21

The Mirror and the Ring

1930Fall

Curiosity, Sally woke up as she rolled out of bed, walking to the main room in the hotel suite. The old gentleman [Thomas] was having coffee by himself sitting at the dinning room table. She looked out the window at Rice Park; it was a small park to say the leastyet it had its history, in the center of downtown St. Paul. The river, the Mississippi was but a block away to the south, with its rustic banks, and port of call. The levee was full of houses, shacks, huts, etc, and to the side of it was huge sandstone cliffs, and caves. The day seemed smooth with no leaves blowing on the trees a windless day he murmured, like a shy kitten, pacing from room to room. He had a divine moron rob on with big pockets, slippers on his feet, --hideous to look atbut warm and comfortable.

As he stared out the window Sally put her lipstick on, the mirror on the bathroom door was opened a little, and the mirror was to her back in the backroom, as she could see reflections in the window from it. She had to take a double-take on something, something peculiar around Thomas foreheadsomething she had never noticed before. She looked closer into the shadow of his windowvia reflections. Yes, it was clear, a dark ring peculiar she thought. She looked deeper into the left side of the window, a pink horizon, it was lovelythen paused a moment.

She now took a third look, surely she thought: it must be a mistake, but no it wasnt matter of fact, it only reassured her she was not seeing things. As the sun was coming up shinning in the window, which caught his attention first, that is before he noticed Sally looking through the window at him, oddly looking at him, but nonetheless, with much effort, or so he felt she wasbut was she really? He couldnt say for sure. The sun was actually blinding him now, blurring as he tried to focus on her eyes in the window. Sally then walked away, sat down at the table, picked up the Saint Paul newspaper, and started to read it: as she looked straight ahead at the window again, to see if she was seeing things. There were no unusual reflections coming from it now. Silently, Thomas watched Sally investigating the window, the room, and him, as he stood by the door, not allowing his facial, or profile reflections to be captured by the window again.

Said he, Something wrong Sally? the comment was with an ardent bafflement.

Oh-o-o push out of her mouthwith a artful-music tone to it, I thought I noticed something, now staring at Thomas; she knew the Trials had the double curse, that isthe Liars Curse, given by God, which had the black ring around their foreheads, and the Demons Curse, which entailed the deaths, and consequently branded the devils mark within the character and mind of the possessor; the victim was haunted by this dark world, along with the Abyss Worms poisonous-virus, which had started with Arthur, and was put on to her family, the Vipers. But to her understanding, the Vipers didnt get the black ring, or at least not until they had lied, and even so, it wasnt all that dark, not like the Trials had. The degrees of blackness were a big difference, for the Vipers it was a shadow at best, for the Trials it was deep, dark and almost glossy.

And so, did youthat is, did you notice something? Thomas slyly questioned.

It would seem not so, she commented, then with stupefaction, added,

but I swear I thought I did (She cunningly replied, which she was actually unsure of). Thomas avoided the window now all together, thinking she might try to see the reflection through it again, and said no more on the subject. As far as Sally goes, she did not have a ring around her forehead, not yet anyway.

The Survey

That morning, Thomas and Sally went out checking the area for houses for sale. They had ownership of 105-unites within the two cities, St. Paul, and Minneapolis, at this point of their relationship. Thomas had let her know there were many more possibilities in the near future.

Sally, lets go down by the levee, by the caves, the cliffs, along the stretch of the river, there are some old homes, several can be purchased for little or nothing. Possibly even a pasta caf or two, many Italians in that area; as is, you may have noticed, the city is somewhat sectioned off, that is to say: the Mexicans live on the West Side of town, the Italians down along the levee; the blacks up by the capital or in an area called Rondo, and the whites everyplace for the most part, but those areas Ive mentioned, having explained that they both went out the door for the days searching.

Summit Avenue: --which stretched from the Cathedral to Snelling Avenue was known more for its elite, where F. Scott Fitzgerald lived, and JJ Hill, and the Governor. Not far from there was Sallys nine-plex, and Thomas second home.

As the driver drove up and down the side streets, Thomas smugly commented, We shall own whole blocks someday of this city.

Thomas, she commented, mmm, we already do, and she laughed a little.

I want you to keep in mind Sally, when I die, it will all be on yours and I mean everything. (Yet die was not the word he wanted to say, but had to somehow, it carefully seeped out of him, unwillingly, but for show and tell, it came: it seemed to be forced; again protecting the cult). He had said that more than once to her, and she smiled again as always, not knowing how to respond, since it was an ongoing statement, and getting a ting harder to digest.

Although Sally was happy for the most part with her new role in life, she knew something was wrong, very wrong, but just could not put her finger on it (intuitively wrong), that dark, glossy black circle around his forehead never left her mind either, she would write that in her notes and in a partial journal. At this juncture of her relationship with Thomas, she was seriously thinking of moving out of the hotel suite to another location; she was starting to wonder about his motives; getting fearful of Thomas display of dark-talk; --there was something unknown, unsettling appearing. Again she would write this in her journal, and I quote from it Anna:

[Journal Entry]

Said she:

Maybe I should get out of the hotel, I told Thomas that, saying it would be more practical for me to move into one of my own an apartment room at the nine-plex, but, it was not really more practical, but I am getting more fearful at this juncture of our relationship. I mentioned, for instance, I said to him, maybe Ill live in the small house (a single family unit) on Larpenteur Avenue, by Como Park, not all that far from the nine-plex. Oh, gosh, he looked at me as if I was a traitor, I just left it alone, and figured Id come back to it another time.

22

Elucidation

As Thomas and Sally walked the banks of the Mississippi, viewing the levee, and its houses from a distance, he knew that tramps and derelicts, winos if you will, all lived in the caves nearby, all along, up and down the Mississippi River banks. Without question, he knew this area quite well. He had slept among them at times, years ago as he had long, very long alcoholic binges, and well, lets say, unhappier and more trying days back then.

Said Thomas looking about as they walked the banks of the Mississippi, the caves nearby, --looking to and fro, every which way, You must be careful not to tread into those caves, it can be harmful Ive heard bad things can happen, unseen and unproved, but harmful most assuredly. Sally looked at Thomas amused.

Can you explain a little more of what you are trying to say? she asked. [A long pause]

It was all Indian country, prairies, sacred grounds, at one time around here. My heritage goes back to 1823 in this area, and to the southwest. We go back a long waysthen: then came people, and more and more, people followed: --from all over the country; the Irish, the Polish, the Spanish, the Blacks, the Germans. But us Trials remained Thomas stopped hesitantly, and thought of what he said; a silent-shock went throughout the countenance of Sallys face.

What was that cousin? You said something about [pause], about the Trials? Asked Sally.

So I did, sorry, I meant Vipersa slip of the tongue, thats all, just a little slip of the tongue.

Responded Sally [confused]:

Yes, I used to be one I guess, until I was adopted [taken in]. Like you Im a Viper.

Before she could say another word, Thomas remarked hed be back in a moment, needed to relieve himself, and was going to a caf nearby, just down the road, down the road Ill be back soon, he said hastily; --but he didnt offer to take her along, just quickly scuttled, saying, adding to his monologue:

Ill be back in a moment, I wont be long, he had dashed off so quickly, Sally had no time to say a word.

[Sally yelling to Thomas, standing allusive]: Hurry upplease!

As Thomas was now out of sight, Sally (instinctively) knew something was wrong with that slip of the tongue, the Trials vs. the Vipers, and adding that to the already wavering black circle she thought she saw around his forehead, made her more elusive on or of what the future held for her with Thomas, and was there a hidden motive in all thisstrange at best she concluded. Regardless, she could not quite put it togetherthere was a missing piece to a puzzle; she sensed it, and it was an issue

As she was deep in thought, kind of walking in a daze back and forth, getting a little closer all the time to the caves, yet not next to them, rather close by them, as if a magnetic force was drawing her inch by inch (still deep in thought on this trying issue of Thomas behavior). As this was happening, three derelicts grabbed her; --one stuffing a sock in her mouth so she could not scream, the other two carrying her into a nearby cave by her armpits, as if she was a drunk herself, trying not to disturb any bystanders, of which there were none close by anyways.

The Cave

Inside the cave it was cooldark, her dress and blouse torn off as well as her panties now; she lay on the cold damp ground naked, she was in the process of being rappedin the process, but not rapped, not yet. Suddenly she was picked up and thrown down to the ground again, as if to knock the wind out of her, or any possible future resistance; the damp soil pressing against her body even tighter now. On each one of her legs two tightly soiled hands held her still; in back of her head another two hands were holding her solidly. A voice was telling her to stop being resistant, as soon as they are done shed be able to go, yet threatening her at the same time; but Sally, couldnt move anyhow, or say anything with the sock in her mouth, and if she was resistant it was because she was more uncomfortable than anything, she was, at the moment, secured tightly against the ground; she felt more helpless than a dying dog. Then appeared a forth person, a mysterious person, her eyes were now covered by a blindfoldwhich was nothing more than a dirty rag, although it was dark, her eyes were adjusting to it and so the rag, the rag they used to blind her with, envelop around her head threefold with, as not to let any light in, or eyesight out, it was as tight as one could make it without damaging her; that is, it was not too awfully fixed, it was hurting her though, yet she endured it. Savagely she was slapped between her legs, her arms, face, every place, as the mysterious mans body laid upon her, pinning her tight against to the soiled floor. Finally the man entered herand henceforth, a wave of pain started; all seemed a nightmare, a world out of controland almost to quick to remember any exact details (or so it would seem later on when the police would question her). The mysterious stranger at that point, broke the impregnable curse on his family [the Trials], and took a sigh of reliefplus the revenge had been successful; the Trials to the Vipers had been completed, what Arthur Trials had always prayed for.

The stranger now got up, never said a word, he walked away. Sally would write in her diary, I heard the man mumbling, with a fifth person, for three of them were still holding me, it was as if there was a payoff. But who would ever know.

[From outside of the cave a voice is heard.]

Sally, Sallywhere are you!? cried a voice wondering outside the cave entrance.

At that moment, as if it was split timing, the three men who were holding Sally ran through the caves, and were not seen or heard of again. Later on the police would say they [the rapist] found a way through the sewer system, and climbed up to and through a manhole onto the city streets above. But that is all the police report would indicate.

Thomas entering the cave, Sally now standing up crying, naked in front of him, he put his jacket round her, as the cold gray dawn shadowed them as they made their way to his car, and onto the police station.

Not much was said during that walk through the levee to get into a chauffeured driven car and on to the police station. And from that moment on, from that mysterious gray-day, a disquiet-ness would followed them, along with dread being dragged along, which would linger in Sallys head forever: forever wondering if it was him, always in suspicion that it was him, reliving the ordeal. It was as if she knew, as if she knew it was Thomas himself, but could never prove it. And even if she could what could she do about it; --as time would pass, she would not consider leaving the hotel anymore, and willingly had sex with Thomas at his will, it almost seemed natural for her to allow him to do as he pleased with her; she was, you know, almost in a hypnotic spell, I suppose one might saysubdued; as if she was broken, an unspoken defeat for her, she just gave in, the shock, the money, the many miles away from home, no one would know which one or if at all these elements played a part in her crackup, or better put, participated in her new passive role she took in life, took and used on a day to day bases after the rape, but no one now needs to know, it was so, and what can one do with the past but learn from it.

See Dennis' web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com