At 6pm she had gone down and found Charles with two guests in one of the terraces of the Hotel.
She told him she would be volunteering at the hospital for a couple of hours and would be back at the hotel at 8pm to have dinner alone in her room.
“No socials tonight?” He thought. She had said no to his offers of getting a coach or a car for her. “I’m used to the bus” she said. And without goodbyes, she left
Charles stayed there, thinking how unusual this was. She wasn't like that at all.
She walked alone through the deserted suburban road surrounding the hotel, she even pretended to wait for the bus, but when she felt safe under the half light of dusk, she detoured and went into the woods. It was a full moon night and there were clouds in the sky which, for moments, bathed the earth with shadows.
She hadn’t taken that way in years. She had thought she would never do it again. It took her a while to decide to go in.
Even so, here she was, in her woods, covered in a cloak and sneaking into its familiar noisy darkness.
At first everything looked well-known and safe, but as long as she kept going into the heart of the woods she started to worry. So many years had brought too much new life, new greens, new sounds.
The trees she knew so well back then were now too tall for her to recognise, and new plants were covering the path, almost not there anymore.
Blindly she moved forward, taken only by her memories and guided by her heart under the filtered moon light.
After minutes walking she got to a clearing where she saw it.
The old shed. It was not as she remembered. Its state was a lot worse.
Half of the roof was gone and paint had been washed out by so many rains! Now, new life had spread here also, taking the shed as hostage.
She checked her watch. She was early. There were still a few more minutes to 7pm. She went closer to the shed. No one seemed to be there.
“He will come” she thought. Standing by the entrance she took a walk down the memory lane.
A breaking noise shook her up. She turned looking for the origin of the sound. Another one. Stronger.
“Who’s there?” she shouted scared. “Show yourself!”
Footsteps were sounding louder. “Please! Who is there?!”
“Who are you?” a man’s voice shouted back from the darkness.
Knowing where the voice came from, she turned. “I’m here to meet you”
Silence first, then rushing footsteps getting closer and a golden glow.
“Kristine?!” asked a shaggy old man coming out from behind some bushes. He had recognised her face.
“Thomas!” She cried and run to meet him.
They met into a strong embrace. “Oh Tom! You are all right! Tommy!” she said crying, holding him and stepping away for moments to take a look at him, finally to hold him again.
“Kristine! Thank God you are here, I thought you would never come back!
“Tom, I didn’t know! No one told me you were here. When did you come back? Why you meet me here?”
"I‘ve never left K.”
“What?” She asked surprised. She stepped back and only then she realised his haggard appearance.
I stayed. I couldn’t leave. I’ve been in hiding all these years, I’ve been living in this shed. Time has been unkind to me K” He added with a smile.
“Tom…” She said with a sad look caressing his beard. “You are still my baby brother” she smiled back. “ I thought you were in Europe, looking for us at first. Then I simply accepted the possibility of your death”
“I couldn’t make it to the boat K. The night we were going to take the steam to Europe there was an upraise in the city. The police and the militaries went down on everyone and I had to hide. Dozens died that night. When I finally could leave my hiding place, I knew they were looking for me… shouting my name. I run. And then I just knew what to do. I found a dead man who had been shut in the face and I changed our documents. I was dead to them now. But with false documents and no money, I had no place to go. So I came here. I stayed, K”
She was looking at at him in horror. Crying. She couldn’t speak.
“K, you must leave now. I just wanted you to see me. I'm all right. I wanted to see you. But now you must leave. No one must suspect. Go back!”
“NO!”
“Yes. You must listen to me carefully. You must go on with your everyday life until you come back from Europe to settle, as if nothing had happened. I’ll go on living here till then too. Listen to me K!” He shook her. “ Do not trust Captain Perz. He means no harm but he is a puppet. Coronel Mellen is who moves him and you must be careful. I’ll explain the rest later, don't tell anyone you so me.”
She was shocked and confused. She took money out of her purse, all she had and gave it to him. “Here, use it” she looked hopeless.
“I’ll be all right K, go on now. I’ll see you in a few months. I promise”
Shaking she said goodbye and took the path out of the forest, every once in a while she turned around to give a last look at him. Every time she did, he was there waving, until darkness swallowed everything.
She walked blindly out of the forest and started the way back to the hotel. She stopped for a while to pull herself together, and then she went up the stone steps leading to the terrace.
Once more she found the clerk there, this time giving instructions to a new gardener.
“I’ll take dinner now in my room Charles. And please send two maids. I must pack for Europe at once. I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Yes Ma’am” He bowed and right after that, he followed her inside.
