The Secret of the Double Rainbow
3.
On the bus, David thought about everything that had happened the night before. Though it had an unreal quality to it now, he was certain it had not been a dream. All day long, David could not think of anything else but what lay behind the door.
Rationally, he knew there couldn’t be much of interest, and even if there was, surely Ben would have removed it. Emotionally, though, he wanted to get home and see for himself. He had no idea why he was so obsessed, but he knew that only once he had entered the room would he find peace.
He smiled a little smugly because he felt it was because of him that Ben had bothered to finally do something about that door. It always made him feel a little more special when something happened because of something he said or did.
Behind him, one of his class mates poked him in his back. His stream of thought was broken and he looked around, somewhat angrily.
“Who is she?” said the teen, with a big grin.
“Who is what?” He wasn’t following.
“The girl you’re thinking about.”
“I’m not,” he snapped and turned back around.
“Don’t worry about it, mate,” he heard the teen next to the other say. He wondered why they always wanted to stir him up. No wonder he didn’t want to have anything to do with them. Normally, he would have grumbled for a while over it, but his thoughts quickly returned to the door and what lay beyond.
He was fortunate that, with the last day of school, there was very little work to do and little need to pay attention to what was going on as much of the day was spent on revision for the upcoming exams. His weeks of study were really paying off. At times he reflected that if he had known it would have made that much difference, he’d have done it years ago, instead of the last evening cram that was his usual method.
His head also felt like it was burning slightly and he felt shivery, as the flu he had, took hold. The day dragged on for what appeared to be forever, and for the first time, he was anxious to get back to the house.
Before going home, he decided to stop by a chemist and get something for the sore throat that was now plaguing him. The girl at the counter offered him several alternatives and suggested that he might want to try an herbal remedy that claimed that it would lessen severity and reduce the length of the flu. As it wasn’t too expensive, he bought it, though he was sceptical.
Once again, it was a rainy afternoon, but the drops that hit him were beneath his notice as his mind worked on and refined a plan on how he was going to approach the subject of the new door handle. He might have thought that Ben would have mentioned it to him, but maybe Mary had wanted to keep it a secret, for some mysterious reason. His imagination conjured up all kinds of secrets that had been discovered by them behind that door.
In his mind, he went through several scenarios. Maybe he would bring it up in a humorous and witty way, which would highlight how together and cool he was or perhaps he would just mention it in passing, but in the end, he decided on a plan that, he felt, would be ever so innocent looking, but hopefully effective.
Uncle Ben was still at work when David returned, and wouldn’t be home for several more hours. As usual, he was obliged to help Mary with the chores and cooking before she let him do anything else. But that was fine by him. He wanted this to be done right. Everything had to be done and out of the way before he brought the subject up.
His nose had started running, and his coordination was off, as he almost knocked over one of Mary’s favourite vases. This almost made him go into shock. Such a thing to happen now would be disastrous. After that, he was extra careful and as he worked, he felt a wonderful floating feeling come over him, as though his body was no longer connected to an earthly plane.
Mary, whose eagle eye missed nothing said: “Are you alright, David? You’re looking flushed and you’re sniffing.”
“Oh, yeah,” said David. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Hmm,” she said, giving him a long look. She watched him carefully after that.
Finally, Uncle Ben came home. Dinner was already on the table; as it always was and they all sat down to eat. As usual, David and Ben quietly ate their dinners while Mary told them the latest gossip on what her friends were up to, something that would bore David senseless. She spoke of people he had not met, and furthermore, had no interest in. He really didn’t care for the gossip.
Mary went on between mouthfuls of her food about what a Mrs. Smith and her husband were up to and what her opinion was on that. David idly wondered if her life was so boring that she had to live it through other people. The thought depressed him.
David waited until he felt it was the right time to venture a comment, but he came to realize that his only chance was when she took a bite of food. There wasn’t a really good opening, so during another mouthful of steak, which kept her chewing longer than normal, he said: “I couldn’t help but notice that you fixed the door.” The comment was directed at Ben, though he looked at both of them.
“Eh?” said Mary, “Door? What are you going on about, David?”
Ben looked just as confused. “What door?” he said, through a mouthful of food.
David felt Mary’s withering stare, but he held his ground. “The door at the end of the hallway,” replied David. Surely they weren’t going to deny something that was so blatantly obvious.
“Did you go and fix that door now, Ben?” Mary asked him. She looked strangely at them both. “After all them locksmiths, you found one that could handle a screwdriver?” Doubt was in her tone.
“No, dear,” he replied, meekly. “David must be talking of something else.”
“Well, boy?” she said, turning her sharp eyes towards him. “What, pray, are you talking of?”
David suddenly felt himself flushing and feeling hot. His forehead tingled and burned. “The door at the end of the hallway,” he repeated, obstinately. “I saw a new handle on it yesterday. Someone must have fixed it.”
“That they did not,” she said. “They’d have to do it with me here, and I’ve been here all the time.”
“But it’s fixed!” he insisted. “I saw it. I guarantee that if you look, you’ll see it too.”
Mary gave him an exasperated look. “You are clearly not well David or you are on drugs.” She looked straight into his eyes. “Yes, perhaps that might explain it,” she muttered.
“Mary, he’s not acting like he’s on drugs at all,” said Ben, timidly.
“I’m not on drugs!” David said, at the same time. He sounded angry. “Go and take a look and then tell me I’m on drugs!”
Without further words, she got up and led the way up the stairs. Ben and David followed her. Ben looked worried and uncomfortable. Mary approached the door and gave it a short look. “If this is your idea of a joke, David, then it’s in poor taste, and yet I hope this is a joke, because you certainly acting oddly. Have been ever since you’ve come home from school.”
David pushed past her and saw the handle. It as rusted as the first time he had seen it. He grabbed it and tried to push on it. It was seized up solid and refused to move even the slightest. “But it was fixed. I opened it myself only last night,” he implored.
“Last night?” queried Mary, “Why did you not say something then?”
“It was late. I followed the cat and...”
“Cat? Cat? There’s no cat in this home, boy, none at all. Not even a stray. Trust me; I have a nose for knowing such things.”
“I guess it must have been a dream,” he faltered. “It just seemed so... real.”
“A dream!” Mary spat. “Are you telling us that you confused a dream with what you think really happened? More likely to be some illegal substance that your school mates have shared with you today, I’d more than wager.”
“I don’t do drugs! Honestly. I’m not making this up.”
“Well, dear,” said Ben, timidly, “he has been studying very hard and he is sniffling a lot...” Ben touched his hand to David’s forehead. “and I’m no doctor, but he’s hot.”
Mary seemed to soften for a moment. “Well, he did oversleep this morning. He had not done that before. He’s could be coming down with some fever.” She felt his forehead and noted that it was indeed warm. His aunt acted decisively and took his temperature and found it was indeed above normal.
“You’re going to bed, my boy,” she said. “you are sick with flu. You’re going to be looked after proper. Especially you acting delirious and all. Cats and new door handles indeed,” she muttered as he went off to find some aspirins.
David was almost relieved. If he was sick, then that would explain everything. The whole business was probably nothing more than his imagination working over time while he was feverish. The alternative was that he was going crazy and that wasn’t something he wished to consider.
He found himself being waited on hand and foot. While his aunt was a tough woman, she could also be compassionate when she had due cause. She made him some tasty chicken soup, which convinced him he really had to be sick, as he normally didn’t think much of her food. She even put an extra blanket over the mattress to make it more comfortable for him to lie on. He sat on a chair; shivering and sweating, as he watched her remake the bed. She muttered to herself about how everyone should have flu shots like she and Ben did.
Soon she was done and said: “Okay, in you go. I’ll be keeping a watch on you.”
He climbed into the bed. He felt like his body was floating and his head was starting to hurt. Mary left him and he lay there thinking about the door. If the lock had not been fixed, then how could he have opened it the night before? A fever would certainly explain it. He had heard stories of hallucinations while people were ill. He felt both relieved and disappointed. He really did want to see what was behind that door. Maybe the longing for companionship, his obsession with the door, and the fact he had the flu had created a larger than life dream.
He looked at the painting. The light was starting to fade, giving it an unreal quality. He blinked his eyes for it almost looked like the painting was capturing the light around it, making it look clearer and brighter than it should be. Even from his bed, he could still see it clearly. For the first time, he took a closer look at the details. Before, all he had really noticed were the two young ladies. This time, however, something else caught his attention. A shiver went up his spine. There, in the background, staring back at him with two luminous eyes was a picture of the cat.
