70 – Little red riding hood
71 – A proposition
72 – Whispers and thoughts
73 – Earthly things
74 – Things are not as they seem
75 – Surrender
76 – Surprise, surprise
About The Unseen Series
Acknowledgements
About the Author
The mind listens.
Self Talk refers to the ongoing internal conversation with ourselves, which influences how we feel and behave. (Self Talk. (n.d.). In 'Alleydog.com's online glossary'. Retrieved from: http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition-cit.php?term=Self Talk)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)
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Part One – Protect the girl
1 – Long way from home
Melbourne International Airport, winter
AVA PERDU ALWAYS BELIEVED the voice she heard in her head was her own. She listened and acted.
There’d been plenty of chatter in her head during her twenty-three hours of travel to this far-off land. They’d sent her to obtain something, and if she understood things correctly, once obtained the trip home would be quicker. “Rapide comme l'éclair,” she whispered to herself. Lightning quick. But that would be some time away.
She had one arm resting on her daughter’s shoulder and the other tucked through the arm of her husband. She watched the customs officer flicking through the paperwork and waited. This was always the tricky part.
The questions were directed at her husband. The Perdu family were in the country because of his talents, which would be used in reviewing and taking charge of a pharmaceutical company. He was invited, a local government initiative, the customs process a formality.
The customs officer looked at Ava intently. She smiled. She would’ve been surprised if her name appeared on any watchlist, but she was a spy so there lay a tinge of apprehension. Her deeds would be shrouded by her husband and his business.
“It’s a lovely area you’re settling in. Just out of the city. Small community. Your daughter will make some good friends. Country people are friendly,” the customs officer said.
“I hope so,” Ava said. “It’s a long way to come to make enemies.”
2 – Madeleine, why so soon?
Lunar Eclipse. A Sunday night, next autumn (fall)
CLOUDS PASSED OVER the blood red moon.
An abandoned house sat in the middle of a large, grassy and weed infested block. Its rusted roof glowed from the moonlight and its wooden veranda creaked and moaned. The grounds of the house were secured by a fence with parts peeled back providing access to the uninvited. Madeleine Perdu was one of those uninvited. She started going there for solitude and it was there where the thought first came and it wouldn’t go away.
A dark shadow passed over the house. The creaking and moaning ceased. The quietness of the early evening broken by a loud crack as a piece of timber snapped. A thud and a body rolled on to the damp grass.
A chill was entering her back. She stared up, squinting. Something red, centred, hidden, obscured, trapped. The moon? Like her heart, it also obscured, entwined by the things of the world: her parents, her friends. Her nasty friends. Yes, her heart bounded up, slowly suffocating, trying to break free.
Her heart, now burning. Not all fires needed to be extinguished.
Dreams and nightmares. Was there a difference?
Confused thoughts. Why could she not think of better things? Why such dark and complex thoughts?
She wondered what she looked like from above. A tangled mess? The pain came. She closed her eyes. Darkness. Something wasn’t right.
She screamed.
<°)))><
Lee-Ann Rose and her daughter stood among the onlookers.
There had been a blood red moon last night. The doomsayers would be out in force, saying it was a sign the end is near. Their prophecies failed yet again, but it would happen one day. All the tribes of earth will see and many will mourn because of the truth. And the times were indeed strange. Strange and sad. Overwhelmingly sad.
Her daughter had known Madeleine. She was a friend. How close? Lee-Ann wasn’t sure.
The teddy bears came quickly, nested among flowers, interspersed with pictures. The mementos lined the wire fence surrounding the old property. The kids often congregated here, her daughter too. A darker teddy bear stood out among the growing pile. Ethnic cause? Did Madeleine take her life because of her ethnicity? Lee-Ann squeezed her daughter’s hand. Their eyes met.
