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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 13, 2008 2:42:11 GMT -5
Serena wandered into the cemetery carrying a bunch of flowers that she had picked from someones garden, thinking that she was alone and that whoever she stole the flowers from would get over their absence eventually.
She was visiting her fathers grave. She missed him dearly. She wandered along several rows of graves before kneeling before her fathers grave and placing the flowers in the center of it. She knew exactly where it was, she visited it so often. "I miss you father." She whispered, concentrating on her thoughts and nothing else around her. "My Edward still has not returned to me...I'm afraid that he might be dead..." She said quietly. "Judge Turpin will pay." She said more violently, tears spilling from her eyes. "Mark my words, he will pay for reunining my life."
Serena was so caught up in her thoughts, she did not notice the mysterious figure approaching her from behind... |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 13, 2008 11:00:29 GMT -5
Ah, the beauty of a marble angel glistening with tiny drops of water left by the morning mist! How lovely were the trees with their gnarled branches reaching towards the grey sky, heavy with rain. Though he did not know much about poetry and never wrote any himself, Amadeus was certain that there were not enough poems describing cemeteries. He breathed the crisp air as he took one of his daily walks through the cemetery admiring the old grave monuments. A small smile was on his lips. This day had started out pretty well: the parasitology lesson had been cancelled since Professor Stanton had been taken ill, and this had given Amadeus a nice opportunity to go down into the medical school morgue and try out a new experiment involving an electric circuit, a metal cord, some blood and a couple of human intestines. Probably that kidney would show up sooner or later...
The chilly wind rose, whipping his long black coat around his legs and blew his unruly hair into his face. He raised a black-gloved hand to brush it away and then he spotted a person standing by a grave. Out of respect he slowed down his steps and paused to study the tarnished old statue of an angel with a bowed head who sat on a square tombstone playing a harp.
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 13, 2008 15:54:35 GMT -5
Serena still did not realize that there was in fact a man in her presence, so in her own little world, she picked herself from up off the ground and brushed the dirt off the front of her dress (not that there was much point seeing that her dress was covered with dirt, muck and fish guts already). "Good bye father..." Serena whispered softly down to the tombstone, towering down upon the place where her father was buried. She turned slowly away from the grave, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.
Serena turned herself fully around, looking at the ground, she began to walk off. She tilted her head up and looked around, giving a startled gasp when she saw the man that had apparently been there while she mourned her fathers death, that seemed like it was yesterday when he had dropped down dead.
Serena stood there staring at the man, speechless for words, unsure of what to say in a situation like this. She was never socially adapted after all the events that had occurred in her life. Serena then began to panic. She wondered whether this man had heard her little threats towards the Judge. |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 13, 2008 16:31:11 GMT -5
Sensing that the mourning person had risen and was now facing him Amadeus turned away from the statue and stood facing a young woman. One quick look at her appearance was enough to tell him that she was not very well off. Her clothes were dirty and worn, but he did not look long at them. Clothes were not important; it was what lay beneath the surface. Beneath the skin, actually. The unknown woman had a beautiful face, though she looked haunted as if she had been through just as many hardships as her dress had, and probably more. He also saw that she looked frightened.
He smiled a little and bowed politely, without moving any closer.
"Good day, Miss. I hope I did not startle you?"
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 14, 2008 8:20:23 GMT -5
Serena felt utterly self conscious. Here she was, expressing her emotions through her tears, allowing this man to see her most vulnerable side and she did not like it at all.
Serena's eyes widened slightly when the man began to speak. She became slightly nervous towards his politeness, of which she was never used to anymore and began fiddling nervously with the material of her dirty dress.
"N-no..." Serena began quietly, trying to sound confident, but failing miserably. "...Sir." She added, trying her best to remember her manners, the manners that had flown out the window when her life began tumbling down. |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 14, 2008 9:43:07 GMT -5
Amadeus was still smiling.
”Good, since I did not intend to. And there is no reason to call me 'Sir', if you please...”
He was a little puzzled by what little of her words at the grave that he had heard when the wind had carried them in his direction: he thought he heard her mention the word ‘turnip’. Talking about root vegetables at the grave of a beloved someone was, for all he knew, not very common. But perhaps the person had been very fond of turnips in life… the only errand Amadeus himself normally had at a gravesite was usually, apart from simply walking, of the more obscure kind.
“I beg your pardon, Miss… please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amadeus Van Delft.”
He bowed his head slightly after introducing himself, polite as usual. Class differences did not matter much to him, and he would not have spoken any differently to a noblewoman than he spoke to this young woman here.
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 14, 2008 21:40:44 GMT -5
A feeling of relief swept over Serena when she sensed that this man had not learned about her intentions against Judge Turpin. A faint smile actually spread across her face. She was feeling a little more comfortable around this man, now that her fears had washed away.
Serena nodded, before realizing that it was now her turn to introduce herself. "I'm Serena...Serena Harper." She replied with an awkward curtsy. "Forgive me for appearing rude. It has been a while since I had a proper conversation with someone." She added, actually taking a step towards Amadeus. |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 15, 2008 8:22:23 GMT -5
He noticed that she seemed more at ease now and that she even took the initiative to reduce the distance between them. No wonder she had been hesitant at first; for many people the sight of worn clothes and some dirt were enough to send them running in the opposite direction, and she was likely to have experienced that. But Amadeus spent his days dissecting decaying corpses and studying intestines distorted by horrible diseases. He would hardly shrug if a dress like Serena’s turned up in his bowl of soup.
“You do not appear rude at all, Miss Harper. And I am sorry to hear that”, he said, the latter referring to her remark on not having a proper conversation. “I hope I did not interrupt you…?”
His meaning glance towards the grave she had just left indicated Serena’s conversation with the grave’s occupant.
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 15, 2008 8:55:27 GMT -5
It was odd for Serena to have a man of class speak to her like she was an equal. Her mind flashed to her past, right before she met the love of her life, Edward, to when she was the daughter of a well respected businessman. Those were the times where she would wear fancy dresses and attended balls in the high class society. Her mind flashed back to reality, the past was over, this was her life now.
"No not at all. I was just finishing up...thank you." Serena replied softly. She wasn't entirely sure as to why she added a 'thank you', she just appreciated the fact that Amadeus did not look down at her or did not appear to want to harm her.
"So what brings you here?" Serena asked Amadeus, to make conversation. |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 15, 2008 10:47:41 GMT -5
Though Amadeus and his shovel had not always treated the sanctity of the grave with every bit of reverence usually shown by people, he had still been genuinely anxious not to disturb Serena when she sat by the grave. But then, he did make a major difference between the mourning and the dead. What use did the dead have of their bodies anyway, once the soul was free from the ‘carnal prison’? He could not remember what author, poet or philosopher had coined that expression.
“What brings me here?”
He looked at her as if he did not quite understand the question, as if the answer was obvious to him. Then he looked around and made a vague gesture with his gloved hand.
“This. The peace, the atmosphere… I am not sure how to be more specific. Cemeteries have always held a special place in my heart.”
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 15, 2008 19:48:02 GMT -5
Serena looked at Amadeus curiously as he spoke. She declared in her mind that he had a different, but intriguing outlook on life which facsinated Serena immensely. Everyone in these parts of London seemed to follow a certain routine (Serena had been observing citizens if the market for a long time now), but not Amadeus. He appeared to be free like a bird.
"Yes..." Serena began, still in the same soft tone, in a way not wanting to disturb the dead. "Cemeteries seem to have a certain peace about them don't they? I like to come here to think alot...I don't get alot of thinking done in the fish market..." |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 16, 2008 11:26:32 GMT -5
Amadeus smiled as Serena spoke. She did not seem to consider him crazy when he praised the atmosphere of the cemetery, which was not an unusual reaction. Instead she seemed to share the positive thoughts, to some extent at least. God knew why more people could not appreciate the aesthetical as well as spiritual beauty of places like this.
“Indeed they do. Waldgrave Cemetery is beautiful... though I must say that Cimetière de Montmartre, in Paris, is beyond any doubt one of those places of very special beauty.”
His gaze became distant and nostalgic.
“Le Cimetière de Montmartre is full of huge old family crypts... it is like a city in itself. Oh, and the Sedlec Ossuary! The church of bones outside Prague. That is indeed magnificence unsurpassed…”
The light in his eyes was reminiscent of a child telling someone about a wonderful adventure. Snapping out of his own thoughts he looked at Serena again and smiled apologetically.
“Please pardon me, Miss. I am ranting. The fish market, you say?”
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 19, 2008 7:48:15 GMT -5
Serena looked a little surprised when Amadeus began ranting about cemeteries in an excited manner, but it wasn't long before an amused smile spread across her lips. She hadn't felt amusement in a long time, due to this part of London being very glum indeed.
"Don't apologize..." Serena began. "I think it's wonderful, I wish I could go." Serena said with a passionate glance. Her smile faltered when Amadeus mentioned the horrid place that she dreaded to say was her work. "Yes...the fish market...unfotunately, it's where I work...it doesn't pay much, but it gives me a roof over my head. Despite the fact that the roof is no particular luxury." |
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Post by Amadeus Van Delft on Mar 24, 2008 6:47:48 GMT -5
Amadeus smiled again. Talking about cemeteries and ossuaries sometimes scared people away, but not her apparently. A slight frown appeared on his brow upon noticing her darkened gaze as she spoke of the fish market. He had walked past the market several times, but never paid much attention to the people working there. Usually he never gave them much thought, but he knew that no one would work there unless they really had nothing else. But he did not think that Serena wanted his pity and thus he did not show it. Pity would make no difference, neither good nor worse.
“Hopefully said roof can still feel like a home.”
He did not really expect a comment on this, since he could well see that she was reluctant to talk about it.
“Speaking of roofs, Miss Harper… after my walk here I planned taking the way past St Mary’s Cathedral. It is always a pleasant sight, no matter what time of day. If you are not busy elsewhere, then perhaps you would like to join me?”
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Post by Serena Harper on Mar 25, 2008 3:56:51 GMT -5
Serena shook her head. She continued to smile, but this particular smile was not a happy one. Instead, this smile was filled with sadness.
"I haven't been able to call any where 'home' for a long time, I'm afraid." Serena began, staring into space. "A home is a place you feel you want to return to each day...and I don't feel that at all...not anymore." Serena finished, glancing mysteriously back to Amadeus, slightly aware that maybe she had said too much.
"I'm sorry, I'm babbling on aren't I?" Serena added, still with the same sad smile that gave away her true emotions. Her eyes glistened with tears waiting to spill down her cheek, Serena would not allow it so she took her grotty sleeve and wiped her eyes dry.
Serena was surely caught by surprise when Amadeus invited her to St. Mary's Cathedral. It wasn't the place that surprised her, but simply because of the fact that she never got invited anywhere.
"Are you sure you should be seen with someone like me?" Serena asked cautiously, in case that this was some form of joke that she was apart of. She couldn't believe that a man like Amadeus would take pleasure in associating himself with someone just like Serena. "I would hate for you to fall down the social ladder on my part." |
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