Chapter Nine

Settling

Vladislav made her breakfast, something a bit different this time. He made for himself a full breakfast, of eggs and bacon and sausage and mushroom and black pudding and beans and toast. His plate was stacked up high. A second plate was offered to Beatrice. Her’s smaller, with a little bit of everything.

‘Please eat slowly’ he told her, pouring a glass of orange juice for her. ‘It may be delicate on your stomach if you are not used to it.’

‘I understand.’

Vladislav descended into the chair, sitting opposite from Beatrice at the table.

Beatrice raised her eyes to Vladislav, watching as he reached out to take his fork. For the second time, Beatrice saw Vladislav’s great tongue, slipping out of his mouth.

He ate the food delicately. Beatrice realised that without lips, this is how he consumed food. His tongue was sticky, collecting the food with ease and swallowing it.

Beatrice blushed at this; she didn’t know why exactly though. She had never seen such a thing, and did not know what to think or how to feel about it. But she felt that maybe she should not be staring.

Beatrice looked down at her own plate. The food looked good. It smelled delicious too.

She picked up her cutlery, cutting her egg into smaller pieces, and beginning to eat slowly.

After this, once both of them had finished, Vladislav began to clear the kitchen. Then they went out to the garden again, and Vladislav began to talk about his flowers, but now in greater detail.

‘Many of these flowers do not occur naturally in this part of the world, but far in other lands. I am hoping to bring them to these healthy lands, and make it so that they can survive on their own, not just within my garden.’ He paused, stepping back and withdrawing his hand from the plant he had been caressing. ‘That is my purpose.’

‘Your purpose?’ Beatrice echoed.

Vladislav turned to her, his glowing eyes within their dark sockets revealing nothing.

‘I have had many interests come and go through the years. Music, rearing horses, breeding them, breaking them, selling them, dancing, acting, astrology, art, especially hyper-realistic paintings which can take months to complete a single piece, but the finishing result is absolutely worth the effort…and while I never lose interest or love for the things, I have pursued a dilettante interest in many things over the years.’

‘Dilettante’ Beatrice repeated, ‘I’ve never heard that word before.’

‘It means to take a surface interest in many things, without real commitment or knowledge, and while I do like to focus on some things, there are many more things I like to dabble in.’

‘Oh’ Beatrice said. ‘I’ve only been here for a short time and yet I have learned another word.’ She paused. ‘I feel like I am learning so much in such a short space of time. It’s sort of overwhelming.’

‘Please let me know if you need a rest’ Vladislav said to her. ‘The mind needs a break just as much as the body does.’

Beatrice gave a nod, indicating that she understood. And Vladislav gave a nod to her in return, before turning away.

He reached for one of the flowers before her, plucking it from its stem, before turning back and handing it to her.

Beatrice took it gratefully, as was expected.

‘That is a black calla lily’ Vladislav told her. ‘Very rare, especially the black ones. They come in several colours. The flower comes far from the south, very difficult to find. I had to travel to their homeland to get these. Unfortunately,’ he said, turning back to the rest of the flowers, they are very difficult for me to keep them alive for very long. Most of the rare and foreign flower I have brought here from other parts, all die in a few weeks and months. I feel like I need to replicate their home-environment and climate more precisely. Perhaps the type of soil is not right for them. Or maybe it’s the water. Maybe it’s too cold…it could be any number of things. This is a riddle I have yet to solve. But I won’t give up.’

‘So strange’ she muttered then.

‘What’s strange?’

Beatrice brought the flower to her lips then, smelling it.

‘I can’t really imagine you dancing’ she admitted.

‘I am actually quite graceful’ Vladislav told her. ‘Maybe’ he added, ‘we could dance together someday.’

Beatrice’s eyes went wide at that, and she blushed, turning her head away.

‘I…don’t know how to dance.’

‘Neither did I’ Vladislav told her, leaning over her and taking the black flower gently from her hand. ‘But we all start from nothing’ he went on, lifting the flower in the air before him. ‘Even the tallest mountain started as a stone.’

The flower began to glow then, its trumpet-shape opening further as it became engulfed in a white light, before breaking into pieces, and floating away. Like ash on the wind.

‘Everything lives and dies’ Vladislav spoke in a distant voice. ‘Eventually, all things come to an end.’ His voice sounded sombre as he spoke, but as he turned to Beatrice, his voice was light and cheery. ‘Let me show you the rest of the garden. I hope my talk of flowers isn’t boring you at all.’

‘N-no, not at all.’ Beatrice pursed her lips. ‘I…I just don’t know anything about flowers really. The only thing I know about is the crops and vegetables we used to grow. I want to learn about everything in this garden. I want to learn all their names…how to identify them…’

‘Excellent’ Vladislav said, making a flourishing motion with his hands. ‘Then I will be happy to tell you all that I can about my little petaled creations.’

‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

‘How do you get these flowers? You travel?’

‘By magic’ Vladislav finished. ‘Of course.’

‘Oh right.’

‘Let us not talk about magic now’ Vladislav asked of her. ‘It is a very complicated subject. But yes, I use portals of magic to travel great distances with ease. Although, a carriage can be enjoyable too. Sometimes it’s nice to just take in the scenery.’

Vladislav indicated for Beatrice to follow him then. And they moved about the grounds together.

He showed her how to care for the animals, what they needed in terms of care on a daily basis, their feed, grooming, healthcare, bedding, and their personal needs and preferences.

‘He likes to be scratched just behind the ears’ Vladislav told Beatrice, standing beside the ox, and reaching through the fence. ‘He might look scary to some’ Vladislav went on, ‘but he is a big sweetheart.’ He continued to scratch. ‘If you get just the right spot, he begins to sing.’

At that moment, the ox began to groan, before letting out a single bellow, flicking his ears.

After that, they visited the vegetable patch.

‘I grow everything I need here, and more. Anything spare I sometimes sell, give to the animals, or give to my neighbour.’ He paused, kneeling down at a certain point, reaching his hand out and brushing the green plants that were sprouting from the soil.

‘The carrots are very popular amongst the animals’ Vladislav spoke casually. ‘It’s like a treat for them, they like the sweet taste. And I take great pleasure in working in my garden, and watching the vegetables grow. I have to use gloves of course, not these gloves’ he added, raising his hand and flexing his fingers before his face, ‘but my special gardening gloves. I can’t have damp and dirt get between my joints. That would be most uncomfortable indeed.’

As Vladislav knelt in the dirt, Beatrice looked over at him. It was odd seeing him at this lower stance, and she gazed over his horns now. Symmetrical, long and curved towards the end.

A curious inclination took over Beatrice then, and she reached a hand towards Vladislav, her fingers brushing one of the horns.

Vladislav immediately jerked his head away, the abrupt movement causing Beatrice alarm.

Vladislav turned his skull-head to face her, rising slowly to his feet. Beatrice took a step back, drawing her hands towards her chest.

‘I…’ she fumbled. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘You should not have done that’ Vladislav said to her calmly.

‘I just…wanted to know what they felt like.’

Vladislav began to whine, the high-pitched screech sounding like a boiling kettle.

He lifted his hand then, pointing a finger to the centre of her.

‘If I were to touch your breasts, how would that make you feel?’

Beatrice went red then, pursing her lips.

‘I’m so sorry’ she told him. ‘I didn’t know.’

‘Pay it no mind’ Vladislav said, taking a step away.

At noon that day, then returned to the home to have some tea, where Beatrice indulged in some cakes, before resting to digest and taking part in another lesson with Vladislav where she practiced writing for the first time. Starting with her name. She mastered it very quickly, feeling very achieved. Vladislav congratulated her with more tea and cakes.

Beatrice continued her lesson by practicing the alphabet, from start to end, writing in both capital letters, and lower case. Gradually she began to familiarise herself with them. It felt to her, like making new friends. And she liked that feeling.

[END OF CHAP]