The Silver Trumpet Brayed

But there was more

But there was more to this, "more than met the eye" as they used to say, but he wasn’t sure what. He knew that it hadn’t always been like this and that once there were others in the house, no, not like the two children, others who came down to breakfast or who came in to breakfast, or came out maybe.

The aunts had always been strange and he knew that there were those who were frightened by them, but didn’t know how he knew and the memories he had of his childhood were not of his mother, although he knew that he did have a mother somewhere and that she had visited him from time to time.

So he did not know when he had come into this world of mirthless smiles and laughter this world of knowing nods and wrong answers, this world where rituals were played out by others who knew the way and he could do nothing but play his part as best he could in the hope that there was something else in heaven that would be his if only he kept his nerve.

posted by Weasel @ 7:50 AM