The Confession: Chapter 5
The woman in red is standing next to the cliff once again.
This time there is no sound of children playing. It is the sound of one baby crying.
The baby sounds like it is far away.
There is blood down the front of the woman’s dress like the blood she coughed up in the last dream.
Romero is once again trying to reach out to her, reaching out with his hand. He is so close to touching her, to comforting her. As his fingers touch her shoulder, she jerks back and stares at him with blood red eyes. Her head jerks back again like she is being pulled by a noose. Then she is lifted. Her body climbing into the sky, floating above Romero.
He looks up to her.
“I have come to help you.”
She looks down at him.
“You cannot help me.”
“I will save you from him.”
“You cannot save me from him.”
The sound of the baby crying is louder, closer. The baby’s screams are piercing. They both turn to look.
There is nothing there. Romero turns back to the woman in red as she floats above him, floating above the cliff and the ocean.
“Help her.” She says. “Help her.” She repeats.
“Who? The baby? How?”
The woman in red is frightened. She looks over Romero’s shoulder, she sees something coming at her.
“No..No.. No!”
She screams and vanishes like the ghost that she is.
Romero wakes up.
Westbury, dressed in a tuxedo, once again in his old man form, is sitting down contemplating his next move in a game of chess. The chair across from him on the other side of the table is empty.
“It’s no fun playing against myself.”
Romero does not answer.
Westbury gestures to a plate on a side table next to the bed. “There is a plate of chicken for you. We thought you might be hungry.”
Romero just stares at Westbury.
“We?”
“Grace brought it for you.”
“She was here?”
“Yes. You were sleeping.”
Romero is starving. He looks at the plate of chicken. He quickly grabs the plate and goes and sits down on the floor in the far corner of the room as far from Westbury as possible.
He says a small prayer before he eats and then gives a look over to Westbury. Westbury is amused by the prayer.
The black cat wanders the room. Romero starts eating. Westbury moves one of the chess pieces.
“They’ll come looking for me.”
“I took care of that today.”
“What?”
“You went to the church and told them you will be spending the month easing an old man’s conscience.”
Romero is stunned.
“How?”
“I can’t explain all of my secrets to you, can I?”
Romero turns his body away from Westbury, like a little kid that’s trying to hide something.
“How’s the chicken?”
Romero doesn’t respond.
“You can’t sulk for the rest of time.”
After waiting a few seconds, Westbury gives up on trying to talk to the priest and goes back to his game of chess.
Romero eats in silence. He notices a glass of water on the side table where the chicken was. He grabs it and goes back into his corner.
Westbury is concentrating on his next move in the chess game.
Romero looks down at his glass of water. He has an idea. He looks back over to Westbury who is not paying attention. Romero quickly makes the sign of the cross and blesses the glass of water. He looks back up at Westbury again, who is still concentrating on the chess board.
Romero takes his chance and rushes across the room. He throws the water in Westbury face.
Romero waits for something to happen, anything to happen.
Westbury, now soaked with water, looks up at Romero with a deadpan expression. He is incredulous. Slowly, very slowly, he wipes the water away.
Romero looks down at the empty glass of water, wondering why his host is not burning.
“I forgot to cover holy water, didn’t I? It takes more than a blessing by a priest to do damage to me in my own home.”
Embarrassed and defeated, Romero goes back to his corner.
“Anything else you want to know. Do you want to talk about coffins?”
Romero stares at Westbury with hatred. He goes back to eating his chicken. Westbury goes back to his game.
“You can’t keep up the silent act forever. Eventually, you will want to talk.”
Romero still doesn’t say anything. The cat jumps into his lap. He pets it. Westbury notices this.
“Have you named him yet?”
“Yes.”
“What’s his name?”
“Judas.”
This catches Westbury by surprise. “Lovely.”
Westbury stops his game of chess and stands up and looks down at Romero who is still in the corner of the room with his cat and chicken to keep him company.
“There’s going to be a party tonight. Every month, I have a few...friends over. It might get a little loud. I apologize in advance for the inconvenience. Goodnight, Father Romero.”
Westbury turns to walk up the stairs and as he walks he transforms into his younger handsome form.
The door closes and locks.
Romero stares at the locked door, trapped.