Bastian

The first thing Odette noticed, when she opened her eyes, was that the ceiling was different. Rather than the usual lace shadows cast by the drapes of her four poster bed, the ceiling was instead a bland grey.

   “Fortunately,” a sigh of a voice muttered from somewhere in the haze of confusion. She recognised the voice, though its tone was different, it still invoked images of a sun dappled day.

   “Sir Xanders?” Odette whispered the name through dry lips. She slowly turned her head to see the man sat at the bedside, looking at her with concern.

   “Ah, you’re awake. You collapsed shortly after getting out of the car, we brought you home to recover,” Xanders said.

   “Oh, my, really? Thank you,” Odette said weakly.

   It took a lot of effort to get sat up straight, her body felt like a leaden weight. Maximin handed her a glass of water and went over to adjust the curtains so that the sun didn’t shine directly into her face.

   Drinking the water enthusiastically, Odette felt herself returning to some normality and reflected on her memories for a moment.

   She had not been feeling well even before Count Xanders came to visit. She shivered and cold sweat ran down her body. Despite everything, she was holding up pretty well, but during the car ride her condition deteriorated quite unexpectedly. Her hunger strike was most likely the cause of her sudden nausea.

   “I will contact the Navel Base, see if Major Klauswitz can come and…”

   “No, please don’t,” Odette said sharply. “He’s very busy, you see, I don’t want to worry my husband over something so small.”

   “I think pregnancy is not something so small, Odette, I’m sure your husband would love to hear the joyous news as soon as possible.”

   “Well, that’s…what?”

   “Doctor Zagers confirmed it after he examined you. Though he couldn’t be certain without proper examination, he did mention that it was highly probable, which made prescribing anything difficult. He advised that you get seen by a medical examiner as soon as possible.”

   “It can’t be true,” Odette said blinking at Maximin.

   “Take your time, you’re still recovering. When my wife was pregnant with Alma, she showed pretty much the same symptoms.”

   “No, I think there might be some kind of misunderstanding, Sir Xanders, I don’t think I am pregnant, I know my body better than anyone.” Odette asserted her surety without a doubt. “Thank you for your concern and I am ever grateful, but I should be leaving now.”

   Odette got out of the bed in such a rush, that she almost immediately fell to the floor. At first, Maximin thought she was trying to retreat under the bed. He rushed around to help her to her feet and could feel her cold, clammy skin through her shaking hand.

   He led Odette to a chair in front of the open window. When she tried to get up from the chair, he placed a firm hand on her shoulder and held her in place.

   “If its something you don’t want to talk about, I will respect your wishes. I promise not to interfere, but you must rest here for a little while and then we can leave together.”

   “Sir Xanders, that’s…”

   “The responsible thing to do. Setting out now, in your condition, is dangerous. I will accompany you to your destination, then escort you home.”

   Maximin lowered his posture so that he was eye to eye with Odette. He knew he should call her husband, but she didn’t want him involved and he had to respect that. She looked visibly frightened when he mentioned contacting him, but he couldn’t just stand aside and let her continue on like this.

   Odette was about to thank Maximin, when she was cut off by a gentle knock at the door. “Count, it’s time,” a servant said through the door.

   “Oh, of course, I have a prior appointment with Alma’s headmaster, forgive me, but I must leave. Stay as long as you need. I will be back around five.”

   Maximin wrapped a blanket over Odette’s shoulders before he left Odette in front of the fireplace. He headed for Alma’s room, but she was already awake from her nap and running down the corridor.

   “Daddy, is Mrs Klauswitz going on a trip? There are lots of pretty clothes and shoes in her bag, I saw them.” Alma was bursting with excitement.

   “You shouldn’t be going through other peoples things without permission, Alma,” Maximin scolded.

   Alma looked up at him with big, puppy dog eyes. “No, but, the bag fell over and I helped put everything back. I didn’t do anything.”

   “What’s this?” Maximin noticed something sparkle in Alma’s hand.

   “Little Meg, it fell from the bag and got hurt, I wanted to show Mrs Klauswitz,” Alma said tearfully, holding out her hand. It was a small crystal ornament of a dog that looked a little similar to Margrethe.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The sun had started to set and cast the alley in an ever deepening shadow. Odette quickened her pace as she noticed the vibrant hues of dusk painting the sky, the anxiety in her heart urging her to increase her pace.

   Had Sir Xanders returned already? The thought raced through her mind.

   She knew that Maximin would keep her secret, if he intended to contact Bastian, he would have done it ages ago and she would probably not have had chance to leave. Either way, she wanted to make sure she returned before Maximin did. She didn’t want to cause him any more worry.

She reached the narrow alleyways, like ant tunnels, and arrived at the pawnshop. Odette gently pushed open the door. The elderly owner, who had been napping in a corner of the store, suddenly awoke as the bell chimed. Placing the bag she had in her hands onto the table, Odette watched as the pawnbroker donning a pair of old round glasses hanging from his neck, began to inspect the contents without uttering a word. Even from behind her black veil, she sensed his fleeting glance at her.

“Are you selling this too?” Holding a brown envelope in his hand, which she didn’t recognize, the pawnbroker  asked.

“… No.” Odette took it immediately. She had never seen the envelope before and her confusion grew when she noticed the Xanders family crest upon the wax seal, a soaring hawk.

Odette walked over to the window and opened the envelope. How shocked she was by the sight of money inside. The handwriting letter was scribbled in haste, as it was not the Counts usual neat, swirling script.

   “Alma accidentally knocked over your bag and damaged something of yours. Please accept this money for the damaged puppy dog, and my apologise on behalf of my daughters mistake.”

   Only then did Odette recall the absence of the crystal ornament she had packed, but was curiously absent from the belongings. What was more curious was Xanders’ behaviour and seeming willingness to turn a blind eye to the course of curious events.

   The large sum of money in the envelope was far more than what the crystal trinket was worth. Sure, she had cherished it, but it was still acquired from a cheap street vendor. The Count must have known that it wasn’t worth the amount he put in the envelope.

   As she burst out from the darkening alley, the post scrip made a little more sense to her. 

“I am always ready and willing to help you in any way that I can.”

When the pawnbroker coughed, Odette discreetly stashed the letter and neatly placed the money in her handbag. With tears welling in her eyes and a tight throat suppressing her emotions, Odette returned to the pawn counter. Unfortunately after quite tough negotiations, she couldn’t secure the exact price she aimed for, but it was still acceptable.

After giving up all of her belongings, Odette left the pawnshop. The back alley, dimly lit and enshrouded in darkness, gradually came alive with the glow of entertainment lights. Her gaze turned to the brightly illuminated gambling den across the way, and a trace of disgust could be seen in her face.

She despised herself for investing her time in the pathetic charade of awaiting this moment. She tarnished everything through her own actions, yet incessantly preached about responsibilities and obligations. She believed her ultimate redemption had arrived, only to now recognize it as nothing but feeble self-satisfaction. Unaware that her illicit desires would drive her to commit even graver wrongs, she hadn’t anticipated that abandoning everything and escaping would have prevented this tragedy.

   The guilt in her faded and she found herself standing in front of a small infirmary in a narrow, dark alley. Despite its inconspicuous appearance and lack of signs, the competence of its physicians could be relied upon. It had been making money, in that exact same spot, for generations.

  Hesitantly, with Maximin’s voice in her head, she stepped forward and the door swung open. From within, a woman with swollen eyes came out, being supported by a friend.

“You’re going to experience a great deal of pain. If you come alone, you’ll end up crawling back home because walking won’t be an option,” warned the woman who was assisting her friend. Meanwhile, the friend being supported could only cry out and scream in pain.

 “Hey there,” a harsh voice called out to Odette.

   Startled by the sudden greeting, Odette turned to see a man behind the door, gesturing to her. There was dried blood on his apron. It seemed to be a trace left by the woman from earlier.

Odette had to suppress the urge to flee, subconsciously massaging her lower abdomen and stepped toward the shabby building.

  He looked at her thoughtfully, “No trauma. Do you understand what that means?” the man said discreetly.

   Odette nodded, her thoughts distant. She handed the man the envelope containing the money from Xanders and the pawnshop, taking a more confident step into the infirmary.