The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven novel Chapter 16

Teddy stood at the bottom of the hill with a long, black umbrella in hand. A few droplets of rain crashed down upon the hilly land, but not enough to make me feel agitated. The bus pulled up right beside Teddy’s dark figure, and the usual bus driver that normally took me to work simply tilted his hat in respect to the gentleman waiting outside for me. The driver did not exhibit the same fears as the one yesterday, so perhaps it was only a bad incursion. I offered a small goodbye to the bus operator, pleased that he opened the doors wide enough for me to step outside and join Teddy’s side. I could feel the heated stare of this dark cloaked figure as I walked past the front of the bus, although Teddy remained motionless as I steadily approached him.

He was draped in all black for the morning, with a smoky grey flat cap covering his head. He removed it once I stood in front of him, and angled the umbrella in a certain way to block out the rain for me.

“What are you doing here?” His eyebrows shot up with surprise. “Is anything the matter?”

“I came here to apologize.”

“Yes, but you came out of your house,” I professed. “You didn’t have to come all the way down the hill to tell me that.”

“I was rude yesterday,” Teddy apologized. “And cold towards you.” His hat was placed back upon his head. “It is perfectly natural to be a little curious, and besides, you didn’t see anything too damaging.” He stepped a little closer, allowing the umbrella to cover us both from the light dripping of rain. “I overreacted,” he confessed. “I’m naturally a private man, and things only became worse when the town began to gossip about me. But you are different, Sela. You don’t listen to that.”

“No, I know nothing,” I conceded.

A twinge of a smile spread across his face, though it was small and fragile-like. “You’re like a breath of fresh air." An arm was presented upwards, a subtle offer for me to slip my arm over his own. “I think it’s time for something hot to drink. The rain will let up soon enough, and then you can return to work.”

His mood had suddenly lifted, there was even a lightness to his rich chocolate brown eyes. He escorted me away from the side of the road, bent upon taking the smoothest route possible that would lead him back home. The umbrella was shared between us, allowing him to be as close beside me as possible. We walked in companionable silence up the hill, where only the faint lapses of the calming sea could be vaguely heard under the light showering of rain.

***

A steady downpour of water droplets fell from a steel-grey sky; it pelted against the window where Teddy silently stood. His back was to me; a large white mug clutched firmly in his hand as he watched the sudden change of the temperamental weather. I was seated in my normal chair, stroking the small cat that was lost in slumber upon my lap. The faint ticking of the clock could be heard down the hallway, and the rushing wind that inevitably came from the sea.

Teddy was lost in his own thoughts, deep and dark enough for him to wear a brooding expression. I contemplated the warning of my employer, Daphne, and the words she gave me over my phone. Something inside of me wanted to dismiss it, to tear down every wall that silently stood in between us. Luna was placed upon the kitchen table and I found my feet naturally gravitating towards this sober looking man. My hand perched itself upon his left shoulder, turning him around so that I could have a better look at him. “What is troubling you?” I gently whispered. His face softened before me, but it still revealed a haunting look in the darkest regions of his eyes.

“Thoughts,” he offered out. “Memories.”

My hand was lowered, which made his demeanour change suddenly. He looked down at the hand that once touched him, and I could see in his eyes that he wished it would return to his shoulder.

“You worry for me,” he ventured. “You should worry.” He took a small step backwards, and then turned himself away from me. “I am not my normal self today, Sela. I think it’s best to return to your normal duties.”

“It is raining,” I reminded him, which made him look to the left to see the rain soaking the long glass window. “You were fine only a moment ago.”

“I must get out of this house,” he said with gritted teeth, before he darted his head to the open doorway that would lead to the hall. “Do you mind the rain, Sela?”

“You want to go out in it?”

“I thought a walk would do me well.”

I looked to the window as well with a feeling of uneasiness. “We could catch a chill,” I reminded him. “There must be something else you could do.”

“I will go to my room,” he declared, and then immediately left the kitchen. To my surprise he did not go up the staircase, but turned right to head down the long hallway. I followed after him, too curious for my own good. Teddy entered the art room and purposefully left the door wide open for me to follow him. “You are welcome to come inside,” he said over his shoulder, once he heard a creak of the floorboard over the threshold of the open doorway. “I have nothing to hide. Not anymore, at least.” He pointed behind him, directing his fingers towards a small wooden stool. “Have a seat.”

“Teddy, won’t you tell me what is wrong?”

He never answered me, but I could see the slight trembling of his hands as he walked around the room. There was something wrong, almost too overbearing for him. He used his shaky fingers to brush back his hair, revealing his entire face and the long frown that he could not hold back any longer. “It’s unbearably hot in here,” he complained, and moved swiftly to the window to force it open. The cold rain pattering against the stony grey wall was loud, you could hear the echo of the wailing wind as it battered against the wall with forcefulness. I expected it to rain a little bit this morning, but I was never prepared for this type of stormy weather.

The gust of wind blew fiercely into the room, scattering some papers that were laid upon his desk. Teddy frantically tried to pick up some papers, and motioned his hands for me to stay away when I tried to assist him. I blatantly ignored him, and picked up some sheets of papers that were closest to me. There were some sketches of the house, and self-portraits of him in different rooms. I peered at one in particular; an illustration of him in this very room. There was a haughty expression about him, a defiant glimmer in his eyes, but the thing that troubled me the most was the deliberate grey shading positioned next to him as he sat beside the drawing table. It was indistinguishable, the shading, but there was something about it that still disturbed me.

“I do self-portraits,” he declared in a booming voice. “Either that or I draw poor Luna.”

“I thought you don’t do portraits.”

“So did I,” he darkly chuckled. “But… it clears my mind.” He retrieved the small piece of paper from my hand, and protectively placed it against his chest. “I don’t do it for money though.”

“You could,” I suggested. “You captured the likeness quite well.”

“You think so?” He lowered the paper and held it in front of him. “I enjoy drawing people; capturing their expressions. I always thought that mine was rather depressing though.” He stepped away from me while still carrying the self-portrait. “Strangely enough, yours is quite different.” Teddy stopped in front of his pine desk and pulled open a different compartment than before. “I drew it yesterday evening.” A fine quality paper was lifted into the air, and then he slowly strode towards me. The paper was handed to me, and I could see an exact likeness of myself in the image. I was situated in the garden, surrounded by flowers that were in full bloom with the outline of a cloudy blue sky in the background. He had captured my likeness so well, it shocked me completely. Slowly I lowered the paper and darted my gaze upwards to see that he had been watching me. He took a small step forward, allowing the darkness in his eyes to increase dramatically. “What do you think?”

“It’s…” My voice fell so low that I could go no further.

“You don’t like it?”

“All of this from memory?” I inquired. He nodded his head slowly, though his expressions displayed his anxiety as though it was choking him to death. “How?”

“How?”

“It is like I was standing there in front of you,” I mused aloud. “It’s beautiful!” The paper was pressed upon my chest. “Could I keep it? I hope I don’t sound vain, Teddy, but I have never seen anything like it before.” My feet moved to the right, and ever so slowly I moved towards the open window. “It is like you captured my very existence,” I pondered quietly to myself. “In a single image.”

“I will go over it with black ink, and then frame it for you.”

I turned around sharply, and exclaimed: “You would do that?” He responded with a small nod of his head in affirmation. “You’ve done so much for me,” I exclaimed. “And I feel as though I have done nothing for you.”

His rosy pink lips puckered outwards, and soon enough his grey slippers elegantly stepped over the light almond coloured floor to get to me.

“Teddy.” He stopped his movements abruptly. “What could I do for you?”

“Let me see you tomorrow,” he urged. “I will pick you up.” He took another bold step forward to enclose the last of the space between us. “I want to show you the rest of my lands. You would like the shoreline, I think.” He took a long pause to let him interlace his fingers together and place it over the front of his lap. “That is all I ask from you.”

“Then yes, I’ll do it.”

His facial expressions was inscrutable, but I knew he was secretly happy to hear the news.

“Are you feeling better now?” I asked of him. Teddy nodded his head sternly, never letting his gaze waver away from mine. “I don’t like to see you that upset. I am glad you are feeling better. If you still want, we can take a walk outside.”

“In the rain?” he laughed in mirth.