The Marigold Scripture

Mara and Antonio had spent hours poring over old notes and going through pictures of other old pages from books that no longer existed. Mara’s eyes stung from having stared at the laptop screen so much and even Antonio had been rubbing his eyes, trying to clear his vision.

“We need a break, bella. How about we go for a walk and to that lovely cafe I found you in? I’m dying to try some of your Mrs Devlin’s cakes.”

Mara turned and gave Antonio a baleful stare. “Mrs Devlin’s cakes are special, I’m not sure YOU could handle them.”

“I could handle you, couldn’t I?” He chuckled. “If I could manage that, I’m sure I could manage a slice of cake.”

Mara’s cheeks heated as she slid off the bar stool, her left butt cheek numb from having sat on it for too long. She groaned a little as she reached for a piece of melon, popping it in her mouth and enjoying the freshness of the fruit. She turned to look at the Scripture, still lying on the countertop, unassuming, something that people would never suspect was the key to a vast treasure. The book had a soft greenish glow to it, either that or she was losing it.

“Antonio, do you see what I’m seeing?”

Antonio yawned and stretched before standing up himself. “A plate of fruit? Oh wait…”

He noticed where Mara’s gaze was drawn and eyed the book himself. He could see it too. He reached out and pulled the book towards him, opening it to the offending page that seemed to cast the glow. Upon opening it, a bright green light shot a beam towards the ceiling and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, startling both Mara and Antonio.

“What the hell was that, Tonio?” Mara was ready to smack the book if it randomly shot out light again.

“I have no idea, bella. Your guess is as good as mine. This book is very old and shouldn’t have the technology of light within it. It looked almost like a laser pointer.”

“Okay, we need to rethink our strategy. This book could be dangerous. We need to put it somewhere secure firstly. And we also need to figure out who sent it to you and why they thought we needed it. I’m not buying the whole Good Samaritan act. Whoever it was must be up to something. And it probably involves watching us.”

“Well, bella, we could always give them a show if that’s what they want to do.” Mara groaned at Antonio’s mindset. She forgot she used to find it cheesy and attractive. Now it was just annoying.

“How about we focus, huh? I'll put this in my safe in the office, then we’ll go for a walk and get a slice of cake and coffee. Happy?”

“Relatively, bella. I’m just missing one more thing.” He looked in her eyes until she couldn’t maintain eye contact.

“You’re missing your bloody mind, is what you’re missing.” She muttered as she picked up the book and walked towards the office.

Once the book was in her safe, out of harm’s way and protected, she found a leather jacket to put over her tee and slipped her feet into a pair of well-worn trainers, ready for the walk to see Mrs Devlin. Cafe Chocolat was her favourite place and there was nowhere else she would rather be at this moment, although she feared Mrs Devlin would have a few words about her choice of companion for the day.

The walk involved going through some woodlands along a pathway through the trees, sunlight peeking through branches and reaching down to touch the ground, the shafts of light looking mesmerising. Reminded of her green light that shot out of the book. She turned to Antonio.

“What do you think that green light was about? The book wasn’t doing that last night.”

Antonio’s hand reached up to rub the back of his neck while he thought hard. “I’m not sure, bella, but I feel it could be to show us the way, in a kind of manner. I’ll need to research the book some more. I must have spent the better part of a couple of weeks going over the book but that never happened before.”

“A couple of weeks? You’ve had the book for that long? What made you decide to even bring the book to me? You could have completed the quest on your own.”

Antonio gave her a long look. “Never, bella. This was our thing. You know this. I can’t do this without you.”

Mara looked away, towards the path and just continued walking, deep in thought. He really didn’t have to show her. She knew he could have done this on his own, he was more than capable. But the fact he thought of her when he had the book, before making any rash decision to go it alone and came to her first, actually meant a lot to her. She would never tell him though. They both walked together in silence, enjoying the peacefulness of the woods around them, birds chirping, the sun heating their faces and a gentle breeze flowing through the trees. This place was perfect for Mara. And she knew she would be leaving soon to go on an adventure. She knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of wanting to continue the hunt.