The Gateway - Chapter V: Pearl Earring

Nell had wanted to borrow a sickle as hers was missing I found out at tea. I was a little surprised that the King’s didn’t have lots of sickles, it seemed bizarre that a farm as big as theirs didn’t have multiple numbers of hoes and sickles and other such farming tools. Perhaps Nell just wanted to escape her husband and interact with another female; the King farm being dominated by males –Jack, Geoffrey and the labourers they employed were also all male, par for one milk maid named Mary who was particularly quiet, only fourteen years old and an acquaintance of William who he had met at school I believe. Given her age and shyness she would not have been much good for conversation in Nell’s opinion.

We had a Sunday roast for tea, comprising of some potatoes that had just been ready for picking and beef from the King’s as our farm mainly grew crops and the cows were used purely for milk, to sell or to use to make butter. We also had some carrots and gravy.

After tea I played cards for an hour or so with William before retreating to my room and going to sleep.
‘Who are you, I mean do you have a name?’ I asked the soldier whom I was facing once more.
‘I think you know who I am,’ he replied.
‘No, I really don’t’ I crossed my arms frustrated.
‘I am the guardian of the gateway,’ he smiled nonchalantly, knowing his vagueness would infuriate me.
‘Are you Andrew then?’ I tried.
‘God no, there is something you need to know though. Tonight everything will change. When you wake up it will have begun.’ He laughed in a sick fashion.
‘What will happen tonight? Damn you, why must you speak in riddles?’ I spat.
The mysterious soldier, giving a dark smile, watched as I was torn from his world and flung back into my own, with sweat on my brow and shaking in the coldness despite my perspiration. I glanced at the clock, it was half past one in the morning, and I had never been up so late before, not even on Christmas Day waiting for Santa or New Years Eve celebrating. I looked over at William; he was fast asleep. What the soldier had said scared me; was something happening right now, in the seclusion of darkness that night provides. How could I sleep now? I felt very much inclined to think what the soldier had said was wrong, after all how could an imaginary being know such things, and yet I felt real fear something terrible was going to happen tonight. Perhaps it was happening now.

I lay in my bed staring up at the ceiling until the morning light crept through crevices in the curtain and birds began twittering between themselves, like acquaintances do at work, on subjects that were of no doubt any consequence; almost certainly just exaggerated gossip. I felt a frenzied excitement and nervousness in my stomach; my body felt weak and trembling. I felt like someone who was about, upon opening a letter, to discover his fate. I suppose I could compare it to a prisoner awaiting the juries decision in a court room, knowing the forthcoming events could change one and one’s life forever.

It was around half past nine when I heard cries of anguish coming from downstairs. William stirred but did not wake. I rushed down stairs in my pyjamas fearing for Aunt Laura or my parents.

Downstairs I found them, but they were not crying. Instead I found a tearful Nell and a very angry man who I assumed to be Geoffrey. He was a well built man with a tanned complexion and short brown hair which had sideburns stretching to just past his ears which I supposed he had to make up for his lack of facial hair. He had quite a young looking face though some signs of middle age were detectable.
‘What, all of them?’ Aunt Laura said, holding Nell in her arms, the latter could hardly be heard for her unrelenting weeping.
‘Yes, every last one.’
‘Geoffrey,’ Aunt Laura addressed, ‘are you sure it wasn’t a wild beast.’
Geoffrey shook his head sternly.
‘The wounds were inflicted with a knife or a sickle, no beast or man could do that with the weapons God provided them with, claws or hands. Also, upon searching the area I came across this.’ Geoffrey held up a pearl earring between his thumb and forefinger.
‘Whoever slaughtered the animals was wearing this and one of their earring must have fallen off.’
‘So it must have been a girl then?’ My father suggested.
‘Yes,’ answered Geoffrey, worry and perhaps even guilt etched in his frown and flickering eyes.
Nell stopped sobbing and turned her attention to myself.
‘James, have you seen the earring before?’
I shook my head.
‘My name is John.’ I said but she did not hear me as her thoughts had changed to a new direction.
‘Who would want to do this to us? What have we done to anyone?’ Nell asked, addressing no one in particular. Following my intuition I looked at Geoffrey as his wife said this and saw the nervousness of his body and the reddening of his face. What part had he played in the slaughter of his cattle? Was he partly responsible? I fancied he had indeed angered the culprit recently, for he seemed to have an idea of who it was and was reluctant to tell Nell for he feared she may consequently inquire why he thought this, and he would falter under her questioning. I decided I would find the culprit myself and bring to light who had committed this crime and what their motive was. If I was right in my suspicions the culprit would be a girl of around fifteen to twenty years of age and Geoffrey had been up to his old tricks again. Hopefully I would be able to identify the assailant and at the same time expose Geoffrey to Nell who, despite her ignorance of calling me James all the time, one had to feel some pity for. I thought I knew where would be the best place to start.

I knocked on the big wooden door and felt a wave of nausea hit me as I waited for the door to open. When it did a large man with greying hair asked.
‘Hello, your new here aren’t you? Do you want to discuss the Bible with me or something of similar likeness?’
‘No, Reverend Osborne, in fact, I was wondering if Susan would be available for me to speak to?’
Reverend Osborne studied me hard and silently for an uncomfortable couple of moments before inviting me in and showing me Susan’s room.
I’m not sure if she’s in, Susan and Felicity went to the shops half an hour ago, I haven’t heard them return. Wait for her in there if you wish. Oh, by the way,’ he said looking solidly at me, ‘don’t go anywhere near Andrew.’
Susan was not in her room, which gave me time to search her room for the sister earring to the one that had been left on the King’s farm. I went to a chest of drawers and pulled open the first compartment but found nothing but underclothes. I then realised how awkward it would be if someone walked in at this present moment and quickly shut the drawer of underwear. I did not want to succeed Geoffrey for the title of village pervert. I glanced at the jewellery box on top of the chest of drawers and promptly decided I would risk the title of village thief instead as I hunted for the earring. Did I hear the creak of a floorboard? I stopped suddenly, my ears alert, my breathing slow and heavy but irregular. I stood stationary for what seemed an eternity before resuming my search. There were many a necklace in the box, Susan and her family were seriously well off and I noticed a photograph of Susan in happier times when she had been a pupil at a private school in London framed in a silver case which stood neatly on the chest of drawers. I had never seen her smile before; it was striking but yet quite haunting too. When I turned round I saw no such smile on her face.
‘What are you doing in here?’ She asked, her eyes bloodshot, her countenance an Elizabethan pale. Her eyes flickered to my hand resting near the jewellery box. ‘Are you stealing from me?’ she asked menacingly. I backed away trying to force a denial to emit from my opening and closing mouth. My social competence for this situation was thus failing to present itself. Susan picked up a vase from a small bedside table and, lifting it above her head ready to bring it crashing down on my head, advanced towards me.
‘I wanted to ask you some questions about an earring.’ I said quickly.
Her eyes widened.
‘What kind of earring; pearl by any chance?’ She smiled maniacally.
‘Oh God, please!’ I shouted as she drew nearer. I backed into a corner. Susan laughed deliriously like a witch, her beautiful and flawless face transforming into an evil mask. She stood above me as I slid to the floor cowering. She squatted so her dead eyes were level with mine.
‘I have been up all night and am very tired; I want you to do me a favour. You are to go to the King’s farm – I can’t, it would be too suspicious – and tell Mary, the milkmaid, to escape. Tell her the pearl earring has been found and her time is running out. Inform her that Susan said to burn the sickles she stole from the King’s on Dark moor and to hide in the woods. I will bring her food soon.’
‘Mary killed all the animals?’ I asked confounded, not quite believing that the shy, reclusive Mary that had been described to me by William would do such a thing.
‘She had sufficient reason.’ Susan answered shortly, ending the conversation. She backed off letting me leave the room as fast as I could.

I ran through the village arousing attention from passers by and a feeling of sharp pain in my stomach. I ran until the stitch hurt too much to carry on. I followed the path up to King Farm. I wondered what was the ‘sufficient reason’ Susan said Mary had for killing all the animals and asked myself if I should actually be aiding Susan and Mary and surely I should tell Nell of the culprit as I had originally planned less than an hour ago.

King Farm was larger than ours by several acres. I decided it was in my interest to obey Susan and to avoid the labourers, Geoffrey and Nell and to make straight for the stable where, in all hope, Mary was milking the cows. I ran up to the farmhouse and sidled along the wall, probably looking exceptionally peculiar to any onlooker. I glanced round the corner and saw two labourers chatting away. There was no way in Heaven I could make it pass them without being noticed.
‘What on earth do you think you’re doing?’
I froze and despite my external stillness my heart slammed against my chest. Not another confrontation I thought, the one with Susan had deeply shook me, even more so as her manner was so violent and unpredictable – I had rather thought she was going to smash the plant pot over my head.
‘Uh, we was jus’ talkin’ ‘bout how all the animals were killed Boss.’ Answered an uneducated slur of a voice from one of the labourers. I looked behind me; I was not the one who had been addressed.
‘Well I don’t bloody pay you to talk, do I? Get back to work and you had better work your socks off this afternoon if you want a meal.’ Geoffrey said irritated. The two labourers followed him and I was able to dart pass as they turned their backs. I opened the door of a large building and thankfully it was the stable. Mary was nowhere to be seen. I figured she must be in her room as her duties would be over given all the cattle were dead. This was swiftly turning out to be one of the most stressful and nervous days of my life. I felt guilty for helping Susan but I was far too terrified of her to disobey. I edged towards the farmhouse, looking in every direction as I did so. I ran up to the front door and yanked it open. The hallway was clear and so I crept up the stairs. The King’s house had three floors and I guessed that their employees might reside on the first floor. I peered into the first room on my right. It looked like a male lived there and so I withdrew my head and found Nell staring at me.
‘Hello James, can I help you?’ she asked, her tone similar to a head teacher who has just caught you doing something you shouldn’t be.
‘I…I came here for the sickle you borrowed – I wasn’t sure which room was yours.’ I lied.
‘I’m sorry we haven’t finished with it, all ours have gone missing and the Blackberry hardware store have run out. My room is on the second floor by the way, this is the labourers floor.’ Nell said, returning to her happy-go-lucky tone of voice again, smiling sweetly at me.
‘Err, does someone called Mary live here. It is just William wanted me to tell her something. He used to go school with her.’ I started to think I was getting to be rather adept at lying.
‘Third door on the right dear, you can find your own way out can’t you?’
I nodded and watched Nell descend down the staircase. I knocked on Mary’s room.
‘Come in,’ said a nervous voice. I walked in and saw a girl of fourteen sitting on her bed looking rigid and a little scared. She had light brown hair and fairly pale skin. Freckles dotted her face and green eyes met mine.
‘Who are you?’
‘Susan has sent me,’ I whispered, closing the door, ‘she said to get out of here and go to Dark Moor and hide in the woods. You also must burn the sickles; Geoffrey has found the pearl earring.’
Mary stood up and looked around the room, her face now a ghostly white. She went over to a stack of shelves and out of a pot took a pearl earring.
‘How did you afford those?’ I asked.
‘They’re Susan’s’, she replied, ‘she gave them to me.’ She turned to look at me. ‘Thank you for this, Susan and myself will remember what you have done. You may go now.’
I nodded and left the King Farm relieved. I still didn’t know what Geoffrey had done but I suspected he had tried to seduce Mary and she was frigid to his forwardness and yet he had pursued his lustful desires anyway, causing deep resent and anger in Mary. What Susan’s part in it was I had not determined.

What, if the soldiers words would, in fact, bear any significance, had begun? I pondered this as I walked back down the winding stone pathway that led from King Farm back to Blackberry Village. What consequence, although horrifying as it was, would the slaying of the animals bring that was so instrumental to the soldier that he thought to mention it. I suppose I will discover this in due time, as I will the name of the armed force the soldier serves, and eventually, perhaps, what lies beyond the gateway.