Den of Stars. Christopher Byford

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СКАЧАТЬ It was begrudgingly swallowed and the fork placed upon its accompanying plate.

      ‘Talking of coming with, I honestly thought Kitty would rejoin us. I miss having a decent cook.’

      Corinne took the fork as her own and poked the slice, scrutinizing the uneven wobble.

      ‘What is that?’

      ‘Colette’s attempt at coffee cake.’ Misu washed away the taste with some sweet pink tea. ‘Try some.’

      Corrine obliged, taking a larger piece and mulling it over. When done, she went for a second. ‘There’s nothing wrong with that.’

      ‘We have different tastes. Mine are clearly superior.’

      Corinne drew the cake plate towards herself. ‘You can’t blame Kitty for deciding not to come along. That restaurant was her life’s dream. It was a perfect package with us working there. Some people settle down and take root like plants. She’s one of them. It would have been cruel to take that away from her.’

      ‘You’re right. I know.’

      ‘They’re also not accustomed to seeing dead people stroll in through the door.’ Corinne waved the fork in the air. ‘You both damn well gave us heart attacks.’

      ‘Actually that wasn’t my idea. That was Franco’s. My suggestion was to do things subtly but he’s not one to take my advice. I remember a few of you needing to sit down.’

      ‘I remember Kitty bloody fainting! When she came to the poor girl thought she had died. That probably had something to do with her decision to pursue different avenues of employment.’ Corinne laughed with a mouthful, scattering a couple of crumbs. Misu took to the windows once more. The thunder rode through the clouds, making the glass windows shake in their frames.

      ‘It would have been easier if we died in that explosion. For everybody I mean. I’m not being morbid; it would have just made things … smoother.’

      ‘Smoother.’

      ‘Yes.’

      Corinne finished the last of the cake and slipped the plate upon the side table, careful not to nudge the papers.

      ‘I think you should stop envying the dead and focus more on the living. You’ve got a long wait until the Angels take you somewhere bright and you don’t want your talk to speed up that process. I suppose the big man would take objections to that. Talking of which, have you had any word from Franco yet?’

      A flash of light danced from the sky, striking the rock-littered wasteland. The rain kept up its barrage. The drumming on the car rooftop built and waned with the will of the wind. It was as if it wanted to lift the vehicle from the tracks and hurl it into the air.

      ‘Yes.’ Misu’s voice faded as she stared outward. ‘Recently, in fact.’

      ‘Is he still in Eifera?’

      ‘See for yourself.’

      Misu reached inside her jacket breast pocket and removed a plain envelope with her name upon its face. The single slip of paper was removed. Upon its header was the company logo, a lightning bolt across a mountain surrounded by trees and the name of the provider – Post Haste Communications – in large, capital lettering on either side. Beneath, emboldened and underlined, read the word telegram. A heavy red stamp of authenticity marked the communication. Corinne read the typed document aloud.

      TO: THE HARE, BY WAY OF THE MORNING STAR #1129

      INSPIRING PLACE FOR PERFORMERS. HAVE PLENTY OF IDEAS RE: MSTAR TO DISCUSS ON RETURN. AM SPENDING TIME IN GOOD COMPANY. GOING WESTWARD WITH NEW FRIENDS. YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS APPRECIATED. NO DATE ON EXPECTED RETURN. GLAD TO HEAR TAKINGS ARE UP. GIVE ALL MY BEST.

      F.D.M.

      PS: KEEP MSTAR TIDY

      ‘That’s the last wire I’ve had from him. He said he didn’t know when he was intending to return but told us not to fret. Everything was under control, I said.’ Misu leant her head back in the chair.

      ‘When did you get this?’ she asked.

      ‘That last checkpoint we went through.’ Misu glanced to the windows for a second.

      Corinne interlinked her hands after placing the telegram to the side. ‘I suppose he’s off having a jolly. Never could keep that one down in one place, but at least he was gracious enough to give you stewardship of this here train. It’s a proud undertaking.’

      ‘It is,’ Misu muttered. Lightning flashed once more, much closer this time as the Morning Star careered around the edge of the storm. The blazing dart of fire was reflected in her eyes in the window.

      ‘But I don’t see you smiling,’ Corinne added.

      Misu glanced at her, suddenly realizing that she had been well absorbed in her own thoughts, momentarily absent from the conversation. She had even become oblivious to the pounding rain that suddenly rushed into audible focus. She hissed air through her mouth, blinking herself back to reality. She reached out, retrieved the correspondence, and stuffed it back into her pocket.

      ‘Nobody told me that being bright and shiny was a necessity of the job.’

      ‘I’m here if you need to delegate more work. Take a break maybe. I’m not blind to you rushing around. I doubt that you’re sleeping well given all this.’ Corinne waved her hand up and down. ‘Even Franco made the sensible decision to take time off. You should consider the same.’

      Yes, and look where that got him, Misu thought to herself.

      ‘I’m not saying traipse away for weeks like he has,’ Corinne continued, ‘but a couple of days’ rest could do you good. We can handle things while you wind down. It wouldn’t be an effort on our part, honest.’

      Misu cringed in her seat. A break was what had caused this mess in the first place, unbeknown to the others aboard. It was a lapse in judgement under the guise of rest that was burying her.

      ‘Even better,’ Corinne exclaimed excitedly, ‘why don’t we join him? We have plenty in the coffers to finance the journey fourfold. We could do shows in Eifera – that’ll be a change of pace. I heard they’re considerably richer northwards and the girls will surely love the change in scenery.’

      ‘I’ve been there. You’re not missing much.’

      ‘We haven’t. I only have your word to take on that. Hell, you both spent months up in the grasslands and you’ve never spoken about it. Not even to me.’

      ‘There’s nothing to talk about,’ Misu lied.

      ‘Ah now, that I don’t believe. Come on, what happened between you two while we were playing house? All I know is that you took your sparkling new train, went up there, and then came back. There’s a gap, like, this big.’ Corinne held her arms out as wide as she could. ‘I think you owe me a story.’

      Under such pressure and if for no other reason than to get Corinne off her back, Misu relinquished the details she craved. Admittedly, it felt therapeutic to discuss but whenever she spoke of Franco, the slightest tone of sullenness entered СКАЧАТЬ