Isobel

by Sheila Tibbs

  The drive to the Manor was pleasant. The roads bare of transport because everyone was either at home with their families, or already visiting their relations and friends.

  Ben had said the roads would get busier around lunchtime as people would have opened their gifts and would then be travelling to eat lunch with parents, children or aunts and uncles. But, now, the journey was good. The roads were icy and Ben drove with care. Before long they turned into the lane that led to the Manor house.

  As they approached the big oak tree, Sarah saw Isobel standing there, staring and smiling. She looked at Ben whose eyes were dead ahead. Sarah then looked back at the tree and Isobel was still standing there. Ben glanced at Sarah and saw the anxiety on her face.

  “Don’t look so worried; just remember what I told you.

  Now relax, you’ll have a great time. I promise.”

  Sarah looked at him, puzzlement on her face. She then realized he hadn’t seen Isobel. How could she have seen her and Ben hadn’t?

  She was right there at the side of the lane, how could he have missed her?

  “Sarah, you okay?” Ben asked, worry evident in his voice.

  “Would you like me to stop?”

  Sarah forced herself to smile. “No, no. I’m fine honest. It just seems strange, that’s all. It feels like I haven’t been here for years, not weeks,” she lied.

  As they turned into the driveway, Sarah looked back towards the tree. Isobel was still there, just staring and smiling.

  Sarah smiled too. 'I knew you’d come,' she thought.

  David had got Bethany up and dressed her in her new Christmas outfit - she looked beautiful. He'd placed her in her walker and told her she had to wait for mummy before she could open her presents. Bethany looked at him and giggled. He knew she didn’t really understand what he'd said, but she always laughed and giggled, no matter what he said. That made him feel good.

  David heard the car pull up the drive and ran smiling to the front door; Bethany scooted along behind him in her walker. He flung open the door just as Ben pulled the car to a halt at the foot of the steps. Sarah opened the door and climbed out. David ran to her and showered her in kisses. Ben laughed, reminded Sarah that she could call at any time, and then watched them all walk into the Manor together before driving away.

  At the end of the drive, Ben stopped and looked back towards the Manor, hoping he had done the right thing in agreeing to allow her home for the day. Something inside was telling him it was a mistake and he should go back and get her.

  He convinced himself he was being foolish and over cautious, sighed heavily, then put the car into gear and slowly turned into the lane.

  Back inside the Manor, David, in his desperation to make everything perfect, failed to notice that Sarah found it all a bit over-whelming. As for Bethany, Sarah was as good as a stranger and she became very shy when David had tried to insist she went to her mother. Sarah on the other hand, had told David it was inappropriate to expect Bethany to have recognized her and show an interest in wanting to come to her. Eventually, David, feeling defeated at his plan for the perfect day failing within the first half hour, sighed and placed Bethany back in her walker, much to the relief of Sarah, who still had no desire to mother her child.

  The rest of the morning went without many hitches, much to David’s delight. He had excelled himself with his Christmas lunch, so much so that Bethany had hardly finished eating when she started to fall asleep. Even Sarah had to admit how sweet

  Bethany looked at that moment, despite being glad that she would be out of the way for a few hours.

  “You take Bethany up to bed; I’ll clear the table and start the dishes, okay?” Sarah said as she stood and started piling the dishes on the table.

  “Don’t you want to put Bethany to bed?” David asked.

  Sarah smiled and touched his cheek.

  “Not today, David, it’s too soon, okay.”

  She carried the plates through to the kitchen and let out a sigh of relief. David had actually smiled back instead of the little lost, hurt boy expression he had given her numerous times that day already.

  Perhaps he had finally accepted that she and Bethany were, in a sense, strangers, and they would have to work at getting to know each other again, but not today, not now, now she had other more pressing issues to deal with.

  As she ran the water in the kitchen sink, she saw David carry Bethany into the hall and climb the stairs. Bethany was already asleep with her head on David’s shoulders, her mouth slightly open and her arms around his neck. David looked so proud and happy, he almost glowed and Sarah felt a pang of jealousy. The only time she could remember feeling such pride was when her grandfather had walked her down the aisle to meet David who was waiting to make her his forever. Now, Bethany had joined them, and David no longer only had eyes for her. She heard the nursery door open and smiled. 'David really should get round to oiling that hinge or whatever it is you do to stop it squeaking.'

  Bethany let out a little cry. Sarah had finished washing the dishes when she heard the nursery door open again and the sound of Bethany’s mobile drifted down the stairs. Sarah shivered, goose bumps covered her body and her heart began to beat faster. Thoughts and memories of Isobel flooded her mind and made her feel heady.

  She gripped the sink to keep her balance, fear had crept into her blood stream and she started to panic. 'I must phone Ben, get out of here ... I can’t do this, not yet.' Her thoughts were rushing through her but her feet seemed rooted to the floor. She hadn’t heard David come down the stairs.

  “Sarah, are you okay?” he asked from the kitchen doorway.

  She spun around and gasped. Isobel was standing in the doorway, smiling. Her face contorted into that of some repulsive creature.

  “Sarah, are you okay?” he was asking.

  “No, no! Not now, not now you hear me!” she screamed.

  Her blood coursed through her veins and she suddenly found an inner strength.

  “Sarah?” David said, panic evident in his voice. “Sarah, what’s wrong, honey? Talk to me?” Isobel stood there, mocking her; she could hear it in her voice.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” she repeated.

  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong! You’ve taunted me and laughed at me and bullied me all my life, but no more! Do you hear me? No more!” Sarah screamed.

  She grabbed the carving knife from the drainer and launched herself towards Isobel. David started to back away.

  “Sarah, honey, it’s me, David. What are you doing, put that knife down. SARAH!”

  But Sarah didn’t hear him or see him. The only person in front of her, mocking her still, was Isobel.

  Sarah forced her hand forward, the knife cut through her skin like a hot knife in butter, but Isobel was still laughing.

  Sarah pulled back the knife and entered it again and again...

  •

  Eventually the laughter stopped and the smile vanished. Isobel fell to the floor.

  Sarah, exhausted, fell to the floor also, the knife still in her hand, Isobel’s blood soaking into her clothes, her skin ... her own flesh. She closed her eyes.

  When she opened them again, Isobel had gone and there, on the floor in front of her, lay David - stab wounds all over his body. His throat was making some sort of gurgling noise and his eyes stared at her in fear.

  “David! David! Oh my God, David ... NOOOO!!!” she screamed.

  Sarah bent down to him and brushed his hair from his eyes.

  “Don’t leave me, what have I done. Help me someone!” she cried.

  Sarah scrambled to her feet and ran to the kitchen. She grabbed the phone and called Ben ... He was there in minutes.

  Blaming himself for what had happened, he knew she wasn’t ready, he knew in his heart she had told him what he had wanted to hear. Why had he let her go home? Why had he ever agreed to it? The ambulance and the police arrived within minutes of Ben.

  David was placed on the stretcher and carried out to the ambulance
. Sarah was handcuffed and placed in the back of the police car.

  David had been seriously injured, but the paramedics had said he was strong and believed he would eventually make a full recovery. Ben thought physically, maybe, but mentally? He sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair. Would David now become one of his patients? He had failed Sarah; in fact, he felt that he had failed them both.

  Ben watched the police car pull down the long driveway and saw Sarah glanced back at the house and smile. Since phoning Ben she hadn’t spoken a single word, and the look on her face had remained emotionless, until that moment. Ben shuddered.

  Upstairs, Bethany stirred. She looked up toward the mobile and smiled as the familiar sound of 'Girls and Boys come out to play' began to echo round the room.

  “Don’t worry, little one, I’ll always be here to look after you,” said the young girl with raven black hair and sapphire blue eyes.

  “I’ll never leave you, just like I didn’t leave your mother.”

  Then, she laughed.