"I had forgotten about Genevieve" Amos said "same as the writers. But I had an excuse. I had bidden her goodbye as she was released. In my mind she was gone, leaving me to be the guardian. But that had not happened yet."
"But the writers had no excuse. According to them Genevieve was still the guardian spirit, though not a very effective one."
"She was effective enough."
-0-
Miriam followed the will of the wisp, coming closer to edge. A few more steps and she would go down, crashing on the rocks.
Irina looked on, a smile on her lips. Soon, soon, she would punish Amos for spurning her.
"If you do this, he will hate you forever. He will reject you no matter how much you plead."
Irina turned to see Genevieve floating in front of her. "You still want him to love you. And you hope that he will come back and avow that he truly loved you. This is what you want."
-0-
In the future, Irina remembered the words, remembered the hatred in Amos' eyes as he saw the crushed body of Miriam.
"He will hate you forever…. You still want him to love you."
How she remembered those words. The warning that she had not heeded. The final rejection in Amos' eyes.
She had to go back and undo it. She had to save Miriam.
-0-
Miriam came closer, her toes touching the edge of the rocks.
Then the will of the wisp turned and guided her away.
Irina sighed. She would not see the hatred in Amos' eyes. He could still love her.
-0-
Reverend Moore confronted Dame Alice. "You need to make your peace with God. You need to abjure the lies you lived with."
"Get out!" Alice shouted. "I know what you want. It is Benchley money, isn't it?"
"I am concerned for your soul!"
"Get out, you fraud!" Alice rose from her bed, pointing to the door. "Get out!"
"Think of the Last Judgement. Think of Hell."
Alice collapsed on the bed, her eyes glazing. Her heart had just given up. Before, as Reverend Moore thought, she could make a sizeable donation to his church to buy her way into heaven.
-0-
"I missed that scene. It was daytime and I was dead to the world. But Mimi did see it, and she told me., shocked by Moore's behavior. The house went into turmoil as the whole family had to deal with Alice's death. And in all that, Patience could easily slip away into the lawn where Thatcher was expecting her. He got her into the cab and drove into town, to the justice of the peace where there were a couple of witnesses. Alas, I could not be one of them. My part was done."
Then nightfall came and I rose, still filled with Mimi's righteous indignation, and ready to right a wrong."