The next few weeks passed without incident. Elise spent most of her days
laying prostrate on her straw mat and staring at the ceiling. Occasionally,
Coulmier would remove the stone and whisper a short message only to be
interrupted by the doctor parading the halls. As most of their long
conversations were held late at night, the only constant she saw was that
of the old blind laundress. Her frail voice calling out
"Linens! Fresh Linens:"
This woman comforted Elise. She was a hunched and wrinkled little thing with foggy eyes, blinded by the lye in the soap she used to clean the sheets, she told Elise. Sometimes, Elise would sit by the door and wait for her to come knocking. If not for a little conversation, for a constant face. She needed it.
Elise had a daily regimen. Pace three steps forward, turn to the right and pace three steps forward again. Then she'd sit at her door until she could hear the light shuffling steps of the laundress. The old woman would crouch and knock on the iron sliding door and call out "Linens!"
One day, the elderly laundress passed her the linens through the small doorway.
"Lise," the woman whispered, using the girls' nickname. "There's a little something from Coulmier wrapped up in there. Treat it with care. He's put a lot of time into it." She winked and pulled the iron door shut.
Elise sat back holding the clean linens that held her gift and wondered what it could be. She heard a scraping noise behind her and turned quickly. It was Coulmier removing the stone that connected their rooms.
"Did she give you my gift?" he whispered. Elise crawled onto her mat and clutched the sheets to her chest.
"Yes." She whispered back.
"Well, open them." He urged. His usually quiet subdued demeanor seemed restrained. His voice was cheerful and excited. Blushing faintly, Elise crossed her legs and slowly opened her gift from Coulmier. It was at least a hundred pages and bound with a singlewide strap of soft brown suede glued taught around the spine.
"Its my book. Well, my last one. I'm working on a new one at this very moment." Coulmier added excitedly through the hole. Elise desperately wished she knew what her neighbor looked like, to see his energy for herself. As it was right now, they were simply voices to each other. She stared blankly at the words in front of her. She, for his lively sake, badly wanted to know what the words meant.
Coulmier crouched at the hole in the wall and awaited Elise's reply. He could barely see her face through the small orifice, but saw enough of her eyes that his excitement was diluted.
"Something wrong?" he asked carefully.
The girl simply shook her head and started to rock slightly. He could hear her sniffling and fighting to control tears.
"Elise, is something the matter? Do you not like stories?" he repeated his question. She snuffed back a breath and exhaled slowly. She turned to the hole.
"No Coulmier, I adore stories. Unfortunately... I-" she stopped, as if fearing the tears would return. "I cannot read or write." She turned her head away ashamed.
Coulmier wanted to reach through the wall and hug his friend. She seemed greatly pained.
"I just feel so terrible that I cannot read what must surely be beautiful words and riveting tale." She added, her voice barely audible.
It was then that he was struck with an idea. He looked across the room to his hiding place and skittered quickly to it. Removing a single sheet of paper, and dipping a quill in ink, he rapidly scrawled the 26 letters of the alphabet, with enough room for someone to replicate them underneath. Blowing on the paper, he grabbed a fresh quill and the inkpot and scrambled back to Elise.
Once, he was sure the paper was dry, he rolled it length ways so small that it slid easily through the gap. Her hands muffled her gasp as he carefully passed a loaded quill through it as well.
"Well," he said confidently. "I'll teach you."
He peered through the wall and saw the corner of her lips turn into a smile.
"Thank you Coulmier. I know not how to repay you..." she whispered, her voice held no mystery as her expression. It was an obvious grin.
"The only payment I receive is that of you enjoying my book. Now, look at the top of the page. See the first letter? That is an A. Copy it exactly as it is printed." He explained.
Later that night, as the moon lazily traveled the sky, Elise lay on her cheap bed, an almost sheer sheet covering her body, she thought back to the afternoon's activities. Coulmier had given her his book. When she'd confessed her illiteracy, he'd only returned with a parchment and quill to teach her the written hand. They'd sat for hours leaning against the adjoining walls as Coulmier explained the letters, how they sounded and their meaning in some short words. They'd passed the parchment back and forth as so that Coulmier could make corrections and add sentences for her to learn. He had also offered to keep her learning papers in his room, hidden behind a well-placed stone so that the doctor Royer-Collard could not find them during inspections.
She couldn't sleep. All she could think about were the letters and they're sounds. They sounded so beautiful coming out of her friend's lips, and so maladroit and jumbled out of hers. Oh how she was looking forward to her next lesson.
As she was just about ready to drift off into sleep, she heard a familiar voice scream out.
"MARQUIS!"
The volume of the scream shot her straight out of bed. She pressed her ear against the wall so that she might hear more. Alas, she could only hear mutterings, and the odd word here and there.
"Madeleine..." was the most frequent.
Shortly after the dead awakening shout, she heard the recognizable click of Collards polished shoe on the cinder block floor. A creak of a door opening and a loud, unintelligible angry word. The mutterings stopped. Elise lay back down on her mat until she heard the clicks of the doctors' shoes fade out of existence.
When she was positive, she cautiously sat forward and listened. Whimpering could be heard from Coulmier's room. She moved to make contact through their stone hole, but a soft knock on her door echoed lightly.
Crawling to the door, she lifted the bolt and slid it open. The laundress was crouched there, her shawl hiding most of her features.
"Lise," she whispered. Elise nodded. "Come child. Quick and silent, the doctors not far gone."
The woman stood up and shortly after, Elise's locked door was open. Elise, afraid of what lay beyond the confines of her room, was led by the laundress a few feet down the hall. What seemed like forever passed as Elise walked, her feet stepping lightly on the cobble floors. They stopped at an iron door similar to her own. The old woman fumbled with the keys but managed to open the door.
Elise, was greeted with the darkness and the same whimpering she could hear in her room. Immediately, she knew who it was. Turning to the laundress, she looked as if to ask whether or not it was safe.
"Quick child, he needs a comfort right now. But make it short, cause if the doctor ever caught you... he'd flay you." She assured. Elise nodded and ran into the darkness towards the whimpering.
Coulmier slept. He dreamed of Madeleine. She was not dead after all, he'd given up the cloth and they were getting married. He walked the aisle to his bride in his dream and turned to her. He screamed when he saw who he was to be marrying. It was not Madeleine... the snide, cruel grin of the Marquis stared out at him from under his Maddy's veil. The scream had woken the doctor and when you wake the doctor, you should expect a severe punishment.
Now, Coulmier clutched his face, where the doctor had laid a fist into his cheek. His lip bled and the agony his face held was almost blinding. He could hear his door being opened again. The doctor must have not had his fill the first time. Coulmier stood shakily, ready to stand and fight if the need be. He was shocked to discover the nimble body of a young woman standing in front of him. He stood, in awe of what was going on.
Blinking, he leaned forward to get a better look at who his visitor was. Suddenly, the woman wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. She had to get on her tiptoes to reach his neck. Coulmier, still confused, hesitantly returned the gesture. The embrace lasted only for a few moments, as the laundress whispered into the darkness.
"Lise! Come, the time could only permit for a moment. Child, come quickly. I fear the doctors coming."
The woman pulled away slowly, Coulmier was surprised to hear the name. He tried to see the woman's face as she backed away slowly.
"Goodnight Coulmier." She whispered almost inaudibly.
"Goodnight," the same wispy intonation was used in his reply.
And she was gone. Like an angel, she came and went.
The next morning, Elise woke to the stone bring removed. Straightening herself, Elise slid over to the wall.
"Good morning Elise." Coulmier said quietly. "I wish to thank you for your kindness last night. I slept much better than I would have."
"It was all I could think to do. My mother used to hug me like that." Elise replied.
"Well you have a very wonderful mother."
Elise blushed.
"Thank you," her next question, she'd thought about since the incident of the night last.
"Coulmier, please do not think me rude, but who is Marquis? I've heard you scream his name in your sleep. And Madeleine, I hear her name spoken with such softness I feel like I've been bathed in down."
She fell silent, waiting to see if Coulmier chose to answer her question. It was a long time before Coulmier ever spoke.
"The Marquis, is just a name for the devil Elise. The Marquis is the devil. Madeleine-" his breath caught on the word. "Madeleine, she... well. I have no words to describe her yet. But if and when I do, I'm not so sure I'll be able to speak them."
Coulmier's voice cracked on the last sentence. Elise wondered if he was truly upset by her superfluous question.
"Coulmier, I-"
"No, worry not. Everything is all right Elise, but I must go. I think I hear the doctor."
Elise watched as the stone was pushed into place. A sort of grief had taken her heart as she heard Coulmier's voice crack and try and hold itself together. She promised to never speak of the Marquis or Madeleine, ever again.
"Linens! Fresh Linens:"
This woman comforted Elise. She was a hunched and wrinkled little thing with foggy eyes, blinded by the lye in the soap she used to clean the sheets, she told Elise. Sometimes, Elise would sit by the door and wait for her to come knocking. If not for a little conversation, for a constant face. She needed it.
Elise had a daily regimen. Pace three steps forward, turn to the right and pace three steps forward again. Then she'd sit at her door until she could hear the light shuffling steps of the laundress. The old woman would crouch and knock on the iron sliding door and call out "Linens!"
One day, the elderly laundress passed her the linens through the small doorway.
"Lise," the woman whispered, using the girls' nickname. "There's a little something from Coulmier wrapped up in there. Treat it with care. He's put a lot of time into it." She winked and pulled the iron door shut.
Elise sat back holding the clean linens that held her gift and wondered what it could be. She heard a scraping noise behind her and turned quickly. It was Coulmier removing the stone that connected their rooms.
"Did she give you my gift?" he whispered. Elise crawled onto her mat and clutched the sheets to her chest.
"Yes." She whispered back.
"Well, open them." He urged. His usually quiet subdued demeanor seemed restrained. His voice was cheerful and excited. Blushing faintly, Elise crossed her legs and slowly opened her gift from Coulmier. It was at least a hundred pages and bound with a singlewide strap of soft brown suede glued taught around the spine.
"Its my book. Well, my last one. I'm working on a new one at this very moment." Coulmier added excitedly through the hole. Elise desperately wished she knew what her neighbor looked like, to see his energy for herself. As it was right now, they were simply voices to each other. She stared blankly at the words in front of her. She, for his lively sake, badly wanted to know what the words meant.
Coulmier crouched at the hole in the wall and awaited Elise's reply. He could barely see her face through the small orifice, but saw enough of her eyes that his excitement was diluted.
"Something wrong?" he asked carefully.
The girl simply shook her head and started to rock slightly. He could hear her sniffling and fighting to control tears.
"Elise, is something the matter? Do you not like stories?" he repeated his question. She snuffed back a breath and exhaled slowly. She turned to the hole.
"No Coulmier, I adore stories. Unfortunately... I-" she stopped, as if fearing the tears would return. "I cannot read or write." She turned her head away ashamed.
Coulmier wanted to reach through the wall and hug his friend. She seemed greatly pained.
"I just feel so terrible that I cannot read what must surely be beautiful words and riveting tale." She added, her voice barely audible.
It was then that he was struck with an idea. He looked across the room to his hiding place and skittered quickly to it. Removing a single sheet of paper, and dipping a quill in ink, he rapidly scrawled the 26 letters of the alphabet, with enough room for someone to replicate them underneath. Blowing on the paper, he grabbed a fresh quill and the inkpot and scrambled back to Elise.
Once, he was sure the paper was dry, he rolled it length ways so small that it slid easily through the gap. Her hands muffled her gasp as he carefully passed a loaded quill through it as well.
"Well," he said confidently. "I'll teach you."
He peered through the wall and saw the corner of her lips turn into a smile.
"Thank you Coulmier. I know not how to repay you..." she whispered, her voice held no mystery as her expression. It was an obvious grin.
"The only payment I receive is that of you enjoying my book. Now, look at the top of the page. See the first letter? That is an A. Copy it exactly as it is printed." He explained.
Later that night, as the moon lazily traveled the sky, Elise lay on her cheap bed, an almost sheer sheet covering her body, she thought back to the afternoon's activities. Coulmier had given her his book. When she'd confessed her illiteracy, he'd only returned with a parchment and quill to teach her the written hand. They'd sat for hours leaning against the adjoining walls as Coulmier explained the letters, how they sounded and their meaning in some short words. They'd passed the parchment back and forth as so that Coulmier could make corrections and add sentences for her to learn. He had also offered to keep her learning papers in his room, hidden behind a well-placed stone so that the doctor Royer-Collard could not find them during inspections.
She couldn't sleep. All she could think about were the letters and they're sounds. They sounded so beautiful coming out of her friend's lips, and so maladroit and jumbled out of hers. Oh how she was looking forward to her next lesson.
As she was just about ready to drift off into sleep, she heard a familiar voice scream out.
"MARQUIS!"
The volume of the scream shot her straight out of bed. She pressed her ear against the wall so that she might hear more. Alas, she could only hear mutterings, and the odd word here and there.
"Madeleine..." was the most frequent.
Shortly after the dead awakening shout, she heard the recognizable click of Collards polished shoe on the cinder block floor. A creak of a door opening and a loud, unintelligible angry word. The mutterings stopped. Elise lay back down on her mat until she heard the clicks of the doctors' shoes fade out of existence.
When she was positive, she cautiously sat forward and listened. Whimpering could be heard from Coulmier's room. She moved to make contact through their stone hole, but a soft knock on her door echoed lightly.
Crawling to the door, she lifted the bolt and slid it open. The laundress was crouched there, her shawl hiding most of her features.
"Lise," she whispered. Elise nodded. "Come child. Quick and silent, the doctors not far gone."
The woman stood up and shortly after, Elise's locked door was open. Elise, afraid of what lay beyond the confines of her room, was led by the laundress a few feet down the hall. What seemed like forever passed as Elise walked, her feet stepping lightly on the cobble floors. They stopped at an iron door similar to her own. The old woman fumbled with the keys but managed to open the door.
Elise, was greeted with the darkness and the same whimpering she could hear in her room. Immediately, she knew who it was. Turning to the laundress, she looked as if to ask whether or not it was safe.
"Quick child, he needs a comfort right now. But make it short, cause if the doctor ever caught you... he'd flay you." She assured. Elise nodded and ran into the darkness towards the whimpering.
Coulmier slept. He dreamed of Madeleine. She was not dead after all, he'd given up the cloth and they were getting married. He walked the aisle to his bride in his dream and turned to her. He screamed when he saw who he was to be marrying. It was not Madeleine... the snide, cruel grin of the Marquis stared out at him from under his Maddy's veil. The scream had woken the doctor and when you wake the doctor, you should expect a severe punishment.
Now, Coulmier clutched his face, where the doctor had laid a fist into his cheek. His lip bled and the agony his face held was almost blinding. He could hear his door being opened again. The doctor must have not had his fill the first time. Coulmier stood shakily, ready to stand and fight if the need be. He was shocked to discover the nimble body of a young woman standing in front of him. He stood, in awe of what was going on.
Blinking, he leaned forward to get a better look at who his visitor was. Suddenly, the woman wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. She had to get on her tiptoes to reach his neck. Coulmier, still confused, hesitantly returned the gesture. The embrace lasted only for a few moments, as the laundress whispered into the darkness.
"Lise! Come, the time could only permit for a moment. Child, come quickly. I fear the doctors coming."
The woman pulled away slowly, Coulmier was surprised to hear the name. He tried to see the woman's face as she backed away slowly.
"Goodnight Coulmier." She whispered almost inaudibly.
"Goodnight," the same wispy intonation was used in his reply.
And she was gone. Like an angel, she came and went.
The next morning, Elise woke to the stone bring removed. Straightening herself, Elise slid over to the wall.
"Good morning Elise." Coulmier said quietly. "I wish to thank you for your kindness last night. I slept much better than I would have."
"It was all I could think to do. My mother used to hug me like that." Elise replied.
"Well you have a very wonderful mother."
Elise blushed.
"Thank you," her next question, she'd thought about since the incident of the night last.
"Coulmier, please do not think me rude, but who is Marquis? I've heard you scream his name in your sleep. And Madeleine, I hear her name spoken with such softness I feel like I've been bathed in down."
She fell silent, waiting to see if Coulmier chose to answer her question. It was a long time before Coulmier ever spoke.
"The Marquis, is just a name for the devil Elise. The Marquis is the devil. Madeleine-" his breath caught on the word. "Madeleine, she... well. I have no words to describe her yet. But if and when I do, I'm not so sure I'll be able to speak them."
Coulmier's voice cracked on the last sentence. Elise wondered if he was truly upset by her superfluous question.
"Coulmier, I-"
"No, worry not. Everything is all right Elise, but I must go. I think I hear the doctor."
Elise watched as the stone was pushed into place. A sort of grief had taken her heart as she heard Coulmier's voice crack and try and hold itself together. She promised to never speak of the Marquis or Madeleine, ever again.