Ellen Hendriks had received a surprising phone call from her former friend and college roommate. Marieke van Velzen had told her briefly what she was calling for and asked if she would mind if she also went to Lisa and Sjaak tonight, so that they, together, could start and discuss what was necessary and what was possible.

Ellen had been all happy and excited, "Of course you should come, together we know more and I think it's great to see you again!"

.

That evening they already met in the parking lot near the house. It was really a very cordial reunion. Chatting, they walked to the front door, which Lisa opened before they could ring the bell. She had already seen and heard them, and was delighted that both ladies seemed so cheerful and would work with her.

The introduction to Lisa and Sjaak went smoothly, so smoothly in fact, that they felt like they had known each other for years.

With a mug of coffee they sat down around the computer to show the screenshots. Lisa did not notice what it did to Ellen and Marieke, because she had her own attention to the screenshots. Sjaak had more room to gauge the atmosphere. He saw from both women that they were deeply touched by what they saw: from their posture, the expression on their faces, the tears in their eyes, a hand that they occasionally slapped in front of their mouths.

"It's only five perpetrators, but they came by regularly," Lisa said.

"And every time they came, they made your life harder, further broken," Marieke added. "Guys like that work from a black darkness, and they bring that with them wherever they go. They used you to get their way, physically, sexually, but also in terms of their power and their wealth. And each time this happened from darkness, and each time you had to pay a price. And I don't just mean at the moment that you had to be their prostitute, but also by everything around it. The whole atmosphere in the house became darker and this wounded you further each time. I am so happy for you that you were able to escape in time. You would have slipped further and further into your wounds and finally broken down so much, that there would have been a good chance that you would have been killed by your ex, because you would not have been useful anymore. Fortunately, it didn't come to that! Uhm... yes, I'm asking anyway... did you know each other at that time?"

Sjaak and Lisa both shook their heads, and Sjaak told how it had gone: "Lisa came to stay here with her ex, at the guesthouse. We as the staff of the guesthouse, we immediately sensed that Lisa was out of place with Henk. At that moment we did not realize how true that was, how serious the situation was. On the day they would go home again, Henk tried to grab Margreet, who also works and lives here. He didn't succeed, but it was the moment for Lisa when she realized she had to get out."

"Yes, now or never, that's how it felt. I got my stuff out of the house with the help of a few guests and Margreet's partner, Henk went home after that. I then approached Ellen about the divorce. Unfortunately, it turned out that Henk was not done with me yet. He came here to take me away. He was as drunk as a skunk. Fortunately Sjaak and one of the guests were able to get rid of him. And a few days later we heard that he had committed suicide. That was a relief for me, I didn't have to be afraid of him anymore. Later Sjaak and I went to that house, and I took everything that had to do with the abuse.

Only those papers of the rituals I have not found. I didn't look for those either, because I had no idea they were there."

Marieke had been listening intently. "What about the two of you, Sjaak and you? Do I understand correctly that you are now a couple?"

Lisa smiled, "Yes, you do. I realize it all happened incredibly fast. I had first moved into the attic of the guest house for an emergency. Because of that we still saw each other every now and then. I had never thought of Sjaak as a possible partner, I guess simply because I was already married. But a few days after Henk left, there was suddenly such a deep click, such a connection between our souls. Like by super strong magnets we were riveted to each other. For me, it's still one big miracle!"

"For me too," complemented Sjaak, "but I never doubted for a moment that we really belong together, never regretted that Lisa moved in with me within a week already. She just belongs here, this is her home. And my deepest desire is to love her, to help her in her healing, to protect her where I can. More simply put, I want to do everything I can to help her blossom, to help her become who she is."

Marieke thought aloud for a moment, "This reminds me of a movie, about children with special gifts. There is a girl there who is trapped in pain and sorrow, and who also has a special gift in which she has a lot of strength. At the end, she gets free from the pain and..."

"... and she becomes a firebird! Jean! You mean Jean, is that right?" Lisa beamed, and continued when she saw Marieke nod in surprise, "I don't feel quite like that yet, I think I still have to go through a lot of pain and grief, but I already feel the core of it. That is why I can handle this. That is why I was able to see everything I needed on Henk's recordings, to make screenshots, and to have an overview and a sort of diary. And therefore I could see everything in proportion. It was no longer just my problem. It is the problem of so many women and children, who are abused and even murdered in all kinds of rituals, to make the powerful of this globe even more powerful. When the trial is over, I want to build a house for four women here at the back of the estate. A safe place where they will have a living room to get together, but also a private house attached to it. So the possibility to withdraw, and the possibility to be together. It's because of that fiery in me that I dare to do it. I would never have been able to do this a few months ago, but now I am. I'm going for it, and I hope so, that you both can help me. The fact that you got involved in this doesn't feel like a coincidence. It's like lines were drawn from one to the other... and it feels good! But don't feel obligated though!"

Lisa drank the last bit of her lukewarm coffee. Sjaak saw it and offered to make another coffee for everyone.

"Good idea," Lisa said, "then I will cut the cake. In the meantime, you guys think about whether you want to do something with it..."

"With that cake? Oh yeah, I want some with that," Ellen laughed. "No, just kidding Lisa, I understand you, it's important for you to know if we're going to get into this project." She nodded at her kindly, before Lisa turned, grinning, to go to the kitchen.

To chapter 174. Nailing it

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