Finally, we stopped walking. Reginald shook his head.
“She’s not here,” he said, giving the colourless vista a final glance. “I must have been mistaken.”
I barely heard him despite the fact he was right in front of me. Had I not been able to see his lips moving, I could have missed what he said altogether.
I saw his lips move again, but he had turned his face away from me and I only saw them from the side. I didn’t have the energy to ask him to repeat himself.
Duchess materialised and we both climbed upon her back.
Suddenly, as we began to move off, there was a throng of people around us.
“Take me with you. Take me!”
They were all crying the same thing, hands outstretched towards us and pleading expressions on their faces.
Reginald pushed some of the hands away as Duchess picked up her pace. Grabbing hands nearly dislodged me several times until Duchess was able to take us out of the growing crowd and have us on our way, out of Heaven.
* * * *