Chapter XI: Heart and Hands
Victoria woke in the early afternoon; and the whole time she got ready, and ate breakfast, she thought of Edward. She wondered if it was all just an elaborate dream. How can such a person actually exist? He must be over a hundred years old! What has he been doing this whole time? That amazing, enchanted garden must be pretty time consuming; but how has he not gone stir crazy with cabin fever yet? He is basically trapped there...alone.
She sipped her coffee, and stared at the unfinished fried eggs in front of her. Does he even eat? He must not need to, but even machines need to run on something. I wonder what he is doing right now.
She stood up, and put her plate on the floor, calling to Poe. Then she gulped the last of her coffee, while a much appreciative cat found her unwanted breakfast. She ran to the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth, and then headed out the back door.
The dew was still clinging to the grass in the shade of the trees. She passed under them, and up the hill to where Edward had shown her the easy way over the wall. She climbed it, wondering just how often he had come over it, and to her house. The memory of her second night here, and the noise she heard, came back to her. Her cheeks flushed as it dawned on her. He most likely heard me singing...and then saw me getting undressed for bed. Oh, how embarrassing! By the time she reached the inner wall, her face was a lovely shade of red.
She paused to admire the ivy covered wall and gateway. Dark purple violets grew wild on the ground around it. It was almost like it was the Secret Garden; she was always fascinated by that book as a child. It really was a wonder how she was ever able to find the gate last night, by the moonlight. She pushed the creaking old wrought iron gate and stepped inside. She looked around the garden, now brightly lit, and was positive the awe would never wear off.
With the sun shining on it, she could see all of the Gothic castle-like mansion. She couldn't believe what Anne said about how everyone thought this place was ugly. She loved it; everything about it. The gargoyles, the tall pointed windows and archways. She had always loved stone structures, and was sure to spend some enjoyable time photographing this. Some areas were starting to crumble, reminding her of the pictures of old Irish castle ruins. She thought it was too bad that some of the stained glass windows were missing, and the roof collapsing. What if this place rots away, and completely collapses; what will happen to Edward?
She made her way through the garden to the large wooden door. It had a heavy iron knocker, so she used it, and waited a minute. There was no noise coming from inside; so she pushed the door, stepped in, and called out, "Hello?" There still was no answer, so she walked farther in. She was determined to find Edward, to make sure that she really hadn't lost it and dreamed the whole thing.
The light was dim inside, but she could make out a lot more than she had been able to last night. The room she was in was a large room with a spiraling stone staircase. There were metal robots of varying sizes and shapes, along with some tables and racks filled with different mechanical parts. She walked up to one of the tables and looked at what appeared to be one of Edwards hands. She glanced up from the table and looked around the room more. Across the room was a door; from her memory of the direction they took last night, it was the bathroom. Next to it was another door, but it was completely covered in cobwebs and dust. It looked like whatever was in there was never used.
She walked to the staircase, pausing to admire the strange bird-like statue at its base. Smiling, she ran a fingertip across the front of it, and walked up the first set of stairs. When she reached the top, she called, "Hello, Edward? It's me, Victoria." She waited, but again didn't hear anything. Maybe he's sleeping. I wonder if he actually requires sleep.
She walked down the hallway, and through the first door she came to. Walking inside, she observed several shelves full of old books and tomes. There was an old map laid out on the floor, next to an open book. She walked up to them for a closer look. Noticing the book was open to one of her favorite Edgar Allan Poe poems, she smiled. She glanced over to the map, it looked like it was over a hundred years old. The edges of the sea even showed pictures of mermaids, sirens, a giant squid, and a sea serpent; all surrounding some sailboats. The pictures in these books and maps must be where he gets his inspiration to make such fantastical topiaries.
Crossing to the other side of the library, she opened another door. Walking through it, she stepped into another large room that appeared to be some sort of laboratory. There were vials of dark colored liquid lining the shelves, and from the ceiling hung several different types of unfamiliar plants. The air smelled almost like a tea store; the flowering plants and herbs creating a perfume. She picked up one of the glass bottles and held it up to the light coming through the window. It was a dark greenish red, with sediment suspended throughout it. She wondered what he used it for. Setting down the bottle, she headed back to the stairs.
The view from the window at the landing caught her attention, and she paused there to look out. There was a gorgeous view of the town below, and a direct view of her balcony. She smiled, liking the idea of Edward standing here and watching her house with curiosity. It actually comforted her, finding out who her 'ghost' was. To have another lonely soul so close by.
She continued up the next two flights of stairs, until she reached another floor. This one was so covered with dust and cobwebs, she was sure it hadn't been used in a long time. She figured Edward wouldn't be here either, so she kept going up until she ran out of stairs to climb.
There was a door on either side of her. She decided to go through the left one, seeing as how that one looked like it was used more. She walked into a large attic room that had half of its roof caved in. There was a lot of water damage to the room, from it being exposed to the elements. She carefully stepped over and through some of the debris until she was standing at an area where she could look out the gaping hole from the roof. She saw something shining and blue in the distance, and wondered if you could see all the way to the ocean from up here. It truly was a beautiful view, she stood motionless for a couple of minutes, enjoying it.
Pulling herself away from the view, she turned around, and walked back towards the door. Along the way she noticed a large fireplace, and walked up closer to it. There were scattered papers in it; it looked like it had been ages since it was used for a fire. Some of the old and crumbling papers were attached to the back of the chimney, making a collage. She could hardly make out what they said. One looked like it was a news clipping about a blind boy that was learning to read using his hands...braille. It looked like Edward had, at one period, spent a lot of time making this...just to let it crumble and fade away. Oh Edward. You have spent so much time alone here, longing to be normal and fit in. Wanting so much to be a part of something, and giving up on the hope of ever having that. I know how you feel...the disconnection.
She knew she must be close to finding him, and she really wanted to see him. She left the room, crossed the small landing, and pushed open the other door. As she walked into the room, she stopped abruptly. There was a motionless Edward on a bed at the center of the room. She suddenly felt very foolish, and wondered if she should wake him.
"Edward?" She softly walked across the room to where he slept. As she got close to him, she couldn't help but smile at how peaceful, and beautiful he looked. The loud thumps of her heart embarrassed her, so she waited a minute, and took a deep breath. When she felt a little calmer, she called his name again; this time a little louder. He jumped, and sat up quickly, blinking several times.
He looked at her with wide eyed disbelief, as he asked her, "Am I dreaming?"
She laughed, "No, it's real. I felt the same way when I woke up. I had to come here to make sure I didn't dream it all up." She sat down next to him on the bed, and decided she would have been more comfortable standing. It felt like the ancient mattress was made of sawdust.
She asked him, "So, this is your room?" She looked around at the sorry state of his room. Even though he lived in a mansion, he didn't really have much.
He paused, and then said, "My father gave me a bedchamber on the third floor, but I have not used it since his death. I spend most of my time on this floor, or in the library."
"But, the roof is caving in. Aren't you afraid it may fall on you?" She looked at the rafters with concern.
He glanced up with her, and replied, "No. I have already survived that once. I do not fear it."
"Well, you must get so cold at night," she said, eying the sad threadbare and torn blanket on his bed.
"Yes. Sometimes."
She gazed around the room again. Books lay scattered on the floor, and in one corner was a yellowing stack of newspapers and magazines. The holes in the roof exposed the sky in a couple areas creating skylights. Even with the light streaming in, it was still gloomy. The air looked thick with dust.
He noticed her taking in the room, and shyly said, "I apologize for the current state of my house. I am not very skilled at housework, and I never get guests."
She smiled at him, and said, "It's ok. My house gets messy too." He returned her smile with a bashful one of his own. "I'm sorry that I barged in here, and disturbed your sleep."
"You are always more than welcome here. I require little sleep. I sleep this time of day because I can not go outside."
She recalled the image of him standing in the shadows at the window. "Why not? Does the sunlight bother you?"
"It bothers my eyes...That is due to my eyes being used to darkness. I do not go outside in the light for fear of being seen. The townspeople hate me, and believe me to be dead." He looked sad, yet resigned to the idea.
She recalled the end of his story from the night before. How Kim had to fool the townspeople into believing he was dead. Well, her plan worked. Nobody has ever bothered him again after that. He has been left alone...completely alone...for all those years.
She raised her hand and held his arm, saying, "Edward, all of those people you met down there? Well...most of them have passed away. Their grandchildren think you are a ghost. It has all become a legend."
"Oh," he said wide-eyed. "Is it safe for me to go back there?"
Now she was in a difficult position; she didn't want to scare him, or let him down. She wanted to be truthful with him... how could it be safe for him? "I don't know...you obviously look a lot different than everyone else; you would draw a lot of attention to yourself. It would be hard to explain the hands...I don't think it would be safe for you...If people were to know what you are...Our government does some strange things, and I would hate for someone to take you away to study you." She could picture a factory making Edward clones and sending them to the front lines of a war. The thought made her shudder.
He looked at her, and asked with concern, "Are you cold?"
She shook the vision, and looked into his eyes. "No, I was just thinking about it...I would hate to see anything bad happen to you, Edward. Maybe your routine is for the best after all." He nodded, looking disappointed. She quickly added, "But, now that I know you're here, I'll be coming to visit you all the time."
His eyes grew big with disbelief, as he said, "You will?"
"Of course. And you can come to my house anytime you'd like."
He gave her a heartwarming smile, and looked like he wanted to hug her. She realized she was still holding his arm, and squeezed it.
There was a moment of silence between them. Until Edward sat up straighter, and said, "Excuse my manners! Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Sure," she laughed, amused by his manners. She dropped her hand off his arm, and stood up. His smile faltered slightly, until she said, "Lead the way."
He led her down the stairs to the ground level. They walked around the staircase, and underneath it to a door that she hadn't noticed earlier. He pushed it open with his arm, and held it open for her. She walked into a large kitchen with several windows that overlooked the gardens. There was a large wooden table, with matching chairs, in the center of the room. He motioned towards it and said, "Please, sit."
She sat down, and continued to look around the room. The appliances looked very interesting to her; they were all ancient, but unlike any she had ever seen. She wondered if these were more of his father's inventions. She watched Edward as he picked up a large copper teapot, and set it on the stove. The stove's burners looked like they were all designed to resemble spiders. He turned a knob, to give it heat, and walked to a rack that had herbs hanging from it. He held up a couple mugs, and snipped some sprigs off the drying herbs, into the cups. He brought the mugs to the table, where she was sitting. He carefully let the cups' handles slide off his blades, onto the table, and sat next to her.
"You are very good with those," she said, smiling at him.
"I have a lot of practice. I wasn't always as skilled. I did have accidents, as you can see."
"Is that why your father made the leather suit for you to wear? To protect y our skin?"
"Yes...I have some questions of my own, for you."
"Oh?" She looked surprised...what would he want to know about her?
"I would like to know more about you...I have told you so much about me, yet I hardly know anything about you."
"I'm sorry, it's just...you're so interesting, and I'm so boring."
"You are not boring, at all." He looked shocked at such a thought.
"Compared to you, I definitely am." She chuckled, and said, "Alright, what would you like to know?"
"Everything," he said frankly.
She laughed, "I don't think we have time this afternoon for my entire life story. You're going to have to be a little more specific."
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Why did you move here?"
"Well...the easy answer is my boss, Vincent, is opening a new coffee shop at the strip mall downtown. He needed a manager to run it."
"The strip mall?"
"Yeah, it's a collection of stores in a line, all sharing walls, with outdoor entrances."
"Yes, I know of it. I almost had my own salon there."
"Really? That's awesome. I know you mentioned how the townspeople liked you at first, and you cut their hair; but, I didn't know you planned to professionally. You must have really enjoyed it. I'm sorry it never worked out for you...You know what? All summer I have wanted to get my hair cut short. I just never got around to it, and now the summer is almost over."
His eyes lit up, and he smiled as he offered, "I could do it for you."
She returned his smile, "I would love that." She wasn't sure just what she was getting into, but figured it was just hair; it would grow back. Besides, she figured he would like doing something he once enjoyed so much. She could sacrifice her hair, if it meant making him happy.
He stood up, and swiveled his chair away from the table and motioned for her to sit. She changed chairs, and waited apprehensively. As soon as she sat down, he walked to a closet, and emerged with a dusty table cloth. Shaking the dust off first, he then approached her and wrapped it around her shoulders.
He circled around her, and stood a couple feet away with the backs of his hands resting against his hips. His face was a mask of pure concentration. He stepped forward and tilted her head gently, then started to work. She really enjoyed watching him work, but begrudgingly closed her eyes to keep the hair out of them. She lost her sight, but could enjoy the sound. It sounded like she was at a salon, and several hair cutters were working on her at the same time. It was an exhilarating experience to have someone, who could very easily harm you, being so close, yet so gentle. Soon the noise stopped, and she opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her, and grinning wildly.
She ran a hand through the short locks, and said, "Thanks, it definitely feels better." She ran her hand over the newly exposed back of her neck. She wondered if she looked okay with her hair that short.
She tried not to sound too worried as she asked, "Do you have a mirror?"
His smile turned to a frown as he thought about it. The tea kettle's whistle distracted him; he went to the stove, and turned it off. Picking up the kettle, his smile returned. He walked it over to her, and held it up to her eye level. She looked at her distorted, copper colored reflection, and could hardly believe it was hers. Her hair naturally flipped out all over, creating an adorable pixie style look. She loved it.
With a wide grin she said, "I love it! Edward, you are so talented! Thank you so much!" She dodged the steaming teapot so she could wrap her arms around him and pull him close. She closed her eyes, and held him.