He let out a sigh, started walking back down the hill and resumed humming the same song. It had taken over his mind.
71 – A proposition
AVA STOOD AT THE DOOR—an old timber door weathered grey. She knocked. Why? She knew he was still up the hill.
“Come in, Ava.”
Surprised by the voice and her name, she entered the shack. There was a man sitting in an oversized chair. It wasn’t someone she knew—at least, that was her initial reaction—but there was something familiar about him. She’d had seen him before. But where?
The smell of eucalyptus oil permeated the room. She took a deep breath. The oil was supposed to help with mental sluggishness. Good. She could do with some mental rejuvenation. She might need it with this man.
“You’re an intelligent lady, Ava.”
What made him say that? She imagined a train making its way along its tracks, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, the smoke from its engines filtering up through the leaves. Why such visions?
“Do I know you?”
“No, not really. We’ve only met briefly.”
The train. He obstructed her access to the train carriage.
“You remember now, don’t you? See? Very intelligent.”
“Who are you?”
“Sit down, Ava. See that device on the coffee table? It’s been in the background to a story that’s been played out. Your activities, along with those of your husband have taken main stage and sadly led to the death of your daughter. But your real motive was always the device, and you concealed it well.”
She sat down and stared at the man. The soft underside or abdomen of an animal was known as the underbelly. A vulnerable area. Why was she thinking of such things?
“Who are you?”
“Emotions, Ava. Love and revenge, each at the opposite end of the spectrum. Have you worked that out yet? At the moment you’re feeling another emotion. Fear. Something you’re not overly familiar with.”
She looked at the coffee table, felt her chest rising. She was breathing heavily, the veins pumping in her neck. Her forehead felt tight and she told her eyes to relax. Why the fear? Was it from the device? It had been such a long journey. The device was much smaller than she thought. She smiled. The surge of the emotions, of reaching her objective, was driving the fear away.
She looked up at the man.
The man nodded as if communicating with someone.
“Ava, I am a messenger.”
“Whatever that means.” She tried not to fidget. The device looked like a big smartphone. She thought of reflective cloaks and transformation optics but knew it was more than that.
“Your belief system will struggle with what I’m about to tell you.”
She stood, an attempt to get control of the situation. She felt more in control standing. “I’m not a fearful person. Where’s the man who lives here?” She knew, but still asked.
“He’s coming. He’s gone for a walk. He doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Well, why are you here?”
“For you.”
<°)))><
Ava walked over to the window and moved the curtains to see outside. She felt weary. There was no one else here. She hadn’t been set up. Why had she come here? She didn’t fully understand.
“How did you know I’d come here?”
“I’m a messenger. I go where I’m told to go and do what I’m told to do. I’m not privileged to know why I do some things or why you do some things.”
“Who tells you?”
“That, you wouldn’t understand. Now, back to the device.”
“What wouldn’t I understand? I take it you’re from the Department of Defence?’
“No, not from Defence. You won’t understand, but let’s try. You don’t believe in the existence of deities. And more specifically, you don’t believe in the single deity known as God.”
“One, how do you know that, and two, what have you and that device got to do with my belief system?” She felt her body coming back to normal—her confidence returning, her underbelly firming.
“You don’t believe because you want proof. That device will give you proof. You don’t want to hear this, but your daughter is with the deity known as God. He is watching over her. She’s talked to God about you.”
With that, Ava swallowed. She felt vulnerable again. But touching her semi-automatic pushed such feelings away.
“What rubbish. Why are you telling me these things?”
“Your husband survived the poisoning. The B12 supplement he’s taking as part of his fitness regime acted as an antidote. Oh, he was still sick, but he’s alive and well and thinking of you.”
