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I had no way of knowing how long the strange woman had been gone, but what I did know was that I was hungry as hell. My stomach growled, and I figured she must have been gone hours. I wondered what day it was and how long I’d been missing. I felt as if I’d been gone weeks, but since I’d only had three meals and I hadn’t yet passed out I guessed I was way off the mark.
It was the boredom, that was the trouble. Once I’d realised there was no way of escaping this prison I’d had no choice but to accept my fate. I occupied myself by walking up and down a bit, but as the chain wasn’t very long I didn’t get very far, and to be honest, it all felt a bit too repetitive to hold my interest for long, even if I did sing as I walked to cheer myself up.
I tried to sleep, thinking that would make the time pass faster, but sleep evaded me now. Maybe it was broad daylight outside, and my body clock rejected my attempts to sleep at this time. Or maybe I’d slept all day, and it was now midnight. Who knew?
I’d finished the last of my bottled water, too. There was a basin in the cubicle, and I supposed at a push I could drink from the faucet there, but I didn’t really fancy the idea of that.
I sat back on the sofa and huddled the blanket then tried to remember some of the poetry I’d read, back in my college days. It was a shock to realise how little I remembered, and I resolved to reread it if I ever got out of here.
I’d just resorted to a game of What’s the theme tune? where I challenged myself to hum the tune to any television show that popped into my head, when I heard something.
I sat up straight, straining to hear better. I was sure there were voices, and if I wasn’t mistaken…
The handle on the door in the far wall turned and I held my breath, wondering if this was friend or foe. Two old ladies entered the room, and I wasn’t sure whether to be sorry or relieved that one of them was my captor.
The second one looked, if it were possible, even older than the first. They were dressed identically, and this newcomer had the same long, white hair, but hers was neatly tied up in a bun.
She took one look at me and shook her head before hurrying over to me.
‘The state of you! My dear girl, I can’t apologise enough!’
She turned to my captor, who was hovering beside her looking pretty glum, and said, ‘Well, what are you waiting for? Set her free immediately.’
‘Yes, Sister Agnes,’ the woman mumbled, and my chain vanished instantly.
I heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed my ankle.
‘You’re not hurt, are you?’ Sister Agnes asked anxiously.
‘No, just a bit sore,’ I said. ‘And hungry,’ I added, giving the other woman a harsh stare.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It took me a bit longer than I expected to find her.’
‘Is that what you’re sorry for?’ Sister Agnes shook her head. ‘My dear Trinity, I can’t apologise enough for what’s been done to you. You must understand, Sister Gertrude is very young, and still getting used to our ways.’
Very young? Was she joking?
I stared incredulously at Sister Gertrude, who hung her head miserably and said, ‘I’m sorry for kidnapping you. I was just trying to help.’
‘You should have confided in your sisters,’ Sister Agnes said crossly. ‘They would have advised you to release her immediately. Fancy keeping her here, of all places! You could, at the very least, have taken her to our home.’
‘I wanted to please you, Sister Agnes,’ Sister Gertrude explained, her eyes beseeching.
‘You wanted the glory you mean.’ The older woman was clearly having none of it. ‘You thought you’d hooked yourself a fine fish and you didn’t want your sisters to get any of the credit. But you should know, you’re still learning this job, and look at the mess you’ve made! Really, Sister Gertrude, I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in you.’
Sister Gertrude sniffed, and Sister Agnes rolled her eyes. ‘Here come the waterworks.’ She leaned over and asked me kindly, ‘Did she treat you well? Have you been cared for?’
‘Well,’ I said dubiously, ‘there was a lot of chocolate cake. And she made sure I had a supply of quilted toilet roll.’
Sister Agnes held my gaze for a moment, then she burst out laughing. ‘Ah, as long as she got her priorities straight.’
To my astonishment, she threw her arms around me and said, ‘Oh my dear child, it’s so lovely to see you again after all this time. And how beautiful you look!’ She stepped back and dabbed her eyes, then said, ‘No time for sentiment. Come now, let’s get you out of here.’
She held out her arm and I tentatively took it, wondering about our history. She obviously knew who I was, while I had no recollection of meeting her before, and let’s face it, I was pretty sure I’d remember her.
‘You need some fresh air after being locked up in here,’ she said. ‘I think we’ll take the scenic route home, don’t you, Sister Gertrude?’
She smiled at me. ‘Don’t worry. We’ll be shielded. They won’t spot you this time.’
