Secrets of the Past (11 page)

“W
ell she gave you something I believe, and
I have now come to collect it.”

“But what is it”
I asked.

He then said.

“The locket, do you still have it?

I answered
.

“But I was told to keep it, and never give it to anyone, not even you, even Zoë’s mother told me I was to keep it
.
”

At this answer, he suddenly changed and said.

“Go get it now, it is rightfully
mine,
and I want it now
.
”

“But I no longer have it, I lost it, or someon
e stole it, as I had a robbery.”

He did not look at all pleased with my answer again, immediately I finished speaking he jumped across the room
, and pushed my head backwards.

“You better not be lying to me bitch, who broke in the place then?

I was sh
aking, “It was that Geoff bloke.
”

He then said
.

“If I find you been lying to me I will come back and kill you, he then hurried from the room, leaving me sat there.
I went to the door and checked he was gone, just caught the back of him slamming the front door.

As before, I put it to the back of my mind and got on.

Will this nightmare ever end?

Then I was working one day, at the gallery, we had a delivery, so was unwrapping some paintings, David had not arrived in to the off
ice yet.

As I had just got to
a large painting, the woman in it was very familiar to me.

It was Anastasia, as I unwrapped more, she had a velvet dress on, to the floor, her hair hung in ringlets, and her eyes were glistening, like glass.

Just as I remember her. Surely not I thought this could not be her, as I sat thinking, the door opened it was David returning.

I sat mesmerized by her beauty.

He immediately said
.

“Oh wonderful, they have arrived, and I see you
have found her
.
”

I answered.

“David she is so beautiful.”

H
e agreed, holding it to the light.

As he did, I noticed a locket around her neck, it was my locket, I knew at once.

David
then said.

“Are you alright
Amy
?
”

I replied.
“

Yes of course, where did you get
it?
”

“Oh, Martin,
had it stored at his gallery, Martin said, it had been there a many years with others, i
t had got damaged in a fire
years ago, m
ainly the frame as you can see.”

Then
he
added.

“I bought it off him with a few others, you never know, we may
be able to do something with it.

I will get our framer to have a look at
it and perhaps get it cleaned.”

I sat staring
at the locket, when David whispered.

“Amy, what is wrong, I can see tears in
your eyes, are you alright, has someone upset you.”

I wiped a tear from my cheek
.

“David,
I have something I have to
tell you it’s very importa
nt, can we meet somewhere else.”

David answered
.

“T
here is nothing to do here
. That lot will
wait. Come home with me, and you can tell me what has happened.
”

I agreed and grabbed my coat and bag.

He
lived in a house in Borstal, it overlooked the River Medway, but I had never been there before, but new of the area. Such a gentle man as always, he held
my hand as we arrived at his car and opened the door for me.

On the way, I started to tell him about Zoë.

He stopped me.

“No more, wait till we get home and we can discuss it over dinner, I will cook us a
lovely
meal, do you like Chinese, I am very good at it you know”.

We arrived at his house, it was stunning, not how I imagined very modern but with old bits here and there, very unusual. He ushered me into the door and said, “Right take a seat in the conservatory, and I will get cooking, would you like a drink”.

I answered
.

“Just a coffee for me”, as I knew David was tea total, so did not want to embarrass myself, by drinking alcohol.

I wanted to relish these moments, it had been a long time coming.

I gazed over the river beyond the gardens, the boats looked so tiny f
rom here, but what a view, he
must enjoy living here so much. It was fantastic.

Before I knew, about twenty minutes had flown by and
he
entered
the room, with two plates.

“Sorry forgot your coffee, I will fetch it.

We sa
t at a large glass table enjoying the lovely meal he had conjured up. I
t was delicious.

We moved to the sofa. H
e told
me he had lived there since his father had passed on, and he had no family to speak.

Then he said
.

“Sorry, how rude of me, please tell me what was wrong earlier”.

Therefore, my story began.

I told him everything but hesitated about the going back in time, would he think me mad as a hatter?

Never less, I decided to tell him all.

I had held this secret for so long, it was time to share it, and who better than him.

He sat not uttering a word, listening intently, I could feel myself getting warm wi
th embarrassment, but jabbered on, talking fast, and so he never got a word in anyway.

E
ver
y detail and I just could not stop. 

I neared the end of my
sto
ry.

David
laid
his hand upon mine, and said
.

“Why, did you not go to the police?

I replied.

“Because I did not think they would believe me and I had never spoken to the police, till the day I saw the body, and I was afraid, they would think I was a little mad, I have always been a little afraid of them.

We sat discussing all I had told him, I could tell he cared, wondered why, as I did not think he was that interested in m
e, so why would he want to hear
a tale like this?

He spoke of the painting, as he knew it had been in a fire, so could that have been when it happened when I was there witnessing the whole episode.

We sat a while not speaking, I was thinking, he doesn’t believe me, ju
st keeping me sweet, then he is
going to get rid of me as fast as he was able
.

CHAPTER NINE

He then spoke.

“Do you still have the
locket?
”

I replied.

“Yes I do, I hid in under my fireplace,
and I
put it there
weeks ago and forgot about it”.

David suggested he look at it, perhaps later when I take yo
u home, if you trust me.

“Of course I trust you David”.

It was dark so I suggested we make a move, we
arrived
home,
and I invited him
in, he immediately said

“Wow Amy, been keeping this quite, you have some lovely art here, where did you get it all from?

I told him where it all came from. I could see he was impressed with my collection of art.

I made us both, tea as he pottered about moving around the room slowly, taking in the art, looking at the bottom of a small sculpture I had of a dancer.

Then we sat and I got the locket from the place I had hidden it.

He gazed at it for ages he turned it, holding it gently
in his hand, and then he said.

“Do you mind if I open it? I said.

“Of course go ahead”

He then said she is beautiful, it is she, the woman in the painting.

    
Now I was confused, the locket when he opened it, nothing happened, does it only go back with me?

He passed it back to me, so I opened
it.

As I did the room started to dim, I moved closer to him placing my hand on his knee, we both looked up, there was no one else in the room, David could see what I could see, he sat gasping with amazement, frozen, then he whispered,

“Is
this real Amy, can you see it?

“Yes I can, I told you, and it was true
.
”

David looked at me and slipped his hand in mine, holding my hand tightly, just looking around, then we heard a noise it was horses hoofs, outside in the street, quickly we both went to the window, and looked upon the street.

It was  1800s, horses, carts, cobbled streets, an old man lighting the street lights, little urchin kids sitting at the kerbed edge, holding out there hands begging.

Ladies, wearing, long skirts. The Gentlemen wore top hats, but I had seen all this.
Everything grey looking. Just like the old pictures, we see.

This was the most exciting moment of my life
as I was sharing this moment with someone I think I loved.

He then spoke
.

   
“Come let’s go back now
”,

I agreed so I closed the locket, almost immediately we were back at my place.

He released my hand,

“Amy, do you know how valuable this is?

It is probably the most sought after object in the world today, can you imagine what you could do with the money this is worth.

You would be t
he richest person in the world.”

He added.

“No one in history has ever been able to go back in
time, but would like to, some to change the future, which we cannot allow.

What are you
going to do with it?

I answered.

“I don’t know, what I shall do with it, you tell me?

We sat for a while discussing the situation, I also added some more stuff that I had missed out earlier, bits I had forgotten, so I told all.

We sat and tried to forget what just happened.

On my cupboard stood an album, pictures of my family, so we went through them, David was so interesting; he asked so many
questions, about my mum and dad.

He wanted to know all about Tom and his family.

He then told me bits about
his life. It was the first time; we had connected in this way.

We
sat
watching TV a while.

David opened the locket again but only partially, so he could look at the photographs inside, agreed the pictu
re in the gallery were the same, as he done earlier.

I also showed him the love note I found.

He said.

“Shall we go down to the street, just to see what it’s
like?

“I’ve told you the story David, I have been there many times,
and I
am scared to go again.”

I then added. “Ok, but just this once.”

A
pprehensive, but excited at the same time and I felt safe with David, so I followed him to the door, I then opened the locket again.

I looked at him, laughed, and said
.

“Have you looked at your
clothing
?

H
e had short trousers, bit like
jockeys
, and a
waistcoat,
and a cap,
he looked so funny,
and he
smiled,
he looked a
bit like Oliver Twist, but older.

“Me, look at you,
stunner.” He said.

We opened the door and stepped into the street, just looking and taking in the smell, which was not that good I mu
st say. Think the drains needed
sorting.

The street lighter was walking past with a large rod hanging over his shoulder. Three little kids were playing a game, rolling stones, to see who could get nearest the large stone, they wore scruffy clothes, the girl had a skirt that touched the ground, the boys trousers stopped at their shins, and they were all giggling happily.