Chapter nine
A soft light of the night lamp dared the darkness around it on a small table.
Fredrika looked at a wooden crucifix which Mr. Raglan had given to her.
It should keep the evil spirits away, at least she hoped so.
The darkness around her looked even more sinister when the little lamp was on. She didn't want to turn it off. The darkness had have been her enemy since she was a child. She remembered how her mother had always left the lamp on when she had prayed with her.
The boogie man was back but she needed to be brave, she had sworn it.
She bit her lip and looked at the suffering Christ and then turned off the protective light.
Fredrika tried to keep herself calm by thinking about the chapel.
Mac had kept his work very much to himself which his way of working. He rarely showed his creations before they were complete. He liked to have some of excitement around him from his colleagues. But today Fredrika had managed to sneak behind Mac's back and she had seen a glimpse about the unfinished reconstruction.
As soon as Mac had seen her he had covered the screen.
- Bloody spy, he had spat but Fredrika knew that he didn't mean it by that way. Mac always wanted to be left alone and Fredrika had done so.
She tried to see the computer's screen with her mind's eye and eventually she was able to see it.
The 3D model had been gray and dull but with her imagination she created much more pleasant image to look at.
She was able to see every detail of the massive stone structure. The outer side was rough and merciless. The stony face looked at her with all seeing eyes. There was nothing which those eyes hadn't seen. They had witnessed the ultimate brutality of a man which had made him to slaughter his own kind. They had seen the most crushing sorrow when the wives had wept their fallen husbands. The earth had drunk their blood greedily until there was nobody left to weep for the dead.
Those eyes had seen so much and she would never be able to understand how vast its memory was.
She took a careful step closer to the building. Fredrika observed the invisible signs which would tell her to go away or not. The old chapel didn't want her to go away. It wasn't hostile towards her although she had been walking on its foundations. She walked towards a big oak door and it opened without her touch. She hesitated a moment but then she stepped over the threshold.
Candles were on and golden light danced on the stone walls. A religious feeling took over her and although she wasn't a catholic she made a sign of a cross. A golden crucifix was standing on a stone altar and the candle flames reminded Fredrika about that night when Peter had denied the Christ for tree times.
- Welcome to the chapel of lost souls, she heard from the bench row's shadowy corner.
Richard was here already and he had observed her for a while.
- Lost souls?
- Yes my brother Edward liked to call this chapel for that name.
- Why did he do that?
Richard didn't reply to her at once. He walked sluggishly towards her without haste.
- Those men were traitors and had committed themselves for high treason. They deserve no mercy from me or God, so he said to me.
- That is quite horrible thing to be said.
- I know and I felt sorry for them.
- So was that the reason why you wanted to dedicate this chapel for those fallen soldiers?
Richard turned his gaze away and looked at the high walls and roof with wordless reverence.
- A man should remember his living fellow people and respect the dead which we unfortunately forget so easily. I wanted to show some of respect for those ones whom my brother spat on. But I failed.
- What do you mean by that?
- The chapel was never finished and that bothers me greatly.
- But people do remember why this chapel was meant to represent.
Richard raised his left eyebrow with doubt.
- Do they?
- If they don't I'll take care of it that they will.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
- Sweet music to my ears.
Fredrika smiled too and she let her gaze to wander all over the chapel.
- So was it like this on your time?
- This is the way I want to remember it.
Then a wild idea stuck on Fredrika's mind.
- Could you show me some more?
- More of what?
- About anything from your past from your memories?