bob
"Ops, you missed one – here...let me help...".
Nelly huffed out a laugh. "Put him there – on top of the castle...".
"Oh, good plan". Picking the man up on a piece of paper, Speirs set the paper down on top of the castle and the little man walked right over the castle. Nelly couldn't believe her eyes – it was like magic. Through the magic of light and darkness. Nelly and Speirs stood inside a dark room atop the roof of a building. A small hole of light comes from one side of the wall and with the light of day, it shines down into a tube with three lenses inside. The tube, lenses and light, projected a clear image of Edinburgh from the outside. Nelly and Speirs could see most of the city on a wooden table inside the dark room. And they could harmlessly mess with the people, buildings, vehicles and animals in the projected image. It was almost like a movie, but it was real and happening at that very moment. They called it; Camera Obscura and it had been around for hundreds of years.
"This is...mental...". Nelly still couldn't believe it. "My friends...they need to come here...it's like magic".
With a smile, Speirs leaned against the white table and stared down at the moving image of the city he once lived in. Grabbing the tube, he moved the image toward the entrance of Edinburgh castle – it was packed with soldiers from America. Including a Colonel. Smirking, Speirs grabbed a piece of paper and picked the old Colonel up. "Where should I put him?"
Nelly smiled with amusement. "In the bin".
Speirs chuckled and set him on the top of Arthur's Seat. "I hope that wasn't Sink".
"He'll never find his way back". Nelly joked lightly.
Speirs huffed out a tiny laugh. "We'll send a plane for him". Grabbing the tube, he used the light to check his wristwatch. "We've 'gotta head soon".
Nelly tried not to look too disappointed. "Shit...".
"Yeah, I know". He said through a sigh. "Back to Aldbourne, huh? Back to work".
They only had two days in Edinburgh. Nelly could only get a three-day pass. Then, there came a knock on the door. "Are you almost done in there, Lieutenant? Only...other visitors want to see the camera".
Nelly looked at her cousin. "You keep...buying your way into things".
Speirs shrugged. "Well, I didn't 'wanna sit in a crowded room". Truth was, Speirs didn't think Nelly would have liked sitting in a crowded dark room – not after what he witnessed at the train station. He guessed she was claustrophobic or scared of the dark. So, he paid a member of staff to have some privacy while they viewed the spectacular visitors' attraction. "Say goodbye to the tiny people".
With a tiny smile, Nelly waved at the people on the table. "Bye-bye".
Snorting, Speirs turned the light off on the tube. And he used his hands on the wall to navigate his way around the dark chamber for the light switch. "Damn, it's dark".
It was dark. The staff member who let them in had everything all ready for the two troopers and he left with instructions to turn the light from the tube off before hitting the main lights. Nelly's insides went cold when they were submerged into darkness. She could feel her legs wobble like jelly. "Ronnie?" Nelly whispered.
"Yeah?" Speirs called back, as he moved slowly around the room. He was trying not to knock into anything. But soon, his leg bumped into a bench. "Jesus...".
Her mind was taking her back – back to Mauthausen. Back to where she was forced to look into the gas chamber. Back to where she heard cries, choking and desperate begs from inside. And despite it being extremely dark, Nelly closed her eyes.
"You okay?" Speirs asked.
"Yeah". Came her faint response.
He sighed quietly. "You're not – hold on, I'm finding the light".
Heart racing behind her tight chest, Nelly's hands grew clammy. Her entire body was shaking now. Her throat closed up, she couldn't swallow. And there came that strange nausea, as her breathing reached panting. Speirs cursed quietly to himself – the room was quiet; he could hear how fast and uneven Nelly's breaths were.
"Hold on, kid". Speirs said.
Nelly stopped hearing her cousin when she heard the phantom screams project outside of her memory. Sharp jolts of electricity ran up and down her body, like mini electric shocks. Nelly's mouth went dry, she felt dizzy. And this sickening warmth spread around her insides. Her hand moved toward her mouth; sweaty palm tightly pressed against her lips. And she gagged with a choked cough.
"Ah, shit...". Speirs mumbled, "Hang on, Nelly...hold on".
Nelly whimpered. "I feel weird...".
"I know". He said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I'm almost – here it is". Flicking the switch, the lights on the walls came to life. Speirs sharply turned around and walked over to his cousin. Her eyes were still closed. Setting a hand on her shoulder, Speirs gently pushed Nelly onto the bench where she sat down. Crouched in front of her now, his hand pressed against her cheek. "Hey...". He called out, "Open your eyes, the lights are on now".
Nelly didn't open them – not right away.
Speirs had to remind himself of the train station and how Winters helped. "Breathe in through your nose...out through your mouth". He instructed quietly. "You'll feel better soon".
Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Nelly exhaled. And choked. She whimpered again and gave her head a shake. "I'm dying...".
"Hey, you're not dying". Speirs told her lightly. "Come on...try again – the breathing thing. Through your nose, out your mouth".
Nelly took in another deep breath through her nose.
And the door handle jiggled. Speirs looked over his shoulder. "In a minute". He called.
"Lieutenant, I really must – "
"In a Goddamn minute". His voice came out sharp.
The doorhandle stilled.
Nelly choked out the tiniest of laughs. "Poor...man...".
Smiling small at Nelly, Speirs's hand left her cheek and went on her shoulder. "He'll be fine".
Eyes opening, she looked at her cousin. And frowned. "Sorry...we were...having fun and – "
"no, come on". Speirs cut her off quietly. "No saying you're sorry. It's fine, Nelly".
"Hell out of here...please?" Her voice sounded as exhausted as she looked. Those strange and scary episodes drained Nelly to the point where she could sleep standing.
With a nod, Speirs rose to his feet and helped Nelly up. She grabbed a hold of his jacket sleeve as they walked out of the dark chamber. And once the door opened, they were hit by fresh air and a frightened member of staff. He smiled nervously up at Speirs. "Come back again".
"I'll think about it". He said, setting him a glare – a glare he didn't mean but the tour guide didn't need to know that.
The member of staff let out a nervous laugh before facing the visitors. "Come inside, to see Edinburgh, as you've never seen it before...".
From Castlehill, they walked straight to Wavery Station – which took them roughly ten minutes. Passing by famous spots, such as Market Street, the Mound Palace and the museum. Nelly really did love Edinburgh – it was a beautiful and historic city. And it did feel nice hearing the Scottish accent all around her again. But by now, she sought comfort in her American friends most. Upon reaching the station, they boarded a direct train to London and took their seats.
Arms crossed on the table; Nelly's cheek soon pressed against her arms.
"Hello". A trains staff greeted them. "We're serving tea, coffee and scones. Can I get you anything, sir?" He asked Speirs.
"Uh...yeah, I'll have a coffee. Thanks". Reaching for his wallet, he took out a few loose pennies and notes. And he gave a nod toward his cousin. "Can you get her a drink?"
"Yes, sir". He replied. "What kind?"
"Just orange, that'll do her". Speirs handed the older gentlemen his money.
"Milk and sugar in your coffee, sir?"
"No, just black". Speirs mumbled.
"Right you are, sir. Won't be long".
"Thanks".
When the trains staff left, Speirs brought out his pack of cigarettes and lit one up. His head tilted to the side as he looked at his younger cousin. And he leaned forward a little, only to find Nelly's eyes were closed. Nelly was sleeping. Shrugging off his jacket, Speirs leaned forward and placed the jacket over her body. And as he leaned back, he noticed the bandage poking out from under her sleeve. Speirs frowned – he couldn't understand why she was still wearing that. He didn't think she had stopped wearing it since they first met. He could have carefully unwrapped that bandage to take a look, but Speirs respected his cousin's privacy. He figured it was an old wound from her time in occupied Europe.
"Must have had quite the adventure today, sir".
With a tiny frown, Speirs's eyes pulled away from the bandage and looked at the trains staff – he was setting the coffee and a cup of orange juice down on the table. "What?"
"Your friend is sleeping, sir". He smiled. "You must've had a fun trip".
"Oh – uh – yeah, it was fun". Speirs replied. "Thanks".
"Let me know if there's anything else I can get you, sir".
"Yeah. Thanks". Small-talk with people wasn't something Speirs was a pro at – much like his younger cousin. But she was getting better at talking with strangers, a lot better than Speirs. Smiling small at that realisation, Speirs settled back and picked up his coffee.
And he prepared himself to spend most of the journey alone.
While his younger cousin slept.
...
As much as Nelly loved seeing her friends again, she already missed being in Edinburgh with Speirs. It felt incredible having that time away with him, not just as a time to bond but it was a time for Nelly to relax and take a break. It had been so long since Nelly last had three days to do whatever she wanted. Where she could sleep in and not have to worry about waking up before the sun or following orders. Nelly was already looking forward to her next little break. And of course, she told her friends everything.
"You got to feed penguins?!" Skip exclaimed. "That's so cool, Nelly...".
"I want to write Claire a letter...can you help me?" She asked them.
"Anytime". Malarkey promised her.
"I really 'wanna see this camera place". Alex said, "It sounds like...like magic or something".
"Oh, yeah – we've 'gotta see that". Skip agreed eagerly.
"What else did you do, Nelly?" Alex asked with a smile.
Bobbing her head, Nelly rubbed her lips together before answering. "Saw their graves...".
A frown was shared between the trio. Alex took her hand. "Were you okay?"
"Yeah". She replied quietly, "It was good to...see them and stuff...I left flowers, and I said goodbye".
Smiling sadly, Skip gave Nelly's shoulder a clap. "That's great, buddy".
Nelly and Speirs didn't arrive until after supper. Currently, the four friends sat around her mattress before lights out. They only had five or so minutes left. But Nelly told them everything in the space of two minutes. She was so excited to share what she had done in Edinburgh with Speirs to her friends.
"Oh, I forgot...". Letting go of Alex's hand, Nelly brought the locket out from under her jacket. She opened it up and showed the picture of her mother inside. "It was a birthday present from Ronnie...".
"Wait – rewind". Skip said with a frown. "It was your birthday?"
"When?" Alex near enough demanded.
"When we met Churchill and Ike". Nelly replied.
Malarkey gave her a sad frown. "Why didn't you tell us?"
She shrugged. "It's not a big deal".
"Of course, it is". Alex insisted gently. "It's you – it's a big deal".
And while Skip and Malarkey shared knowing grins with each other, Nelly sent Alex a soft smile and took his hand. "It's fine, Alex. I don't like... birthdays...not my birthday".
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah". She said, "Promise".
"Lemme see that, pal". Malarkey leaned forward and looked at the picture of Mary. He smiled and said, "Gosh, she looks just like you".
"She does". Skip agreed. "Same messy curls". He joked lightly.
"And smile". Alex mentioned softly.
Nelly looked at him. "You think?"
Alex ducked his head when a blush appeared on his cheeks. "Yeah, you – uh – you've both got real nice smiles".
Smiling at the compliment, Nelly said, "You too, Alex".
Alex cleared his throat. "Thanks". He mumbled, almost bashfully.
Skip leaned toward Malarkey and said quietly, "I don't know whether to laugh because Alex is clearly embarrassed or smile because it's too damn sweet".
Malarkey snorted softly. "Bit of both, happy medium".
"Just how I like my steaks – medium rare".
"Really?" Malarkey shook his head. "I like mine medium well-done".
Skip frowned at him. "Is that even possible?"
"Yeah – yeah, it is". Malarkey nodded. "If I'm making the steaks, anything is possible".
Skip grinned. "Donnie's best, right?"
"Always". He grinned back.
"Nelly?" Alex asked quietly. "Can we...talk outside for a minute?"
"Okay". Nelly replied softly.
Skip and Malarkey shared another knowing smile while watching them get up and walk outside.
"Ah, young love...". Skip sighed happily.
Malarkey smirked. "Good luck to them, huh?"
Once outside, Alex and Nelly walked around the back of the hut for some privacy. Standing in front of Alex, she waited for him to start speaking. And Nelly was very patient because Alex let the silence stretch out for almost a minute until he started to talk.
"While you were away...". He said, "I – uh – I got a letter from Sylvia".
Nelly nodded slowly, showing she was listening.
Alex cleared his throat and told her, "She dumped me".
Trying not to look pleased, Nelly kept her face blank. "I'm sorry".
"I'm not".
Nelly felt her lips twitch.
Smiling almost shyly, Alex rested his elbow against the hut. "I was wondering...if you wanted, that is...uh...do you 'wanna do something one weekend? Like, just us?"
"No...Skip and Donnie?" Nelly questioned softly. "Just...me and you?"
Nodding, a soft smile settled on his lips. "Yeah – just us".
"Yeah". Nelly agreed. "I want to do that...that would be...nice, Alex".
His elbow left the hut with a relieved sigh. "Oh, good. Yeah. Boy, I was nervous asking you".
She frowned softly. "Why? You can...say anything to me, always".
"Oh, I know that...I know that". He said softly. "I just – I just...".
Nelly continued to look up at him gently. "Just?"
Alex let out a small sigh and he stared back at her. "Truth is, Nelly...I really like you".
Her lips began forming a smile.
"And...". Alex continued, "I like being your best friend and all but...". Thinking of what to say next, Alex set his hand by his chest. "Cupid's arrow".
Her eyes widened softly. "Oh...". She whispered. "Me too...".
Smiling, Alex's hand slowly lowered from his chest. "So, you really like me too?"
Nelly nodded. "Yeah". She could feel her cheeks warm. "A lot".
"I...I guess I 'sorta knew but...I didn't 'wanna be overly confident 'cause I know you've never had a...a boyfriend or anything". Alex said gently. "I didn't 'wanna frighten you".
Shaking her head, Nelly took his hand. "You could never frighten me".
Over the moon with happiness, Alex leaned down and kissed her cheek softly.
Nelly smiled.
And when he pulled back, she stood on the balls of her feet and kissed his cheek.
Eyes locked together once more, they both smiled.