saint Sebastian the Rose

by Glover, Michael W.

  Once the shadow had moved through the doorway, the twins literally collapsed. After resting for a moment, they quickly found their room, where the fire was reduced to glowing coals. “What the hell did we just witness?” Jessica asked first. Jacob gave a small laugh that was devoid of humor and filled more with desperation.

  “Haven’t you ever heard of that saying, ‘Be careful what you ask for—you just might get it’? Well, I think we just got what we asked for.”

  “Are you really saying we saw ghosts? You of all people, who don’t believe in anything unless you see it?” Jessica said sarcastically.

  “But I did see it; I saw something.”

  “I just think you’re trying to scare me,” Jessica said.

  “Oh, yeah, Sister. I staged all that just to scare you.”

  “I am saying I don’t believe you think we saw ghosts tonight. We merely saw some late night happenings, strange as they may be, and we are blowing them up with our imaginations.”

  “Well, I could agree with half of that. Did you ever hear anything from the one?” Jacob probed his sister, looking for her confirmation of what he knew she felt.

  “No. I was about to bolt from the room,” Jessica recalled the moment.

  “Yeah, I could tell that was it for you. I was thinking the same myself,” Jacob admitted. “Do you really think that was a ghost? I think whatever it was, it was just interested in what was upstairs, not us at the top of it.”

  “I don’t know if I can sleep, but I am going to try.”

  Jacob looked out the window and then to the door to their common room and walked over to lock it. Not quite satisfied but too tired to do anything else, he made his way to the bedroom, closed the door and locked it also.

  ***

  Sebastian made quick time to his room and found Father Matthew asleep in a chair. Sebastian didn’t want to wake his friend. He knew Matthew would want to know everything he had done tonight, but he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to alarm the young monk, not yet at least.

  He went to his room and quietly set his pack aside, knowing he would not get much rest. He would sit up and write down every detail. He had become quite accustomed to that from the time he was quite young. At first it was a kind of healing routine that helped him work past hard times and feelings, but now his journal was an everyday activity.

  He thought of his journals: some were for all, but the rest were only for him. He sometimes wondered why he wrote everything down. Besides, that was the role of a historian--to record and log events. Sebastian felt he filled that role. He also worried about his journals: what if something happened to him? The thought plagued him. He reassured himself that only one other person knew of them. Father Donovan, his friend for so long, would keep them hidden.

  The logical progression of his thoughts came to the fact that Father Donovan would not always be around. What if something happened to him? The monks had been here for some part of two centuries and had done well to take care of many secrets; this would be no different. As he wrote he noticed an increased frequency of strange events and thus increased his worry. He wrote furiously.

  “The pendulum has swung. The time has come.”

  chapter TWELVE

  IT WAS ALREADY AFTERNOON when the twins wandered into the library after a late breakfast, still recovering from their adventurous late night. Their father was bent over a stack of books, writing enthusiastically.

  The twins were barely noticed by the two monks on the other side of the library; they were in deep discussion of something that seemed very important.

  “Can we help with anything?” Jessica offered. Her brother gave her a funny look.

  “Just getting up, I bet.”

  “He’s psychic! Better go ahead and tell him what you did last month before he figures it out,” Jacob prodded Jessica.

  “Well, you must be bored already if you have come to help me,” their father said.

  The twins looked at each other with guilt; nothing could have been further from the truth. Last night was not only one of the scariest nights they had ever experienced but also one of the most thrilling.

  “Actually, we were thinking of doing some of our own research,” Jacob slyly responded.

  “What are you planning on researching?” their father asked, only half-listening.

  “Oh, just some history of the castle, like what Father Lemoine was talking about—owners and ghosts and battles and such.”

  Jacob glared at her when she’d said “ghosts.” He didn’t want their father to really know what they were up to. Mr. Ridgeway was not always aware of everything, but he was extremely smart and could quickly put together what his two mischievous children were getting into.

  “Ghosts! Why do you think there will be anything on ghosts in here? This isn’t your local library; this is a religious archive. Why would you want to look that stuff up anyway?”

  “Well, it’s more for ghosts that might be in this castle. I need to reassure Jess this place isn’t too haunted.”

  “Well, go ahead. I have a few books over there on some of the history of the monastery. But I am sure since this is a monastery and not just a castle, if there were any ghosts the monks would have exorcised them a long time ago. Don’t you agree?” Ridgeway thought his logic was sound and convincing.

  The twins looked at each other and thought about what their father said, but then they also remembered last night and all sense flew out of their father’s words.

  “Go and ask Father Jacques and Andrew; they really are very good once you put the two to something.” Ridgeway smiled slightly because he had come to understand their relationship.

  The twins walked over to the combative monks. They watched as the monks went at each other like two politicians who really didn’t like each other. After several minutes of the mutual exchanges, the twins were in absolute awe of how unaware the monks were of them. Jessica gave a small grunt. The monks stopped in unison and turned to find the two standing there. They looked at the siblings as if wondering what in the world they could want but realized they probably needed assistance.

  “I’m sorry. I just had to explain why Father Andrew was wrong,” Father Jacques explained, which in turn brought a scowl from his colleague.

  “I am sure if I told these two smart young people such as myself, they would fully agree with me and find you are just getting senile,” Father Andrew shot at Father Jacques.

  “We really just needed some help in doing some research. We wanted to look up anything you might have on … ghosts that haunt the castle, or any strange occurrences,” Jacob said quickly.

  The two monks stared at them in absolute wonder, then burst out laughing together. They were boiling over with such exuberance that they could barely contain themselves.

  The twins once again could only stare at the odd couple. They really didn’t know what to expect from them. Were they making fun of them or the request? Jacob didn’t think so but couldn’t bring himself to say anything, too entranced by the monks’ outrageous behavior. Thomas Ridgeway also looked up, too distracted to continue. All at once they stopped and became as serious as a couple of stone statues in a cemetery. Father Jacques leveled his gaze at the twins and said, “Ghosts, strange occurrences … if there are any? You are standing in a castle that has stood, for all we know, for over six centuries.”

  “I don’t guess you have talked much with Father Lemoine yet?” Father Andrew jumped into the conversation.

  “Oh, yes; we listened to him some in the study the other night but he didn’t mention really much of anything,” Jessica recalled.

  “Yes, well you need to ask a little more from him. Do not doubt he will tell you more,” Father Jacques said.

  The twins followed, not knowing what else to think or do. Father Andrew brought up the rear, peering over their shoulders as they watched Father Jacques go through the catalogue.

  “Here we go: start here. This section is organized strictly by the subjects you brought up. Mayb
e there is enough for you to read in your spare time,” he said with a snicker edging on the sinister. Father Andrew seemed to be enjoying the show and was smiling broadly. At first the twins were not quite sure about the two, but then they noticed the small smiles that made them realize they were having a little bit of fun at their expense.

  Jacob went up to the section after Father Jacques stepped aside and began thumbing through the cards, one after another. There were so many he could not believe his eyes. How much could there be about one place? Obviously there could be a lot since the time covered over six centuries. His head hurt trying to think of that much time and what could happen in such a span, merely the changing of ages over ages, cultures come and gone, new ways of thinking and living.

  “Oh, and if you go to the next section you will find the biographies and journals of some of the residents. Some of them were quite good at writing down the day-to-day events … and the night ones,” Father Jacques said as he was walking away with Father Andrew.

  “Are these all of the books?” Jessica asked, looking around the library. The room was not overly large and though it had its share of books, by looking at the card catalogues this couldn’t be all of them.

  Father Andrew smiled with the largest of smiles they had seen; it was a knowing smile, but one that did not reveal everything. He walked over to the other side of the room to a pair of double doors and motioned for them to come to him. Their father watched and waited, no longer interested in his work. Father Andrew turned the knobs on both doors and opened them. The room on the other side reached out and beyond.

  Father Andrew stepped aside to let the twins through, his smile never diminishing. The twins stepped into the room lightly, as if entering a sacred place. The room not only reached out from them, it went to the sides and up in the air reaching into the second floor. This was not the library they had expected.

  Father Jacques and Thomas Ridgeway were behind them, taking in the moment of discovery. Jacob and Jessica entered the room separately. Once again a room in this old monastery seemed to have a life of its own.

  Down the center of the room, though, were desks, desks with scribes hard at work doing whatever part of the work on the books they were assigned, silent and intent in the midst of such history.

  “How many are there?” Jessica asked, looking back toward her father and the librarian monks. Her father looked at his daughter and shook his head.

  “More than any of us could imagine.”

  The books lining the shelves were volumes of some of the most magnificent looking books they had ever seen. Books of all sizes and bound in more ways than they had ever seen. Some books were so large as to defy reason and some so small they appeared to be toys.

  “Ok, you take the journals and bios and I’ll look through the first section to see what we can find,” Jacob relayed his plan.

  After some hours of reading the twins began to feel the pains of hunger coming over them. They left and made their way to the kitchens. They missed lunch and did not think they could wait till dinner. Past the eating hall they followed their noses, and the scent of something wonderful was in the air. Jacob and Jessica were led to a door that must have led to the kitchen.

  The door swung open easily enough and the two peered inside. Their eyes were wide and their minds ready for something extraordinary. And why not? It seemed that every room they discovered was something out of the normal. The room appeared to be a standard kitchen, for a castle. There were great tables down the middle flanked by large ovens and grills. There appeared to be a work in progress; utensils and bowls and ingredients lay scattered all around.

  On a rack on the far side the twins noticed some fresh bread. They made quick time to see what kind of bread there was. The smell was tempting, and they couldn’t wait to try some, but something was missing.

  “Butter!” Jessica said mirroring her brother’s thoughts.

  They both looked around, not seeing any butter, and began to investigate. There in the wall was another door and this one looked familiar. A cooler door for sure, a later addition they both decided.

  Jacob opened the door and went inside with his sister. The inside was large and full of everything you could imagine and the butter was just exactly where you would expect to find it.

  “I wonder where the cooks and Father Dagrun are?” Jacob asked as he applied a large helping of butter to his bread.

  “You don’t think he’ll mind that we came in for a snack?” Jessica asked while stuffing her mouth with the warm bread. The words had not passed from her lips when they heard the sound of the large door to the kitchen slam shut and a familiar voice bellow out.

  “Who’s been in my kitchen?”

  The twins looked to each other with full mouths and shrunk behind the nearest shelves. They knew Father Dagrun was a kind soul, but they had forgotten he was a bit protective of his kitchen. They looked at each other with renewed fear as they saw they had left the door to the cooler wide open. Neither had the courage to go and close it, thinking they might be caught by the big boisterous monk and might suffer the consequences—being starved to death.

  “I suppose they all want to starve, leaving the door open for everything to spoil,” Father Dagrun said.

  The large monk closed the door with a thud. Inside the twins started gobbling their bread again. They soon began to see a pattern in their behavior.

  They waited, continuing to eat, but also listening for the silence they hoped would come soon. Once they were satisfied that the burly and cantankerous monk had left, they grabbed a few baked scones from the shelves and opened the door. They looked to the other side for another exit. Without knowing where the door led, the twins made their escape.

  The door led them down a hall and to an exit to the outer yard. Still feeling the need to sneak, Jacob and Jessica stepped lightly onto the grounds and closed the door behind them.

  A voice came from behind, startling them so they dropped a few treats, knowing they had been caught.

  “I see even Father Dagrun’s presence will not deter your want for some treats. I will not underestimate your courage again, for only the brave will venture in there uninvited,” Father Lemoine surmised.

  The pair rested against the wall of the castle trying to keep their hearts in their chest where they belonged. Father Lemoine laughed, as he stood there holding a loaded crossbow.

  “How do you know that we were not invited into the kitchens?”

  “Because, my young thief, I saw Father Dagrun come through this very door not minutes before you did and he was as riled up as I have seen for some time,” Father Lemoine said. Jacob shrugged, now more interested in Father Lemoine’s gadget.

  “What are you doing? Hunting for wild boar?”

  “No, I like to keep in practice and make sure everything is in working order.”

  “You’re shooting it then?” Jacob asked. Father Lemoine pointed to the target down the lawn.

  “Would you like to have a try?”

  “Would I!” Jacob said enthusiastically. Jessica rolled her eyes knowing her brother would be completely occupied now with new toys; boys are so simply entertained, she thought.

  “I’ll just let you two have your fun. I’m going for a walk around the monastery before it gets dark.”

  “Sure,” was all her brother said as he held the crossbow.

  Father Lemoine waved her on, knowing he had her brother’s full attention.

  “Do you shoot them often? What about all of the other weapons? You didn’t get to finish telling us about all of them.” Jacob rattled off question after question.

  “Oh, I would say that I spoil myself quite frequently, as often as I can,” Father Lemoine replied. Jacob appeared to be jealous and intrigued with the fine weapon.

  “The target is there if you would want to test your aim?” Father Lemoine pointed again at the target set up on the grassy lawn.

  Jacob smiled and tried to get the feel for the weapon. The crossbow was heavier t
han he imagined but at the same time the weapon didn’t feel clumsy; it just seemed to rest in his hands. He held it up to his shoulder and positioned his chin on the wood stock.

  He felt Father Lemoine guide his shoulder, adjusting him slightly. The distance was farther than what he thought he could hit, but he focused, closing one eye while looking down the sight on the end of the crossbow.

  “Breathe even and slow and just before you squeeze the trigger, hold your breath after you have released half of it. Remember to squeeze the trigger; you should not know exactly the time the weapon will shoot. If you pull the trigger you will probably shoot the castle because you will jerk the weapon,” Father Lemoine instructed Jacob quietly, not wanting to interfere with his concentration.

  Jacob listened to the words, going through the steps. He began to slightly squeeze the trigger once he had the target fully in his sight. The crossbow went off with a deep twang and a slight kick as the quarrel released. Jacob took in a great breath of excitement. It was exhilarating; he had never shot anything like this in his life.

  “Did I hit it?”

  “Let’s go see,” Father Lemoine responded.

  Father Lemoine already knew where the bolt landed but wanted to keep his young apprentice in suspense. As they approached the large wooden board with a target painted on it, Jacob thought he made out the bolt. There it was, protruding from the target on the outer ring, no more than a foot from the center.

  “Wow, I hit it!” Jacob said taking in great breaths. “I didn’t even think I came close.”

  “That was a very nice shot for your first. You’re a good student. You listened well.”

  “Can we shoot some more?”

  “Of course. Would you like to mix it up with some of the other weapons?” Father Lemoine asked, knowing the response.

  “Can we?”

  “Yes, but under one stipulation,” Father Lemoine said, eyeing his new apprentice.

  “What?”

  “With each weapon I let you shoot or handle, you must learn some of the history of the weapon and its proper use and care. If you are to use a weapon you must have an understanding of it beyond the basics. Then you will truly become a master of it,” Father Lemoine said.