Next Time

Lilly grinned down at the package--it must be her new motherboard. She slit the tape and ripped the box open to find silk instead of packing popcorn. Puzzled she dug her hand through the yards of fabric, pinks and blues and gobs and gobs of purples.
‘Whoever packaged this must have a thing for fabric--and money to spare.’ she thought.
finally her fingers touched something cool and hard, she pulled it gently through the layers of silk eager to lay eyes on the new SR2 motherboard. As her fingers reached the surface, her heart sank. Instead of her motherboard she found a clear glass ball. Desperately she dug though the gobs of fabric, yanking them out and throwing them across the room. In frustration she slammed the box shut to check the address on it.
There was no return address, only a postmark from Salem Oregon.
She scowled, and shoved the silk back into the box, topping it with the ball and setting it outside her bedroom door for her mother.
‘Must be one of her stupid trinkets for the garden.’ Lilly thought. ‘some birthday present that was...’ She skulked into her chair and pulled out her homework.
“Lillith.” she heard as a whisper behind the door.
“Yeah, mom? I’m in here.” she called back.
“Lillith.” the whisper came again.
“In here!” she hollered over he shoulder.
“Lilith.” the whisper was so quiet and desperate that Lilly got up and walked to the door, she checked the hall and the living room and saw her moms car was still gone.
Her brows knit together, ‘I could have sworn I heard her calling me.’ She shook her head. ‘Oh well.’ she thought and headed back to her homework.
As she passed the box she heard it again “Lilith.”
She froze and glared down the hall out the window to where her mothers car was not parked.
“Hello?” she called, “is someone there?”
She reached behind the bedroom door and wrapped her hand around the bat she kept there. There was no answer, no whisper. Her heart pounded in her chest. She crept to the closet and checked under the bed--nothing. The bathroom and her mothers room were empty too. After checking every room in the house, she tossed her bat behind the bedroom door and threw herself on the bed.
“Lilith.” the whisper came again. Lilly’s breath froze in her throat. She pressed her lips together and sat up slowly, staring at the box.
“Lilith.”
She crept closer and stared down at the sphere. What had been a clear ball, now bubbled and swirled with color.
“Lilith.” the voice seemed to hypnotize her, “Let me out, Lilith.”
Lilly bent and lifted the sphere, it was so cold it seemed to burn. She stared at it, unable to breath.
“Lilly?” her mothers voice broke the spell.
“Let me out, Lilith.” the ball hissed.
Lilly raised the ball and threw it at the wall.
“Lilly, no!” her mother shouted as it crashed open and smoke filled the room. The smoke burned her eyes and nose, her mothers hand gripped hers and yanked her down the hall.
“What was that?” Lilly gasped between coughs. Mother’s lips hardened to a thin line, eyes wide and frightened.
Out of the hall came a hooded figure draped in silk.
“Lilith.” the voice was smug, filled with acid laughter. “Come to me, Lilith.”
Mother’s eyes motioned to the front door, as her finger touched her lips. Lilly nodded, shaking as she crept to the door.
“There you are, Lilith.” chimed the hooded figure.
“Run!” Mother shouted as she slashed through the back of the figure. Glittering dust filled the room. Lilly stood frozen as the cloud approached her.
“Go now!” her mother shouted, tears steaming down her face. “You can’t have her!” she shrieked at the shining cloud. Terrified, Lilly wrenched open the door and dove into the sunlight.
There was a deafening wail, and the cloud sizzled and frothed in the light, retreating toward the hall.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Mother gasped, she pulled herself off the floor and pushed at the cloud. Her skin bubbled and bled, but she kept pushing toward the door. The clouds wails combined with her mother’s screams.
“No!” Lilly shouted starting back toward the house. The cloud seemed to reach for her, out into the sun where it caught fire and disappeared in a shower of sparks.
“Mom?” Lilly called, rushing to where her mother had just collapsed. “Mom!” she shouted clutching her.
Her mother smiled weakly, “Next time, run.”