Chapter 15. Overwatch

Edith began her story.

"I was thrilled when Miriam asked me to be a Governess

for the children. Innis added a room to the family home

and I moved in when Miriam and Innis were abroad.

Finn had only just started walking, so he must of been

about a year old. Joan the housekeeper had taken the

girls into town for a treat and I was minding Finn.

He was fast asleep on a daybed in the sun room. It was a

quiet afternoon, so I thought I'd catch up on some darning.

I was looking for a needle land thread in the sewing room

when I heard the back door open. I thought Joan and the

girls had come back, but when I didn't hear their voices

I went to check on Finn just in case, and sure enough

he was gone.

Through the bay windows I could see him toddling across

the backyard towards a stack of the timber the workmen

had set fire to that morning.

I called out his name, he turned and gave me a cheeky

grin but he didn't stop. By the time I got to the back door it

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

was too late. I saw him tumble into the pile of burning timber.

I screamed and ran toward the fire. I couldn't believe what

I saw.

Finn was sitting in the middle of the flames happily playing

with the burning sticks and glowing embers as if they

were toys - that's when I saw her for the first time."

Edith glanced sideways at Gideon.

''Eurides.'' he said.

"Eurides." Edith said. "She was sitting beside him in the fire,

smiling and looking on like a doting Mother. I didn't know

what to do. I thought maybe I could try to coax him out.

When I moved closer Eurides looked at me and smiled.

'Hello Edith, let him play a little longer.'

It frightened me that she knew my name. Finn was laughing

and waving his hands through all the coloured patterns and

shapes the flames made. When he started to get tired he

climbed into her arms. Eurides lulled him to sleep,

then she stood up and kissed him and held him out to me,

naked as the day he was born.

All of his clothes had been burnt away and he was covered

in soot and ash. 'Don't be afraid' Eurides said.

I carried Finn into the house and looked back to see if she

was following but she was gone.

I washed Finn, found some clothes and put him to bed.

The routine of what I was doing made me start to think that

maybe what I had just seen wasn't real, maybe I had

imagined it.

I tucked Finn's blankets around him and when I stood up,

Eurides was standing beside me.

'I have a favour to ask of you' she said.

"What did she want you to do?"

Edith smiled. "Isn't your lunch break just about over."

"The War department employs me as a civilian not as a

soldier, so there's some give and take in the hours I work."

Edith took off her sun hat and smoothed out her hair.

"Eurides told me she was Finn's guardian and that she only

wanted what was best for him."

Gideon recalled a similar conversation.

''She wanted my help to watch over Finn until he was older."

Gideon wondered what Eurides had given Edith in return.

"Does anyone else in the family know about her." he asked.

"Miriam and the girls certainly didn't."

Gideon found that hard to believe and suspected

Eurides subtle influence.

"I thought Innis and Joan knew, but they never spoke to me

about it. I lived with them until Finn was in middle school.

Joan still lives in the house. I asked her once if she'd ever

noticed anything out of the ordinary about Finn."

"What did she say?"

"She said that an apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"What on earth does that mean?" Gideon asked.

''I have no idea." Edith said.

*

Hidden from view in a stand of oak trees, the raven

looked on as Edith and Gideon talked.

''An apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

It repeated the sentence to itself, then chortled and

clacked it's beak in amusement.

"Yes, very good. Very good indeed."

*