Chapter 9. Falling star

1895 St.Ives England

Finn crawled behind the curtains chasing the family cat.

Innis swooped him up and lifted him high into the air.

Finn squealed with delight.

"Inky's too quick for you my friend."

It was late afternoon. Joan the housekeeper had made

dinner for Innis and Finn and left it on the oven top

to keep warm.

"Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help look

after Finn. Miriam told me to keep an eye on both of you

while she's away with the girls."

Innis put Finn down and laughed as he crawl after Inky again.

"We’ll be fine thank you Joan, dinner smells delicious.

Go home and have an early night for once."

Joan untied her apron and hung it up. She picked up

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Finn and kissed him on her way out.

"Be a good boy for your Da."

From the kitchen Innis watched Joan walk down

the hill towards her home. Miriam's involvement with the

Women's rights movement was taking up more and more

of her time. Employing a housekeeper had been her idea.

Innis had been against it at the start, but there was no denying

how much easier Joan had made their lives. A governess to help

with the children's education was next on Miriam's agenda.

After dinner, Innis wheeled Finn's cot out of the nursery and

set it up next to his bed. "Don’t tell your Mother about this"

It annoyed Miriam that Finn squirmed in her arms if he

caught sight of Innis. "'You're such a Daddy’s boy."

*

Finn was asleep. Innis took off his glasses and rubbed

his eyes. "That's enough of Mr. Shakespeare for one night."

Innis put the book of plays on the nightstand and pulled up

the blankets that Finn had kicked aside.

When he turned off the light, he saw Eurides standing

next to Finn's cot. "Am I dreaming?" he said.

Eurides smiled.

"I wasn’t sure if I would ever see you again." Innis said

"I'm sorry I've been away for so long Innis. There have been

some things that I had to consider."

Eurides reached down and stroked Finn's hair.

"Let me tell you a story."

That surprised him, in all their time together Eurides had

rarely, if ever said anything about herself. If he'd asked -

she'd answered in only the vaguest of ways or not at all.

Eurides walked around the cot and lay down next to him.

Innis turned to face her enjoying their closeness.

"Centuries ago, I fell to earth in a land of deserts."

"You fell?" His head spun at the suggestion of it.

"Are you telling me you're an Angel?''

Eurides laughed. "Nothing so prosaic."

She stroked his face. "I lay in pools of molten glass where

the sand had melted beneath me. I had no memory of who

I was, or from where I'd come. I had no memory of even

what I am.."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Our story has to start somewhere." Eurides whispered.

"Our story?" Innis said. He sank into a deep dreamless

sleep. In the darkness another voice spoke.

"Innis believes we are one with Finn."

Eurides saw a mirror image of herself standing next to

Finn's cot. "We are." she said.

"And we are one with Innis also." the other said.

"We are." Eurides smiled. "We are many things.":

*