Chapter 73 old ghost

London, October 31, 1902 It was late, and the sidewalks were dark, despite the streetlights that cast dots of light on the rows of graystone buildings.Isobe stood near the shadowy staircase in the building she had called home for nearly a year, which seemed a lifetime ago now.She was waiting for Marco to come back outside, with a light blue shawl wrapped around her shoulders, like a bright daytime sky in a dark night.After several hours, Marco finally appeared around the corner.As soon as he saw her, he gripped the briefcase even tighter. What are you doing here?He asked: You should be in the United States.

I left the circus, Isobe said: so I went.Celia said I could. She took out a faded piece of paper from her pocket, on which was written her name, the real name he had coaxed out of her years ago and asked her to write in his notebook. Of course she would say yes.Marco said. May I go upstairs?she asked, fumbling with the edge of the shawl. no.Marco glanced up at the window and said.A dim, flickering light illuminated the panes of the window.Please finish what you want to say when you come here. Isobe frowned.She looked around the street, but it was dark and deserted, except for a biting breeze, rustling the fallen leaves in the gutter.

I want to say I'm sorry, she said quietly: I haven't told you about my secret meddling.I know that what happened last year is partly my fault. You should apologize to Celia not me. I apologize, Isobe said: I knew she was in love with someone, but I always thought it was Mr Dyson.I didn't realize it was you until that night.But she loved him too, she lost him, and I was the cause. That's not your fault, Marco said: there are so many factors involved. There have always been too many factors involved, Isobe said: I didn't mean to get in that deep.I just wanted to help out.I was going to wait until I got through this whole thing and go back to my old life.

There is no way for us to go back, Marco said: Many things are different from before. I know, Isobe said: I can't hate her, I've tried, I can't even hate her.I made no secret of my doubts about her. She let me do this for several years, but she still treated me very well.And I love circuses.I feel like I finally have a home, a place where I feel like I belong.After a while, I stopped feeling the need to protect you from her and started to feel that I should protect other people from both of you, and from each other.I've been doing it ever since you came to see me in Paris, when the wishing tree got you down so badly.But after I finished reading Celia's card array, I realized that I should continue.

when was thatMarco asked. In Prague, the night you were supposed to meet me, Isobe said: You never let me divination for you, not even a card before last year.I didn't realize that before.What I'm curious about is, if I had had the opportunity to divination for you earlier, would I have let this situation drag on for so long?It took me a long time to figure out what her deck was talking about.I have been unable to see clearly what is right in front of my eyes.I wasted a lot of time and it was all about the two of you, even before you knew each other.I'm just a tool for entertainment.

You are not a tool for entertainment.Marco said. did you love meIsobe asked. No, Marco admits: I thought I might fall in love with you, but Isobe nodded. I thought you loved me, she said: I was pretty sure you loved me, even though you never said it.I can't tell the difference between what's true and what I want to be true.I thought this state was only temporary, even though it dragged on.But no, never was.I am the temporary one.I used to think that if she was gone, you would come back to me. If she left, I would be nothing. Marco said: You should value yourself more and don't wrong yourself.

They stood silent in the empty street, the freezing night air falling between them. Good night, Miss Martin.Marco said as he climbed up the stairs. The hardest thing to read is time.Isobe said.Marco stopped and turned back to face her.Maybe it's because time changes so many things.I've done divination for countless people on countless topics, and the hardest thing to understand about a deck is timing.Although I have known this for a long time, I am still always surprised.I was willing to wait so long for something that was only possible.I always thought it was just a matter of time at best, but I was wrong.

I didn't expect the whole thing to take so long as Marco said, but Isobe interrupted him. It was all about timing, she said: My train was delayed that day.It was the day I saw you drop your notebook.If the train had been on time, we would never have known each other.Maybe we shouldn't have known each other in the first place.That's a possibility, one of thousands of possibilities, not inevitable, some things just are. Isobe, I'm sorry, Marco said: I'm sorry I got you involved in all of this.Sorry I didn't tell you how I felt about Celia sooner.I don't know what else I have here that you want that I can give you.

Isobe nodded and pulled the shawl around his shoulders tighter. A week ago, I did a fortune-telling for someone, and she said: He is very young, younger than when I knew you.He is quite tall, but he is not used to his height yet.The person is very sincere and caring, and even asked my name.Everything is in his card formation, everything is like divination for the whole circus. I only encountered that situation once, when I was divination for Celia. why are you telling me thisMarco asked. Because I thought he might have saved you.I don't know how I should feel about that; I still can't figure it out.That message was in his deck, along with everything else, so clear.I thought the whole thing would have ended differently, I was wrong, I seem to get things wrong a lot, maybe I should change careers.

Marco stopped, his face turned pale under the streetlight. what are you talking abouthe asks. I mean, you had a chance, Isobe said: a chance to be with her, a chance to go straight to the bridge.Despite our personal vendetta, I almost want you to have that opportunity, and really, I still want you to be happy.It was originally possible.She gave him a small sad smile, slipping her hands into her pockets. But the timing just wasn't right. She took her hand out of her pocket and spread her fingers.In the palm of her hand was a glistening mass of black crystals, ground to a fine powder like ash.

what is that?Marco asked as she raised her palm to her lips. Isobe responded with a gentle blow, and the ashes turned into a stinging black cloud that flew towards Marco.As the dust cleared, Marco's briefcase was left on the sidewalk at her feet.When Isobe left, he took the briefcase with him.