Memories and Revelations

In the living room, Vincent was brushing Anna's hair while she watched TV.

'Pappa, are Eli and Per staying with us for the whole weekend?'

'I don't know yet. Would you like them to?'

'I think they're OK.'

'Eli has health problems, though. I don't know if she's getting proper care for whatever it is she has, I'll have to have a good talk with her. And as for... Promise me something.'

'Sure.'

'Per isn't his real name. His real name is Oskar. But he has reasons to want to keep it a secret, so you have to promise not to tell anyone, OK? Just say they're your cousins or something if anyone asks.'

'Cross my heart. But why?'

'He's hiding.'

'From who?'

'I'm not really sure. I don't know them, I met them by chance and Eli wasn't feeling well... But I think we should try to help them, maybe they've had a very hard time lately. What did you think of them? Eli doesn't talk much, does she?'

'I think they're cute together.'

'Yes, they're obviously in love.'

'Is her name really Eli?'

'I don't know. It's a funny name.'

'Is it foreign?'

'Maybe. Or maybe she's called Elisabet.'

'I'll ask her.'

Oskar came in as Vincent finished braiding Anna's hair.

'Hi.'

'Morning, sleepyhead!' shouted Anna.

'Morning, Oskar. Did you sleep well?'

'Yeah.'

'Is Eli still asleep?'

'Yes.'

'We've already had breakfast, but if you're hungry, I can fix you something.'

'Thanks.'

'Oh and... I realize Eli has a problem with sunlight, but we can take her some breakfast when she wakes up.'

'She... sleeps during the day. But I'll slip her something later.'

Vincent frowned, but simply said 'OK,' and seemed to pause to think.

'Do scrambled eggs sound good?'

***

Oskar ate ravenously as Anna and Vincent got ready to leave.

'Oskar, I need to take Anna to her karate class, and do some shopping. I imagine you prefer to stay here while we get back?'

Oskar nodded, his mouth full.

'Tell Eli to help herself to anything in the fridge when she wakes up. Is there anything she needs? Because of her health?'

Oskar swallowed his food.

'Thanks, we'll be alright, don't worry.'

He looked at Anna.

'Have fun.'

'Oh, and I don't know what your plans are, and we can talk about that later, but if you're around tomorrow, we were planning on baking cupcakes, you and Eli would be very welcome to help make them and help eat them.'

'Thanks.'

'See you in a little while, then. You're welcome to watch TV or borrow a book.'

Anna smiled and waved at Oskar. He waved back, and felt sad and alone when they had left.

***

Early in the evening, Oskar was in the shower, while Vincent was printing in the darkroom. Eli knocked on Anna's open door. Anna was sitting on the bed.

'Hi,' said Eli.

'Hi.'

Eli nodded.

'Come here. Don't be shy.'

Anna sat up and made room for her, and Eli climbed onto the bed. Anna smiled mischievously and jumped on Eli and, before Eli could speak, began tickling her ribs. Eli laughed and did not resist at first, and was surprised by Anna's tenacity when she half-heartedly tried to wriggle away. Eli laughed until her stomach hurt, and when she couldn't endure it anymore, she held Anna by her underarms and effortlessly lifted her up into the air until she was holding her up at arms' length.

'Wow! You're strong.'

Eli smiled sheepishly, and slowly put Anna back on the bed, as carefully as if she'd been made of glass.

'Why did you tickle me?' asked Eli with no hint of annoyance.

'Because I didn't want you to be sad anymore.'

'But I'm not sad.'

'I mean inside.'

'Anna, since I met Oskar...'

'He's your boyfriend, right?'

'Yes.'

'He seems nice, not nasty like some boys are. And he's lucky to have you, you're very pretty.'

Eli blushed a little.

'Are you stronger than him?'

'Yes.'

'Have you ever carried him?'

'Yes...'

'So if you two get married, will you carry him into your new place?'

'Erm... I could, but he'd have to invite me in first.'

'I think that's good. Eli, is your real name Elisabet?'

Eli smiled nervously.

'No...'

There was a long pause.

'Eli, tell me a story.'

'I've forgotten my mother's stories.'

'Me too. But everyone knows some story...'

Anna got under the sheets.

'Once upon a time there was a child who had an illness so that she needed to... do bad things to live, even though she didn't want to, and she was lonely. One day she was discovered by someone as she was doing the things she needed to do. But he wasn't afraid of her, he didn't hate her, he didn't want to hurt her.'

And he didn't want my body. He said that people are born and die all the time anyway, that I was like smallpox or... rabies, except he wasn't afraid...

'He was a master jeweller, known for his talent and his weirdness, but the child didn't know it until later, when they knew each other better.'

That first time, he said he worked with metal and stone for a living, I thought he was a blacksmith.

'He helped her hide the bad things she had to do, he gave her advice on many things. '

He told me to steal, but only from the dead - but that some would be more horrified of me stealing their purse than of me stealing their life.

'He liked children... in a good way. And they discovered they both liked puzzles; he could forget to eat and sleep if he was working on one. He taught her some things about his trade, he taught her how to dissolve gold, how to clean silver with oil of vitriol...'

...and what muriatic acid does to flesh.

'Nothing ever seemed to surprise him, and so the child had someone she could talk to about things, and visited him as often as she could...'

He thought I was a girl, and one time he got me a pretty dress as a surprise, and I admitted I was neither boy nor girl, and what had been done to me, and he was both sad and angry that it had happened, and I took the dress not because I wanted it but for him......

'He sometimes said he was tired of making...'

'Toys for bandits with fancy names,' he said.

'...regular jewelry. Then somebody asked him to make a special puzzle, made of precious metals, shaped like an egg. So he made two, a simpler one for the customer, and a more difficult one that he gave to the child, to remember him by. He told her the other one was covered in jewels...'

'Just pretty stones, but with metal you can do anything,' he said.

'... but that the one he gave her was better made. And he made her promise that she would never forget that there were better things in life than pieces of metal. And she kept the egg, and when she was lonely, playing with it made her feel sad but also better. Then one day she met someone who loved her, and she no longer felt sad, and she let him touch the egg, which she had never let anyone do before.'

Anna nodded thoughtfully. Eli gazed at her, feeling a question gnawing at her, and spoke almost against her will.

'Anna, do you like being a girl?'

'Yes, don't you?'

She was startled to see the pained, anguished expression on Eli's face.

'Eli, what's wrong? It's fun being a girl. Is it your period? I haven't had one yet.'

Eli looked away and said nothing. Anna gave her a hug.

'You're weird. But I like you anyway.'

Eli gazed at her for what seemed a long time.

'Anna, don't ever let anyone hurt you. Ever.'

A few minutes later, someone knocked lightly on the door. Vincent entered the room.

'It's just me.'

'Hmmm...' muttered a half-asleep Anna.

Eli followed him in silence.

'I think Oskar is nearly done. Let's wait for him, and then we need to talk.'

They didn't have to wait long. The three of them went downstairs to the living room. Vincent sat on the couch, and motioned the children to sit as well. They remained standing.

'I need some answers. Eli, you've obviously got serious health problems, and you probably need medical attention, you can't just go on like this, hoping that your health will take care of itself. Also, you two know something about the pool killings - more than the authorities, at any rate, and as long as the killer hasn't been caught he can strike again. You can't just hide forever, and the police has ways of protecting witnesses. I need you to tell me what's going on, and then we can talk about what we're going to do.'

'Do you really want to know what is wrong with me?'

'Yes, I do.'

Eli took a step towards him.

'And why we have to hide?'

'Yes.'

Eli took another step towards him. Oskar put a hand on her shoulder.

'Eli...'

'Don't worry.'

She turned towards Vincent.

'Do you want to know what really happened at the pool?'

'Yes.'

Eli jumped on his lap and swiftly seized the back of his head, immediately putting her lips on his. With revulsion, Vincent tried to push her away, grabbing her shoulders and trying to tear her from him. Then he stopped, remaining still for an instant before again trying to escape, squirming and flailing his arms against her with ever-decreasing strength, until he was still again. Then Eli released him.

At first he simply stared in silence into space, without acknowledging the children's presence. Then he gathered his strength and was able to speak.

'Did it really happen? Everything that you showed me? It did, didn't it?'

Eli nodded.

'So what happens now? Are you going to kill me?'

Eli looked at her feet.

'Why didn't you kill me, when we met?'

'I was weak and...'

'And later? Because Oskar was there? Because you were ashamed?'

Eli didn't answer.

'If I had a gun in my hand, you would not leave this room alive. But I'm unarmed.'

Oskar would have jumped on him, if Eli hadn't restrained him.

'Don't say that! You're just like-'

'Like who, Oskar?' asked Vincent coldly. 'Like the boys at the pool who tried to kill you? I just saw what happened there, among other things. No, if anything I think I'm more like the Eli that saved you. If it had been Anna... But then again, I'm not really like your friend. I would kill to defend Anna, but I would not kill innocents merely for my own survival.'

'I didn't ask for this! It was done to me! Do you think I like being this thing that I am?'

'No, I don't; I'm not stupid, and I've seen enough. But it doesn't matter. Not really. And maybe you know it.'

For a moment, Vincent read fear and anguish in Eli's eyes. Then Oskar broke free and nearly jumped on him; Eli quickly seized him and pulled him back.

'You... How much have you shown him?'

'I showed him how it began.'

'More than enough; I'm sure he hasn't deserved to face such horrors. What should I call you, now that I know what kind of creature you are?'

'Eli.'

'Eli... And you're also the Angel of Death. That's what the boy you spared said, that the Angel of Death had descended upon the pool.'

'Eli did it to save me! Eli did it for me, not for-'

'Vincent, I have only killed to feed, to survive, except for that time at the pool...'

'You know what? I think that you're far less guilty for the pool killings than for any of the others. If it had been Anna, and I had Eli's abilities, none of them would have lived. And maybe that would have been kinder - do you know what happened to that boy? They locked him up in a room with padded walls and for all I know threw away the key, it was in the papers just days ago. Anyway... you've shown me all this because...? You could have fled, or killed me, without... Is this supposed to be a trial, a confession...?'

Eli looked at her feet.

'I don't know.'

Oskar remained silent. Vincent looked at both of them in turn, then gazed into Eli's eyes.

'I choose not to do it. I'm neither judge nor priest. Though I suppose a creature like you cannot resort to a priest, and as for the law... In any case a trial, for it to be something more than just going through the motions, surely... If you want me to be your judge, give me a stake and a cure for your condition.'

'No!'

'Don't you see, Oskar? Your... friend doesn't deny it makes sense. For a proper trial, for matters like these, the judge would have to be able to release Eli or execute Eli. Anything less and it would just be a joke, I think. But in any case tonight there is no trial, because there is no judge.'

'You said you would have killed me, if you could.'

'Yes, but I never said it would be justice.'

Eli glanced towards the ceiling; she took Oskar's hand but immediately let go, taking a step backwards, away from the stairs.

Oskar and Vincent then heard Anna rushing down the stairs; Eli took a couple more steps backwards, until her back was pressed against the wall. As Anna rushed into the room, Eli closed her eyes.

'What happened? Why were you all shouting? Pappa, are you alright?'

She went to him, and wiped the sweat on his face with her sleeve.

'Pappa, tell me what's wrong, what is it?'

He stroked her cheek.

'Don't worry. I'm fine. We were just... talking about upsetting things. Go back to sleep, OK? Please.'

Anna hesitated, then turned towards the stairs. Vincent took her hand, squeezing hard. Oskar couldn't help admiring his composure, the act of normality he put on for his daughter, so soon after the terrible things Eli had shown him.

'Anna, I love you.'

'I know.'

Vincent let go. Anna ran upstairs, then her father closed his eyes. There was a long silence. Oskar loked intently at Vincent's chest, verifying that he was breathing. Then Vincent opened his eyes.

'Vincent, I... we have tried hard to do as little harm as possible. We're thieves but... I don't kill anymore. We drug people and I take a little of their blood, not enough to kill them...'

'We use chloroform. We use a rag with chloroform and look for drunks late at night.'

'I cut a vein open with a razor blade and drink from the wound...'

Vincent nodded.

'Risky, but then again murder is also risky business. If what you wanted was a trial, shouldn't you have shown me that as well?'

They didn't answer.

'As for you, Oskar... Your case is different from Eli's. What could you be accused of? Of being loving and forgiving? Of making Eli want to be a better person? You're the only hero here.'

'I'm on Eli's side. Not yours.'

'True. Nevertheless, I'm telling the truth.'

'Oskar, I want to talk to Vincent, alone. Please?'

Oskar opened his eyes wide.

'I won't hurt him. But I need to talk to him alone.'

Oskar nodded, and left the room.

'Vincent...'

'Yes?'

'If something happens to me, if... if... Promise me that if something happens to me, and Oskar comes to you for help...'

'Wouldn't he go to his parents?'

'But if he doesn't, if...'

'If something happens to you, I promise I will help him, take him under my wing if that's what he wants. Hell, if a miracle happens and you become cured, you know where to find me. But why me? Because you don't know anyone else?'

'You're... honest.'

Vincent shrugged.

'Eli, I wish we'd met in better circumstances. As things are... It's not just what you used to do, you realize I have responsibilities, ever since Anna's mother... You know, I don't think I will ever love anyone other than my daughter. Why didn't you say before that you no longer kill?'

'It won't bring anyone back.'

'Neither will anything else. I hope you and Oskar can make it work. But if you return to this town and kill people, I will find you and I will kill you. Without hatred, and without pity. But come back if a miracle happens and you're well again.'

'Do you want us to leave right now?'

Vincent thought about it.

'No. Not really. I was actually glad to have children visiting, I worry about Anna being lonely... Anyway, once you've been invited in one can't uninvite you, right?'

'No, you can't. But you didn't invite me in. Anna did.'

Vincent did not answer.

***

Later that evening, Oskar and Eli were lying in Vincent's darkroom. Oskar could not sleep, despite Eli's assurances that they had nothing to fear.

'Oskar, you remember I told you about the man who made the egg puzzle?'

'Sure, why?'

'I didn't tell you everything... I told Anna a little about him tonight, and I didn't tell her, either... how it ended.'

'You said he was dead.'

'Yes, he's dead. I hadn't seen him in a while, and when I went to visit him, he was sick, and in pain. He asked me to... help him die. To... drink up his blood. He said it would be a beautiful death, to die for a good friend. He begged me to accept a gift from someone who was fond of me and had nothing else worth giving. He said that it would be a kindess, because I would save him from a slow and painful death. And... I climbed on his bed, we hugged to say goodbye. He told me to take anything of his that I wanted, and said he hoped we would meet again in a better world. Then I killed him.'

'That's very sad. But you did the right thing.'

Oskar hugged her, gently kissing the top of her head. Eli leaned against his chest, crying silently.

***

Oskar and Eli were standing in the living room, their backpacks lying at their feet. They had just said goodbye to Anna before she went to bed, and it was now Vincent's turn.

'Oskar, I know you're angry at me and I want to explain myself before you leave.'

'You said you would've killed Eli.'

'Yes, but... not out of hatred, but because of her condition.'

'Eli didn't choose to...'

'I know.'

He turned towards Eli.

'I honestly don't hate you, but...'

'I understand,' said Eli. 'I am...'

'... A ruined peasant released for the torment of the world. I know the words; you showed me, remember? Except he didn't completely ruin you, and we all know what your freedom gave Oskar.'

He turned towards Oskar.

'I can't expect you to forgive me. It's natural to feel protective towards those one loves. But I want you to keep this.'

Vincent handed him a piece of paper. Oskar stretched his hand, but hesitated to take it.

'It's my mailing address and my phone number here and at work. If you need help for something that doesn't involve harming others or... You see, for all intents and purposes Anna has no one else in the world, but if I can reasonably help, get in touch.'

'Take it, Oskar.'

Oskar did so and put the piece of paper in his pocket.

'Vincent...'

'Yes?'

'What are you going to tell Anna about me?'

'As much of the truth as I can: that you have an illness that makes people afraid of you, that sort of thing.'

'Thank you.'

'There is one thing I can do for you, Eli. You can have some of my blood, I'm sure you know how much to take.'

Eli hesitated, then nodded and took a pink pencil case out of her backpack and took a razor blade out of it.

'So... how do we do this?'

'Just sit down and I'll do the rest.'

He sat on the couch and, while Oskar watched uneasily, Eli took Vincent's arm and made a cut, immediately putting her lips on the wound, and drinking.

At first, Vincent simply clenched his teeth in pain but then he stretched his free arm and stroked Eli's hair, startling her so that she almost stopped drinking.

When they were done, the children, bandaged the wound and gave Vincent a glass of water with sugar and salt, and helped him climb the stairs. Once Vincent was in bed, Oskar and Eli returned downstairs, took their backpacks, and disappeared into the night.