The Name of Eternity

Rain pounded down the widows of the cab.

“So, it’s your first day here, is it?” the driver looked in his rear-view mirror. “Starting over or trying something new?”

“A bit of both, I guess,” Rhea sighed as she brushed her auburn bangs out of her eyes. She always seemed to be starting over lately.

It had been a long morning already. Her plane had landed, late and roughly, in a pouring rain which still hadn’t let up. She learned her luggage had been mistakenly removed at the last stopover and at this point was considered lost. When Rhea had finally found an available cab, another passenger pushed past and took the ride. This kind cabbie had been going to another job when he saw the slender woman standing dejectedly in the torrential downpour. Turning around, the cabbie, Edwin, offered her a ride. It was the first nice thing that happened to her that day.

Watching the quaint, old streets pass by as the cab made its way to its destination, Rhea pulled out a piece of paper to double check the address of her destination.

“I was told you can’t miss it,” she said.

“Oh, no you can’t,” the cabbie laughed, his round face and cheerful brown eyes creased in a smile. “Look.”

He pointed through the rain-soaked windshield at the colossal beauty of an ancient cathedral rising up from the center of the city. The stones were a soft sand color, even in the rain. The arch of each doorway mirrored the shape of the numerous stained-glass windows, and wrought-iron fences enclosed courtyards, gardens, and a nearby cemetery.

“It is beautiful…” Rhea breathed. “...and…big.”

The cabbie smiled, “It is one of the oldest buildings in the city. I must say, you are so lucky to have the honor to work there.”

Rhea flinched, “I’m just in the archives…”

“Well,” the cabbie pulled up to the curb in front of the square. “I wish you all the best.”

Rhea thanked the driver and pulled out her wallet to pay.

“No, no,” the cabbie waved his hand. “This is my gift to you today. It’s not easy starting a new job in a new country. Good luck.”

With deep emotion, Rhea thanked the driver for his kindness and turned her sights to the massive tower of stone. She strode quietly through the puddles and eventually up the steps to the heavy oak doors.

“Rhea Thorne?” a burly man with gray mustache and matching gray suit came walking briskly into the vestibule where Rhea was removing her wet coat.

“Yes,” Rhea extended her cold hand. “You must be Andre Hoffman.”

The stout gentleman smiled gratefully and shook her hand, “I’m glad you made it safe and sound. I am sorry to hear about your lost luggage and uncomfortable flight.”

Rhea sighed, “I’m thankful you offered me a position with your company.”

“It’s too bad my friend had to lay off most of his workers,” Hoffman asked, his brow creased in concentration. “What was your position at your last job?”

Rhea exhaled, “I was a Site Supervisor Assistant.”

Hoffman clapped his hands together as he remembered. He waved at Rhea to follow him through a side hall and down a set of stairs.

“Ah, yes. Your ability to record all details with incredible accuracy was stressed when your boss…err, past boss, called me to find you a position,” Mr. Hoffman noted. “Although it’s not as much pay, I hope you will find this job just as interesting.”

With no heart to tell Hoffman that it was either take this job or become jobless, Rhea followed her new boss down to the basement of the Cathedral.

“Here we are. These are the archives, and where we do all the recording. Say hello to Stephen, Andrew, and Elisa.” Andre Hoffman waved a hand at the small group of people huddled over parchments and books on a long table. “I must leave you at this time, as I have a meeting with a potential client. Welcome to the team, Rhea!”

Andrew, running a hand through his blond hair, smiled and stuck out a hand.

“Well, hello Rhea. Welcome to the crew.”

“Hello,” chorused Elisa and Stephen.

The group quickly bonded and set about their work. Elisa’s curly black hair bobbed in excitement as she showed Rhea around. The newcomer’s interest was aroused by all the old documents arranged on the table.

“We just started a new project and gathered research from these books,” Elisa said cheerfully. “They need to be returned so why don’t you grab an armful and I’ll show you the library.”

As they navigated the cathedral’s many passages and stairways, the young women finally exited the main building and walked through a small, secluded courtyard to a smaller, stone building.

Elisa’s curls bobbed up and down as she pointed, “These books go on those couple of shelves. They are categorized by topic and author.”

As the books made their way onto the shelves, there was a distant roll of thunder, and the women exchanged glances.

“If you want to shelf these, I’ll go back and get the rest of the books we need to return,” Elisa said.

“Sure,” Rhea responded. “Let’s get the books over here before it rains again.”

Elisa disappeared around the corner, “I’ll be right back.”

Rhea bent to her task of shelving the stack of books at her feet. She briefly looked at the titles as she placed the books in their spots. They all dealt with local family lore, family history and local history of the cathedral.

There was movement at the end of the aisle and Rhea looked up. A tall, lanky man in a well fitted vest and dress pants was focused on prying the book from its tight confines on the top shelf.

“Do you need the stool?” Rhea asked.

The man turned quickly, surprised. He stared at Rhea with hard, cold, dark eyes, then shook his head. Rhea felt a slow, icy chill creep up her back, like someone dragging their finger along her spine. She shivered. Taking the book, he disappeared quickly around the corner.

When she spoke to the group later, Stephen said mysteriously, “That’s Arras Mordhas, the owner of the Investment company next door. He is doing his own research, and never talks to anyone. He’s a bit strange.”

Andrew laughed, “You got the ‘Mordhas stare.’”

The fellow workers laughed. Rhea was forced to shrug it off, but the man’s striking face stuck with her during her work.

The day was finally drawing to a close.

“Want to come to the pub with us?” asked Elisa. “Celebrate your first day in style.”

Rhea laughed, “No, I’m going to call a taxi and head back to the hotel to see if my clothes have been located.”

“Well, hope your day ends on a good note,” Stephen smiled, his hazel eyes honest and sincere.

“Just walk through the graveyard there, and you can grab a taxi on the other side,” Andrew called helpfully as they walked away. “It will save you some time, instead of walking all the way around in this weather.”

Rhea waved goodbye to her new friends and grabbed her still-damp coat from the closet. Cringing, she slid the coat over her arms and buttoned it up. Looking outside, she saw it was still raining.

Rhea huddled with several others by the curb, waiting to cross the road.

‘Does it ever stop raining here?’ she wondered to herself. As she gazed at the cemetary across the road, Rhea could feel the rain begin to soak through her coat and dampen her shoulders, causing her to shiver. Hearing someone come up on her right, Rhea casually glanced over and locked eyes with Arras Mordhas. Tall, dark and intimidating in a long coat and matching hat, he stood out starkly against the dullness of the day. Mordhas broke his gaze to open a black umbrella and check his watch. Facing forward again, Rhea suddenly noticed the decrease in raindrops landing on her head. Looking up, she realized the owner of the neighboring company had adjusted his hold on his umbrella to cover Rhea from the rain. Once again her eyes briefly met his, and she smiled.

“Thank you.”

As Rhea turned back to wait for a break in the traffic, a speeding white car came hurtling down the road heading straight for the puddles by the curb. As people were pressing behind her, Rhea couldn’t move and simply braced herself for the spray. She suddenly felt movement on her right and Mordhas silently stepped in front of her, bringing his umbrella down to block the splash from the passing car. Rhea looked at Mordhas with both gratitude and surprise.

“Thank you,” Rhea said quietly.

Mordhas nodded then placed his hand behind her encouraging her to begin walking forward, keeping the umbrella over Rhea’s head. When they reached the other side of the road, they turned to go opposite ways.

“Wait,” Mordhas called after Rhea. “Take this.”

He handed her the umbrella.

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Rhea shook her dripping head. “You need it.”

Mordhas’ dark eyes stared, unblinking, “Take it, my coat is dry, and you are dripping.”

“Thanks, again,” she responded gratefully, taking the umbrella from his long fingers. “I’ll make sure to return it.”

“It always rains here,” Mordhas turned and began walking away. “Keep it.”

Standing in the rain with one hand on the cemetery’s gate, Rhea watched the swaying form of Arra Mordhas disappear into the mist that suddenly rose from the ground.