry silence.
"The Fawn... The fawn... Time keeps your secrets..."
"Well, that was a waste of our time." Richard ranted as they got out of the car, he stormed off ahead to their two-bedroom semi-detached, which wouldn't be theirs for much longer if they couldn't show the deeds.
Maud got in, took off her shoes and coat and walked through into the den. She sat on her favourite chair and sighed. After ten minutes Richard walked in and offered her a make-up cup of tea.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"Uhmm?" Maud looked up and cast her eyes over the clock on the mantelpiece. It had been Richard's mothers and showed two young deer, chasing around a tree stump. A small clock was on the stump. Maud had always hated it.
"The Fawn... The fawn... Time keeps your secrets..."
Maud dropped the cup of tea and fell over herself getting to the clock, she picked it up and shook it. Sure enough, there was a rattle. She lifted it above her head.
"Maud no!" Richard cried. But she threw it on the floor anyway. She cast her eyes over the wreckage, and yes, there in the middle of the shattered porcelain was a safety deposit box key. Richard came over as she bent to pick it up, she showed it to Richard.
"Load of bullshit huh? Better pay the girl whatever she asks..."
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