Chapter Five

The Cat and The Dog in the Field

Once Vladislav was finished making the bed, which didn’t take him long, having done most of the work while Beatrice was bathing, he finished preparing her sleeping corner. With a new mattress, blanket, sheets and pillow. After that, he tenderly brushed Beatrice’s hair, freeing up any knots, before leaving her side to begin cooking.

Beatrice sat before a mirror now in another room on the ground floor, staring at her reflection, while listening to Vladislav bustle around in the kitchen nearby.

Beatrice pursed her lips, continuing to stare at her own reflection, and her patchwork skin.

She remained in silence until Vladislav called her from the other room, only a short time later. Beatrice raised her head, snapping out of her daze.

She rose from the seat, drifting towards the kitchen.

‘There you are’ Vladislav said, his voice jovial-sounding. ‘I’ve made fish and chips, I hope that is alright.’

Beatrice approached the table, where two places were set on opposite sides. She looked down at the plates full of food, and then she noticed something else.

She sat before asking, and Vladislav sat opposite her.

‘What are these for?’ Beatrice asked, picking up a flimsy-looking thing.

‘Um. That is a napkin.’ He paused. ‘You use it to wipe your mouth.’

‘Oh. I thought only rich people had cloth to do that. How would you clean this, it looks very thin.’

‘You don’t clean it. You throw it away.’

‘You throw it away?’

Vladislav descended in his seat, emitting a hissing sound.

‘Have I upset you?’ Beatrice asked.

‘Of course not. Why do you ask?’

‘Well…you’re hissing at me.’

‘Oh.’ Vladislav stopped, before emitting that sound again, one more time before falling silent. ‘It means I am amused.’

‘You are amused with me?’

‘Um, yes’ Vladislav replied with hesitation now. ‘But please don’t think that I was mocking you in any way. I know we are still getting to know each other. I won’t ask about your past life before we met, as I can tell that you are uncomfortable talking about it, but its clear to me that…we have lived very different lives.’

‘Is that a bad thing?’ Beatrice asked.

‘Not at all’ Vladislav waved at her, doing so in a calming manner, as one would do to sooth a nervous creature. ‘What would be bad is if you perceived it in a negative way. No matter what life you might live, it is always prudent to make the very best out of your situation. That way, you will live a far happier life.’

‘What is prudent?’

‘Careful, practical, discreet, intelligent. An action that is wise or sensible’

‘A word can have a lot of different meanings.’

‘Ours is certainly not an easy language. For example; the man wound the bandage around the wound. Another example would be; the word accept, which means to agree or received, as opposed to the word except which means to not include. There is also bough, the branch of a tree, and bow, the front of a ship or the item that often accompanies an arrow. Dual and Duel. Bear and Bare. The absurdity of the word quiche….there are so many examples. It’s fascinating, confusing yes but…when you understand the history behind a language, you understand why things became the way they are. Ours is a mongrel language you see, made up of…what was it….German I think, French, Latin maybe…?’ he trailed off.

Beatrice said nothing.

‘Some of what I said would maybe make more sense if written down of course…’ Vladislav mused.

He hesitated then.

‘You… can write, can’t you?’

Beatrice went red.

‘Can you read?’

Beatrice hung her head.

‘This is excellent!’ he declared.

Beatrice glanced up at him tentatively from between the curtains of her hair.

‘This is very exciting. I will be able to teach you from scratch. This will be a learning experience for both of us. I can’t wait for our first lesson.’

Beatrice said nothing, perhaps not knowing what to say. So she just pursed her lips.

Vladislav forced himself to relax.

‘Do you like the food?’

‘Yes. It’s good.’

Vladislav watched her take a few bites. She ate very delicately. He watched her a little longer, before picking up his own fork.

He took a piece of fish, and several chips, and opened his mouth. Beatrice could not help but stare as she saw his jaws part, the sharp teeth of his naked skull more prominent now.

She saw as the tip of the fork was pushed right to the back of his throat, enveloped by darkness, before he drew it out again, the food now gone.

Beatrice heard strange sounds that could only be faint chewing-noises, then Vladislav swallowed.

Beatrice dipped her head, lowering her eyes and bringing her attention back to her own food.

She wondered then how exactly he functioned. Did he have teeth hidden somewhere? Lips?

She dare not ask. She didn’t know why, but she felt that it would be incredibly rude.

Seemingly oblivious to Beatrice’s discomfort, Vladislav continued to talk.

‘The only thing I seasoned is the chips’ he explained. ‘It just has salt. And nothing else. The fish is cod, it’s quite a bland fish.’

‘Is that a good or bad thing?’ Beatrice asked.

‘Well,’ Vladislav pondered, poking his fish. ‘That is an interesting question. Let me think about it for a moment. Hm.’

Beatrice stared at him.

‘It depends on the person’ Vladislav finally answered. ‘It’s neither a good or a bad thing. It depends on the person and their tastes and preferences.’

‘Oh.’

‘Have you not had anything like this before?’ Vladislav asked.

‘I don’t know’ Beatrice mumbled. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘Have you had any sort of fish before?’

Beatrice thought about this. ‘Yes’ she said. ‘I’ve had mackerel before. But I didn’t really enjoy it all that much.’

‘Well, why is that?’ Vladislav asked.

‘It was um….hmm….’ Beatrice paused, looking down at her plate. ‘I found it very strong in taste. Sort of bitter, and very oily.’

‘Ah well’ Vladislav said, ‘it is certainly very rich in taste, and has a very distinct flavour. But the flesh is soft and moist, with a nice sweetness to it, just a little hint. And of course it tastes salty, but I think the combination of the two, of sweet and salty, bring out a very delicious and balanced flavour.’

‘You seem to be very interested in food’ Beatrice noted.

‘I have many hobbies’ Vladislav answered. But said no more than that.