From Nemesis Island

by Christine Mustchin

  ‘Of course. Now come this way.’

  She led Father Piontius into a small chapel were he was greeted by a fellow priest.

  ‘Father Gastial. Thank you for seeing me.’

  ‘Father Piontius. It’s with humility that I approach the task that you’ve asked of me. Now let us pray together.’

  Father Gastial led the prayers and Father Piontius was glad to listen until he joined in the final amen. It was time, then, for him to face the first objective of this journey to the convent. He was to make his full confession, trusting in the understanding of his confessor and the mercy of the God he had so often betrayed. He spoke softly and at length and without interruption. The light in the chapel dimmed as the day advanced. When finally he offered himself for absolution, he felt purged and lightened and at peace. He received with comfort the words spoken to him by his fellow priest and acknowledged the penances that were required of him. With the matter concluded, the bell was rung and they were escorted back to the Mother Superior.

  Father Gastial left immediately just as day was turning to the grey of dusk. Father Piontius watched as his car pulled out of the courtyard. As he turned to enter the convent, he saw another car move off in the same direction but he paid it scant regard. That evening Father Piontius joined the sisters at supper and prayers. Afterwards Mother Superior granted the audience that he had requested and he embraced the second of his objectives.

  ‘I wanted first to thank you for all you’ve done to facilitate my act of confession and for allowing me to stay on here a while in retreat, to meditate. Because I am deeply and eternally grateful for these things, I am reluctant to impose a further burden on you, especially as it concerns matters of the material world, though ultimately it will reap spiritual benefits.’

  ‘Now I am curious, Father. Let me reassure you though. As long as it does not compromise our work here or go against the word of the Lord then we are always happy to be of assistance.’

  ‘In this case, your help could directly ease the passage of a soul through purgatory,’ he paused to allow spiritual time to cede to the secular. ‘I have a document entrusted to me that is no longer safe in my hands. My wish is to leave it here in your safekeeping until such time as it is needed.’

  He spoke stiffly and formally now.

  ‘And what is this document?’

  ‘It’s a man’s confession of the evils of his life. With it there is also a codicil to his will. This is to be enforced if the terms of the will are not fulfilled. I’ll explain.’

  At the end of his explanation the Mother Superior looked grave.

  ‘Let us pray for the soul of this man and all who are troubled by the sins he has encouraged and perpetrated.’

  The prayer of supplication that she voiced could once have been for the priest’s own soul. It was a prayer he did not forget during his brief stay at the convent nor in the days that followed. Alone in a bare cell with fewer comforts than ever, with penance and expiation he felt himself return to an unborn state of purity, far away from the sins of the world and its temptations.

  10

  As he checked out of the hotel Richard experienced a surge of excitement. His luggage was light and he walked quickly to where he had left the car. For a moment he was concerned to see it had gone. He did not want to spend tedious hours reporting a stolen vehicle to the local police. He reached into his pockets for the keys and only then remembered that he had given them to Father Piontius the previous night. So he had already dealt with the car. He turned towards the priest’s house and made it just before the agreed time. Juditta opened the door. She was pale and uncommunicative.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes. Yes. I’ll just get my bags.’

  She fussed around the small cases that stood ready, clicking the locks repetitively and pointlessly. She sat down and then stood up again immediately. Richard watched until her nervousness threatened to elicit a caustic comment from him. He limited himself instead with difficulty to another general enquiry.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘Sorry. I’m not usually like this. I just want to get going.’

  She looked anxiously around the room as though searching for someone.

  ‘Are you expecting someone?’

  ‘No, no,’ she stuttered. ‘The lawyer’s already been and gone. He was to collect the will, you see.’

  ‘I see.’ Richard saw no point in further enquiry.

  There was a knock on the front door and Juditta looked startled.

  ‘It’s okay. I’ll get it. You stay here.’

  Glad to have a moment away from her, he went down the corridor to the front door. A rough looking man stood on the step. From his clothes and appearance Richard guessed that he had come straight from working in the fields.

  ‘Come in.’

  The man just stood and shook his head. Richard cast around for some suitable words in the local language and failed. The man beckoned.

  ‘Just a moment,’ said Richard despite himself, holding up his hand in an effort to communicate the meaning. He turned to get Juditta but she was already there in the hallway, gripping the cases intently in each hand. They left the house and followed the man down the side alleys and around the buildings until they came to an open space. A horse and cart was waiting and the man spoke to Juditta.

  ‘He wants us to get in the back and cover ourselves with that tarpaulin and to stay covered until we arrive.’

  ‘What? Is that really necessary?’

  ‘Just do what he says. It’s for the best.’

  Richard’s feeling of excitement dulled considerably with the prospect of the uncomfortable journey ahead. They were totally extinguished by the time they arrived at the farmhouse. Every bone in his body had been shaken against the wooden frame of the cart and there was no doubt in his mind that he would soon exhibit the extensive and florid marks of a severe bruising. His head ached, furthermore, from the constant clatter of the wheels and the lack of air beneath the tarpaulin. At length the farmer removed the cover and they were allowed to step down. The farmhouse was large but in a bad state of repair. A woman stood at the door and beckoned them in. She spoke to Juditta who fulfilled her role as interpreter and invited Richard into the house. As they stepped into the building a young girl came towards them, smiling.

  ‘Juditta, you came. Joseph would have been pleased.’

  ‘Hello, Kia,’ Juditta replied a little stiffly, without reciprocating the smile. ‘This is Richard.’

  ‘Richard. Welcome.’ She looked at him intently.

  ‘Hello, Kia.’ Richard was also studying her face. He had seen it before on the island, a brief encounter in a long corridor. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, but there was now a serenity about her that was extremely compelling.

  ‘I’m glad you’ve come. It’s very isolated here and I’m not yet fluent in the local language so communication has been difficult.’

  ‘You’re not from these parts then?’

  ‘No, I’m very much a foreigner.’

  ‘You speak good English anyway.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Richard was now focusing on her soft brown eyes which reflected back the smile that he gave her. He was unable to look away. She radiated an attractive force that was compulsive in its strength. He forced himself to turn away and face the woman whose guests they were.

  ‘Thank you for taking us in.’

  Juditta translated for him and over the course of the next few minutes a laboured conversation ensued that resulted in his being shown to the room that was to be his temporary home. It seemed that Kia had moved to a larger room which she was to share with Juditta.

  Richard lay down on the bed and mentally inspected his sore body. No major harm done, he concluded. The trip had lasted an hour and now he was invited to eat the midday meal with the family. He could hardly decline as it had been deferred to a later time to accommodate their arrival. Food, however, was not what he was dwelling on at
that point. The image of Kia was a persistent, albeit pleasurable, intrusion into his thoughts, and the short repose on the bed had rested him sufficiently to fully awake the physical stimulus that he had earlier controlled. Unable to leave the room as he was, he would have to be quick. He thought of her naked. He thought of possessing her and, stifling a climactic grunt, he soon achieved his purpose. Unable to decide whether to rejoice or feel embarrassed, he made his way to the bathroom to wash. This was not quite the start of the adventure he had imagined.

  11

  The evening had passed a chill over the house and, in honour of their guests, the family had lit the hearth. The logs glowed with an orange luminescence broken by the blackened cracks that appeared as they burned. Smoke steadily drifted upwards and a comforting heat wrapped around three figures closest to the flames. Richard, Kia and Juditta had grouped themselves around the hearth like an audience captured by the mesmerising effects of the fire. They were drinking coffee, each absorbed in their own silence.

  ‘I guess we’ve got to wait for Father Piontius now,’ said Richard at last.

  ‘Yes. He seems to have a plan for what happens next,’ added Kia. ‘It’ll take time to prove the will though.’

  Juditta remained silent as they spoke.

  ‘I don’t know much about the will. Is it complicated?’

  ‘It bequeaths the island to the church so, if you know anything about the island, you’ll see that the implications are considerable.’

  ‘I know a bit about the island from Father Piontius, but he said you could both corroborate his story and elaborate on it. I expect your perspectives are different too.’

  ‘Yes. Juditta and I had very different experiences on the island.’

  ‘I look forward to hearing them.’

  ‘Just what do you need all this information about the island for?’ Juditta spoke for the first time. ‘Haven’t you got enough already for your story?’

  ‘Let’s not quarrel, Juditta. We all need to get on now,’ said Kia softly.

  Suddenly Juditta started to cry. Kia and Richard exchanged a look. Kia took Juditta’s hands in hers.

  ‘It’s difficult, I know, but Richard is only trying to help. We’ll talk about things another time when you’ve had a chance to rest. Let’s go upstairs now.’

  She helped Juditta to her feet and they walked slowly together to the door. Kia looked back at Richard and turned to go upstairs.

  Kia watched as Juditta got ready for bed. She saw distress in the way she moved and wondered what it could mean. As they lay in their separate beds, Kia listened for the sounds of sleep from Juditta and, only then, closed her own eyes. She was woken some four hours later by a touch on her arm. Juditta was kneeling beside her, naked. She was trembling. Instinctively Kia moved across the bed and made space for her. They lay close together from necessity. Slowly Juditta’s trembling eased.

  They slept until the morning light crept around the edges of the shutters to relieve the total darkness of the room. As Kia drifted towards the moment of waking, misty images of Joseph accompanied her journey to consciousness. She could see him and feel his touch, his hands caressing the length of her body, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips. Instead of warmth, though, a chill passed from his body to hers. She opened her eyes and shivered. Juditta’s face was close to hers, it seemed less real than her dreams. Juditta smiled contentedly and they lay quietly together for a while. Then Juditta turned towards Kia as if to hold her close.

  ‘We must get up, Juditta. They’ll be expecting us for breakfast.’

  Kia stroked Juditta’s hair gently like a child then got up and handed Juditta her dressing gown.

  ‘Why don’t you use the bathroom first?’

  12

  The farmer’s wife fussed around the breakfast table like a newly trained waitress, anxious to please. Richard sat down.

  ‘Hi everyone. What’s the plan for today?’

  ‘I thought you were keen to hear about the island?’ Juditta’s tone was curt.

  ‘You’re right. Best make a start on that. We don’t know when Father Piontius is going to appear. Is that okay with you both?’

  ‘I think that’s a good idea. Do you agree, Juditta?’

  Juditta shrugged.

  ‘I guess I’d better make separate notes for you both.’

  ‘You’re going to write everything down as we speak?’

  ‘Not exactly, Juditta. I have a digital voice recorder. I’ll just switch it on and we can chat. You won’t even notice it after a while.’

  ‘Well, Kia can go first as she seems so keen. I’ll leave you two alone to get on with it.’

  Juditta got up abruptly and went upstairs.

  ‘Is she all right?’

  ‘She seems to have changed. On the island she was very much in control of herself. I never saw her become emotional. She was very domineering. She always seemed to be a very tough woman.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘She was one of the teachers on the island; the only person who was close to the chief. She despised her other brother, Jalbis, I think the feeling was mutual. She did not treat me well but you have to understand how it was on the island.’

  ‘So you didn’t get on then?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘Any particular reason?’

  ‘She was jealous of my relationship with Joseph.’

  ‘Joseph?’

  ‘That was the chief’s name, Juditta’s brother.’

  ‘How did she treat you then?’

  ‘Let’s just say that life on the island could be deliberately cruel and those with any authority were expected to follow the rules as well as the girls.’

  ‘It must be difficult for you, having her around all the time.’

  ‘I’m trying to be kind to her but it isn’t easy.’

  ‘Shall we make a start on your story then?’

  They spent all day together and only saw Juditta over lunch when she spoke little. By suppertime Richard had heard enough about the island and its education system from Kia to know that it could provide him with a series of articles. It seemed an incredible story but he had no reason to doubt her testimony. It confirmed everything that Father Piontius had told him. The chief’s volte-face in bequeathing the island to the church gave it a tantalising ending and there was even documentary proof. He could see why Jalbis Zachion would object to this. He stood to lose out financially in a big way. Up to this point he’d not really been the major partner in the island’s business, according to Kia. He seemed to be in charge of sadistic punishments when the girls didn’t match up to requirements. She didn’t elaborate on this and simply said that she had avoided any dealings with him. If he found her now, he would not treat her well, given her past intimacy with his brother and her knowledge of the confession and will. If he came to know that it was she herself who had persuaded the chief to leave the island to the church, then he would show her no mercy.

  Richard joined the dinner table in good spirits and tucked into the homemade soup with relish.

  ‘What a story!’ Pausing mid-mouthful he could not help the comment.

  ‘It wasn’t just a story for us, Richard. We had to live it, didn’t we, Juditta? ‘

  ‘Sorry I didn’t mean…..’ He was embarrassed at his lack of sensitivity.

  ‘Don’t worry. It’s over now and we can all move on.’

  ‘At least something good will come out of it.’ Richard tried to make amends.

  ‘Do you really think so?’ Juditta spoke at last.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘You both think that a little piece of paper is going to change things.’

  ‘What, you mean the will?’

  ‘Yes, Kia, that’s exactly what I mean. Except that there is no will. It’s gone. Jalbis has already got it. He will have destroyed it by now.’

  Richard looked at Kia. Her expression reflected his own inner feelings.

  ‘How do you know that?’ asked Kia gently.
r />   ‘Because I was there when he took it. If I hadn’t shown him where it was hidden he was going to kill me.’

  ‘But you’re his sister,’ protested Richard.

  ‘As if that matters to him.’

  ‘What about the codicil?’

  ‘It wasn’t where Father Piontius had put it, neither was the confession.’

  ‘So where’s Father Piontius now then?’

  ‘I don’t know. He didn’t return from the morning mass.’

  Richard stopped his questioning and thought. It didn’t take much to see what had caused a change in Juditta and that there could be serious implications.

  ‘Is there any chance that your brother could know where you are now?’

  ‘I don’t think so. No, I can’t see that he can. He told me to stay where I was. He would never imagine I would disobey him.’

  ‘Could we have been followed here?’

  ‘I don’t know. I could ask the farmer. They’re very astute, despite appearances.’

  More than that they could not do and Richard admitted that they were resigned to waiting for the elusive priest to return. He turned back to Juditta.

  ‘I’d still like to hear your story. Could we do that tomorrow.’

  ‘Yes. I’ve got nothing to hide now.’

  13

  Richard paced around the grounds of the farmhouse for the third time that morning. They had been there three days now and no hint of trouble had reached them. They had seen no signs of being watched and the farmer had reassured them about being followed. The waiting and inactivity were trying and, if he wanted to be honest, he was frustrated by his feelings for Kia. The so-called pleasures of self-abuse had quickly palled, but he had been unable to elicit even the hint of something more than a platonic and friendly response from Kia. He returned to his room. He had completed his interviews and there was nothing more he could do there. After Kia’s detailed testimony, Juditta’s account had seemed perfunctory. She had spoken of her role as a teacher but said little else. He was not inclined to push her for more, he felt she was an unreliable source.