The Peacock 294

 There is a sense of peace in the air today, as though when Doug left, or was taken away, that he must have taken with him that awful dark energy.  Funny, I never would have guessed except now that  it is gone, it feels so much different here.  Lighter.  I have noticed another trail here that will take me, I hope, much further out on the property.   And maybe beyond.  I really don't want to go back for a while to the mansion, I mean. Too much intensity.  I came here to rest.  Some rest.  All I get is drama and more drama, and my own big fat emotional meltdown to boot.  This is really quite different from what I was expecting.  Which is to say,  a lot of quiet time to walk in the garden and the forest, to think, pray, meditate and sleep, and eat really good food and to have conversations with interesting people.  Well, that has been happening in spades, all right.   Those three ladies are especially interesting.  I really wonder how three obviously intelligent and totally sane women could have possibly stuck it out here, especially under the holy dictatorship of that Douglas guy.  Librarians, all three of them.  Well, that makes sense, sort of.  I wonder what Maureen has done with her house, if she's sold it, or still owns it, maybe is renting it to a tenant, or who only knows.

I wonder what's going to become of Douglas.  He'll probable get institutionalized.  He appears to have burned all his bridges, as Dad used to say.  And then Father Griffin with his little cameo appearance.  Too bad he didn't stay, but Carl was right to tell him to leave.  His treatment of Father Francois, and that is how I want to think of him from now on, was absolutely inexcusable.  He actually became Douglas's slave, but how could that happen?  But everyone says that he had a supernatural power over them and that his word was law.  Even Carl seemed reluctant to intervene.  But Melissa?  What is that woman made of anyway?  She brought down the holy tyrant.  I have  nothing but respect for her.  And a certain fear.  She is someone on whose  bad side I do not want to wake up on.  Not that I'd want to imagine waking up on any side of Melissa.  Don't want to go there.  It´s still only ten or so, lots of time.  This trail just seems to go on and on, and on, but I think I see a clearing up ahead....