Phoebe Wren and the Vortex of Light (2 page)

“Would you like sausages or fish fingers with your chips, Love?”

Phoebe started as the simple question brought her back to reality.

“Sorry Mrs. Quill? What was that?”

“For your dinner, Love – sausages or fish fingers?”

“Oh… eh… I’m really not very hungry, Mrs. Quill.” Phoebe wasn’t sure she could stomach either option when the very mention of food made her queasy.

Rose Quill was the epitome of all things motherly. Unlike Phoebe’s slender and sophisticated Mother, Rose was a plumper figure, with dark unruly hair, a pretty, perpetually happy face and a countenance that made even strangers feel at home with her. Mrs. Quill smiled kindly at Phoebe; it broke her heart to have to watch what the youngster was going through, knowing that there was so little she could do to help her. “I know its difficult, Phoebe, but you really do need to eat something. You need to stay strong to help you recover – things
will
get better, Love, believe me… Ella!
ELLA!
Tea’s ready!” Phoebe managed a weak smile and nodded her head at the kind woman who had stepped in where her Mother had left off.

Ella trundled in from the living room and sat down across from her friend at the kitchen table. “Alright Phoebs?” she asked, smiling hopefully at her friend. Ella’s compassion-filled blue eyes looked wistfully at Phoebe. She desperately wanted to make it better for her, and wished she could rewind time so that the happy, care free Phoebe she knew so well could re-emerge.

“Yeah Els, I’ll be okay, honest…” Phoebe smiled at her gentle friend, although the sadness in her eyes belied the cautious positivity in her voice. “Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Quill, I really do appreciate all you do for me.” Phoebe’s voice was quiet, unenthusiastic despite her best efforts, and her green eyes were dull and heavy. She was barely reminiscent of the inquisitive, sparkly, joyous young girl she had been just a few short weeks ago before her family left Africa, with their whole lives stretched out in front of them.
‘How suddenly times have changed!’
Phoebe thought and had to bite hard on her lip to stop herself from dissolving into floods of tears right there at the kitchen table.

Ella’s ten year old brother, George, clattered into the kitchen, a welcome distraction for Phoebe, and his innocent boyishness made her smile despite the dark cloud which seemed to perpetually envelope her these days.

“Wash your hands, George! Am I really going to have to remind you before
every
meal?” his mother chided, shaking her head in a bemused manner so that a stray wisp of dark hair fluttered across her forehead and she blew it back into place with a puff of breath from the side of her mouth.

“OK Mamma,” George grinned – he was a loveable boy, with a mop of dark tousled hair and a winning smile that often got him out of trouble. Ella and George were as close as any brother and sister Phoebe had ever met, despite Ella’s insistence that he was the bane of her life. Ella was a protective big sister and desperately fond of the mischievous little boy with the winsome smile and the impishly innocent big brown eyes.

“Phoebe?” quipped George absently, drying his hands on a fluffy purple towel before plopping down on a chair beside her at the kitchen table. “Will you be staying with us forever? Are you my new sister? Is this your house now as well? Are your mum and dad not coming back? Like…
never?
”

The tirade of questions bombarded Phoebe without warning, and the fresh wave of grief that swept over her was almost tangible and made her shudder. She knew that George did not mean any harm, but the innocence of his inquisitiveness actually made her pain feel more acute, and she winced despite herself.

“
George!
” Rose’s voice was sterner now. “Eat your dinner,
now
please! We mustn’t fuss Phoebe. She has a lot on her mind right now. No more questions!”

“I’m sorry Phoebe,” George said with genuine remorse as he lowered his eyes and furrowed his brow. “I just hoped that I was getting another big sister, that’s all.”

“It’s okay George,” said Phoebe, suddenly overwhelmed by his innocence and uncomplicated love for her. “I’d really like to be your other sister, if that’s alright with you?”

George brightened immediately. “Yep, that would be
so cool!
” And, happy that his pressing issues had been resolved, George tucked into his dinner with intent. ‘
Wow
,’ thought Phoebe. ‘
It would be so amazing if that was all it took to make me happy again
.
How did life get so complicated?
’

Phoebe looked over at Ella and George as they ate their dinner. How easy it was to take simple things like family meal times for granted, she thought. And how she wished she could go back to relive and really relish every second with her parents.

Phoebe half-heartedly lifted her fork, and chopped off a small piece of fish finger. She didn’t feel at all hungry, but as she went through the motions of putting the hot food in her mouth, she suddenly felt a glimmer of life return, and hungrily cleared her plate.

“Thanks ever so much Mrs. Quill, I really enjoyed that,” Phoebe said with a contented sigh that surprised her. She smiled at Mrs. Quill and was aware of just how thankful she was for this wonderful lady who had welcomed Phoebe like one of her own children. Somehow, the pain and burden of loss felt lessened by Rose and her husband, Thomas. They were kind, gentle folk, and it occurred to Phoebe that they lived their faith out in everyday things, as her own parents had done.

“Good,” said Mrs. Quill, “See? Everything will be well… in its own time. Now, do you girls want to play for an hour before bedtime?”

Ella winked at Phoebe across the table. “Dolls or teddies?” she whispered.

“I heard that, Cheeky!” Mrs. Quill’s kind face wrinkled into a grin, and she reminded herself for the millionth time that her daughter was growing up.

“We’ll help you with the washing up first, Mrs. Quill,” Phoebe offered as she carried her empty plate and glass across to the kitchen sink. Rose Quill assured her that she appreciated her thoughtfulness, but said it would only take a minute or two to fill the dishwasher. Relieved of their duties, Phoebe and Ella left the kitchen and went upstairs to Ella’s bedroom, which she now shared with her best friend. Ella loved having Phoebe around and in ways it felt like one giant sleepover, although even thinking like that made Ella feel a little guilty for being selfish at what was such a difficult time for Phoebe.

“What do you reckon, Phoebs? Shall we watch a DVD, or do you want to play a game on the X Box?” Ella asked as the girls settled themselves on the two wooden framed single beds that sat at opposite sides of Ella’s very pink and girly bedroom.

“How about a DVD? I’m kinda tired,” suggested Phoebe, as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle an enormous yawn. She had slept quite a bit during the last few days, and was thankful that sleep had not eluded her, but still she felt a weariness in her bones, and games just did not appeal to her tonight.

Phoebe stifled another yawn as she smiled feebly at Ella. Although Phoebe had spent the last ten years in Africa, she and Ella had remained close friends, Skyping and e-mailing with a little help from their parents. Ella had been Phoebe’s first proper friend when she started Arles Primary School, and it was clear from the outset that theirs was a friendship that would last a lifetime. The girls had been inseparable through pre-school, nursery school and Primary one, and had both cried for days when Phoebe’s parents had made the decision to move to Africa.

“El? Can I ask you something?”

Ella turned from the DVD she was absent mindedly watching. “Sure Phoebe. What’s up?”

“Well, I’m just wondering – do you think my dad and mum can still see me?”

Ella thought for a minute. “I really don’t know Phoebe… But I’m sure that they’ve had a word with Abba and asked Him to make sure His angels look after you”.

Angels? Phoebe quite liked that idea. “I hope you’re right, Ella…” Phoebe wasn’t exactly sure what she thought about angelic bodyguards, but she was too tired to ponder it further. “I’m done in so I’m gonna call it a day. Goodnight Els, sleep tight.” Phoebe snuggled down into her warm bed and heard nothing more as Ella finished watching her movie and settled down to sleep.

As Phoebe slumbered, exhausted by another full and difficult day, she flitted often between peaceful sleep and fitful dreams, and just outside the bedroom window an ethereal Being sheathed his glowing sword and looked at his companion.

“Another day gone,” whispered Cosain. “She does not know it but she grows stronger by the hour – she will be ready.”

“Hurry up Eva! Come on Phoebe! We’ve got about
seven minutes
before our check-in closes!”

Jack Wren was half walking, half running through Johannesburg International Airport. He was tall and handsome, a gentle giant of a man with a heart for others. Eva always told Phoebe that that was what she loved most about Jack – his kind and generous nature – and Phoebe had always known that her Daddy adored her. Jack and Eva Wren were entirely and obviously devoted to each other and their beloved daughter, and Phoebe could not remember a time when her family had been anything other than happy together.

“We
cannot
miss our flight!” Jack was a stickler for precision and absolutely
did not do late
. His ability to get his family to where they needed to be an hour
before
they needed to be there had always been a source of much mirth for his wife and daughter.

Phoebe and her mum lumbered along behind Jack, giggling at his awkward canter, and the family made their check-in with moments to spare. After a short while in the departure lounge, Jack, Eva and Phoebe boarded the Jumbo Jet, which would take them home to Ireland. “Wow!” Jack exhaled loudly as he flopped down in his aeroplane seat, “We’ve made it, we’re actually en route home! I can’t believe it has been ten years!” He smiled contentedly and took his wife’s small hand in his.

“I know, sweetheart,” smiled Eva, “But our work in Jo’burg was done.”

Jack and Eva had moved to Johannesburg ten years previously, bringing five year old Phoebe with them. It had been a big move for the family, and a decision which they had not taken lightly. Jack and Eva, both surgeons, had decided to give their time and skill to be a part of a group from the Medical Miracles organisation, helping to staff and run a local hospital. The Wrens had first met in Africa while volunteering with Medical Miracles back in 1990, when both were on a gap year from university. They had helped with the building of the hospital, and felt a return to work there as qualified doctors was very fitting. They had married in 1993, and were delighted to be able to return to their work at Medical Missions Hospital as husband and wife. The work had been demanding, and at times both Jack and Eva had been discouraged and disillusioned, but their belief in creating a better way of life had seen them through. The Wrens had fallen in love with the African people, and spoke often of how Africa would
‘always have a very special place in their hearts’
.

As the family sat now, buckled into the aeroplane seats, each smiled at their inward thoughts of a life lived, and a new one about to begin. Jack was returning to a senior post in Castletown Hospital, while Eva had made the decision to put her career on the back-burner for the time being and spend more time with her beloved Phoebe. That was something which made their time in Jo’burg extra special for Phoebe – it had shown her high-flying parents what was really important, and as a result they had spent lots of quality time together, and had become a closer, stronger family than ever before. Phoebe couldn’t wait to settle back on Ireland’s green shore and begin the rest of their lives on the island they all adored. Africa had beguiled them, but Ireland, with its clean air, rolling green fields and friendly faces, held their hearts. It was home.