Chapter 5. Running up that hill

Leaning on his walking stick for support,

Innis walked arm in arm with Vie until they reached

the top of the hill.

"I used to come up here when I was a boy." Innis said.

He sat on a low wide circular stone wall and caught

his breath. "It must be old age, but I don't remember

this hill being so steep or so high."

Vie had noticed Finns Father becoming less steady on

his feet in the last few months.

"What do see out there Vie?" Innis asked.

"A wide valley, empty fields and a lake." Vie said,

not sure if that was the right answer.

"Do you see the chalk horse cut into the side of the hills."

"I can." Vie said.

"Some winter mornings the mist lies flat across this valley,

and from here, that horse looks like it's trotting along

the shores of a silver lake."

"It must be beautiful to see." Vie said.

"Did you grow up around here Mr. Page?"

"Call me Innis, Vie."

"Innis." Vie said.

"Down there by that lake, once stood a large

country home. The estate was prosperous enough that it

had its own Chapel and they employed a Pastor - My Father.

Our family lived in a manse on the property.

Just the three of us."

Vie couldn't see any trace of what Innis had described.

"What happened to it all?"

Innis didn't answer straight away.

"I hated my Father Vie. He was the worst kind of self righteous,

holier than thou hypocrite. I think he believed he was destined

for a position in the high Anglican church, but it wasn't to be,

so he took his frustrations out on my Mother and me.

He used to beat me black and blue."

"Terrible." Vie said softly

"I was young then and I didn't understand how trapped in the

relationship my Mother was. I thought she was weak.

One night when he hit her, I took a kitchen knife

and stabbed him in the shoulder. I don't know who yelled

the loudest, I didn't wait around to find out,

I ran away from home."

"You eventually came back." Vie said

"I did, and when I came back I found that the property

had changed hands twice and fallen on hard times.

The Chapel was being used to store hay."

"What about your parents?" Vie asked.

"I asked when I bought the property. The owners had no idea.

The house, the chapel,the manse, the gardens, everything -

I had it all razed to the ground.

I let the folks from the local area come and take what ever

building materials they wanted. When the workmen were

clearing the overgrown gardens near the Chapel they found

a small group of unmarked headstones."

"You parents?" Vie asked.

"Maybe." Innis said.

"I had all the head stones removed and broken up."

Vie thought about that for a moment then looked

closely at the stones that made up the low wall they were

sitting on.

Innis laughed. "Your a perceptive young woman Vie.

"I don't want you to think I'm trying to rewrite my past.

What I am doing, is completely erasing it."

*

Authors Note

This chapter is unfinished. I will add to it in the next few weeks

Any feed back you care to give would be appreciated.

Thank you for reading what I have written so far.