Page 101 of Eldritch

Sybil glanced at her crew. “Of course. They’ve heard this before. But first I’ll text Doug again.”

“Of course,” Clarice said.

Sybil tried calling Doug, and this time it went right through.

“Sybil,” he said. “Is everything okay? I figured you’d have texted and been on your way over by now. I was about to come over and see if you guys were okay.”

“About that,” she said, and proceeded to give him the details of Clarice showing up.

“Look, why don’t I come over there. Shouldn’t take too long. See you shortly.” They hung up, and straightaway Sybil wished she’d warned him to be careful.

“He’s coming here, isn’t he?” Clarice asked with a smile as they all headed toward the fireplace in the Great Hall. “He’s such a dear young man.”

Sybil smiled. “He’ll be here as soon as he can.”

They settled on couches that faced the fireplace.

“Are you sure you want to hear this right now?” Sybil asked Clarice.

“Yes. Please tell me. You see, if there’s one thing I don’t like is a man mistreating a woman. There were many people like that in my family in the past. Many of them met an untimely end.”

“I didn’t realize that.”

“Oh yes. They realized that they should have listened to their wives’ advice.”

The ladies all chuckled, but Sybil detected in the uneasiness in the sound, and she felt an unspecified uncertainty within herself..

Sybil hesitated to ask for clarification, sensing that this conversation could become lengthy. Instead, Sybil gave her a quick and basic rundown of how she’d met Taggert and the way the relationship had progressed.

Clarice leaned back on the couch cushions. “It sounds horrible being anywhere near him.” Her mouth curled in disgust. “He deserves...”

When she didn’t finish and stared into the fireplace, Sybil said, “To be kicked in the balls.”

A sharp laugh burst out of Clarice, and her eyes sparkled. “Well put, my dear. Well put.” Clarice sighed. “I swear men were put on earth to be a thorn in our sides.”

“All men?” Pauline asked.

“Oh, of course not. Doug, for example. Now he’s an upstanding, honest guy. Nice as can be. Has he told you what happened to his wife?”

“Yes,” Sybil answered.

“What happened to her?” Maria asked, eyes wide.

Sybil shook her head. “I don’t feel comfortable talking about that without his permission.”

Clarice nodded and said, “Terrible thing indeed. Though I can’t say I feel bad for her.”

“Very sad for her family and friends regardless,” Sybil said in reaction.

Clarice’s eyes turned thoughtful. “Very true. I’m eighty-eighty-years old. Something it took me a long, long time to get through my head was that if I didn’t speak my truth, it would eat me alive from the inside out. I realized who I was very young. Can’t say that I have made no enemies, but I can say I’ve outlasted all of them. I’m still here. They’re not.”

A little confusion and a lot of curiosity made Sybil sink deeper into that subject. “I’ve met people who say they’re being honest when they’re really being cruel.”

Clarice’s eyes brightened. “Sometimes, yes. But not to bully. Never to take away someone else’s power. Although I have one very huge failing.”

Sybil’s curiosity upped a notch. “Oh?”

“Injustice makes me furious.”

---