The Eye by Cyrus Spielberg

Description

The Eye by Cyrus Spielberg

Introduction

The clock of St Thomas Cathedral chimed midnight on All Hallows Eve breaking the silence within the temple which was situated off a secluded alleyway not far from Bombay’s port. By day the port was a hive of activity, by night it was a ghost town.

Illuminated by the full moon a jagged-edged silver blade dripped blood from its tip, the warm ruby red liquid splashing in tiny droplets at the feet of he who had brandished the knife so mercilessly.

The ritual sacrifice of the now mutilated goat’s body had been performed by Major Henry Clive at the feet of a statue of the Goddess Jinn. An all-seeing eye necklace hung from the major’s neck, swinging in full view of his fellow cult members, whose own eyes were transfixed on the ritual slaughter. Major Henry’s eyes were vacant, as though in a trance, his whole being possessed as he channelled the desires of their goddess. Fixated on his every move, the congregation watched him, utterly spellbound, embracing and sensing his every move, absorbing all that this sacred ceremonial meant to them.

Two years hence the same cursed blade would claim the life of Elizabeth Goldsmith in the most horrific of circumstances and for no other reason than desire. The followers of the Goddess Jinn made no exception when it came to sacrifice, not even for those whose hearts were pure.

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Jacob Goldsmith was a tall handsome man, of muscular build, with light brown hair. An English officer of the East India Company, Jacob had been stationed in India under the leadership of Major Henry Clive. He had travelled east with his wife Elizabeth and their five-year-old daughter Sarah to settle in Bombay earlier that year.

Jacob Goldsmith and Elizabeth Blum were both descendants of Jewish merchants who had been granted permission to come to the UK a century before, to help rebuild the economy following the devastation of the Civil War. Within a close knit and affluent Jewish community, Jacob and Elizabeth had grown up together and always attended the same events and gatherings. The Goldsmith boys, Jacob and his brother Michael, had for all intents and purposes adopted Elizabeth as their younger sister. Living so close to one another they had shared many adventures together in the City of London, as well as on excursions to the surrounding countryside.

As the years went by, and the boy became a man, Jacob realised that his feelings for Elizabeth were more than just platonic. Every day that he spent with Elizabeth, who daily seemed to grow ever more breathtakingly beautiful, Jacob fell deeper and deeper in love with her. One evening, as they said goodnight to one another, Jacob took Elizabeth’s hand in his, looked in to her eyes, and finally confessed that his feelings for her were more than friendship, that he was completely in love with her and could not imagine spending a single day without her.

Whilst growing up Jacob and Elizabeth had been taught by their respective families the importance of charity and helping those less fortunate than themselves. It was something so deeply rooted inside of them that it became a natural instinct and something which they continued throughout their marriage, both in London and when they relocated to India.

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Jacob and Elizabeth took to life in Bombay with ease, mingling with the English aristocracy who also found themselves in the employ of the East India Company and poste overseas. Everywhere Elizabeth went, her beauty commanded the attention of all who looked upon her. She was at ease with everyone she met, regardless of their status, their ego or their ignorance. Elizabeth looked only for ways she could benefit others, almost communicating with the souls of the people she encountered. There was, however, one exception to this. Major Henry Clive.

Working alongside Jacob, Major Henry was very much a part of his and Elizabeth’s lives and although Elizabeth found Henry to behave in a manner which was to be expected of him, always looking the part and fulfilling his role with gusto, there was something about him that made her wary. His smooth talking, immaculate uniform and authoritative presence was admired and accepted by all, but not by Elizabeth. If she had been asked to identify what it was that made her feel this way she could not have explained it, but she felt uneasy in his presence and that there was something sinister he was hiding. Where Elizabeth saw only light and goodness in others, she sensed a darkness in Henry which unnerved her. Whenever they did meet she had a feeling which she could only have described as a butterfly trapped in her stomach and she would always excuse herself from his presence as soon as was polite.

***

Copyright © Cyrus Spielberg. All rights reserved. Entire work registered with Copyright House .