Madame Marvellous E-Book

Katleen Nielsen

• Herausgeber: BoD - Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 88

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Louise, a young woman in her twenties, is struggling hard with a multiple broken heart. After having lost her brother in a train crash, her parents by berievement and her ex-husband in a car accident, her heart seems unwilling to mend. She will have to find a solution to weather the storm, however, not only for her own sake, but also for the two delightful boys she has from her first marriage. So, after careful consideration, she decides to contact Madame Marvellous, a clairvoyant who can get in touch with the dearly departed. But sometimes it seems the dead are more of a handful than the living, and Louise is in for a roller-coaster ride to make everything come together. A funny book, full of ideas and unexpected events. Good reading for young and old.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 1

She stirred in her pots and waited for her tears to dry. Her heart was broken. And there was no cure for that. No yoga class, no visit to the gym and no plant extract was potent enough to bring new life to a heart that had been damaged many times over.

First, it had been her brother. A terrible train accident had stopped his life all too soon. Shortly after, her mother went, out of grief. Her father, loyal as ever, and tired of TV-dinners, had decided to join her in the grave a few months later.

And then, the fatal blow. Her ex-husband, father of her two children and love of her life, had suddenly exchanged the world of the living for the realm of the dead, for no apparent reason at all, leaving an empty wallet, a distressed girlfriend and a bereaved dog behind. The kids didn't know yet, they profoundly believed their father had left them for summer camp. Because how do you explain to a five- and nine-year-old that Daddy will never return? She was at a loss. So, her heart had simply stopped working. It had sat down and cried and had refused to go and do things for as long as life was dreary and dull. Chocolate and cake filled the void for now, but they were only temporary solutions in a world of sorrow. She would have to come up with something soon or her heart would pull the covers over its head and sleep forevermore. And she couldn't let that happen. Because who would take care of the boys once she was gone? Her sisters both had families of their own, and would probably say no to more upheaval of their daily routine. Her ex-husband's parents were divorced and neither of them had a degree in raising children properly. They would probably leave them home alone with some candles and a box of matches. She stopped stirring and took the pots off the fire, where they would have to stay for a while. She wasn't hungry, hadn't been for a long time now, and settled for a drink instead. She needed to think.

So, who? The friendly neighbour? The grocery shop expedient who'd always give them a lollipop? Or, worse, foster care? Abandon them to a stern family who would readily mistake her boys' boisteresness for juvinile delinquency and would ship them off to a correctional facility within the first two weeks? No, thanks. No, she would have to come up with something else.

So, she took another swirl of her rosé wine and reached the only decision worth taking : she just wouldn't give up. At least, not until the boys had reached adulthood, gotten a degree, and had settled down with a family of their own. And if her heart had a problem with that, she would just have to find a way to mend it. But how? What would make her ticker the happy, vivacious organ that it had been before? She was at a loss. Of course, the boys filled her with happiness every day, but they were rather a handful and picking up up toys, dirty laundry and candy bar wrappers were never going to fill her with the extatic pleasure her heart was so much in need of. So, what would do the trick? Swimming with dolphins? Talking to a shrink? Meditating in a buddhist retreat?

She sighed. It had been a long time ago since she'd done something for herself and she had a hard time figuring out what she'd really like to do. Learning a language? She loved italian. Maybe she could take a crash course and have a romantic interest in Rome for a week. Yes, that could possibly do the trick. But then what? After the initial holiday infatuation, she would probably come home with a broken heart once more. No, that wouldn't do. She'd have to come up with something altogether different.

Drearily, she reached out for her favourite gossip magazine and leafed through the pages.

Lots of scandals this week, nothing to complain about. She lazily read through some articles about the rich and famous. One had been arrested for drunk driving, another had knocked out a very annoying paperazzi. Nothing new, really.

She turned the page and fell right into the next article. Hello. This was interesting. A certain Madame Marvellous had spectacularly saved a puppy from drowning. How? By tapping into some kind of « etherical life force » and lying out her tarot cards. And bingo! They´d found the pup within half an hour, splashing around in the neighbours' swimming pool. Happy but dead-tired, he'd been pulled out by his extatic owners, after which he just went about and did the things dogs do. This included a run after his favourite ball, which, guess what, ended up in the pool. So after saving him a second time, the exhausted family decided to return home before any more harm could befall them. So they said their goodbyes to Madame, thanking her profusely for the excellent use of her Inner Eye. Madame Marvellous was later on given an award by the local community and had been allowed to advertise freely in a huge yellow box right beneath the article. It read :

« Tired of looking for your keys, car or demented grandparent?

Curious after what the future may bring?

Dying for a chat with your dearly departed?

Contact Madame Marvellous, she can make things happen. »

The number listed beneath the ad was not a payphone, and the fee for Madame's « Dead but not Done » sessions was rather high, but acceptable. This set Louise off thinking. What if this was exactly what she needed? She had felt her heart hop with a rickety bump and she just knew that she couldn't let this opportunity pass. So, that was it. She would try to get in touch with her deceased family members. Heaven knew she was in dire need for a talk with her brother, that she could really use some backing up from her parents, and that she was quietly hoping her ex-husband's out-of-thegrave support could help her with raising the boys. So, looking forward to endless stretches of supernatural communication, she picked up the phone and dialled.

« Hi dear, », an upbeat voice chimed, « I knew you were going to call me today. ».

Louise's breath stopped short.

« No, just kidding. It's a spiritist joke, we do this all the time. », the voice laughed. « So, what can I do for you? » Louise inhaled.

« Well, I read this article in « World Weekly », you see, and... »

« Oh, yes, the puppy miracle. », Madame interrupted, smiling through the phone.

« Yes, exactly, the puppy miracle. », Louise repeated, glad to have found some common grounds.

« So, I'm guessing your cat is missing? », Madame offered helpfully.

« Well, a little more than that. » Louise muttered. « Three quarters of my family are missing. Well, not missing, exactly, but dead, really, and I am desperate for a good talk with them. »

« A good talk? », Madame said, disapprovingly. « You must be joking.

I'll tell you how it works, dear : most ghosts are the quiet type. Chatting along isn't really their thing. But with the help of my Ouija-board we can at least find the ones who are reasonably good at spelling. Of course, sometimes one of them manages to break through and take me over in a trance. But the messages they give can be very confusing.

Sometimes it's a formal warning. Sometimes it's a prediction for the future. And sometimes, they just prefer to pull your leg in order to find out exactly how gullible you are. Anything goes. So, if you're looking for mere chitchat, you'd better head off to the local haidresser's. », Madame said, rather sternly.

But Louise was undeterred. « Well, you don't know my family.

», she said. « We're part Jewish, and talking is all we ever do. You'll have more trouble shutting them up than getting them started, you know what I mean? », she was trying to be funny.

« I see. », Madame said, icily. « Well, if you say so. But tell me, dear, if you're planning on taking the « free roaming » subscription, are you aware of the hourly fee I'm charging? I'm sure it's mentioned in the article. »

« Yes, of course, I'll have no trouble paying you, even if this drags on for years. », Louise calmed her down. « So, when do we start? »

Madame thought for a bit. « What about next Wednesday at two? »

« Next Wednesday it is. », Louise confirmed, and she put down the phone with a smile.

And for the first time that day, her heart smiled, too.

Chapter 2 :

The boys were in school, the house had been cleaned and the plants watered. She was all set to go. With her handbag firmly grasped in her hand, she left the house and got into the car. Madame Mirabeau's villa wasn't very far away, and Louise was looking forward to her very first spiritist session.

« Hello, dear », Madame opened the door. « Welcome to my humble dwelling. »

« Yes, hello,», Louise smiled warmly.

« Nice to finally meet you. » « And you. », Madame said. « Did you bring the tinfoil? » « Tinfoil? », Louise asked, perplexed.

« Oh, sorry dear. I forgot to ask. », Madame said. « I always use tinfoil for the sessions. » « Because it warns off evil spirits? » Louise asked, tentatively.

« No, dear. It's to keep the cookies warm. I like to bake before every session. The smell of freshly baked pastries seems to attract even the most resilient ghost. It works every time. But, don't worry, I'll use a tea-towel instead. We'll manage. », she smiled.