Working  our way back.  The latest of Silhouette as promised for your enjoyment.  Please feel free to comment below or send me a message.  Catch up by hitting the 'Silhouette' tab above.

Yours truely,

Teej

In a Different Light

A wobbly chandelier could be seen dangling low, unbalanced above the center.  It brought a dark classic image to the already nineteenth century style, and with it a much needed light to the musty place.  She stood below, staring with judgment of its alignment.  He struggled at the side, keeping it steady with a heavy rope.

Nothing short of a bizarre scene awaited Silvia as she stepped in for work.  She didn’t know what to think.

“Rain?  What are you— what are the two of you doing?”

They turned; startled, he managed to catch the light fixture before its drop to destruction.

Rain beamed, “Doesn’t it look great?  Or is this not going to look amazing?!  We thought about how to liven the place.  I’m leaving the manual part to him.”

“Hey Sil.”

Puzzled, “How do you know each other?”

Rain laughed.  “I wasn’t aware— He came to pick up a book a week or so ago.  He’s come over for tea a few times since; some very interesting conversations…  Did we ever introduce ourselves?  I’m sorry, I’m Rain.”

Walking over, he secured the rope to meet her, extending a warm handshake.  “Rain, my apologies for forgetting as well; they call me ‘Em-Aych'.”  He nodded, smiling at Silvia.

“Well Em-Aych, you’re quite an interesting fellow.”

“As are you, ma’am.”

Silvia looked at them in disbelief of the obvious friendship which had just been forged.  Rain was Steve’s long-term partner from what she understood.  Her personality far more eccentric than Steve’s, she wasn’t significantly younger than him, but was as knowledgeable and curious.  She kept her hair pulled back and out of the way and was always working on something.

“How do you know him?”  She inquired, feigning an expression of suspicion.

“We’ve just bumped into each other a few times,” she defended.

“Silvia, this woman is absolutely amazing.  Have you seen her paintings?”

“You mean the ones hanging up?”

“Yeah, but there’s a room dedicated to them too.”

“Just some old reminders of various projects; it’s nothing really; just the misplaced memories of an aging woman.”

“Ah, don’t be so modest.  Brilliant, she’s brilliant.”

“Keep it down now,” Rain hushed.  “We have to secure this thing before Steven comes up—“

The commotion already caused brought familiar footsteps into the room.  Descending down the spiral staircase from the greenhouse, Steve arrived covered in dirt and carried a mild sweat.  He abhorred over the light fixture right away.

“What the hell is this?”

The group dodged glances; they stood expecting a proper response from Rain.  Guilty by association, Rain began to smile.

“Isn’t it wonderful?!  It really adds a sense of depth and character to the place.”

“What was wrong with the lighting before?”

“It was dark and gloomy—“

“I liked the dark and gloomy.  That wasn’t enough character?  It had a sense of age and…wisdom.”

Rain took his side and stared into his eyes.  “Do you really not like it?”

Looking at his lover, he smiled, giving her an opened arm hug; careful not to transfer his filth.  “I like that you like it; that’s enough for me.  At least it’s nothing too ridiculous.”

She kissed him on the cheek, responding to the sour flavour that lingered in her mouth.

“You taste like rancid stew, run off and shower.  You reek of manure.”

“And I thought you loved the way I stink.” She made a face.  “Right, nearly done anyway.  I’ve just got to rearrange this last bit.  Wash up after.  Will you take a look once you’re done with,” He paused and took a look around, “…this.  Well, gang’s all here then.”

She sent him on his way, disappearing back upstairs.

“How long have the two of you been together?”  Silvia asked, joining Rain in her quest to get the chandelier straight.

“Long enough,” she laughed.  “He knows better than to fight me on these sorts of things now.

“A little lower dear.”

“You two are cute.  It’s nice to see a lasting relationship like yours.”

“Takes a bit of effort, but things fall into place in the end.  I’ll never stop loving that crazy man.  Does that look centered to you?”

“I think so?  Em-Aych, try holding it still.”

“Oye, easier said than done!”  He called from the corner, wrestling with the rope with all his effort.  “You wanna take a stab at wrangling this?”

Exchanging a look, they responded simultaneously, “You’re doing fine.

“So are you and him,” Rain turned to Silvia and kept a hush tone, “Are you and him going together?”

Silvia watched Em-Aych, whose hat had fallen amidst the battle.  His face now a bright red from physical exertion, cursing under his breath; about her age and handsome, it could easily be understood why she thought that was the case.  His soft brown hair bled into his shapely facial features; and that smile of his.  He was kind, witty, and she knew well of his worth in a fight.  Normally she’d be head over heels for such a guy; yet something said, perhaps by his eyes, prevented her from entertaining the thought.

“No, we’re simply friends is all.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something Silve.  You are quite the catch.”

Flattered, she tried not to blush.  “Thanks Rain— Right there!  That’s perfect!”

“About fucking time,” he yelled, panting and looking ragged.  He tied down the rope to prevent movement.  Snatching his hat and stepping back, they all admired the handiwork.  It filled the room beautifully and served as a wonderful centerpiece.  “Now,”  Em-Aych broke the silence, “How are we supposed to secure it?”

They looked at him confused.

“Isn’t that all” Silvia wondered.

“I mean it’s just that one rope.  I dunno; doesn’t it need more of a fastening?”

“Like a chained connection to the ceiling!”  Rain responded with the upmost of enthusiasm.

“Yeah, something more classic like.  Any person can bump it over now, things go crashing.”

“We could probably find one at the shops.”

Silvia cocked her head to the side, “What’d you guys have a lamp store around here?  I suppose the hardware store might—“

“But that’ll take away from the piece.”

An idea lit Rain’s face, “Hold on, I think I might have just the thing upstairs.  Lend us a hand if you would.”

Silvia tagged along as the other two bolted to the stairs.  She found it hard to keep up or didn’t understand the excitement upon them.

In the spare room an ancient trunk was amongst equally impressive vicarious items the two had collected over the years.  Old photographs, a gorgeous wardrobe, an easel, and a dusty phonograph, no matter where you looked, there was something of interest.  Rain was carelessly rummaging through piles as Em-Aych followed her lead; infinitely distracted by all the unbelievable objects.

“What exactly are we looking for?”  Silvia shouted over the clamoring of objects; diverted by a few herself.

“There was an old chain I couldn’t bring myself to throwing away.  I know I have it somewhere, it was too wonderful to pitch.”

“Something like this?”

With a hefty tug, he surfaced a long, sturdy iron chain.  Beyond its inferred age, it appeared in good condition, and heavy as hell.

“Perfect,” she exclaimed.

They carried the chain out and had almost made the stairway when a sinister creek vocalized itself.  It echoed through the house as an extrapolative to the dreadful inevitable snap which drove the chandelier, lunging to the ground.  A loud crash and deafening shattering shook the place.  The group dashed back to the shop to examine the damage.

The chaos below left the shop in shambles, thankfully no one had been browsing.  Glass, twisted metal, and splintered wood littered floor garnished with several overturned books.  Silvia horrified by the scene while Rain and Em-Aych both marveled at the destruction.  There was a guess who’d be left to clean it up.

“What a mess!”

“It’s beautiful,” he gasped.

“Let me get the camera before we disturb it!”  Rain disappears for all but a moment with her excitement.  She carried an impressive looking camera; promising high quality and being state of the art of yesteryear.  The flash was blinding.

“I thought it’d be funny,” Steve called from the next room, “if I forgot to mention that the ceiling can’t really support the weight—“  He emerged slightly cleaner than before and stopped discovering they’d already witnessed the wreckage.  “Ah, never mind,” he chuckled returning to his washing.

“What should we do with it?”  He turned to Rain.

Removing herself from a trace she pondered, “I’m not sure, let’s get a closer look.”

“I’ll go get a broom,” Silvia sighed.  This fell upon deaf ears as Rain and Em-Aych tore down the stairs to explore the spectacle.