“Master,” Mr. Punch shook his head.
“Dear, Punch.” Julian said firmly, but kindly, “you need to join me. Come back and sit.”
“I can’t.” Mr. Punch began to cry. “I can’t let ‘em continue with this. I can’t let you see!”
“I must!” Julian answered. “Mr. Punch, I must!”
“It’s gonna hurt ya,” Mr. Punch said, wiping his eyes.
“And, aren’t we accustomed to being hurt? Look at what we’ve endured together. And just in the last few weeks! We’ve been cut and poisoned and burned and shot! We’re strong, Mr. Punch. Together, we’re strong. If we face this together, perhaps we’ll be even stronger.”
“We’re strong ‘nough,” Mr. Punch grunted.
“I love you for trying to protect me. You’ve done such a fine job of it for all of these years. For that, I’m exceedingly proud of you,” Julian began. “But, now, I must know everything. I’m frightened, yes. But, I’m also ready to be alive. Since we’ve been in this country, I’ve spent most of the time here—in this room, inside of our body. It’s been glorious. I finally had what I’ve always desired—time, time alone, peacefulness! It’s given me time to think and regain my strength. Now, I’m feeling hearty and brave. I know that I can take on more. I can have an active role in our battle, but I can’t fight what I don’t see. I can’t go into this blind. We’re partners, you and I. We can win this battle together, but only if we’re both functioning with the same intelligence. You’ve done nothing but protect me—fiercely and loyally. Now, let me protect you so that I can protect us!”
Punch sighed loudly.
“If I let you see this,” Mr. Punch answered, “then, I’ve failed. What good am I?”
“You’re infinitely good! And necessary. I still need you. I’ll always need you, Punch. You’re the other half of me. In some ways, you’re the better half.”
“Will we ever be a whole?” Mr. Punch whispered.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Certainly not in the traditional sense. But, if we work together…if we function together—on an even ground—we’ll achieve a certain kind of unity. It’ll be our own version of wholeness. Unique to us! Two columns supporting one structure. Together, they’re unified. Together, they’re one building. If you remove one or chip away at one, the whole edifice comes crashing down.”
Punch smiled.
“Take my hand,” Julian smiled back.
Mr. Punch took Julian’s hand and rose from the stage.
“Now,” Julian grinned. “Sit beside me. Let’s see this together. We will comfort one another as best we can, knowing all the while that this is necessary, that we shall use this pain to fuel a fire which will propel us to victory. From victory comes peace, my dear Punch, and that’s all anyone can ask.”
Punch sat in the chair next to Julian’s. “How will they know to come back?” He pointed to the stage.
“They’ll know.” Julian whispered.
Mr. Punch clutched Julian’s hand as a blue mist began to form on the “stage”as the figures began to reappear in the places in which they had stood before Punch had made them vanish. They began to rematerialize as if they were beings made of smoke.
Suddenly, above them—outside of them—they heard Robert’s voice. He was angry.
“Meridian,” Robert said. “You tell Miss Allen that she’s not welcome in this house!”
“She’s pleadin’, Sir.” They heard Meridian say. “She wants to his His Grace.”
“As you can see,” Robert answered her. “His Grace is resting. He’s not conscious. Please, send her away.”
Meridian took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course, I will, Sir. It just ain’t gonna be so easy.”
“I’ll help.” Robert patted Meridian’s hand. “I’ll talk with her.”
“No.” Julian said, sitting up.
Robert gasped as he saw the life return to Julian’s body. He was surprised to hear the voice of Julian and, though he was thrilled to hear his friend, wondered where Mr. Punch was.
“Please,” Julian smiled. “Let me speak with her.”
Did you miss Chapters 1-188? If so, you can read them here.
4 comments:
Just superb.
Thank you, Dashwood!
What a challenginng ordeal for Mr. Punch and Julian.They have overcome alot to get to this point ,but, seem to now have the inner strength to deal with their trauma.
They are growing stronger. Their challenging time in New Orleans has toughened them up, but they still need one another. Thanks for reading! Have a good evening!
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