Amaranthine and Other Stories Read Online Free

her memory but did not recall seeing Sophie talking to anyone new. Perhaps she'd missed something while she was flirting with Toby?
    Gerard nestled on the couch, his eyes spellbound by the telly. He did not even register Eva entering the room. She immediately knew why. A bottle of
Kraken
, his favourite black rum, stood on the table, a quarter already consumed.
    She lingered there in the shadows, watching him. He looked sad. Eva assumed he still missed his wife. His static eyes seemed far away, the program mere background noise. After a while she realized it was the dancing flame of the candle that mesmerized him. She cleared her throat and sat next to him.
    “Heeeey! There she is! How are you? How did the swimming go?” Gerard asked, his voice dulled with liquor.
    “Fine, thanks. I see you're having fun by yourself,” said Eva, trying not to sound bitter. Gerard fingered the glass on his lap. The high-pressured job, reflected in his many wrinkles, troubled her. She noticed his daily alcohol intake had increased, too.
    “How can I have fun when you're not here?” He countered, giggling and sipping his sedative.
    Eva removed the glass from his grasp. “Listen, we need to talk. It might not be the best time for it but I need to get it off my chest,” she began, watching his eyes struggling to focus, “Sophie's been acting strange these last couple of weeks and she doesn't want to go swimming anymore. The pool scares her.”
    “Of course it scares her,” Gerard mumbled, “she's nine years old. Every child is scared of water. They're scared of drowning.”
    “Well, she doesn't seem to be scared of drowning. Apparently she's scared of Morgen.”
    “Morgen? I take it that you're referring to one of the other kids and not the Welsh water spirit?” he grinned.
    “Water spirit? What are you talking about?”
    “I used to read stories to Sophie when she was little…about Morgens,” he slurred. “They were known to lure men to their deaths by their sylphic beauty or with glimpses of underwater gardens with buildings of gold and crystal.”
    “Shut up, Gerard. This is important. I think she's not coping with this scenario very well, you know, us being together. She's obviously still upset about Cynthia's death and is not comfortable with the idea of me replacing her mum.”
    “I know, I know, “he said, stroking her thigh, “but we're taking things slowly, aren't we? The longer you're around the more she'll get used to your presence and might accept the fact that you're a part of this family.”
    “And if she doesn't? Will you discard me like a piece of garbage?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
    “Look, it's obvious that Sophie loves you dearly and doesn't want to share you with anyone else, especially me. I wonder if she invented this Morgen character as a way to express her hatred for me. Or maybe she feels isolated so she created an imaginary friend. Sophie is a very solitary child; she's not interacting with the other kids as much as she should,” Eva continued.
    “There's nothing wrong with a bit of solitude. I was isolated as a child and I turned out fine. Isolation will give her the opportunity to read books; it will help her to focus on other things - significant things, not slacking outside and getting corrupted by outsiders. Maybe she's slightly jealous of us being together but she'll get over it soon enough, you'll see. Just ignore it,” Gerard said, waving his hand dismissively.
    Eva sighed and crossed her arms. Six months had passed since she became a part of this family and only two months since she began sleeping with Gerard.
    She loved him, despite the shocking age gap. She preferred older men. They were wiser, more settled and definitely more skilled in the bedroom.
    “Let me brush your hair,” Gerard offered, out of the blue.
    He adored her hair. They reminded him of the ethereal
Rapunzel
, from the fairy tale by brothers Grimm.
Rapunzel's
hair was so long that she could wrap it around a