The Van Helsing Conjecture – Excerpt No. 181

She spotted a candle burning in between the two doors. One had a lock, so she knocked on the other, and took three deep breaths. Without hearing a response, Clara opened the door slowly and stepped inside. The interior featured a screen that rendered this exchange anonymous… I doubt he’ll forget what was said…

“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.” the priest said. (In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.)

Clara stopped mid-breath; her heart even skipped a beat. As judged by her autonomous responses, there was something about that voice that was intimately familiar… Where do I know that voice from?

Confessing after nearly a century would be lengthy. She assumed that being with Evelyn alone would make things… interesting…

A cinematic photograph of a woman with rich, chestnut-brown hair styled in an updo adorned with pearls, and piercing grey eyes with a subtle hint of blue, sitting pensively in a dimly lit, ornate confessional, wearing a long, high-necked, buttoned-up dress with a dropped waist and a gathered skirt, typical of 1915 Canadian coastal mining town fashion, with intricate lace details and a cameo brooch at the throat, her hands clasped together in prayer as she makes the sign of the cross with a look of contemplation and introspection, surrounded by worn, wooden panels and a subtle hint of candlelight, casting a warm, golden glow on her pale, porcelain-like skin.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.