Chapter 55 Remember Me and the Sea
Gertrude woke to the sound of bells. Not the heavy, hollow clang she remembered from somewhere else, this one was lighter, quicker, stitched into the morning air.
She blinked against the sun and found herself lying on the boardwalk. The port was empty. It was still early, but the seagulls are already swarming around. But a different one caught her attention: it was a black raven bird, strutting by the rails, like it was trying to communicate with her.
For a moment, she didn’t move.
She pressed her palms against the woods, grounding herself, waiting for fear to catch up.
"Shoo! Get away!" she swatted, half-annoyed, throat dried up.
The hem of her dress is ragged, the sole of her feet all soiled, but her beauty never faded.
The town was small and awake by the time Gertrude wandered around.
Shops opened their shutters. Children ran past with bread tucked under their arms. Somewhere, a radio crackled to life, struggling through a song. The sea was close... she could smell it, but at some point, it felt distant, harmless. Just water. Just waves.
And for reasons she couldn’t name, she avoided looking toward the sea. But the waves seemed to be calling her, whispering.
A name... a name she could not even remember. She continued to drag her feet along the strange town. Trying to find her mind.
People smiled at her as she passed, strangers without names.
She should have felt relieved. Instead, there was a faint pressure in her chest.
She stopped by the edge of the square, staring at the road that led out of the small town. It curved gently, disappearing between hills. For a moment, her heart beat faster, though she didn’t know why.
"Uhm, excuse me... what's beyond the sea?" she managed to ask the lady.
She looked at her, pitiful. "Haugen manor. It's a school for Lord Constantine— but don't ever dream of going. It's only for a rich lassie." she shook her head timidly.
"Are you new here, dear? What's your name?" she looked worried, scanning her eyes from her head to heel.
"I, uh... I cannot remember my name..."