“Why do they do that,” Lilli asked them, dropping her voice low both out of respect for the church in which they stood and the people who might have remained. “They deserve to be warm, too.”
At any rate, Lilli sorely missed her sweater and she rubbed her forearms to help quiet the chills in her body. Her gaze wandered once more, taking stock of the interior now that the initial shock of the place passed. It was a church just as any other, really. Old and decrepit, it stood unassuming and not intruding to the lives of people around it. The atmosphere was the only thing which made it unsettling.
“Why do people become trapped here?” Lilli turned her gaze toward Saima when she asked her question, staring closely at their face as if the answer would be written upon it. “Well, not here. But this Earth. Why do they not…go where they will be at peace?”
“They do deserve to be warm. But some folks don’t really have the choice of being warm after they pass. And so even if the place itself is warm, those who lurk around it tend to be cooler presences.“
There was something about the chill that was familiar, all too familiar. Saima knew that there had been some old entities they had known in life that kept around this place.
The question about why do people becoming trapped here made them think. It’s something that has been on their mind often. “Well, it depends. Some souls have unsolved conflicts and can’t rest because of those unsolved issues. Others check in on their descendants and watch over the family. And many just haven’t been able to find peace yet and so stick around in an attempt to at least be among familiar environments. ”
“I would love to give you some! The only thing better than buying clothes for yourself is giving them to other people. I’m not sure I ever grew out of playing dress-up – either with dolls or people – so that probably explains it.”
She pushed herself up onto her knees with a soft exhale, glancing back at the window in her kitchen. “Well since I’m going to have to climb the stairs again you can pick whether you want to join me or not. Just wait here if you like, but you can have a flick through my wardrobe right now if you fancy it.”
“Heh, that sounds like as good a reason as any. Something about the process of dressing up is pretty enjoyable.“ Although Saima hadn’t had too much room to enjoy it before, they still the thought that can go behind an outfit or two.
“Hm. I think I might as well join you to check out the selection.“ It seemed convenient enough while she was going back into the house. Thus, Saima stretched as they got up and readied themselves to follow her into the house.
“ I like those too! “ Claire said with a swing if her arms. “ The other kids said they were boring or something where I grew up, but…They didn’t get to know the sparrows like I did. They all had different personalities and EVERYTHING. “
Claire says all this while intently watching the people PREPARE to let the birds fly. How exciting!
Saima smiled, glad to see someone else appreciate sparrows. “Ah, those kids just didn’t really know much. It’s easy to ignore the smaller birds as not interesting. But I find sparrows to be delightful little creatures. A lot of character.” They remembered observing the birds often while strolling around their homeland.
“Oh, I do that a lot. Reread my favorites to stay centered– It’s very relaxing and familiar, I think.” And those were feelings he often strives for, living in such a hectic, foreign city making them essential to his sanity. “Yeah…some of them are a little dark and, um, I’d probably describe it as lucid.”
“For sure, I get grounded from reading familiar works. It’s definitely reassuring which can be nice to have.” Saima could understand the appeal of having something to remind them of home when out in a whole another world. “Lucid huh? you’ve really got my curiosity with those descriptions.”
“It certainly seems to be doing wonders for you. I am not adverse to change, but I am not a fan of it either,” Erzsi shrugs a little. “It’s probably because I’m getting old and the only change I have really experienced have had negative consequences.”
“I appreciate that. I’ve been to enough boring parties in my lifetime, to be honest.”
“I can understand that though. It appears that many are similar to you in that respect.“ A nod of understanding for the circumstances that often came with negative consequences. “I get that would shape your prospective, for sure. Sometimes it’d be nice for things to remain stable for a while.“
“It seems like the very least I could do was get you into more interesting get-togethers. It’s what friends are for.“
When Lilli first heard Saima’s proposition, she was wary. As a deeply believing Catholic, her instincts when confronted with places that could potentially house entities not of the world were simply to avoid them. How sad it was over the centuries to see places that she once considered modern and full of life fall into such dilapidated states. Yet, she herself fell under the category of ‘entity not of this world’ and she used this to give her courage, falsely believing that this would warrant her some special protection.
There was also the fact that Lilli trusted Saima to take care of her. She had to trust that they would not put her in any situation which might cause her harm and she did. Yet this did not prevent her from nearly sticking herself to their hip or even clinging to their wrist once they reached the interior of the old church.
Despite the light streaming in through tall windows, the interior seemed dark to her. Lilli hesitated by the door not because Saima paused there but because of a physical inability to go further. They would never put her in a situation which would harm her. No matter how many times Lilli repeated this to herself, she still couldn’t move.
Even if she could, she was uncertain of what she would do once she did move. Centuries of Catholic habits told her to genuflect and cross herself upon entrance. Yet this was no longer a place with an active congregation. Even so, Lilli and Saima stood on hallowed ground which warranted some sign of respect. Ultimately, she decided this could not be a Catholic church due to the lack of Marian iconography and thus it did not require Catholic customs.
“How is it cold in here,” Lilli asked Saima, huddling closer to them for warmth. Albeit slightly spooked, Lilli was fine save for the chills which erupted all over her body. “It’s Summer.”
Saima knew full well that this would likely be a strange experience for Lilli. Which was exactly why they were willing to stay within the other’s limits when it comes to such places.
Inside the old church, they felt a certain kind of remembrance, a vague awe for the feeling of decay that had crept into the place. Something about it still felt incredibly present despite it’s apparent ‘emptiness’. And it’s probably something to do with the sound, the soft underlying sound of songs still being sung – years, no centuries later.
Despite their own ambivalence about a faith that had been forced on the land they knew, Saima could still appreciate the sense of ritual that filled the air.
“It is summer. But this is one of those places that tends to stay cold – the darkness of it all, the emptiness allows for space. And the fact that there are..you know entities around that spend time in this space.“
Time didn’t seem to mean much of anything here. Which was honestly fine as far as Saima was concerned. These days they were running on a much looser schedule than before. It left them with more ability to appreciate the seemingly neverending openness of this diner.
It also provided them the chance to introduce this odd, odd place that seemed to run nonstop to Janie. As an excuse to catch up, of course. After all, it had been some time since they last saw her and not being hurried gave a good excuse to hear about what she had been up to.
“So listen – we’ve got nothing but time here. And I’m sure the waitress will be over in a bit.“ Something they could speak to from experience. “I want to know everything about how’ve you been.“
10. abandoned church where the choir continues their song
Abandoned places had turned into places of comfort for Saima. Something about spending time in such areas made them feel at ease with their own restless nature. It didn’t feel inappropriate for them to lurk in the halls of buildings that had already felt haunted. If anything, it appealed to them further – made them suspect that such places were made for the ethereal, for the otherworldly.
And in sharing more of this experience with Lilli, Saima had taken her to a church – where she would hear the song of a choir that has been long gone. Singing in hymns of old times, of older languages – of tales Saima had first witnessed long, long ago.
For now the pair were just in the back of the church, having just entered the building. Saima stayed close to Lilli’s side, knowing that this might be quite the experience for her. A slight trail of fog came from Saima’s mouth as if relaxing into their true state a bit in this place.
“Are you going to be okay here? I – I know this is a lot. But, I wanted to show you somewhere like this for a while.“
“We will have to see, my dearest.” Turning to press a kiss to their cheek, a smile seemingly stuck to his face as he gazed upon Saima.
“I slept well, with you in my arms. I look forward to more of this.” Perhaps one day he’d actually sleep, but he wasn’t needing the more restorative rest just yet.
He handed them a peach, taking one for himself.
“I suppose that’s all we can do.“ They respond with a small smile of their own, delighted when Matt kisses them on their cheek.
“It’s lovely to know that you rested well with my presence. I look forward to resting with you more as well.“ It had been one of the more calming nights of sleep Saima had had in quite some time. All the credit for finding a homier presence to be around.
Accepting the peach, they thanked him before taking a bite into it.
Seekesotsibteadmist 