Bill Franks - Jesuit

The divorce had followed eighteen months later with bitter recriminations, Debbie having suffered the tempers of both parents throughout the months following discovery and through the ensuing separation.

The day of her death had been spent browsing around the local shops, this being a Saturday, when she did not work at the local bakery where she was employed full-time. She had bought herself a dinky little top and a fresh pair of earrings to match the emerald green of the garment.

She was not to wear them that evening, feeling a more sober mode of dress to be suitable. She was meeting a man whom she had accidentally encountered in the park the previous day. He had approached her when she was sitting, crying quietly, on a bench, an unopened book on her lap.

He had offered her words of comfort and drawn from her the sadness in her life. A total stranger, she had found herself so at home in his company that she felt able to confide her innermost concerns to him. He was a listener. The man had promised to help and to allay any fears she may have for the future; also that she would come to terms with her turmoil.

An arrangement had been made to meet the following evening; ‘when the day is tiring and getting ready for bed,’ was how he put it. The venue was to be a small forest situated on the outskirts of the village in which she lived; one popular for strollers, walkers, bird spotters and the like.

It had been Debbie’s choice when the man had suggested an area close to nature, a place where solitude may be experienced and the smells and sounds of an unspoilt world could be found. How lucky she was to have met such an understanding and considerate man. She could think of no one in the village with whom she could discuss her state of mind, not even the local vicar. Normally wary of strangers, Debbie found this one to be quite different. He made her feel confident, totally at ease.

After sharing evening meal with her mother, Debbie cleared away the dishes and attended to the washing up. Her mind was on the evening’s meeting and hope that her torment was at last about to end. Looking at the kitchen clock, she was surprised to find that it had reached five minutes to six. Her heart began to pound: less than an hour before they were to meet. It was time to hurry along.

The evening was warm with only a slight breeze so she was comfortable in a white cotton top and knee length, navy-coloured skirt. She opted for flat-heeled shoes, more suitable for walking. Saying goodbye to her mother, she walked a hundred yards to the bus stop and caught the 6:15 that would drop her off at the beginning of the wooded area.

Her mind was in such a whirl, her heart beating faster, that it was like going on a first date. Yet romance was the furthest thing from her mind. She had found someone who was actually interested in her, in her well-being. He was attractive, though older than her, and he had the appearance of someone who had lived a full life, someone who could handle himself.

Alighting from the bus, she watched it move away and then set out for the well-worn footpath that would take her into the forest. When she was within twenty yards of the spot, she saw him. Her heart began to thud against her breast. He was casually dressed and leaning against a tall, concrete lamppost. On seeing Debbie, he eased himself upright and gave a beaming smile. “Hello, Debbie,” he called. “Glad you didn’t change your mind.” It was then she realised she had never got around to asking his name.

Moving along the footpath, they chatted about mundane things, not broaching the subject that had brought them there. After some fifteen minutes, they left the main path and walked between the magnificent, old and sweet-smelling trees, their footsteps falling softly on the fern covered and cushioned ground.

Reaching a small clearing, they stopped and sat. The man reached across and held her hands in his, giving a warm, comforting feeling. He began to question her more deeply than on their first encounter, digging deep into her subconscious.

He was an expert questioner, never forcing the issue, giving her time to plunder her thoughts and always gently encouraging. So wrapped up in the man was Debbie that she would have confessed to him of having a pact with the Devil, had that been so.

“Now, Debbie, I want you to sit quietly for a couple of minutes and consider what you have just told me,” he began. “Think of it as being another person’s problem. Look at it in a cold light.”

After the two minutes, she opened her now closed eyes and stared into her questioner’s. Everything seemed so clear: she had problems, many problems, but they could be solved! She had never looked at it like that before; all had seemed dark and insurmountable.

As if reading her thoughts, he said: “Yes, Debbie. The hurt you feel, the dread, is not so great after all. You have surrounded yourself by nature. You must realise how minute we humans are in the grand scale of things. The tree will outlive us; the ferns will die and grow again, as will the tiny shoots of grass. We are insignificant.”

He squeezed her hands tighter as he continued. “You have been looking at your hell and allowed yourself to become mesmerised by it. You have looked into it and seen only more hell. You have let yourself slowly slide into the morass. The more you have dwelt on it, the further down you have slid.”

Debbie stared into his face in rapt awe. No one had ever spoken to her in this depth before. She was captivated.

“Kick it in the face!” he shouted loudly, causing birds to flutter suddenly into the air, twittering in fright and beating a path away from the noise. “Do not let it grip you any more! You are greater than this. You matter! What has happened has gone — forever. Never look back at the events or at your misery. Life is ahead of you, so take it, grasp it, use it.”

The intensity in his face forced the words into her brain, into her soul. She was prepared to kill for this stranger! Without fully realising, she found herself engaged in a bout of wild, abandoned sex with her mentor, and wanting it, wallowing in it, needing it. God! Give me the strength to sap everything from this man. I must have every piece of him! she thought in her lust.

Finally, both being sated, they lay together in silence; she with her eyes closed and feeling absolutely all over at peace for the first time in two years; he with eyes open, deciding on the next move.

“Debbie,” said the calming voice as his shadow fell over her. “To complete your future peace of mind, there is one final thing you should experience. After that, you will be completely at ease with yourself. No more nightmares, no depths of despair, no recurrence.”

She opened her eyes slightly, peering through the mist that had formed in them. He was kneeling astride her prostrate form, holding something in his hand. “What do I have to do?” she murmured. Whatever it was, she would do it for him.

“In my past, I studied medicine,” he was saying. “I discovered many things that the public have never been aware of. Things that can cure almost every ailment.” The voice was calm, warm and persuasive. “I have carried this knowledge with me even though I am no longer involved in that profession and I want you to benefit from it.”

A smile trickled across her lips. You’ve already given me the benefit of your brand of medicine! she thought, naughtily. “Yes,” she whispered. “Do whatever you like.”

“Don’t worry about this, Debbie. I am going to give you an injection of a certain fluid. It won’t hurt you, just a tiny jab. Okay?”

Debbie stretched out both arms, her palms facing upwards, revealing a large portion of each. “Ah, there,” he said, prodding a spot that had recently received some kind of immunisation. “What was that for?”