I think I've noticed a definite difference in my pics since I started using Gadwin. Most of the last update was done with Gadwin. Well, off I go to get started! EDIT: Might as well use this post to start the story.
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Episode 7:
7 Days to the Wolves
Howl!
Seven days to the wolves!
Where will we be when they come?
Seven days to the poison
And a place in Heaven!
Time drawing near as they come to take us.
----"7 Days to the Wolves" Nightwish - Dark Passion Play----
John Irving pulled his children closer to him after the funeral.
"I guess I can take care of us."
The family stayed together as the last guests went off to their cars. Saying goodbye is hard, and moving on is even harder. John desperately clung to his children, wishing things hadn't turned out the way they did. He squeezed his eyes as tears fell. In his mind, John could picture them freezing as the rolled down his cheeks. Or maybe they turned into show and floated away like ashes on the wind.
"Mom loved winter. She would be happy."
John pulled his daughter, Lauren, closer to him.
When they returned home, everything seemed so quiet. This comforted the Irving family, seemingly making the sleepless hours go by faster. John joined his son in the kitchen. His son was sitting at the table, as if waiting for his mother to come home from work.
"It doesn't seem like anything in this house has changed. I keep expecting Mom to walk in the door."
John hugged his namesake. He felt the tears building inside him again, but he knew he had to be strong for his children. He was ll they had now. Hew as their protector.
Three days after they buried their loving wife and mother, Magdelena Irving, there was a knock at the door. John answered quickly. A tall, muscular man stood waiting. John was a little suspicious; he didn't recognize the man.
"Good afternoon. My name is Sal Monella. I was a business associate of your wife. I promise I won't keep you long."
"A business associate? You worked with the charity?"
"Let's just say her company had dealings with my company. We were good friends, in a way. May I come in?"
"Sir, my wife's been buried for three days. I really don't want to talk business."
"Your wife's life's work will be thrown away. Any meaningful contribution will be neglected."
"Sir, please understand where I'm coming from."
"Well then, just let me extend our condolences. Here's my business card. If you ever need anything, give me a call. And watch your back. Your wife was a dangerous woman."
John closed the door, more confused than when he opened it. What kind of business did this man work for? John was sure Mr. Monella had made several veiled threats.
"Dad?"
John turned around to see Lauren standing in the hallway.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Not...not long. Why?"
John shook his head and started to leave the living room, but movement outside caught his attention. He looked out of the curtains and saw 2 men in black coats pointing at the house. Across the street, Sal Monella was getting into a limousine. The car was black. The driver wore a black coat. They stood out starkly against the purity of freshly fallen snow. John shook his head and quickly left the living room, letting the curtain fall in front of the window.
Days passed. John, Lauren, and John, jr. found it easier to cope by busying themselves. The house became a constant bustle of activity.
Concerned friends and family were constantly being ushered in and out of the house. They tried desperately to dig beneath the carefully created facade to reach the pain and grieving beneath. None of them were successful. Had John and his children slowed down, they would have noticed the men in black coats positioned outside their house, watching them.
John stopped at the local grocery store in his daily rush from home to work, and work to home. He was only vaguely aware of a woman following him down an aisle. Throwing himself into work as an accountant robbed him of attention for everything that mattered. The lady came up beside him, holding her swollen belly. She reached for something on a higher shelf.
"Here, let me get that for you."
She turned to him and smiled. Her eyes were a piercing blue-grey, and John didn't like they way she was looking at him.
"I love my children immensely. When I was young, my father died. I try my hardest to make sure my children have the opportunity to see theirs."
John slowly handed her a can.
"Life is a dangerous game. Bad things happen to people who don't play by the rules. When one person falls through on their part of a contract, it may jeopardize the life of anyone else involved. Protect your children, Mr. Irving. Follow the rules and honor my husband's contract."
