Chapter 2: The Warning

John and Iris remained at the foot of the wharf as the streets emptied of people. They did not speak, but merely stood as the townspeople filed past, hands clasped tightly together. Iris’s wide eyes were rimmed with the red of her sympathetic tears for the bereft women. She stood in front of John, his arms around her waist. He was happy she could not see him, for he too was having trouble keeping the hysteria of the incident from creeping into his heart. He stared at her white shoulder. A blue vein in her neck throbbed rhythmically under her pale skin. He blinked and straightened, stepping away from her. “Shall we,” he said, waiting for her to turn. “Shall we return to the tavern?”

She still held his hand. Her eyes were directed toward his feet. She nodded. He put his hands on her, pulled her in close, squeezed her briefly, then released her. He began walking down the street to the tavern. She followed. Still he held her hand.

He took a few stiff steps forward, then abruptly stopped. He turned to her.

“Let us cast this incident from our minds,” he said. “That way—well, you know what they say.”

She stood still. “What?”

“That way madness lies.” He laughed quickly. “But let us not—” he stopped, running his hands up her arm. “We are married. We are happy.” He gazed into her eyes, coaxing the hint of a smile to play across her lips. “We are just married, not days ago,” he said, his own lips now smiling. “We will soon be out of this wretched town. Away from their madness. Let us be happy and remember that we are,” he stopped once more, “on our way to our new life.”