No ratings.
Adralyn makes a terrible mistake... |
[Introduction]
Outside her window all was dark and silent and waiting...
|
It was so late and Adralyn had been reading for so long that she found herself dozing off from time to time even though she liked the book she was reading very much. It was "The Red Vampire Chronicles" by Serphintin, bound in red leather. Adralyn's head popped up from one of her brief naps. What was that noise? Or was she dreaming? She set down the book she was reading and walked to the door. There was a crash behind her and she whirled around to see that the book had slid to the floor with its green cover spread wide. She held her hand over her heart and took a deep breath. "Why am I so jumpy?" Then she heard the noise again. It was just outside her door, a scratching on the wood, like mice, or maybe something bigger than a mouse. She put her hand on the knob but she didn't really want to open the door. And yet, she felt she had to open the door or things would only get worse. Even as she thought that thought the scratching grew louder and more determined and she whispered, "That's no mouse!" and backed away from the door which began to tremble as something large bumped against it over and over. Adralyn screamed. |
It crashed against the door again, splintering and causing cracks to spread over the door like a spider web. From these, blood started to ooze, as if the door had a life of it's own. the hinges whined in protest with each blow. The strikes started to speed up, like there were more of them out there. Adralyn tried to move away, to scream, to do anything, but she found that her body refused to cooperate. She was glued to that spot, frozen in her fear. The blood spread slowly across the floor, each blow causing another stream to spout from the door. It spread to her feet, surrounding them and continuing across the floor. She was sweating profusely, even though it was chilly in the room. Her skin was covered in goosebumps and every hair on her body stood straight up. Ardalyn had never before been so completly and utterly terrorized in her whole life. There was a dull throb in her right hand, and she looked down at it. She was clenching her fist so tightly that her nails had dug into her palm. Shaking it out, she looked back at the door. It had stopped, and all was quiet. How did she not notice that it stopped? She held her breath and tried to listen. It was absolutly quiet. Maybe whatever it was had gone. Slowly, Ardalyn move closer to the door, bracing for a renewed attack. When that didn't come, she got up on her tip-toes and tried to peer through the peek-hole. There wasn't anything out there, nothing at all. She thought she had left the porch light on. Suddenly, she was starring into a dead eye from the other side of the door. It glared at her without blinking, as if it were angry with her, as if her very existance repulsed it. Again, Ardalyn was frozen, until it made a high-pitch screeching sound, and the eye disappeared. There was another smack on the door, and it splintered. Before she could turn to scramble away, there was another crash, and something slammed into her gut, making her double over in pain. She looked up, staring through a fist-side hole in the door, and into the darkness. A second later, the hand shot through the hole again, and grabbed her shirt. She screamed as it pulled and she lurched forward, slamming into the door. The impact stifled her scream, and she grabbed her nose. Blood flowed freely, dripping to the ground and mixing with the blood already there. It pulled again, and again, and again. After almost half a dozen times, her shirt finaly gave and ripped, and she fell to her knees. The room was starting to spin, and her head throbbed. Her breath came short and shallow, and it hurt when she breathed. Her nose was definatly broken, blood still running down her face. she fell over, and lay in the blood pool. Her vision bleared, as she realized she had started to cry. All was quiet again. It was starting to fade to dark, and all of a sudden, it was pitch black. She heard a small smash, and figured the lamp bulb broke. The last thing she remembered was hearing a squeaking sound. Funny, she never did get the chance to oil that hinge. |
The beams of morning sunlight streaking through the window struck Adralyn in the face. She made a disgusted face and rubbed her eyes. The red book lay on the floor beside her. Her back hurt from sleeping all night in the chair. Feeling like she still needed more sleep, Adralyn dragged herself out of the chair and made her way down the hall to the kitchen. When her hot tea was ready she went back to her reading room, as she called it, and sat down to sip her tea. The reading room had a big bay window with a view of her yard. She had planted flowers close to the window and made sure everything beyond out to her fence was pleasant to look at. The fence was a tall one. She could be living in the middle of a jungle or the middle of a desert and not know which. But the sounds coming over the fence suggested a small city somewhere -- light traffic, an occasional dog barking, the voices of children -- and the barely perceptible buzz that she always heard. It remind her of the summer insects she heard when she was a child. When her tea was finished, Adralyn debated driving somewhere for breakfast. Her car was a small one that got good gas mileage but it was still ridiculously expensive to go anywhere. Her income was small but guaranteed. Before her husband died, arrangements had been made for her. Adralyn was very young to have a dead husband. But he had been old and had died unexpectedly not long after their marriage. He had never been married before. Adralyn was proud of herself for finding him. It wasn't easy. It took a lot of chatting on the internet before she located an old man who seemed vulnerable to romance and also had a little money. Too bad in his case it was so little. But there was no reason why she couldn't try again. |
There was a quiet knock at the front door, and Adralyn was hesitant to answer it. But as soon as the doorbell began ringing incessantly to accompany the knocks, she knew right away who it was. Taking another sip from her tea, she went over and unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the door to face the little monstrosity that was beaming up at her. "Hi there, Missus K! I finished weeding your flower garden. And I picked up allll the sticks in your yard." The boy stretched his arms out to indicate the yard before dropping them to his sides. Johnny was a nice boy who lived up the block. His parents had come down to welcom Adralyn to the neighborhood, as well as give their condolences to the then still-grieving widow. That was when he told her he'd help her out with anything she needed, much to the disdain of his parents. Adralyn put on a smile and patted him on the head. "Thank you Johnny." Then, as an after thought, she stuffed her hand into her pocket and produced a few crumpled singles and some change, which he accepted with a gleeful squeal. "Thank you, Missus K!" he then turned and ran out of the yard, clutching his prize. Adralyn smiled and waved until he turned his back, then she sighed and rolled her eyes, slamming the door on her way back in. It wasn't so much that she couldn't do these things by herself, as much as why when there's so much child-labor to exploit. |
She decided not to drive anywhere for breakfast. Oatmeal would do. After a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal her belly was full and warm. She settled into her chair and picked up The Red Vampire Chronicles to resume her reading. She had lost her place when the book fell. She thumbed through the pages. Oh yes, here it was. She had been reading where Count Smires had imprisoned Belinda in the guest room because she had discovered his coffin in the basement. "So THAT's why I never see you at lunchtime!" she had yelled at him and the Count had hissed at her and called her a "snooping little bitch." The morning dragged slowly on, warm and sleepy, and Adralyn's eyes closed and her head drooped forward. The green book fell to the floor with a bang and her head jerked up. Johnny was standing there looking at her. "Johnny!" she said. "What are you doing back here?" "It's time," Johnny said, and held out his hand. "Time for what?" "The Count is ready for you. Come with me." She took Johnny's hand and they descended down a stone stairway into a long corridor lined with damp stone walls. At the end was a heavy wooden door. Johnny had a big iron key tied to his belt with a string. He used it to open the door which creaked slowly open. It was a circular room with a fireplace in which a fire was crackling. Count Smires stood looking into the fire with his back towards her. "Thank you, Johnny," he said, without turning around. "You may go now." "Yes, master," Johnny said and backed out of the room and shut the heavy wooden door. Adralyn heard the lock click. Count Smires turned to face her and her hand went to her mouth to stifle a scream. His face was horribly disfigured. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Does my beauty displease you? Hahahaha!" His laugh was unnatural and harsh. Adralyn began to tremble. "Why did you bring me here?" "I didn't bring you here. Johnny brought you here. Why did Johnny bring you here?" "I don't know!" she wailed. "Now don't cry," Count Smires said. "I haven't hurt you, have I? Why should you cry? Can't you at least wait until you feel some real pain? Hahahahahaha!" But tears rolled out of Adralyn's eyes. "Please don't hurt me," she whispered. |
"Oh, but it won't hurt that much. Infact, it may feel rather... Nice," he said as he took a step closer. In response, Adralyn took a step away, desperately scanning the room for anything she could use as a weapon. When nothing apeared to her, she looked back at Count Smires, who had taken another step closer. Again she took a step along the wall, pressing herself against it, hoping it would just swollow her and take her away from here. So the dance continued, everytime the Count took another step, Adralyn eased herself along the wall a few more steps. "Come here my dear, i have no desire to draw this out any longer. I promise i'll make it quick," with that, the count took another step and lunged at Adralyn. she screamed and put her arms up to cover her face. The counts hands slammed into the stone walls, his finger dug into it. he growled and looked down at adralyn. She was looking up at him, as astonished as he was. Her knees had given out and she fell, making her inadvertantly avoid his attack. Taking this oportunity, she got up on her hands and knees and started to scramble away. The Count ripped his hands out of the wall, bringing a shower of stone peices and dust. He quickly caught up to Adralyn and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground. She screamed and struggled against his hold, but it was no use. His grip was like iron vices, and it didn't apear he was going to just let her go. Another scream suddenly echoed across the room, forcing both of them to look. In the doorway stood another woman, dressed in a long flowing dress, trimmed in a gold thread. But that wasn't what caught her attention. She looked exactly like Adralyn. Her auburn hair was cut to exactly the right length, her grey eyes had the same distinct hint of greenish hue. Her frame was the same petite shape that Adralyn worked very hard to keep. the semblance between them made Adralyn speachless. But when the imposter spoke, it shattered the illusion. She spoke with an accent, one that Adralyn couldn't quite place. "I-I came down to tell you lunch was ready- I had no idea that-" her words ran together in her fluster, but then she abruptly changed her tone. "So this is what you do everyday that keeps you from lunch!" She was steaming. The edge on her words made even Ardalyn cringe. all of a sudden, the count dropped her, and she hit the stone floor with a solid thud. he turned and took a few steps towards the door. "Belinda i can expla-" he started, but she wouldn't let him finish. She turned and ran back down the corrider as fast as her dress would allow her, quickly vanishing in the dark. the count growled, glancing first down at Adralyn, and then back at the corridor. "Snooping little bitch!" he then took off after her, shouting "Belinda, wait!" the heavy door slammed behind him, leaving Adralyn alone. |
Adralyn felt weak and dizzy from her exertions. She fell to her knees in front of the crackling fireplace. As she gazed into the flames she felt herself fading away into unconsciousness... Adralyn woke up with a start. Her book lay on the floor and she shook her head. "It's not a dull book but if I read for too long I fall asleep." The clock in the hall of her house chimed 12 o'clock and she realized it was already lunchtime. In the kitchen she heated up a bowl of tomato soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich. The sun was shining and it looked pretty out in the garden. When she finished her meal she carried her book outside and sat in a big comfortable lawn chair in the shade so the hot sun wouldn't bother her. She opened the red leather covers of The Red Vampire Chronicles and resumed reading about Count Smires and Belinda. The writing was so good it was as if she knew the count and Belinda personally. She felt like she had met them somewhere before. She put her hand to her chin. It did seem like she knew them. She thought about that for awhile but her own thoughts never pleased her as much as reading someone else's story... Johnny peeked over the fence at Adralyn. She was sitting in her lawn chair with her head thrown back. He could hear her snoring. Count Smires pleaded with Belinda for understanding. She had her back to him and there were tears in her eyes. "I tell you," he said, "it was none of my doing. Johnny brought her there. I don't know why. I was just about to ask her when you burst into the room, my darling. It's not what it might look like." Belinda whirled around and now her eyes were angry. "Then fetch Johnny and we will ask him." The Count's face paled but he nodded his head. "Very well." He stuck his head out the door and yelled, "Johnny!" They heard Johnny's footsteps come running down the hall. "Johnny, tell my lady that you brought the woman to my room." Johnny looked from the Count to Belinda and back, not sure of how much he was supposed to tell, so he chose the least possible. "Yes, I brought her." "You see?" Count Smires said. Belinda looked hard at Johnny. "But why did you bring her? It wasn't your idea. Who told you to bring her?" Johnny began trembling. No matter how he answered he was sure he would receive a whipping. "I... I don't know! I don't know!" "Johnny!" Belinda said. "Don't lie to me! I want the truth!" Johnny fell to the floor and curled up in a ball, crying like an infant. "Leave the boy alone," Count Smires said. "He is an innocent, a simpleton. You can see that." Belinda ground her teeth in disgust. The count was very slippery and always found a way out of everything." |
Adralyn awoke laying on something soft. Her belly and chest were warm, as when she awoke she was laying infront of the fireplace. Confused, she sat up and quickly scanned the room waiting until her eyes adjusted to the dimness. It was circular, the walls were made of damp stone. Except for the small rug she was laying on, the floor was bare. Something about this seemed familiar. When the door suddenly slammed open, and the Count walked in with a smile on his face, Adralyn realized where she was. It was the book! She had just read this. This was the scene where the Count snuck his lover, the flower girl, out of the castle before Belinda freed herself. 'Just play along and you'll be fine' she thought to herself. After taking a moment to steel herself, Adralyn took a step forward and started to recite what she could remember. "My love, now that-" she started, but the count cut her off. "I am not this 'love' you speak of." the Count said. To prove his point, he tore his headpeice of of his head and threw it to the ground. Adralyn's heart sunk, as her hopes of escaping easily diminished. She took a good look at the count, and what she saw frightened her. His form fought with itself, first jumping one way, then the other. A black mist arranged itself around him. His color changed every few seconds, first from a purple hue, to a blue one, then green, orange, and red. His voice sounded as if there were many of him speaking at once. Once she finished examining him, he finally broke the silence. "You have such Silly dreams." he spoke as he unclasped his cloak, throwing it aside. "But i've grown weary of the charade." Now with that distraction gone, his attention was now fully on adralyn. He began to walk towards her. "I mean, look at you. You're the flower girl. You could have just as easily made yourself Belinda, or anyone else." Adralyn watched as he circled her, becoming more frightened by the minute. This wasn't the count, this wasn't anyone she recognized. He suddenly stopped infront of her, and put his hand to her throat. She grabbed at his wrist, but knew there wasn't much she could do. He forced her to look in his eyes. This close, they looked dead and glassy. They were a type of sky-blue that could only come from spending an eternity looking up at it. She started to feel faint. When he spoke, his voice suddenly became harsh. "You will not get between me and my freedom!" he gripped her throat tighter, and she let out a small whimper. His face contorted into an evil grin, as her vision faded. She fell, but didn't feel herself hit the ground. The last thing she saw was a bright flash streak across her vision and strike him. It hit him with such force it lifted him off his feet and flung him across the room, smacking into the stone wall. Adralyn forced herself to look up at the golden figure now standing over her, but it was too bleary for her to make out anything solid. He knelt down and closed her eyes gently with two fingers, whispering in a language she couldn't even recognize. She awoke with a start, sitting up in her chair. Was that a raindrop? Looking up, she saw that it was late in the afternoon, and a few clouds had moved in. But they didn't look like rain clouds. Sighing, she picked up her book and marked her place, going into the house. "The whole day is almost gone and i haven't done anything," throwing the book on the counter she went to check her phone. Zero missed calls and no messages. Looking outside, a thought occured to her. "Maybe i'll go out tonight." |
After a small supper, Adralyn bathed in a scented bubble bath. Then she examined her meager stock of clothes trying to decide what to wear. Really, there were only a few things suitable. She didn't want to wear the black dress but for some reason she was drawn to it. No, she thought, it's not that kind of evening. But what kind of evening was it? It puzzled her that she even had a desire to go out after dark alone. Normally she would never go anywhere at night unless it was with someone else. But tonight something tugged at her, pulled her into the night. What if it was something evil? She shivered. Even that thought couldn't stop her from going ahead with her plans for a night out. What would it take to stop me, she thought? Am I being controlled by another? She tried to not get ready to go out and watched her hands continue with the necessary motions. It was as if she were outside of herself watching herself get ready for a night on the town. But if I'm out here, she thought, then who is in there? And that thought snapped her back into place behind her eyes and she giggled at how silly she was being. Under control? Hahaha! So absurd! She twirled around in front of the mirror and was satisfied with her appearance. There was the beep of a horn outside. Adralyn ran out and hopped in the waiting taxi. It never crossed her mind that she had called no taxi. It was no concern of hers that they were pulling away when she had given the driver no destination. She saw nothing strange about a big black taxi driven by a tall grey-faced man who said not a word. She watched the scenery slip by, first the town she was familiar with and then the town she was not so familiar with and then... a strange countryside of stunted trees on which perched big crows that made a racket as the car passed them. It almost seemed as if the crows were yelling at her. A warning? |
They drove for what felt like hours, Adralyn looking out of the window the entire time. something about how fast the scenery whipped by mesmorized her, and she couldn't tear her eyes away. Eventualy, this started to give her a headache, and she turned slightly to examine her mysterious driver. He was tall and lean, with grey hair cut short and trim. his face looked drawn and tired, but his eyes coveyed a sharp attention. He wore a black sports jacket, trimmed in white Adralyn caught his gaze in the rearview mirror but for a moment, before he looked back towards the road. After a few more moments, he finally broke the silence. "We'll be there shortly." It was another twenty minutes before the black sedan slowed, and finally pulled off the road and into a small field. The headlights illuminated two men standing out in the middle of the field, who turned to see the source of the light. One stood taller than the other by at least a head, and his large frame easily filled his suit. He was bald, but had a thick black beard that covered his mouth and chin. Bull necked and clearly muscled even from this distance, Adralyn started to wonder where exactly she was taken. The other, however, was another story. He looked tiny campared to the other man, but the suit and the darkness made it hard to see any details. The headlights turned off and the driver got out. He came around and opened adralyn's door. she hesitated, slowly climbing out. The two men came over to greet her. "So nice to finally meet you. My name's Dantie." Before she had a chance to object, the smaller man had taken her hand and kissed the back of it, before letting it drop and smiling at her. she didn't really know what to do, except smile back and blush a little. Why was she blushing like a school girl? This was all very strange. Now that he was close, Adralyn was able to get a better look at him. He had light brown hair, trimmed short and spiked. He was a little darker than his companion, and his mannor was a little warmer. So far Adralyn had gotten nothing but a glare from the Ogre, as she had taken to calling him. Again Dantie took her hand, and started to lead her towards where they were standing. the Ogre followed shortly. The night was beautiful, and adralyn could see millions of stars. She was so amazed she almost ran into him when they finally stopped. She mumbled an apology but he smiled and waved it off. Something about his hand caught her attention and she grabbed it when it dropped, he did nothing to stop her. His fingers and palm were absolutly covered in tattoos. she turned it over, and so was the back of his hand. She pulled his sleeve up slowly, inch by inch, only to find layer upon layer of them, written in languages she couldn't even begin to recognize. At his elboe he gently pulled his hand away. His eyes suddenly took on a cold quality that suddenly scared her, and the Ogre came a little closer. "Adralyn, i think you know what this about." he spoke Harshly. she took a step back, but ran right into the Ogre. "Sariel isn't here to protect you this time." his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. Ardalyn screamed and the realization suddenly hit her that she had no idea why she was here. He twisted it behind her back and put an arm around her throat, tightening. Tears seeped out of her eyes and the quickly lost concienceness. Something landed on her face, and Ardalyn swated at it. It flew away before she hit it, and she ended up smacking herself in the face. Slowly she sat and rubbed her eyes. The air was heavy and humid. When she opened her eyes, she was in a small clearing covered in large ferns and other broadleaf plants. Looking up, she couldn't even see the tops of the trees around her. "Where am i?" |
"Are you alright, Missus K?" came Johnny's voice from behind the trees. "Johnny?" she said. He stepped out into the clearing. Instead of his usual blue jeans he was wearing some kind of white toga thing. It was short and exposed his legs. "Where are we?" she asked. "In your yard, Missus K." She looked around. "This doesn't look like my yard. And why are you dressed like that?" "This is what I always wear." "No it isn't! What's going on, Johnny? Is someone playing a joke on me?" Johnny said, "You dropped your book." He handed her a small green book. It looked slightly familiar, as if she might have seen it once a long time ago. There was no title on the cover so she opened it to the first page and read, "My Life, by Adralyn Summers." She threw the book down as if she had been handed a poisonous snake. "What is that, Johnny?" She ran her fingers through her hair then pressed them to her temples. "Something's wrong..." she moaned. "Something's wrong..." Johnny looked concerned. "Do you want a glass of water or something, Missus K?" She stared at him with wide, terrified eyes. "Oh, Johnny! I think I'm losing my mind!" She stood up, still pressing her head with her hands, and spun around yelling, "My head! My head!" and then the spinning became extreme and spun her off into blackness. Adralyn opened her eyes. She was lying on the back seat of a moving car. She sat up quickly, making her head spin, but she had to know. The grey-haired man was driving. He caught her eye in the rearview mirror and said, "You are almost home." She looked down at her dress. It was torn and muddy and bits of fern and twigs were stuck to it. Her head hurt and there was a pain in her belly too, deep inside, a dull ache. When they reached her house the driver got out and opened the car door for her. He slipped a small box in her hand. "This is from Dantie," he said. The name meant nothing to her but she took the box. It was covered with leather and looked expensive, but she didn't open it. "Thank you," she said, and stumbled into her house, intent on getting out of her dirty clothes and into a hot bath. |
After setting the box on the counter, Adralyn turned and headed for her bedroom, on her way to the big tub that awaited her in the master bath. The box was pretty and all, but right now the thought of a bath was much more apealing. The water started coming out hot, and after a few adjustments the temperature was perfect. After a few agonizing minutes the tub was full, and she began peeling off her clothes. The urge to just jump in was overwhelming, but Adralyn eventualy decided against it. The scorching heat felt good against her skin as she slipped in all the way up to her chin. Closing her eyes she let herself fall headfirst into relaxation. Why didn't she do this more often? A few moments of pure bliss passed before her peace was interupted. looking over at the raised floor next to the tub, she saw her phone ringing. "i don't remember bringing that in here," she said as she picked it up, but she shrugged it off and answered it. "Hello?" she sat up to sit more out of the water. "Hello, Adralyn? where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you all weekend," the voice of the other end sounded worried, and impatient. Adralyn sighed, it was Big Brother Cal. He wasn't really her brother, but he sure did act like it sometimes. "i talked to you the day before yesterday. Wenesday it was," she said, remember what day it was. There was a short pause before he responded. "Today's Monday," he sounded slightly less worried now that he was sure she wasn't dead. Adralyn starred off into space, not hearing what he said after that. How could it have been monday? Last night was friday. At least, she thought it was. Either way, Cal was yelling again on the other side. She raised the phone back to her ear. "I'm sorry, what?" he let out an audible sigh before responding. "i asked if i could come over." there was something off about his voice, he seemed distracted. "uhh, yea, sure. Just give me, say, ten minutes?" she sat straight up in the tub, checking the clock on her phone. It was a few minutes after seven. "Alright. i'll see you in a bit," then he hung up without saying goodbye. Adralyn sigh, dropping her phone over the edge of the tub. "So much for my bath." she slipped under the water completly, blowing bubbles out of her nose. The doorbell rang about twenty minutes after he had hung up, and Adralyn was just finishing blowdrying her hair. She had put on a pair of pajama pants and a loose fitting t-shirt. After kicking her dirty dress at the hamper, and missing, she ran to open the door. "Thanks," Cal said as he stepped through the door. He was only a couple inches taller than Adralyn, with a sort-of athletic build remenicent of a high-school cross country runner. he and adralyn had ran together in school, but now there wasn't much time for it in his schedual. He wore a plain white t-shirt that was wrinkled and looked like he had worn it for a few days, a pair of dirty carpenter jeans and his work boots. His dark brown hair was disheveled and uncombed, and he was sporting an advanced case of 5 o'clock shadow. dark bags hung under his usualy bright brown eyes. Adralyn had always thought he was kind of cute, but their long friendship coupled with her early marriage hadn't allowed for anything to take root. besides, as of this minute, he was off the market. He dropped a bag by the door and went to sit on the couch, not bothering to take his boots off. Adralyn shut the door, locking the deadbolt, and went into the kitchen. "Do you want a cup off coffee?" she poured herself a cup, but he shook his head. When she curled up in the chair nursing her mug, he began searching his pockets. After a moment he fished out a pack of cigarettes and shook one out. He light one and took a short drag. Normaly, Adralyn hated the smell of smoke, but Cal only did so when something was bugging him. A few long moments of silence passed before she spoke. "What's the mater Calvin?" she sipped from her mug, not really wanting it now. he took one last drag and dropped the second half of his smoke into a vase of dead flowers sitting on the coffee table. "You should replace those," was all he responded with, leaning back and stretching his arms out. She gave him a look, annoyed with the way he avoided things. "is it about Claudia?" she leaned forward slightly. He hesitated before nodding. "What happened?" she pressed further. He looked slightly uncomfortable. "We got into another fight." another short responce. this was going to end up turning into an interrogation, it always did with him. she craned her neck forward as a que for him to continue, but he didn't. she had to egg him on some more. "And?" "it's over." he looked at the ground as he said it, sitting up again and wringing his hands together. Adralyn was a little suprised. they had been having problems lately, but she didn't think it would end their relationship of almost three years. "You can stay in the guest bedroom as long as you want." she didn't think he'd accept the offer, but extended it anyways. he stood up slowly. "I could use a shower." then he went and grabbed his backpack, before disapearing in the dark of the hallway. adralyn sighed, and looked at her coffee. it was cold already. |
She reheated her coffee while she listened to the sound of water running in her bathroom. There is something sexy, she thought, about a man taking a shower in your bathroom. She smiled as she sipped the coffee. She almost did a spit take when Cal walked into the room with nothing but a towel wrapped around him. He grinned at her reaction. "Sorry, I din't want to put those dirty clothes back on right away." "I can wash them," Adralyn said. He nodded. "That would be great." "They will be ready before you know it." She went to the bathroom and gathered up his dirty clothes off the floor and grabbed the wet towel and washcloth he had used and stuffed everything in the washer. He was sitting on the sofa when she returned to the living room, right in the middle. She debated sitting with him or in the chair, but she waited too long to decide because he looked up and saw her and patted the sofa next to him and said, "Come on and sit down." She didn't feel comfortable about the easy way he was taking control of the situation. It was her house, dammit. But there didn't seem to be any graceful way to refuse to sit next to him. After all, they were friends, just not lovers. As soon as she sat down his arm went around her shoulders. She almost told him to remove it but it felt too good. Why did she live alone? Wouldn't it be nice to have an arm around her every evening? "I'm sorry to hear about you and Claudia," she said. As she expected, that started him talking about it. As she listened to his story and occasionally asked an encouraging question to keep him talking, she couldn't help but compare it to her own story of love gone wrong. Did it happen the same way for everyone? An initial attraction, an incandescent flare of sexual excitement, then a gradual cooling off until one day you looked at the other person and wondered what attracted you to them in the first place. And then the daily irritations, the fights, and finally, the big break up. He was waiting for her answer to some question he had asked. "What?" she said. Cal shook his head and made a wry smile. "Weren't you even listening?" |
Adralyn glanced at the ground, not really wanting to admit she wasn't listening. He gave her a sharp pinch at the base of the neck that made her jump and give him a hard glare. She contemplated ripping his towel off as payback, but he had already manuvered himself around the couch and out of reach, before disapearing down the hallway. Adralyn sipped at the last bit of her coffee as she watched thelaundry room light flip on at the end of the hall. He was just as quick on his feet as adralyn remembered. She began to think about where else he could put that agility to use. She shook her head, sitting back down on the couch and reminding herself that they were just friends. still, she couldn't help but think 'what if.' She saw something flash in the corner of her eye, and she quickly turned her head to look. nothing, however, was out of place. Then she saw something else and again she looked for something that wasn't there. she sat back down with a hand to her head, starting to feel a sharp pain come on. Everything suddenly went to a deep shade of blue, and then faded to black as she collapsed on the couch There were two voices talking when adralyn first regained her senses. Two familiar voices were talking about her. She strained to hear the conversation. "She's almost ready," said the first voice. The beginings of a name floated into her mind. David, was it? no, not david. Darrell, daniel, damien, maybe? No. "Dantie, we don't have time. She needs to be ready soon or he'll have our heads." The second voice was much deeper, but she had as much trouble attaching a name to it as she did the first one. She settled on calling this one Ogre, and for some reason it felt right. "And i was to expect this peticular one had a guardian?" "It should have been at the front of your mind. What are the chances one such as her would not?" the second voice cleared his throat. "She's here. You deal with her." Then there were footsteps that got fainter and fainter. She scaned the darkness, searching for a retreating figure, but found none. Sitting up, she turned to face the sound of another set of footsteps, this time moving closer. By now he was only a few steps away, and when he reached her he lowered himself into a squatting position, eyes level with hers. He smiled gently and put a hand under her chin, to ensure she was looking at him. She felt oddly at ease, comfortable with this familiar stranger. But at the same time, every impulse in her body told her to run, to get away from this man, who apeared human but she could tell was something truely evil. "It wont be long now, my darling," he moved slightly closer. Adralyn could see his eyes turn solid red, even the whites and pupils. "And your precious Sariel can't protect you." He let go and gave her a little shove. It wasn't anything hard, but it was enough to force her off balance, and she fell backwards, as if falling over a ledge. she tumbled through the air, head over heels for what could have been minutes or even hours. When she finally landed, it was on something soft. She didn't open her eyes right away, but she could feel herself being shaken gently. A voice was faintly calling her name, becoming louder as she awoke. A strong spicy smell wafted over her, but it wasn't unwelcomed. She opened her eyes to see Cal's face inches from her own. He hadn't shaved his stubble and adralyn put a hand up to run her fingers over it. There was something she wanted to tell him, something about her dream just now, but it was lost now. |
They were lying in her bed and as she fingered his stubble she realized he had been clean-shaven just moments ago, or had it been only moments? "What time is it?" she said. "Time for breakfast, I guess," he said, and kissed her nose. She sat up quickly. "We spent the night in my bed?" He made a face at her that said why are you acting so strange. "Yes... why? Don't tell me you don't remember it?" She clutched the sheet around herself. She was naked. "No, I don't remember." "Well, I didn't videotape it so I guess I'm the only one that will remember it. Sorry I couldn't make it something that would stick in your memory a little better." She touched his arm. "Wait, Cal, don't be upset. You don't know all the things that have been happening to me. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I am going crazy." Gradually she told him the entire story as she got dressed and they moved to the kitchen and made breakfast and by the time she had told everything they were finishing off their second cups of coffee, "Wow!" Cal said. "I hate to say it, but it does sound like insanity." She thought he was joking with her and she did feel better after telling him everything but that didn't change the fact that it had actually happened. "So what should I do?" she asked. "Go see a psychiatrist?" "Or an exorcist." "It's not funny, Cal. And what about the physical effects? I was SOMEwhere the other night when I got my dress torn. And Dantie is a real... I don't want to say a real person but certainly a real being. Somehow he exists. Maybe not in this dimension but..." Cal took her hand. "Adralyn, I don't know anything about other dimensions. I'm just an ordinary guy." She sighed. "Thank you for listening to me. I just wish you had some answers. I know it's not fair to expect that you would." He touched the side of her face. "Going to a psychiatrist is not a terrible idea." "Alright. Maybe I will do that then." |
They sat there for a few minutes more, Cal gently stroking her cheek with his thumb, before the moment finally passed. Cal withdrew his hand and turned, going to find a shirt in the wash. Adralyn waited in the kitchen, still cradling her nearly empty cup in her hands. She was thinking about last night, and why she couldn't remember it. Silently she cursed Dantie, who ever he was, for ruining this for her. Cal reapeared a few minutes later, derailing her train of thought. "Brian is going to pick me up and we're going to go get the rest of my stuff from Claudia's," he finished buttoning up his short sleeve shirt and looked up at her. "I was going to pick up something for dinner, all you have in the fridge is eggs and yogurt." "How about chinese?" Adralyn answered, and Cal agreed. She finished the last sip of coffee in her mug, and set it into the sink. "I need to get dressed," she started to walk past him towards her bedroom, but he put an arm out and snagged her around the waist, pulling her close. "you don't have to, you know." He grinned, wrapping his other arm around her. Adralyn smiled as she leaned her head back to look up at him. "Well, if i walk into a psychiatrists office wearing nothing but a bathrobe, they'll commit me on the spot," she brushed the hair out of her face. "what i meant was-" he started, but was cut off by his phone. Still keeping one arm wrapped tightly around adralyn, he fished it out of his pocket and answered it. "What? alright, give me a minute. yes, One." he hung up, and looked down at her. "He is such a smartass." "And you're not?" Cal gave her a look when she said this, but leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "No, i'm not. we'll discuss this," he made a motion with his hand to encompas both of them, "later." He turned and grabbed his backpack, running out the door. Adralyn went to the window and parted the curtain a little. Cal threw his bag into the back of brians truck, then had to jump into the passenger seat as he started to pull away. She let out a small giggle. Boys will be boys she guessed. Turning away from the window, she walked to the bedroom, standing in the doorway. The bed still wasn't made, and she saw her clothes still thrown about the floor. "this was all so... fast." she stooped to pick up her top from the night before. How easily they had fallen into this, at the first oportunity. Maybe it ment something. Or maybe it just ment she had a habit of jumping into bed with men but not remembering it. |
Doctor Martin Schwab was able to see her immediately. "You are lucky he has so many cancellations," the receptionist said. She wondered about that as she walked back to his office. So many cancellations? He was a tall man in his 30's with prematurely grey hair. His dark suit and white shirt made him look very distinguished, like he was a diplomat or playing the part of a wealthy swell in an old B&W movie. "Have a seat on the couch, Adralyn. Just recline and make yourself comfortable. That's good. I use the Flowing Bubbles technique, Adralyn. It may sound mysterious but it's really quite simple. Think of each of your thoughts as a bubble. They are very light. They are just going to bubble out of you. You can't stop them. That's what they want to do. Now make those bubbles flow, Adralyn. Tell me everything." She went through the whole story again, thinking: didn't I just say all this to Cal? But Doctor Schwab listened thoughtfully until she was finished. "I think I see your problem," he said. "You do?" "Yes. Transdimensional beings have invaded your dreams. It happens. The result is intense dreams, nightmares even, and also hallucinations and delusions. But it's not life-threatening." She smiled. "It's good to know my life is not in danger but what about my sanity?" "Ah! Sanity! Yes, that's another kettle of fish altogether. Once the transies get in your head I don't think you can really call yourself 'sane' anymore." He made air quotes with his fingers around the word 'sane'. "Transies? you have a nickname for them? They are that common?" Doctor Scwab picked up his pipe and tapped it against an ashtray. "Oh yes, transdimensional beings are becoming more common every day. I have been visited myself." He lit his pipe while he let that astonishing fact sink in. "You have?" she said, and felt a shimmer of fear creep down her spine. She didn't really like him very much, she thought. Was he mocking her? "Yes." He puffed his pipe. "Dantie is a friend of mine." "Wh-what?" she said. "Are you teasing me? Because if this is some kind of joke I don't think it's very funny. No, it's not funny at all!" She was becoming more agitated and sat up on the couch. "I think I better go now." He put his hand on her chest and pushed her back down. "It's not time to leave yet." There was a high-pitched whistling sound in the air, almost like a tea kettle, and the pattern of flowers in his office wallpaper began to tremble and quiver as if a wind was blowing the painted blooms. |
The doctor let the silence sink in a few moments. It was indeed as if there was a strong breeze blowing through his office, as every so often his tie lifted up off his chest and flapped in the wind like a banner. But all the windows were closed and Adralyn saw no fan. He put a hand on top of his tie to keep it from hitting him in the face. "This Dantie doesn't seem like the type of man I want to get on the bad side of," he said as he drew on his pipe "But, from what I've heard, this Sariel is quite the rough customer as well. So you can see my predicament." Adralyn sat up slightly in the couch, but didn't try standing again. The doctor had already proven his quickness. Around her, the wall flowers started to blow away, sometimes one by one, sometimes in groups. But Adralyn had finally found someone who at least sounded like they knew what she was going through. As difficult as he was to read, she had no other choice but to trust him. "Who is Sariel?" she asked. "I keep hearing his name, but I still haven't meet him, in real life or a dream." She had to raise her voice a little; the hissing in the air was growing louder. The doctor sat up to answer. "Well, if you put it in the terms of," he put his hands out in front of him, as if searching for his own bubbles, "Team one versus Team B--" "Or good versus evil?" Adralyn interupted, but immediately felt bad as the good doctor gave her a look. He continued eventually, however. "Or that. Dantie would be on one side and Sariel on the other." He returned his pipe to his mouth. "But which side are they on?" Adralyn had to yell now, the wind whipping her words out of the air before they reached the doctor. He yelled something back, but Adralyn couldn't hear him, and indicated as such. He stood and walked over, hunched against the terrible gale, and had to speak directly into her ear. "You are in terrible danger. True Hell does not conform only to physical pain." He then stood straight and Adralyn wondered if he would blow away. Instead, he went back to his chair and sat, his pipe in his mouth. Adralyn stood to leave, and this time he did not stop her. She made her way to the door quickly for fear of being carried away. She faintly heard him shouting at her as she left: "This has been a productive session, I hope to see you again." When she glanced back, the outer wall had disappeared, and smaller furnishings were being sucked out into the howling dark. She stepped outside and slammed his door, breathing heavily. Good thing nobody was out there except for the receptionist. There were enough people that thought her insane. |
As she drove home, Adralyn thought about her session with Doctor Martin Schwab. Strange that he had personal knowledge of the men in her hallucinations, Dantie and Sariel. In fact, Doctor Schwab claimed to be a friend of Dantie and to know Sariel, whereas she hadn't ever met Sariel herself even though it was HER hallucination he lived in. She slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the road. Dammit! How could it be a hallucination if her psychiatrist was a friend of one of the people in it? Was the psychiatrist a hallucination too? Or was NONE of it a hallucination? Maybe this WAS reality? But she was positive reality had never been this strange before. She wished her reading had been of something other than novels of dark fantasy and occult adventures. If she had only read some realistic fiction maybe she would have some kind of idea of what normal lifwe was like to judge by. She started her car moving again. It would be good to get home and sink into the next chapter of The Red Vampire Chronicles. But when she pulled into her driveway, Johnny was in her yard hopping up and down. "Missus K! Missus K!" "Calm down, Johnny," she said. "What's the matter?" "Missus K! I saw a man in your house! I saw him through the window!" She laughed. "Oh, that's probably Cal. Don't worry, he's a friend of mine." "Oh... Like me?" "Um... not exactly like you. Did you get the grass cut?" "Yes, Missus K!" Johnny held out his hand and she paid him. "Don't spend it all in one place!" she said as he ran off. He stopped and looked back. "Why?" "Why? I don't know why. It's just what you say. It's just a way of saying good-bye." "Good-bye!" And he was gone through the hedge. Adralyn tried to turn her front door knob but it was locked. Maybe Cal was sleeping. She put her key in the lock. As she pushed the door open she could hear water running and the sound of a tea kettle. |
"Hello? Cal, are you here?" Adralyn opened the door slowly, waiting for a response. When she got none she started to worry, until she saw the table was set for two, with the steaming containers of chinese scattered about. She kicked off her shoes and closed the door, making sure the deadbolt was locked. She entered the kitchen expecting to see Cal, but there wasn't anyone there. She took the tea kettle off the stove, but not without realizing that it was hot. The sound of water was still in the air, and Adralyn went to investigate. Someone was in the shower, and Sdralyn figured it was Cal, so she went back to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of tea. When her tea was gone, cal still wasn't out of the shower, so she poured herself another cup and sat on the couch. The food was going to be cold soon, but Adralyn didn't want to eat without him. The combination of the warm tea and softness of the couch made Adralyn very sleepy all of a sudden. She set the cup on the coffee table and lay her head on the arm of the sofa. "He'll wake me when he gets out." she yawned, and closed her eyes. In minutes Adralyn had fallen fast asleep. She awoke to a harsh light that felt to be shining directly into her eyes. Putting a hand up to shade them, she let her eyes adjust before opening them fully. She was sitting in a straight backed chair. A square table was infront of her, and all around her she didn't see anything else for miles. They were on top of a dune in the middle of a desert. Adralyns heart skipped a beat as she grabbed her chair with both hands. She looked across the table, hoping there would be some clues in that direction. In the middle of it, a small leather-bound box sat. It seemed familier. The voice that spoke to her, however, was very well known by now "It's about time you woke up, i was starting to get worried," Adralyn's eyes snapped to the origin of the voice sitting across the table. Dantie was sitting with his arms crossed. his jacket was drapped over the chair behind him, and his tie was loose. Once he had her attention, he grinned and leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table. "Now, this is starting to get ridiculous, wouldn't you agree?" Adralyn nodded slowly, before gaining a little bit of courage. "What do you want from me?" "It's not so much what i want, as what those above me want." "What do they want then?" she put her hands up on the table slowly, trying to keep them from shaking. "What they want is to escape." "Escape what?" "It doesn't matter. What matters is if you're going to help them willingly," he leaned slightly forward, and his girn disapeared, "Or if it's going to have to be painful." Adralyn looked at the box infront of her, then back at him. "What do i have to do?" "That's the easy part," he sat back, grinning again "All you have to do is open that box." "This box?" "That box." He slid it towards her. It suddenly took on a demonic look. Something about it just radiated evil. Adralyn reached out first with one finger to trace the designs on the top. As she touched it, she felt herself leeching something from it. A sort of pure bliss that it offered to her, trying to draw her in. She put both hands on the latches at either side, fingering them for a moment, still deciding if this was something she wanted to do. Dantie was becoming impatient. "Open it already," he sat up, clearly anxious. "What will happen if i do?" she looked at him, having to tear her eyes off the box. He stood and slammed his hands down on the table, causing adralyn to flinch and pull her hands back. He grabbed her by the wrist and put her hand on the box. "Open it." he released her once she stopped trying to resist, but remained standing. Adralyn could tell that there would be bruises. The ground started to shake, and Dantie started to panic, his eyes going wide. He screamed at adralyn, "Open it, Now!" She looked at the box, but before she could react, her chair buckled and she fell back. The last thing she heard was Dantie cursing at her. She continued to fall for a long time, before finally landing on something soft yeilding. She opened her eyes, and found herself on the couch. The clock indicated it was only a few minutes later than when she lay down. "I wonder if Cal's out of the shower yet," she stood and went to go find him. |
The bathroom was empty and strangely it didn't have that damp feeling of after the shower. She put her hands on the walls of the shower stall. Bone dry. But she had heard it running. Or at least water running. She checked the sink. It was also dry. The Chinese food? She ran back out of the bathroom. Yes, the food was there. And so was Cal. "Oh hi!" he said. "I was wondering when you would get out of the bathroom." "I wasn't IN the bathroom," she said. "YOU were!" He frowned at her. "Did you not just step out of the bathroom?" "But only because I went in there to look for you!" "But I heard the water running," Cal said. "I heard the water running," Adralyn said. "Are you saying you've been out here the whole time? Wait a minute! Come in the bathroom with me. I want to show you something." "Dry," he said, looking at the shower. "So NO ONE was in here. Hmmm... Seems impossible." When they went back out to the table Johnny was sitting there eating some Chow Mein. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. Drops of water glistened on his skin and his hair was damp. "Johnny!" Adralyn screamed, more out of surprise than anything else. But Johnny jumped up and ran out the door. The towel fell off as he exited and they caught a glimpse of his naked butt as he ran across the yard and through the hedge. Cal and Adralyn looked at each other. "That was very strange," Adralyn said. Cal started laughing. "You have some weird neighbors. Isn't that the boy who cuts your grass?" "Yes," Adralyn said. "Cal... Dantie tried to make me open a box. I think there was something evil in it." "When was this?" Cal asked. "While you were in the shower... or when I thought you were in the shower. Cal, where the hell was I?" "I don't know. Did you.. uh... see that psychiatrist?" "He's one of them, Cal! He knows Dantie!" Cal looked worried. "But the psychiatrist did talk with you? Are you going back to him?" "Do you think I should?" He took her hands in his. "Yes, I think you should. Or someone like him. I suppose if you don't trust him we could find a different psychiatrist." She put her head against his chest. "Oh, Cal, you're going to so much trouble for me. I'm sorry I'm so... crazy." He stroked her hair. "Easy, girl. You're not crazy." |
They soon found out that johnny had eaten all of the eggrools, much to Adralyn's displeasure. Cal offered to run an get more, but she said it was alright. The food needed to be reheated, but other then that it was good. Afterwards, they piled the dishes into the sink for later, neither of them really in the mood to do them. Cal went and sat on a swing outside in Adralyn's backyard, with her following him shortly and curling up next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, pulling his arm around her. He didn't put up any kind of fight. There they sat for a solid hour, just listening to the sounds of the night, and in Adralyns case, Cal's steady heart beat. He seemed deep in thought, and she was content as long as she was able to bask in his warmth. The night air was brisk, and she pulled his arm slightly tighter. "What do you think was in the box?" Cal looked down at her, and poked her in the side gently. she squirmed slightly to avoid it, smiling at first. Once his words sunk in, however, her smile Faded, and she looked at the ground. "I don't know. It felt... unatural. like what ever was in there, should stay in there. Forever." She looked up at him, the moons light making his face a mirrage of shadows. she had trouble reading him. After a few moments of silence, she continued. "But, at the same time, it felt like nothing i've ever felt before," she struggled to grasp the right words "it offered me real hapiness. Not a hallucination." They lapsed into another long silence. Cal decided to steer the conversation another way. "What was this 'Real Happiness' it offered?" he lifted her chin with one hand, grinning. She blushed deeply and looked away, not wanting him to see it. After she failed to respond, he started to jab her sides playfully, tickling her. She pushed him away and fought desperately, but was giggling the whole time. Eventualy, she wrestled herself away and sat on the opposite end of the swing, arms crossed and chin up high. "I'm not telling." She faced away from him, but he saw the smile before she had the chance to hide it. He sat back, relaxed and grinning. It was too cold out for her to sit way over there, by herself. The stalemate went on some minutes before he saw her begin to shiver. He simply held hims arms open wide, waiting. She stole a few glances, her determination waivering, until finally she couldn't take the cold anymore and fell into his embrace. A few moments went by and she was warm enough that her teeth stopped chattering. "You're only using me for heat," Cal accused in a mocking mannor. "Do you object?" She snuggled slightly closer. It turned out he did not. "You never answered my question." he held her slightly tighter, trying to prevent another escape. Instead, she looked up at him and kissed him, catching him completly off guard. He recovered as her hand found a way up to his head, winding its way into his hair. This had been something adralyn had wanted to do for a very long time. |
The next morning Cal was up early getting dressed for work. "Thanks for staying with me last night," Adralyn said. "The pleasure was all mine," Cal said. Adralyn smiled at him, remembering their shared pleasure. "WIll I see you this evening?" "Yes. Don't forget to make another appointment with Doctor Schwab." She wrapped her arms around him. "I won't." This time Doctor Martin Scwab's office looked a little friendlier to her. Maybe it was because she had seen it before. His blonde receptionist with the bright red fingernails remembered her. Doctor Schwab shook her hand. This time she immediately reclined on the couch and started talking. "...and then when I went out there was Johnny of all people sitting at the table wearing a towel..." "I don't like to interrupt you but who is Johnny?" "I'm sorry," Adralyn said. "He's my neighbor's son. He does chores for me sometimes." "And has he used your shower before?" "No, never! That's what was so strange. I mean, in addition to the fact of him being there at all." Doctor Schwab steepled his fingers and looked over them at Adralyn. "Could you make Johnny appear here if you wanted to?" "What? I don't make Johnny appear. What are you trying to say? That I was imagining him?" "Did you have a young friend when you were growing up? A boy who lived nearby perhaps?" "Of course I had childhood friends. There were several of us in the neighborhood who played together. Judy, Robert, Michelle, Michelle's little sister... I don't remeber her name. She was too young to play with us much but sometimes we made her the baby if we were playing house." "And how about Johnny?" Doctor Scwab said. "Was he the daddy?" Adralyn stared at him. "Doctor Schwab, there was no Johnny among my friends when I was a kid. Johnny is the son of my next door neighbor. I told you that." "And what is that neighbor's name?" Adralyn's face became thoughtful. "Name? Um... Hmmm... Name... That's odd. I can't seem to recall it at the moment. Damn it! You've got me flustered with your stupid questions!" "Calm down, Adralyn. We'll go on to something else. Maybe you will recall it later." In the distance Adralyn could hear a tea kettle building up steam. She put her fingers to her temples. If that lazy blonde receptionist didn't take that tea kettle off the fire soon it was going to give her a headache. |
The sound didn't seem to be coming from any direction, just everywhere as once. Adralyn tried to put it out of her mind and focus on the doctors questions. "Johnny's real, Cal saw him," she sat up, just remembering this. The doctor raised a brow slightly. "I don't remember you mentioning a Cal," he flipped through his notes. Adralyn hadn't even noticed he was taking them. "Calvin Ross," she said it slowly, making sure he knew who she ment. He still looked convinced. "No, he hasn't come up," he let the pages fall into place, putting his pen to the fresh page. "Is he a friend of yours?" "Yea, you could say that," Adralyn bit her lip as the doctor gave her a look, knowing she was holding back. After a moment of silence she broke down and sighed. "Well, I guess you could say we just started dating a few days." "But you knew him before last week?" Doctor Scwab looked up, but kept writing. "Also, you spell it R-O-S-S, right?" She nodded, but then realized that more specifics were required. "Yea, that's how you spell it. And i've known him since i was in school." "But not since child hood?" "No. He moved there in middle school. Didn't talk to anyone for two weeks after he got there either. Not until my friends dared me to go over and talk to him." Adralyn relaxed slightly into the couch, remembering. "Was that the Only reason you talked to him?" "Well, no." she hesitated, but remembered the last time she tried to hold something back. "I thought he was kind of cute." She admitted this with a slight blush, looking at her toes. "Hi. My name's Adralyn Summers." she sat down at the cafeteria table, flashing a smile and tucking her hair behind her ear. She could hear her friends giggling behind her a few tables away. Whatever, they were just mad they didn't have the courage to come over here. He looked up from his work, and for a second her boldness waivered. After seeing her, he smiled faintly, straightening up. The shirt he was wearing showed off his muscles, and she couldn't help but notice. "My name's Calvin Ross. people call me Cal." he shrugged slightly, as if not really caring. From somewhere in the distance, a voice yelled 'Get Some!' causing them both to look at the table of giggling girls across the room. Adralyn flipped them off, taking a moment to check for the lunch moniters before returning her attention to him. Cal had gone back to his work. Determined to keep the conversation going, she leaned over to see what it was. "I don't remember doing those kinds of problems," she looked up at him as he closed his book. He looked more nervous than annoyed. Progress, she thought. "I was put into advanced classes. It's not really that hard." he shrugged again, trying not to seem as uneasy as he was. Adralyn giggled, and he looked confused. "What?" "Relax, i'm not going to bite," she smiled again, and he visably relaxed, taking a deep breath and smiling slightly back. she was getting ready to get up, but glanced back at the other table before she did. they all were pretending not to pay attention, but it was obvious when they all suddenly looked up at the ceiling. Biting her lip, Adralyn looked back at him and decided to go for it. "I hate math." She looked up and blew her bangs out of her eyes. Cal hesitated before he responded. "if you want, i'd be willing to study with you. You know, if you want." he didn't notice he repeated himself, but Adralyn had to supress a laugh. "Yea, that'll be cool. How about today, after school?" she sat up in her chair. He agreed, and she took his pen and wrote her number on his hand. "I'll see you later." she stood, and walked back towards her table, waving. He waved back, before looking at the scribble on his hand. When she arrived, the table burst into another fit of giggles. He didn't look but he knew it was directed towards him. Hut, it didn't matter much now. He had just been given a golden oportunity. "Adralyn?" Doctor Scwab's voice brought her out of her trance, and she snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry, what?" "I said, so the attraction was immediate?" He waited on her word to continue writing. "Well, as immediate as middle school crushes can be." she said this as she crossd her legs, suddenly feeling restless. "Why does this matter?" "Everything matters when we're talking about mental health," He kept writing, only looking up when he finished. "So now you're together?" "Yea, I guess." "I see," Adralyn was about to ask what he ment, but he clicked his pen and continued. "Our time is about up. Unless you had something you wanted to tell me?" |
Adralyn hesitated for a moment then said, "Doctor, do you think I am crazy?" "We don't use the term 'crazy'," he said. "I know what you mean by it, but no, I would never apply that word to you. That doesn't mean there aren't patterns of thought in your mind that you might want to change. In other words, nobody is crazy, but some people might like to think in different ways from how they currently do. Is that clear? Or am I just being confusing?" "No, it's clear, Doctor Schwab. Thank you for helping me with this." He walked her to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Pleasant dreams!" As she walked back to her car she wondered what he meant by that. Pleasant dreams. Pleasant dreams. Now she would be thinking about that for the rest of the day. She tried to concentrate instead on the errands she had to run, checking her purse to be sure her shopping list was in it. She felt so organized today. It was like what the doctor said. She wasn't crazy, just having a few thoughts she needed to change. Like that Dantie guy. was he real or not? Now that she tried to remember him, the memories did seem to be vague and dreamlike. Could it be that she was having such vivid dreams that later she was remembering them as being real? She wished she was still in session with Doctor Schwab. There was so much she wanted to ask him. Without realizing it she had driven out into the countryside. She came to her senses with a start. What had she been daydreaming about? Dantie? Now she had driven right past her destination and would have to turn around. But a mailbox up ahead caught her attention. Did it actually say Dantie on it? What a coincidence that would be! She slowed down and saw that it did bear the name of her... her what? Dream nemesis? She looked at the long driveway leading from the mailbox back into a grove of trees. Her curiosity was immense. Could this Dantie have anything to do with her Dantie? It was an odd name. And she had thought it was his first name. Here it seemed to be a last name. She sat there with the motor idling, undecided about what to do. Finally, with an explosion of breath, she headed down the driveway to the hidden house. She had to know! |
At the end of the driveway sat a rather Large farmhouse, elaborate in it's construction. It was built in a plantation design, the entire second floor having a wrap around balcony as well as porch. The white railing looked like it had been freshly painted, with planters full of vine like vegetation. Adralyn turned the key so her engin would turn off, but she sat in the drivers seat with her seatbelt still on. Weird, such a nice house, but the mailbox had been rusted out and dented. There were no cars in the driveway, and no garage was in sight. Maybe they just parked behind the house though. She unbuckled herself and got out of the car, closing her door softly. The gravel crunched under her feet as she made her way to the front door. Everything was eeriely quiet, sending a shiver down her spine. The front door was unlocked, strangely enough, and Adralyn stepped inside. "Hello?" her voice echoed as she shut the door. She tried again but still no response. something was drawing her upstairs, and she followed the feeling. The steps squeaked in protest, but she followed them all the way to the top floor. The hallway was lit with candles until it came to an intersection, where the lights veered left. Adralyn followed the lights, walking slowly and expecting something to jump out any minute. "Why am i so jumpy?" she came to another meeting of hallways, where the lights turned right this time. At the end of this hallway was a single door. After a few moments hesitation, Adralyn put her hand on the doorknob. It felt cold to the touch, freezing actualy. She tried to yank her hand away, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't cooperate, something keeping her from pulling her hand away. Suddenly her vision blurred, then refocused. she still couldn't move, but she wasn't in her body anymore. She was looking down at herself, in her own house. She was standing in the middle of the reading room, screaming. The front door was bumping, something heaving itself against it outside. This scene seemed oddly familier. Blood oozed from the door, splinters being thrown in all directions. Suddenly it stopped, and all was silent. She watched herself tip toe over to the door, to peer out of the eye hole. There was a screech, and then another thump against the door. Before she could get away, a hand burst throgh the door, leaving a huge hole in it. Again the hand shot through and grabbed her shirt, yanking her towards the door and smashing her against it. Adralyn tried to scream, to tell herself to get away from the door, but even her voice was gone. she was being forced to watch herself be slammed into the door, over and over. eventualy, her shirt gave, and she fell to the ground, still. The door creaked open slowly, getting wider and wider. The lightbulb went out at that moment, and everything was dark. All of this seemed very familier. Suddenly, the entire room flashed brilliantly, forcing adralyn to close her eyes. After a few moments, she could open them as a hissing sound grew louder and louder, almost deafening. The door was almost closed again, and a golden figure was pushing it closed. It whispered something, but did so in a way she couldn't begin to make out what it was saying. The struggle between the golden figure and the creature, or creatures, lagged on for what seemed like hours, before the door finally slammed shut. The hissing sound ended abruptly, but was replaced by a low rumble. After a few minutes she realized this was a voice, one that was full of malice and spite. It said only a single word, but she instantly knew what it had said. Sariel. After it had ended, the golden figure just stood there, looking down at Adralyn. It knelt down shortly, whispering something in that language and drawing something around Adralyn, a sort of sign, in the blood. It hissed and evaporated from his touch, leaving behind a sort of sun radiating around her. it continued whispering as it stood. The more she heard it, the more it sounded melodic, like a song that one gets stuck in their head and never forgets it. Just then he looked up at her, the Adralyn that was glued to the ceiling. She tensed in his sight. This must be sariel. They exchanged suprised stares for what felt like hours, but in reality could only be minutes. His golden eyes became duller and duller, finally settling on a light brown color. The rest of him glowed still, making it impossible to make out any other details. Those eyes that looked so familier. The door suddenly thumped to life again, the angry scream of the creature rising again. The Angel, or so she thought he was, looked at the door, then quickly back at her. He raised his hand and sung in that voice of his, and all went dark. Adralyn awoke to find herself standing in the hallway still, hand on the doorknob. It wasn't cold anymore, but it still didn't feel right. A voice behind her made her spin around. "Adralyn, what are you doing here?" it was Cal, sprinting down the hallway. He stopped a few steps short, only slightly out of breath. For a moment, she didn't even know how to answer. But it didn't matter, because he grabbed her hand and started to lead her out, almost running. "We can't be here." confused, she didn't put up any resitance as he ran down the stairs with her in tow. |
"Stop!" sounded a voice behind them. As Adralyn turned to see who it was, Cal frantically said, "Don't look!" but it was too late. She had already seen Dantie at the top of the stairs pointing his finger at them. He smiled with satisfaction as she froze in place. Cal tugged at her but she was like a statue. "I'll be back!" Cal yelled as he clattered out of the house. Adralyn stared with fixed rigidity as Dantie appoached her. He snapped his fingers and she felt herself collapse like a marionette. She would have fallen to the floor if he didn't grab her elbow to steady her. "Thank you for coming to visit me," Dantie said. "I was beginning to think you didn't really care." "Who are you?" she said. "You act as if we haven't met, my dear. Have you forgotten Dantie so quickly? Do you not remember the moonlight and the love?" She shook her elbow loose from his grip. "No! I remember only that you are some kind of creep that I dreamed up. You're a hallucination! Be gone! Vanish!" Dantie put his head back and laughed. "Yes, I always drive the women crazy. Unless they get to Sariel in time. But you don't even know how to get to Sariel, do you? All you've got is your hillbilly boyfriend and your banjo-playing neighbor boy." "Johnny doesn't play the banjo," she protested, but realized she didn't really know whether he did or not. It was horrible to imagine Johnny sitting on his porch plucking out the theme to "Deliverance" but even more horrible to realize that Dantie wasn not vanishing. What kind of dream could grab your arm or hold you in a hypnotic trance? If she survived this encounter she would have plenty of questions for Doctor Maertin Schwab to answer in their next session together. "Sariel!" Adralyn screamed. "Sariel, please help me! I need your help!" Dantie's face took on a look of mock sadness. "Really, Adralyn? You call Sariel from within the walls of Dantie's house? How little you comprehend. I think tonight, my darling, we will make love the old-fashioned way, with demons and snakes. Do you like snakes?" Adralyn shrunk away from Dantie's weirdness. Was it true that he had her trapped here to do whatever he wished with her? What a fool she had been to let her curiosity about the mailbox lead her into this. Now she saw the mailbox for what it was: bait! It was like setting a piece of cheese for the mouse to find. And she had walked right into the cat's mouth. Maybe Cal would get the police and come rescue her. Was that even possible? Or would it be too late. She and Dantie floated up to the second story and into a room that seemed impossibly large and opulent. There stood a huge four-poster bed draped in silks and satins. Two little naked demons were waiting to take her clothes, She flinched as their scaly hands touched her but she seemed unable to do anything but stand there while they undressed her. Dantie sat in a chair and watched her with his long elegant legs crossed one over the other. A long-handled cigarette holder would have looked appropriate in his mouth but apparently he didn't smoke. The bathtub was already filled with hot steaming bubbles and the demons led her into it where they joined her. It was like taking a bath with lizards but there was nothing she could do but go along with it. One had a washcloth and the other a brush. They hummed tunelessly while they washed her. Their maleness was obvious but she tried not to stare at it. Everytime one of their erections brushed against her skin her muscles would jerk but she was unable to break the paralysis that bound her. The cleaning seemed to take forever and there was no part of her they didn't carefully wash, flush out, and wipe. She felt like an animal being prepared for cooking. The demons stepped out of the big tub and motioned for her to do so. There was no need for a towel. The water seemed to dry instantly and her skin felt hot and glowing. She was conscious of an intense desire for sexual contact. This was Dantie's infernal magic at work, no doubt, but the desire was real and she rubbed her fingers gently across her arm and shivered at how exquisite the feeling was. Dantie was still sitting in his chair when she walked into the room and stood naked before him. "Ahhh," he said. "Very nice. I knew you would clean up well." Hearing him say that made her feel very dirty. It was obvious he was going to do unspeakable things to her. A tear formed in her eye as she realized how much she wanted him to do them. |
He stood and circled her slowly, trailing a finger first across her chest then down her back. His touch sent a shiver down her spine, but still her body craved him. Stepping behind her he rested his hands on her hips, and brought them up to trace her figure. Right then she couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be. There was a low siren in the distance, but Adralyn didn't pay much attention to it. After a few minutes it grew louder and louder, until it was right outside the window. She tried to ignore it but her curiosity grew as more and more sirens could be heard. She tore herself away from dantie's embrace and walked over to the window, not aware they might be able to see her nakedness through the glass. Outside there were several police cruisers parked in the driveway, an ambulance backed up almost right to the porch. The lawn, which was now overgrown and wild, was littered with debris and garbage. Funny, she hadn't seen that when she was walking in. She could also see her car parked among the cruisers. Next to that was a dark blue truck, scratched and dented. The rust paterns were familiar, but she couldn't remember whose exactly it was. The begining of a name came to mind, but it still eluded her. Dantie's voice whispered in her ear and she couldn't help but listen. "Come to bed dear." His hands caressed her neck before lowering to cup her breasts and pull her towards him. His skin was warm against hers, and she could feel he wanted this as much as she did, so she didn't struggle. Beside, the scene outside wasn't really interesting her. Until she saw the stretcher the paramedics were hustling inside. She hesitated a moment longer to see who was being rushed out, but Dantie was growing impatient. He tugged at her again, catching her slightly off balance. She glance back at him as he whispered again. "Don't you want me?" he gave her a slight squeeze as she bit her lip and looked back out the window. "i do, but... Just a minute." she put her hands up on his and peeled his fingers off of her, returning to the window. He did not follow imediatly, and she braced herself against the window pane to see better who they were wheeling out of the front door. The cluster of people made it hard to see who it was. There was a man following them who wasn't wearing a paramedics uniform. He was holding the person on the stretcher's hand. Finally they cleared away enough where she could get a look look at the persons face as they loaded them into the ambulance. Her heard skipped a beat as she recognized the person's features. She was looking at herself, being taken away in a neckbrace. Quickly she looked down at herself, and she was still solidly there. Looking back out she saw the paramedics had gotten her inside and were climbing in now. The man stood there for a moment, staring into the back of the amulance. Just when she thought he was going to climb in he turned around and looked back towards the house. He seemed to be looking right at her. His name came back to her in a flash, and suddenly she remembered everything. It was as if Dantie's hold over her had been snapped, as she turned and pressed herself against the wall, trying to keep away from him. He stood there, obvious fury boiling under his calm stance. A moment of silence passed before he spoke. "They were trying to take you away from me, darling. Sariel and his kind, they don't want us to be together." he took a step closer, extending his hand. But she didn't want him anywhere near her, taking off and scrambling across the bed towards the door. It was locked and she tried to force the lock, but it held fast. His voice was suddenly behind her. "Why do you still resist me?" his voice was deep and raspy. She spun around and he planted a hand firmly on her neck, not trying to choke her, but to hold her there. He searched her eyes as if the answer would lie there. "Are you one of them?" he put his thumb on her cheek, turning her head one way, then the other. Clearly unsatisfied with what he saw, he let go and Adralyn sunk to the floor. Returning to the window he clasped his hands behind his back, looking at the scene below. "It's Him, isn't it?" he leaned forward putting his hands on the sides of the windows to support himself. "Calvin Ross," he said his name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I'll have to pay him a visit." He returned to her, squatting to her level and cupping her chin with his right hand. "You'll see soon enough. I'm better for you, and Sariel knows that. That's why he's so desperate to keep you from me." He leaned forward for a kiss, but she turned her head. A hard slap hit her in the face, drawing more than a few tears. He stood, letting out a low growl. "You'll see." With that, he was gone. |
Adralyn pulled herself to her feet. For a moment she rubbed her cheek where Dantie had slapped her, then with a small cry she ran to the window. The ambulance was pulling away. Instantly she knew that if she were separated by too great a distance from her body she would die. She ran down the stairs and into the yard, but the ambulance was already out to the highway with its siren blazing. Calvin Ross was stepping into his truck to follow the ambulance to the hospital. "Cal!" she yelled, but he didn't hear her. She climbed into the back of his truck just in time as he pulled away, feeling terribly self-conscious because she was naked, but apparently no one could see her. If she could only be sure of that. But no one pointed or yelled at her. The truck bounced along and at one point the amabulance got so far ahead that she could feel herself weakening. "Go faster, Cal!" she yelled and although he gave no sign of hearing her, he did speed up a little and the weakness went away. At the hospital she knew everything would be all right. She followed Cal in and while he was talking to the nurse at the desk she continued on until she found the emergency room. Her still body was lying there on a table. A doctor issued a crisp command to a nurse and a shining steel tool exchanged hands. Another word and a valve on a drip line was adjusted. "We're losing her," was the last thing Adralyn heard before she stepped into her body and melted together with it. When she woke up she was in a hospital room. Cal was sitting nearby in a chair. She tried to speak his name and was barely able to whisper it. He smiled and took her hand. "Feeling better?" "What happened?" she said. |
A look of confusion passed across his face, but only for a fleeting moment. then he rested his other hand on top of hers. "They say you fell down the stairs, bumped your head pretty good. The doctor thought you were going to lapse into a coma." He smiled slightly, patting her hand. then his face grew more serious. "What were you doing there?" She thought about telling him all of it, about what happened with Dantie, but she thought him crazy enough as it was. she had to think of something fast. "I don't really know. something about the house just... pulled me there.." She closed her eyes and tried to think. Then she realized something. "How did you know I was there?' "You called me, told me how to get there, then told me to hurry. You said something bad was going to happen." He paused, but then continued. "You kept calling me Sariel. who is that?" Her heart stopped, but she didn't know what else to say. They sat in silence until the doctor came in, holding a clip board up to his face. Cal jumped up to greet him. "Dr. Vance, How long is she going to be here?" The doctor's hand hand caught her attention. It was covered in a greenish ink. Like a tattoo. "She's definitely going to have to stay overnight, we want to make sure she doesn't have a concussion." He dropped the clip board revealing a broad grin. "You're a very lucky girl." |
"Thank you," Adralyn said. She could make out the green tattoo on his hand. It was a tiny man with bat wings. "But I don't really want to stay overnight." The doctor grinned. "Oh, but you have to. You can't go home in your condition." "Cal?" Adralyn said, looking at him with an imploring expression. He patted her hand. "It's for the best. Better do what the doctor says." "No, Cal!" She said, a little ashamed by the fear in her voice. She heard the doctor's calm voice telling Cal, "I'll give her a sedative. She'll be fine." Then Cal was gone. The doctor stood over her. "You seem to attract trouble. Were you born under a bad sign?" Then he laughed so heartily that she had to shut her eyes. With her eyes shut she could still see the green tattoo. Oh, Cal, why did you have to leave? A nurse came in. "It's time for her bath, Doctor Grimm." "Excellent. Take her to Room Seven." "Are you sure, Doctor?" "Yes, I'm sure. We're expecting a visit from you-know-who tonight." "I'll make sure she is clean, Doctor." Under the nurse's supervision, two orderlies lifted Adralyn from the bed and put her on a gurney. "I could have done that myself," she said. "I'm not paralyzed." The orderlies fastended the leather straps on the gurney that held her arms and legs fast. "Hey! What's the idea?" she said. The nurse was holding up a syringe filled with a clear liquid. She plunged it into Adralyn's arm. After that Adralyn's experiences grew hazy. Later she could only remember a long trip down a hallway, a pool of warm water, being naked with other naked people, and lots of washing and rubbing. Her first clear thought was that she was strapped to the gurney again and she was naked. The wheels of the gurney squeaked as she was pushed down a long hallway. Occasionally people would come to the entrances of their rooms and watch her roll past. Once an old man reached out and touched her breast. The hallway became slanted and as her gurney rolled downward the air became warmer and warmer until her nude body was damp with sweat. The leather straps held her arms to her sides and her feet slightly apart. She felt terribly vulnerable and exposed. She couldn't see who was pushing her but she could hear his labored breathing. As they descended, the people who came to their doorways to watch her roll by became more and more grotesque and more likely to touch or feel her. Some of them had faces like animals -- lizards or jackals. Once something small and hiodeous jumped on top of her and tried to have intyercourse with her and the orderly had to beat it off of her. After that she trembled with fear of what might happen next. She could only look up at the passing ceiling or sideways at the monstrosities in the doorways. There was little sound except for the squeaking of the wheels of the gurney, but gradually she became aware of a roaring in the distance, like a blast furnace. As that sound became louder, the air became insufferably hot and she was very thirsty. |
Eventually she just found it better to close her eyes than to keep seeing those things watching her. She could still feel their eyes upon her, but it was slightly better that she didn't have to look back. The ride continued on for what seemed like hours, the heat getting more intense as each moment passed. The floor started to become uneven, the gurney bumping along and jostling her at every dip in the floor. Where was he taking her? By this point the heat was becoming unbearable, and Adralyn felt she was about to pass out. Finally, she felt the gurney take a sharp turn, nearly spilling her on the floor, and pass through a doorway. Inside it was only slightly cooler, but still like sitting in a brick oven. She still didn't open her eyes, not even when she heard the orderly try to talk. All he could make were low, gutteral sounds that didn't resemble any earthly language Adralyn could identify. They spoke for a long time, and each pronunciation was like another needle stuck into her ear. Their voices were starting to give her a headache, and just when she thought she couldn't stand it anymore they stopped, and a door slammed heavily behind her. Opening her eyes, she looked around at the room she was now in. The walls were black, a flat black that made them appear as if there wasn't even a wall there at all. The ceiling was black as well, but there were red marks all over, a cramped scrawl that covered every inch of it. Adralyn was in the middle of trying to decifer it when a voice spoke to her from the dark. "It's a beautiful language, isn't it?" it sounded as if it was coming from inside her head, the words oozing into her ears. It just felt all wrong. but the voice continued. "Too bad you can't read it. The last person who understood it, went mad and killed themself." Two eyes materialized off too her right, making Adralyn jump. A grin spread underneath them, noticing her discomfort. iI took all she had not to break down sobbing, but still she couldn't keep the tears from escaping. The voice only laughed, and she felt something brush the tears form her cheeks, but she did not see it. "Hush, child. You are but a tool, and will not feel a thing." A dim light appeared in the corner of the room, and the voice hissed. It quickly disapeared, but when she looked over, Adralyn saw Dantie standing there. Her last encounter with him came to the front of her mind, and she almost started to scream, if not for the Voice cutting her off. "What are you doing here!" it bellowed, shaking the gurney slightly. Adralyn shrank back as far as the restraints would allow her, and the statement wasn't even directed at her. Looking back at Dantie, she saw he looked just as terrified as her, if not more. The very thought was amusing, she hadn't seen Dantie express anything other than cool control. Here, he was about to piss his pants. Well, what was left of his pants. He looked as if he'd been in a fight for his life, his shirt missing and one leg of his pants torn off. Underneath, his torso and shoulders actualy looked rather firm and muscular, and Adralyn felt ashamed of the tang of desire that she still felt. his left arm, covered in green-inked tattoes lay limp at his side. He hadn't moved it since he first arived. His voice trembled as he spoke. "I-I was preparing for-" he bagan, holding his left shoulder with his other hand. "You do Not refer to him by Name!" The voice shouted, again making the room shake. Dantie shrunk back, but continued, glancing at Adralyn. "I found him, Sariel!" he looked above her, where the voice seemed to be coming from, then back at her. "He's closer to her than she thinks." A grin started to spread across his face, as he walked over to stand and look at Adralyn. "Right under your nose." The voice was getting impatient. "Why isn't he dealt with then?" "I need more time. besides, she isn't ready yet." Dantie looked over at her, running his free hand across her cheek. She jerked her head away from his touch and he looked back up. "As you can see." The voice roared, but did not say anything else. Suddenly, the air in the room felt less heavy, and Adralyn could breath a little easier. She looked again at Dantie, who was leaning over her with a smirk on his face. That careless smirk that made Adralyn want to punch his lights out. "Management. you just need to know how to deal with them." He ran his fingers across her face again, running down her neck and across her breast, then tracing across her stomach and going lower. "They're just getting Anxious because the big Boss is planning a visit." Once Adralyn realized what he was trying to do, she looked up at him and spit at his face. He yanked himself away as it caught him in the eye, and growled. He raised a hand to hit her, but stopped himself, smirking again. "You just wait. You'll get what's coming to you." He whiped the spit off his face, before turning and walking away. She thought he'd run into the wall, but he never did. Into the blackness he walked, until his figure was so small the dark consumed him. Leaving Adralyn there, all alone. |
She could still hear the roaring blast furnace sound but it was very muffled as if heard through a thick wall. A more noticeable sound was the drip of water just behind her. It was a slow but steady plip plop of drops into a pool. The only other sounds were her breathing and a buzzing noise in her ears that she thought was maybe always there but she was only hearing it now becuase there was nothing else to listen to. As the minutes passed by she wondered how long she would be left there. She struggled against the leather straps that held her down. She screamed as loud as she could. There was no echo. The sound seemed to vanish into a dead space. Eventually she fell asleep and woke up not knowing how long she had slept. Still the same sounds: the distant muffled roar of a furnace, the plip plop of water drops just behind her head, and her own breathing. More screaming from her. Anything she could think of. Nonsense syllables. She cursed Dantie. She called for Sariel, for Cal. Then she cried. She sobbed and then yelled with frustration. Finally she whimpered. Then she fell silent. A heavy feeling came over her. She was a bag of wet sand. She would never move again. There was no need to move. Her eyes stared into the nothingness. She realized there were periods of time when she didn't hear the water drops, but as soon as she thought that then she would realize they were still there. A steady plip plop plip plop... She wasn't sure how long she had been there when she left her body. It could have been hours or days or weeks. She didn't know. She floated up toward the ceiling, slowly rolled over, and could see herself lying on the gurney, strapped to it. Her body was emaciated. The ribs were showing. It reminded her of photos she had seen of WWII prisoners. She wondered if she was dying. What would happen if she left her body there? But she didn't want to stay around and look at it. She floated away, toward the roaring sound. She floated into a high-ceilinged room with a huge archway at the end, glowing yellow with flames behind it. The fire roared as if gusts of air were being pumped into it. I can float into that, she thought, and it will all be over. A voice below her expressed surprise and she looked down to see a small deformed person pointing up at her. He had pointed ears and was naked except for a belt around his waist. His pointing finger had an effect on her. It made her slowly drift down toward him. She tried to move away but didn't know how. When she was close enough for him to grab her he pulled her down so she had to stand on her feet. It occurred to her that now she had a body again. Was it the same body? Or was there another version of herself still lying strapped to the gurney? Her head hurt. She stood there, making no attempt to cover her nakedness, and waited to see what the little person would do next. The top of it's head barely reached her waist. It was staring at her genitals. The impulse to cover herself started to rise in her mind but so slowly that she could watch it as it was damped down without ever becoming an action. Time seemed to be moving at a glacial pace. The little person was talking but his mouth moved so slowly that it seemed as if he was making faces at her. She could hear no sound except the buzzing in her ears that she always heard. She saw his hand come up to touch her between her legs. It moved in such slow motion that she had plenty of time to decide whether to allow it to happen or to move away. She slipped around behind him and he kept looking at where she had been. She must have been a blur to him, less than a blur. Perhaps to him she appeared to suddenly vanish. She looked around for an exit and saw several. |
The little man continued to talk in his slow mannor, and soon he began to bore Adralyn. She decided to go and see what was beyond those doors. Hopefully a way out of this hell. The first two lead nowhere, just into another section of the inky blackness that appeared to surround this place. The next door lead to an open meadow, filled with grasses and wildflowers. The scent of the flowers was overwhelming, almost making her close the door on it. Colors were painted across the landscape in a pattern that made her eyes hurt from the brightness. Stepping out into it, the soft grass felt good under her feet. A gentle breeze rolled across the field, causing the flowers to dance and sway. It was all very pretty, and Adralyn didn't want to be anywhere. At least, not for now. Picking a spot at the crest of a nearby hill she lay down, each individual blade of grass tickling her skin. It was all so beautiful. Too beautiful. The sharp scent of something burning came as a shock to Adralyn's nostrils, as she sat straight up and surveyed her surroundings. Off in the distance there was a virtual wall of flame, advancing quickly towards her. The smoke, however, arived first, sending her into a fit of coughing. It stung her eyes and effectively blinded her. Only then did she realize the door was gone. she looked everywhere, but couldn't find it. The smoke was becoming thicker, threatening to suffocate her. Adralyn knew she had to get away from the advancing wall of fire, and quickly. She started running in the directed she thought she came from, just striking out blindly in hopes of picking the right way. As much as she didn't want to go back to that hell, she didn't want to be burned alive in a wildfire. Suddenly it was in sight, the large brown door complete with it's peeling paint and brass knob. Grabing it with both hands, she found that it was scaulding hot, and burned her. The fire was getting closer, flames consuming everything in it's path. Adralyn decided she'd rather not die here and grabbed the handle, twisting it and giving the door a shove. It opened easily, sending Adralyn sprawling on the floor. she got up and slammed the door shut, leaning her body against it. It was hotter in here by many times, but still it was better than open fire. Ahe looked at her hands, the palms were covered in blisters. "Ouch!" she shook her hands slightly, and looked around for another exit. The one she found looked in as bad shape as the last one. Beyond it, she could hear a steady beat that was unmistakable. Adralyn opened the door to come face to face with an ocean. |
There was only a narrow strip of sand between the door and the surf and when she turned around the door was gone and there was a steep cliff there with no trace of a doorway in it. She stood for a while watching the small waves lap against the shore. Eventually she noticed the strip of land was getting narrower. The tide must be rising. As far as she could see in either direction up and down the beach there was just the cliff and the ocean and the narrow strip of sand. She put a finger in the water and tasted it. Salty. It would be easy to float in it if she had to. But she had a deathly fear of things that live in the sea and that was when she was wearing a swimsuit. The thought of floating naked in the ocean made her shudder. What about jellyfish and crabs and sharks? She picked a direction and started walking. Slowly the water rose to cover the sand. Then it rose above her ankles. When it rose above her knees it became harder to walk. What if the current swept her out to sea? That's when she heard the foghorn. It was a low, mournful sound somewhere up ahead of her. She squinted her eyes and could just make out something in the water far in the distance. She walked and walked and as she got closer she could see that it was a raft tied to a buoy. The foghorn sound came from the buoy. The raft bobbed up and down on the water. Sitting on the raft was a man. He was watching her approach. When she was close enough she yelled, "Is it safe to swim to the raft?" He motioned for her to come to him. She gathered her courage and walked out into the water, switching to a swimming stroke when it got deep enough. She pulled herself up on the raft with the man's help. He looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't... wait a minute! "Doctor Schwab!" she said. "Is it really you?" Doctor Martin Schwab made a wry face. "Your dreams seem to be more powerful than I imagined." "This is a dream?" She had hoped it was all a dream, but having Doctor Martin Schwab tell her that didn't make her more sure of it. It made her less sure. "I wish you weren't in it," she said. He made the same wry face. "So do I Missus K. So do I." "What did you call me?" "Missus K." Martin Schwab giggled. "Johnny?" Adralyn said. Then when the face of Martin Schwab became the face of little Johnny, she gasped and covered her nakedness with her hands. "Johnny! Didn't I tell you to never spy on me!" Johnny laughed and flipped over backwards off the raft. As he went into the water Adralyn was sure she saw a fish tail. She scanned the depths and there did seem to be something large swimming around under the raft. But it looked very much like a shark. |
It bumped into the raft, sending Adralyn into the air before landing hard. Getting up onto her hands and knees she watched as a fin poked out of the water. It was a deep blue color, as dark as the water. A large peice was missing from the back of it, and a long scar ran along one side. Whatever it was, it was old. The raft was jostled again, this time she nearly fell off. Trembling, Adralyn looked over at the bouy, sitting higher up out of the water. After gathering some courage, she stood on the shakey raft and jumped for it. The raft shattered to peices as soon as her feet left it, the creature deciding to try and get to her by going through it. Clinging onto the cold metal for dear life, Adralyn barely stayed on the bouy and out of reach. The shark, now that she could tell what it was, was circling again. The water made everything slippery, so holding on was a constant struggle. Her muscles quickly grew fatigued, her eyelids getting heavier by the minute. If she let go for just a minute, the creature would feast. Well, on whatever was left of her. The sun disapeared quickly, leaving them there in the dark. She could still hear the sharks fin slicing through the water, waiting for a sign of weakness. The dampness was starting to make her shiver, sending her body into a trembling mess. But still she held on, not giving into the cold or the wet. It was a long night, and at some point Adralyn fell asleep. She was awoken by a bright light being shined in her face, blinding and disorienting her. She was laying down, dry and clothed. Voices spoke to her, familier voices. She immediately recognized Doctor Schwab's voice, speaking in that monotone of his. There was another one too. One that she had no trouble picturing. Opening her eyes, she sheilded herself from the light to look at the group of people standing around her. |
"She's waking up," a voice said. Another voice said, "Just relax, miss. There's been an accident. You're going to be fine." She struggled to speak. "Wh-what?" Her lips didn't want to move. Her body felt numb. "Give her another shot of Slepanol." Out of the corner of her eye she saw the flash of a needle approaching her arm. "Where am I?" she murmured, but her eyes were already closing. Adralyn woke up in her bed. The red book was spread open acoss her stomach. She must have fallen asleep while reading it. The sun was streaming through her bedroom window. Outside she could hear the purr of the push mower. Johnny must be cutting her grass again. Cal strolled into the bedroom, a smile on his handsome face. "Are you awake, baby? How about a nice breakfast?" She yawned and stretched. "Mmmm... pancakes?" "Sure, if that's what you want. With sausages?" "And lots of hot coffee." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "How's the book going?" Cal asked. She glanced at the thick red leather tome on her lap. "Oh... it's going." She was surprised that she couldn't remember a thing about it. Had she fallen asleep before she read the first page? Cal smiled. "Did Dantie get the girl yet?" A shock ran through Adralyn's body. There was a sick feeling in her stomach and she felt her bladder loosen. She felt tears form in her eyes and begin falling down her face. "What is it?" Cal said. "What's the matter?" She hugged him. "Oh, Cal... I think I just wet the bed." "What?" but he could smell it. "It's OK, honey. You take a shower and you'll feel better. I'll fix the bed." "But Cal... what's happening? Why did I wet the bed? And why did you say that name? Why did you say that name?" "Dantie? He's in your story, isn't he? That's what you were telling me." "I.. I told you about the story? About the book? I've read some of the book?" Cal laughed. "My, you are so discombobulated this morning. Should I be worried? Yes, you've been reading the book for days. I should think you're over halfway through by now." Adralyn put her face in her hands and sobbed. "I don't know what's wrong. I don't know. Please, please, someone help me." Cal rubbed her shoulders. "Shhhh... easy, baby. I'll call Doctor Schwab." She looked up. "There is a real Docotor Schwab?" "Of course! You just take that shower while I call him. Can you do it by yourself?" She smiled."Yes, I think so. I remember Doctor Schwab. Please don't worry about me. I'm sorry if I scared you." Cal laughed. "Don't be silly. You didn't scare me." As he walked out of the room he muttered to himself, "I'm used to it by now." |
Adralyn made her way to the side of the bed and stood, her wet clothes already feeling uncomfortable. The adjacent bathroom had both a bath and a stand-up shower in it, and she contemplated maybe taking a bath. Ultimately she decided against it, remembering that Cal would be waiting for her with breakfast. It was a quick shower, but Adralyn still had the bathroom filled with steam. A nice hot shower was exactly what she needed. After dressing in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she followed the sound of sizzling sausages into the kitchen. Cal was bent over the stoke, trying to flip a pancake in one pan and turn the sausages in another. The pancake was sticking to the pan, and so when it was finaly overturned, it looked more like it had survived a war. She couldn't help but giggle at the curses Cal flung at it. A foul stench came over her, and she was suprised she hadn't noticed it by now, but Cal was smoking. How hadn't she smelled it earlier? The stove overhead was humming, which meant the fan was going, sucking it up and out of the house. She was about to say something when he noticed her standing in the doorway. he quickly plucked the butt from his mouth, and dropped it into a cup in the sink. them he put on a smile and turned to her. "How do you feel now?" He stood there for a moment looking at her, but the food quickly demanded his attention again, in the form of a hot grease splashing on his hand. He returned to his charge. "I should ask you the same." she pointed towards the sink, then crossed her arms. A look of concern crossed her face. "Are you alright?" His grin faded, and they stood there for a moment in silence. Then, all of a sudden he decided to change the subject. "I called Doctor Schwab. He said he would be here around noon." Then he flipped the pancake out of the pan and onto a stack of similarily scarred ones. Adralyn was about to press the mater from before, but got distracted. "He's coming here? Don't I usualy go to see him?" Cal gave her a look as she said this but went back to the sausages. "He thought it would be more productive if you were comfortable, and at home when he saw you. " He smiled, and looked back at her. "Would you mind setting the table?" She smiled back and nodded, stopping to give him a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug. "I'm so glad we're together," she said, before going off to get the plates. She didn't even notice that he didn't respond with anything more than a nod. |
Doctor Martin Schwab was neatly dressed in green plaid slacks and an orange polo shirt. "I'm on my way to play some golf," he explained. "I'm sorry I dragged you away from your game," Adralyn said. "You didn't interrupt a thing," Schwab said. "besides, Dantie would kill me if I didn't see you." Adralyn's head snapped up. "What did you say?" "I said it wouldn't kill me to miss a little golf today." Adralyn eyebrows tightened. "No you didn't. You said something else. About you know who." "You know who? Who is you know who?" "You know who." Doctor Schwab chuckled. "Are you having a little fun with me today?" Adralyn stood up. Her fists were clenched and her face was red. "Goddammit! You know what you said! You said his name!" Cal came hurrying into the room. "Hey, hey, heyyyy! What's happening in here?" He put his hand on Adralyn's shoulder. She shook off his hand with an angry jerk of her shoulder. "Why don't you ask him what's going on?" Doctor Schwab turned his palms up. "Apparently your wife thinks I said something I shouldn't." "I'm not his wife," Adralyn said. Cal tried to pat her shoulder again. "Adralyn's not feeling well today." "I was feeling perfectly fine until first you and now him have to mention that name! Why! What's going on? Why? Why? Why?" Her face crumpled. She began sobbing and ran out of the room. They heard her bedroom door slam shut. Cal and Martin Schwab looked at each other. "Does she know something?" Schwab asked. Cal shrugged. "I can't tell. It's all mixed together with that red book she 's been reading. Since the accident it's gotten worse." "I never understood about the accident. Why don't you just take the book away?" Cal gave him a bleak look. "Then what will happen to us?" Schwab chuckled and toyed with the collar of his orange polo shirt. "You sound like you're on the same wavelength she is." "She's my wife. How can I not be in sync with her? I love her. I have to believe in her. Do you think I can just stand aside and look at her objectively like she's some kind of lab experiment?" "Is that what you think I've been doing?" Cal tilted his head. "You were supposed to help her with this visit but instead you upset her." "Maybe she needs to be upset." Adralyn stood just inside the closed door of her bedroom with her ear pressed tightly to it, straining to hear their words. So that was it. The two of them were working together. She couldn't say she hadn't suspected it. In fact, now it seemed like she had always known it. Was there nowhere to turn? Nobody she could trust? She began crying again and put her back to the door and slowly slid down it until she was sitting on the carpet. Then she fell over on her side and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and waited. |
It was some time before Cal came knocking at the door. Adralyn didn't respond at first, but after realizing he wasn't going to stop, she looked at the door and yelled "Go Away." There was no way he was going to get in here. There had to be someone who wasn't out to get her. The hum of the lawn mower interupted her thoughts as it passed the window. Just then she remembered. Johnny! Rushing to the window, Adralyn threw it open and nearly tumbled out from her inertia. Scanning the yard she tried to locate the boy who at the moment was her last hope. She called his name out when she located him, nearly jumping out of the window to run over and embrace him. Her heart sank when she finally noticed that it wasn't him. The man was wearing a bright red jacket that said 'Mactavish Lawn Care.' He gave Adralyn a look, then continued his work, shaking his head. Where was johnny? Stamping over to the door, she flung it open. Cal nearly fell over backwards due to the suddeness of it, unprepared for her anger. "Where's Johhny?" Adralyn was furious. What had they done with Johnny? He wasn't a part of this. Cal had a bewildered look on his face. "What-" he started, putting his hands in the air. Adralyn cut him off and pressed the attack. "I heard you and Schwab," his name almost made her want to spit, "You two are out to get me. You can scheme all you want, but but it wont work! And now you've done something with Johnny, and i want to know what!" During this entire conversation, she had started to raise her voice, and slowly advancing. This forced cal to back up a little with each word, until now his back was flat against the wall. A long moment of silence passed between them, before finally Cal brought his arms down, wrapping them around Adralyn tightly, and pulling her close. She was about to hit him, to thrash about and tear herself from the embrace. But then Cal started to whisper, in a voice so low she had to hold her breath to hear him. "Our son died." He held her tighter as his voice started to waiver. He wasn't making any sense at all. She pushed him away and stood at arms length, confused. There were tears in his eyes. She'd never seen cal Cry, not even at his Father's funeral. "What are you talking about?" Seeing him like this was making Adralyn worry. He was a traitor, but he was still Cal. Slowly, he reached out and gently took hold of Adralyn's shirt, pulling it up slightly. Across her stomach was a large, jagged scar, just above her bellie button. Seeing it, Adralyn froze. She couldn't remember where it had come from, or why she had it. Cal lowered her shirt as they looked back up at each other. "His name was going to be Johnathon." |
A tiny humming noise like a mosquito started up in Adralyn's brain and grew louder and louder. Adralyn stared at Cal's face, unable to say anything. As the hum grew into a raucous whine, Cal's face begin to flicker between light and dark, each time growing darker or lighter until it was like a strobe between his shadow and a white image of him. The whine in her head was unbearable. She clawed at her temples and screamed as the sky above her broke apart. A dazzling white light engulfed everything and down from heaven floated white objects. Little parachutes, she thought, because they fell so slowly out of the white radiance. But no, maybe they were angels... "Close your eyes!" Cal said. "Don't stare at the sun like that!" His voice was simultaneously inside her head and miles away. A siren faint in the distance grew stronger until it was close. People moved around her. Her body was lifted. More movement. Tire noise on pavement. Now she was inside the siren. A bumpy ride. Someone squeezed her hand. A voice said, "Don't worry, you're going to be fine." But she wasn't going to be fine. She was sure of that. It was better not to be here where she wasn't going to be fine. It was better to be somewhere else. So she went... Adralyn sat on the bench looking at the green lawn. At the edge of the lawn was a flower bed, then trees. Through the trees she caught a few glimpses of the wall. "You can't go far that way," she murmured. Her attendant looked at his watch. "We have to go back to the main building now, Missus K. It's time for lunch." She ate alone in her room. They all did. "This is a very expensive resort," Cal had told her. "It's lucky you had insurance." She knew it was no resort. You don't stay in a resort forever. You stay there for a week and go home. And you don't pay for a resort with insurance. But she was sly. She never told Cal what she really thought. Mostly she didn't say anything to him at all. She knew what he was up to. He wanted her to die, but he couldn't do it himself. No, he put her in here and hoped she would commit suicide, but she wasn't going to. She never would. She chuckled. Cal would grow old. She would win. The attendant came to collect her soft plastic plate and the plastic spoon she ate with. She hated the plastic dinnerware. Poor Cal. If they only gave her a real knife she could kill herself just like he wanted. But she would never do that. Not for him! She asked the attendant, as she always did, "How long have I been here?" and he answered as he always did, "Not long. Missus K. I'm not sure how long exactly, but not so long." They all lied to her. Even her doctor, Doctor Martin Schwab, who implored her to be "completely honest" with him. He wanted her to get better and he was sure she would. Ha! He was a liar like the rest of them. She told him the lies he deserved to hear. Sometijmes she mixed some of the truth in with the lies just to see if he could tell the difference. But he couldn't. Or if he could he was hiding that from her. Like he hid so much else form her. Like Cal hid things from her. They were working together. She was sure of it. A bell rang in the hall. It was time for the the afternoon recreational period. This was a strange part of the day. They put her in a room with some people she never saw before and said things like, "You remember Martha, don't you?" and she had to shake her head no. How can you remember someone you never saw before? Then she and the strangers would try to play children's games. Why? She knew she would ask them like she always did, "Why am I here? Who are these people? I want to go home." |
After the Recreational period they shut her up in her room, locking the door to make sure she didn't escape. Not that there was anywhere she could go. Walking over to the window, she looked out to absorb the veiw. The 'resort' was set into the mountains, with beautiful veiws all around. There was a lake nearby, whichs he had gathered from some of the others. They talked about being taken there on day trips to swim and have a picnic. But that wasn't for Adralyn. She was too 'unstable.' "Unstable," she muttered "I'll show them unstable!" She contemplated throwing something at the door, but there was nothing big or heavy enough to be noticed, so she conceded to lay on her bed and stare at the ceiling. She did this often, as there was little else for her to do. They tried to get her to express herself, through painting or drawing or writing, but she outright refused. They weren't about to dictate what she did, not in the littlest bit. Today Martha had been talking about her children. Again. As if they were little, but most of them had children of their own. They came by once in awhile, to visit and catch up. but she could never remember, and soon after fell into telling stories about changing Dantie's diapers. Adralyn sat bolt up. Had she said Dantie? She was sure of it. Martha's son was Dantie! She had seen him when he visited the last time, but only now did it click. He was still around, checking up on her! Cal and doctor Schwab weren't enough, so he had to come down and look into her himself. Well, she saw right through him! Next time he came to visit, she had to remember to confront him. The door creaked open, and the familiar voice of her attendant anounced she had a visiter. She was used to it, and didn't even look up. The door closed a moment later and she felt something land on the bed. "I brought you some food." Cal said as he sat in the chair to her desk. Still, she ignored him. Everyday he tried to tempt her with his poisoned food, and everyday she resisted. The moments dragged on as they always did, with him sitting in silence waiting for her to reply. Well, she wasn't, so she didn't know why he still tried. Finally she did look at him, to at least acknowledge that he was here. His face looked drawn and tired, and a heavy 5 o'clock shadow stretched across his face. He looked like he had slept in what he was wearing. It had to be six in the afternoon, why hadn't he showered yet? After a moment of eye contact, he stood and walked over, sitting next to her on the bed. He took her hands in his, and looked in her eyes. "Please, Adralyn, talk to me." he implored her with his eyes, and for a moment, she couldn't look away. "I-... I Miss you, I miss being able to talk to you, laugh with you. Please, I'm begging you, just listen to me." She almost believed him, but then realized it was another one of his tricks. He was just trying to get to her. Yanking her hands away from him, she turned away, moving along the bed to put a little distance between them. She couldn't tell how long he sat there, but eventualy he got up and left. It was some time before she turned back around. The bag of food was still sitting on her bed, from some diner in the town at the base of the mountain. She knew he was watching her on the other side of that door, but still she stood and walked over to it. A quick sniff revealed to her it was something spicy. Upon opening it, she saw that it was a large serving of chicken riggies. The spicy kind; her favorite. Taking the bag and setting it on the desk, she sat down and starred at it. After a long hour, she took the plastic fork from the bag and started eating, enjoying her first taste of real food in an eternity. |
That night she woke up with a pain in her stomach. The building was silent. Moonlight streamed through the window. She sat up and clasped her stomach. "Oh! It's the chicken. What did Cal do to me?" She could taste the spiciness again in her mouth but there was a sour taste with it. Suddenly she vomited onto the floor. In the darkness it looked like broken eggs. She could see the shells and yokes.... and small dead chicks. "Oh God!" she gasped. She put her hands over her mouth and stared at the wreckage on the floor. In the moonlight she could see shell bits, egg fluids, body parts of chicks, and a few little wet feathery things. "Oh!" she said. 'Some of them made it." The little chicks struggled to extricate themselves from the mess on the floor, to shake their feathers dry. They were already half-grown. They gathered around her feet with their beaks open but made no sound. "Why can't you peep?" Adralyn said. "Why can't you peep?" She gathered up an armful of chicks, but there were still more left. They began to run around the room. "I can't hold you all!" Adralyn said. She danced around with her armful of chicks. Her foot came down on something soft and it squawked. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she said. Now one of the chicks had to limp. It made her cry to see the poor thing dragging one foot. "I'm so sorry!" The chicks in her arms began pecking at her. "I'm sorry!" she protested, but they were really angry at her for hurting one of them. They ripped at her pajamas and pecked at her skin and drew blood. "Stop!" she screamed. "Stop! Oh, please stop!" The night attendants finally came and sedated her with a large syringe. They had been playing cards. Night times were usually peaceful. All the patients were given sleep medications. They didn't know about Adralyn's upset stomach. They didn't know that her husband often broke the rule against bringing food in from outside. The next morning Doctor Martin Schwab visited the recovery ward where Adralyn lay in bed with her chest bandaged. The doctor had a quiet talk with the nurse before he entered. "You think she did it to herself with egg shells? That doesn't make sense. Where would she get egg shells?" The nurse was young and inexperienced. "I don't know, doctor. What about the pigeons that fly around the courtyard? Could one of them had laid an egg in her window?" Doctor Schwab frowned. "That seems far-fetched. Why did you say egg shells anyway?" "Because that's what she told me, doctor. She said it started when she saw the eggs." Doctor Schwab waved a hand dismissively. "Never believe a word they tell you. These are people who have hallucinations and delusions." "I know that, doctor, but she sounded so sure of it." "For her, it's reality. You've never had a hallucination so you don't know how real they are. They are indistinguishable from real life." The nurse squinted. "But then how do we ever know whether what we are thinking is a hallucination or is reality?" "Because other people tell us, nurse. Reality is the one hallucination that we can all agree on." The nurse shook her head. "That's too deep for me." "All you have to remember is don't believe the patients. They wouldn't be in here if you could believe them. OK?" Adralyn lay on her cot in the ward. She could see the doctor and nurse talking but she couldn't hear them. If the doctor asked her about Cal she would lie and say Cal didn't give her any chicken. She didn't want to give Cal and Doctor Schwab the satisfaction of knowing how close they had come to being successful. If the attendants hadn't been alert to her trouble then the chickens would have killed her. She was sure of it. |
Doctor Schwab walked into the room and pulled a chair over next to the cot. He took a seat and said something, but its meaning eluded Adralyn. She was transfixed by the light above her. Was she imagining it or was it flashing? a darkness streaked past it, making her jump and sit up, still staring at it. The doctor stood and put a hand on her chest, laying her back down. "Easy now, you've got nowhere else to go," His voice was even and oddly soothing. But still Adralyn didn't look at him. He retracted his hand, and started to shuffle some papers. "The night watch said you were screaming bloody murder last night. They also said you had vomited on the floor, and somehow cut yourself. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Rolling onto her side, Adralyn continued to ignore him. He waited a few moments more, before sighing and standing. "Adralyn, this Self-imposed exile isn't helping you. you need to talk to us, we're the ones trying to help you." He placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to reassure her. She shrugged it off, and he sighed again. A moment of silence passed before he left, shaking his head. The nurses left her there for the remainder of the day, before serving her a light dinner. During which, she was closely supervised by one of the more burly attendants. Then, they hustled her to her room and locked her there. That was when she noticed the black shadow in the corner. It moved and writhed of it's own accord, with no visable object that could be projecting it. Adralyn turned to look at it, but before she could the door flung open and her attendant anounced a visiter. Imediately she turned away from the door, seeing it was Cal. The shadow was interesting, but it would be there after Cal left. the door closed softly, and Cal crossed the room to stand infront of her. She expecting to see him bedragled again. Another pitiful attempt to get to her. She wouldn't fall for it this time, she told herself. When she looked up, however, she saw he wasn't. He was clearly showered, and cleanshaven. A tie was draped around his neck, and he was now straightening it. His shirt was tucked in, and she had to admit he looked sharp. Almost like the man she had fallen in love with. Once he saw he had her attention, he cleared his throat. "Adralyn, i'm leaving you." |
She stared at him. The thought that kept running through her mind was how this was what it took to get him cleaned up and looking sharp... leaving her. It was so funny. With her he was usually a slob, but now that he was dumping her like a dead chicken, now he had to shower and shave and look his best. It was hilarious. "Why are you laughing?" Cal asked, She stopped herself. She hadn't meant to laugh out loud. "You jerk," she said. "You're lucky I didn't tell them about the chickens." "What chickens? Oh, never mind. I can't do this any more, Adralyn. I can't tell whether you are really crazy or not. I don't know what game you are playing. And I don't know who is winning. It's a game that both of us will lose. I want out of it." She brushed her hair back with her hand. "Do you still love me?" "What? I said I was leaving you. Doesn't that answer that question?" "I want to hear you say it to my face." Cal took a deep breath. "I don't want to say that. I do still love you in a way. Just not in a way where we'll be together." "It's a separation?" "That's it," Cal said. "That's the right word for it. A separation. We were together too much. It went sour on us. Now we need to be apart." "And then it will turn sweet again and we will get back together?" "I don't know. I don't know what the future holds." Adralyn shook her head. "Oh just go away. Go away, you wimp. You don't know what you want. I need a real man." And then she added under her breath, "...like Dantie." "What did you say?" Cal asked. She screamed, "I said go away! Go!" He frowned and left, shutting the door gently behind him. She thought about crying but realized that if it was a conscious decision then it wasn't real tears so she just lay there and tried to make her mind be empty. After a while she fell asleep. |
When she awoke it was dark. After letting her eyes adjust, she sat up and looked around. Somehow, the room felt emptier now. Cal was gone, and he was never coming back. A feeling of crushing guilt came across her. She had driven him away. Suddenly, Adralyn started to sob uncontrollably. Where was this feeling earlier, when she had first told him to go? She couldn't remember it clearly, the entire scene was hazy. As if she was veiwing it through a peice of dirty glass. What had come over her to act so cruely towards him? She threw herself back onto the bed, burrying her face in the pillow. Maybe she truely was insane, and it was better that she was locked up in here. Slowly the tears left her, but the sobs and racked her body remained. Once those had finally passed, she lay there silently, drifting into another deep sleep. Adralyn awoke to find the sun streaming into her eyes. Ahe sat up, numb and still exhausted. Her handlers didn't notice anything different in her, and even Dr. Schwab said she looked better in their daily session. Other then that, the day progressed much as it always did. Just one day after another, in an endless stream of monotomy. Martha had started talking about her children again. She said that her husband, Frank, was bringing them by for a visit. Now, her husband had been dead for over ten years, and in reality only one of her children was going to visit. He was the only one who ever did. Adralyn tuned her out for the most part, as this had to be the umpteenth time she heard about them. Sighing, she wished they let her have her books. "Adralyn, sweety, you're single now, aren't you?" Martha looked over at her, trying her best to look motherly and inoccent. Before she could even respond, martha continued. "Oh i think you two would make the cutest couple, my son and you. He's always asking about you, you know." She scrunched her face up. "Not like that Calvin that dumped you here and ran off." Adralyn's face must have shown her confusion, as the elderly woman stopped and asked if she was alright. She could feel the blood drain from her face. She knew he was keeping tabs on her, but to involve the other patients themselves? who else was in on this? Suddenly adralyn had to get up and leave, walking out of the room with her head down. Martha yelled after her "Wait, what am i going to tell Dantie?" The mention of his name made her walk faster. After passing a few doorways, she was stopped by one of the attendents. "Where are you going?" he asked, as he crossed his arms. "i want to go to my room." Adralyn refused to return his look, but he gently grabbed her shoulder, steering her back towards the comon room. "You know you're not allowed to be in your room during the day. let's go back to the recreation room. maybe someone will want to play a game with you." He barely got the last sentance out before she wheeled around and smacked him across the face. It was clear he wanted to hit her back, but retrained himself. instead, he grabbed her more roughly and started taking her the other way. "maybe a little solitary would do you good." Adralyn could only smile and follow him. He wouldn't realize it until later, but it was exactly what she wanted. |
Solitary was a well-padded room. Adralyn stretched out on the floor and waited. The old feeling of expectancy was running through her. Something was going to happen. She didn't know what, but something. Eventually all the lights went out in the building except for the night lights. Her padded room had a little window in the door and she stood looking out. The hallways were empty. Then she saw the shadow of someone approaching. He stopped by her door and looked at her. He had a bald head and a full beard that covered his face. The Ogre! She watched as he pulled out a key, all the while smiling at her, and stuck the key in the door and unlocked it. Adralyn walked out into the hallway with him. When they came to the door with the red exit light over it he pulled out another key and they kept going. Their feet crunched on the gravel outside the building. She looked up at all the windows. In one of them a pale white face looked back at her. It was Martha. The Ogre opened the rear door of a large BMW sedan for her. Inside Dantie was waiting. He patted the seat and she got in. His light brown hair was short and spiked. When he grinned, his white teeth contrasted sharply with his deeply tanned skin. "Together again," he said. She smiled and settled in next to him. "You are the one sane thing in my life," she said. He laughed loudly. "That's a good one!" She snuggled into his side. "Don't laugh at me." He kissed the top of her head. "My little loon." She lightly punched his belly. "Stop that!" With his thumb and forefinger on either side of her chin, Dantie lifted Adralyn's face up towards his and kiseed her, gently at first, then long and deep. "Pull over in a quite place," Dantie said to the Ogre. After the car rolled to a stop, the Ogre got out and left them to their privacy. Dantie fumbled with the buttons of Adralyn's blouse and she helped him get it off her arms. She knew he would keep his coat and tie on. That's the way he liked it. But she would have to be completely naked. She made herself that way as quickly as possible. The Ogre stood under a tree smoking a cigarette and gazing at the stars. Occasionally the springs of the BMW would give a tiny squeak as the big car rocked back and forth. When it settled down again the Ogre waited long enough to smoke another cigarette, sighed, then got back in the driver's seat. No one said anything to him as he drove back to the institution, but he could hear his two passengers murmuring to each other behind him. |
"You don't visit me very much anymore." Adralyn said quietly, looking up at Dantie. He continues stroking her hair silently, letting the statement hang in the air. They had both dressed, as now they had to return her to that prison. Eventualy he glanced down at her, cracking a faint smile. "I've been busy my love. Work, you understand." he leaned over and kissed her forhead. Honestly, Adralyn couldn't even remember the last time they were together like this. Much of her memory was hazy. Must be those damn medications they gave her. The car bumped along the road quickly, the ogre aparently having a lead foot. The scenery slipped by faster and faster. Dantie gripped her slightly tighter, but made no comment. He apeared to be ejoying the speed. "Could you slow down, please?" Adralyn asked as fear started to creep into her voice. He didn't appear to hear her though, and the car continued to hurdle along the road. After inquiring a second time, she lean forward and put a hand on his shoulder, to get his attention. "Slow down, please." she caught a glance at the speedometer, gasping as she saw it read over a hundred miles an hour. "Are you trying to get us all killed?" she shrieked. Just then the car rounded a courner, throwing adralyn hard against the door. she smacked her head on the door frame and then slumped back onto the seat. An arm came around her and pulled her back up close to dantie. "He's a professional, don't worry. just sit back and enjoy the ride." The words sounded sweet, as if they were dipped in suger. She couldn't help but listen, relaxing into the warm figure of Dantie. her head throbbed dully, and there was a distinct tast of blood in her mouth. Trees were now a blurr outside the window, and it was impossible to try and single them out. All this combined with the hum of the car made her realize how tired she was. How good it would be to just close her eyes and go to sleep. Adralyn was awakeed by a loud horn, making her jump. she sat straight up the driver seat, panicking. Everything was bright, hurting her eyes. Lights were shining directly on her, along with the chorus of horns. a scream erupted from her own throat as she slammed on the brakes, the other driver doing the same. The rest happened to fast for her to remember. The sound of crunching metal and screeching tires was deafening, and the collision sent objects flying around her. When it was finaly over, everything was silent. The very air had gone still, as if waiting. Adralyn tried to move but she couldn't, not for a few minutes. The shock of what just happened had settled in, mixed with the adrenalin that pumped through her veins. Finally, she lifted her hands to look at them, shaking in the moonlight. They were wet and glossy. Looking down at where they had been resting, she saw the front of her shirt was soaked. She screamed again. "Adralyn, wake up, we're here." Dantie shook her lightly. Slowly, she sat up and looked around. The 'Resort' was outside, lit up like a beacon. Adralyn turned to dantie, and pleaded with him. "Don't make me go back in there. take me with you, please dantie." "You know i can't do that yet, Adralyn." his demeaner was suddenly cold, and she recoiled slightly. Then he put a hand under chin and leaned over to kiss her. it instantly changed her mood, and she smiled as he pulled away. By now the ogre had come around and opened the door for her. He cleared his throat loudly. "I think it's time the lady got to bed." His voice made adralyn look, as it was the first thing he had said all night. she looked back at dantie who gave her another peck on the cheek. "Better go then. i'll see you soon." Adralyn stepped out of the car and he shut the door, escorting her back towards the building. He opened the heavy outer door and held it for her as she slipped inside. The rest of the walk was silent as he lead her towards her room. For being such a big guy, he was light on his feet. finally, he opened her door for her and let her in. then he said good night and shut the door, moving the heavy dead bolt into place. She heard it click, but didn't care. Instead, she flopped onto her bed with a big smile on her face. Quickly though, she fell asleep still wearing her clothes and on top of the blankets. |
Adralyn drifted deeper and deeper into a satisfied slumber until, as often happened, she drifted too deep... She tossed and turned and suddenly sat bolt upright, the sound of the boy's voice still in her head: "Mommy! Mommy!" Oh no, she thought, not again. She leaned over the edge of the bed and looked under it. There was Little Johnny in his diaper sucking on his thumb. When he saw her he clapped his hands and said, "Mommy! Mommy!" "Go away!" she screamed. "I'm not your mother!" Johnny began to bawl and Adralyn lay back in bed and pulled the puillow over her ears. But the toddler's crying just became louder and louder until Adralyn started screaming, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" over and over. The door to her room clicked open and a calm attendant walked in with a syringe in his hand ready to be used. "I don't need that," Adralyn said but the needle was already in her arm pumping powerful sedatives into her bloodstream. "Oh God," she mumbled. "You're only making it worse." Then her tongue was too thick to talk and she was completely trapped in the labyrinth of her mind. She ran naked down a long corridor with her last words echoing behind her "Worse... worse... worse..." until they had no meaning and were just empty sounds as if a heavy door had been slammed shut far away. A yellow man stepped out of a room right in front of her and she slammed into him but he was very strong and held her fast. He looked exactly like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz except he was a shiny gold color. "I need your heart," he said. "Take it," she sobbed. "Take it." She slumped to the floor although he still held her wrists. "Get up," he said. "You can't quit now. You've come too far." She looked up with an angry red face and spat out her words. "Too far? ... Too far? ... I have gone nowhere! Nowhere, godammit! It's all circles! Circles! I'll never get out of here! Never!" Then the anger left her and she broke down in huge sobs that wracked her chest. The tin man released her. His footsteps went clanking down the hallway becoming fainter and fainter until she could no longer hear them. She sighed and pushed against the floor and the wall to drag herself back into a standing position. She felt so weary and old. Slowly she made her way back down the corridor until she found her room. "Home," she muttered. A bittersweet feeling. She pulled open the sagging screen door and stumbled into the room. The walls were papered with old newspapers. The bed was an old army bunk made from green iron pipe in a minimal shape. An olive drab wool blanket covered it. On a wooden shelf sat a large plastic radio of an aqua color with orange trim and gold dials. There was a ventriloquist show playing: "Now, Charlie, you don't really mean that..." and she wondered if his lips moved. The room was otherwise quiet but she called out anyway, "Johnny? Are you home?" |
There wasn't an answer at first, so Adralyn sat on the bunk, her face in her hands. Her own son, and she had screamed at him, told him to go away. Suddenly she felt dizzy, as if the room was spinning. A voice started talking to her. "Don't cry, mom. We don't need him." She looked up to see Johnny standing there, looking at her. He was slightly older, maybe fifteen or sixteen. He came and sat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. All she could say was, "Need who?" He gave her a quizical look, then continued "Dad- I mean Cal," correcting himself. "He wasn't good enough for you anyways." Then he stood in front of her. Adralyn stood too, and he embraced her tightly. Not knowing what else to do, she hugged him back, holding him tightly, as if somehow he would anchor her in this sea of insanity. Then he took a small step back, almost having to tear himself away from her. A wide smile spread across Johnny's face. "Besides, we have Dantie now." On cue, Dantie appeared behind him, putting a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. He was smiling as well and a wave of affection washed over Adralyn. Everything was perfect. A family, something she had always wanted, and now it was here. She couldn't help but smile back. Dantie held out a hand to her. "Let's go love. I promised Johnny we'd leave this place." She was tempted to take his hand, to go with him now, but something drew her attention towards the window. It was only a momentary glance, but outside the window everything suddenly errupted into flame. It spread along the walls, to the ceiling, engulfing the curtains. The carpet burned like gasoline, spreading to every corner of the room in the blink of an eye. She screamed, awaiting the intense burn of the flames, but it never came. In fact, the flames didn't even affect her. Instead she simply fazed through them. Dantie and Johnny were gone now, making Adralyn start to panic. "Dantie? Johnny?" She quickly moved into the other room, realizing that she was no longer wearing the thin-soled "Resort" shoes. Actualy, she wasn't wearing anything at all. Despite this, she franticly searched the other room. It was ablaze just like the other, but the flames were black and white. They swayed lazily, dancing to a slower tempo. Everything was slower in here. It was furnished like a living room, a sofa and two chairs pointed at a huge television set. It was all very modern sleek lines that were stainless steel accented. A man sat in the center of a ring of fire, as if the flames were afraid of him. He wasn't Dantie, and he glowed, almost golden. He was too bright to make any details, but Adralyn squinted her eyes and called out anyways. "Dantie?" He heard her and stood, the light fading greatly. Blue jeans and a white shirt, dark hair and eyes. He looked oddly familiar. Then he walked over and took her hands, looking into her eyes. She was caught off guard, but did nothing to resist. When he spoke, his voice was unmistakeable "Baby, please, come back to me." He pleaded with her, gripping her hands tightly. "Cal?" She was hesitant to ask, already knowing the truth. "I love you, Please don't leave me." Adryalyn wanted to scream, but couldn't. She wanted to call him all kinds of names, and remind him he left her, but she was frozen. Then suddenly his hands dropped, and his eyes had the look of someone watching their life's love walk out the door. He reached up quickly and yelled "Jessica!", his hand reaching through Adralyn's shoulder. Then she heard a door slam, and his arm dropped, as did his head. Then in the next instant he was gone. She heard him next on the couch, clinking glass together. When she looked, she saw he was trying to pour a glass of whiskey, but his hands were shaking too much. Finally he just threw the glass at the wall, shattering it into a hundred peices. One look at his eyes and anyone could tell he had already had a few. After taking a long sip, he set the bottle down and lit a cigarette, leaning back on the sofa. His head tilted back, and his eyes closed. The butt hung precariously out of his lips for a moment, before falling. It landed on the sofa, rolling across the cushion. Then it suddenly caught fire, and the sofa went up in flames. He did not wake up, even when the flames had spread to his clothing. They shot out everywhere like a web, engulfing everything they touched. Adralyn grabbed him by the collar, and started to shake him. "Wake up!" she screamed, but he didn't respond at all. Even as the fire licked at his face, singing the short hairs on his chin and cheek. Tears ran down her face as she realized he wasn't going to wake up. There was a sudden flash, and everything was white. A booming voice roared in her ears, but it didn't sound directed at her. "These memories are not hers to see!" It was Dantie's voice, but it sounded off, as if he was going hoarse. There was a scream of agony, that did not belong to him. Then everything went dark. When she could open her eyes again, a bright light was staring her in the face. A few voices talked, then the light was removed. It was still a few minutes before she could focus, but what she saw scared her as much as the vague nightmare she remembered having. |
She sat up. She was sitting on the edge of a table. There was a woman hanging on the wall before her. It was a very familiar woman because it looked like herself. The woman's hands were chained so high up on the wall that her feet could barely touch the floor. "Are you in pain?" Adralyn whispered, but her mirror image said nothing. She recognized the red dress it was wearing. Somehow she had lost that dress even though it was one of her favorites. How could you lose a dress? "Where did you get that dress?" Adralyn said. Still no response from her double on the wall. Its head was slumped over. Was it even alive? But she was sure it was. She could see the rise and fall of it's chest as it breathed. She stood up and slapped its hair. "Answer me!" It looked up at her and Adralyn shuddered. It was her face but it held more sorrow than she could believe possible. The eyes were sunk into dark hollows and glowed with some emotion that she had never experienced. The phrase "eternal damnation" popped into her mind and she shivered. She repeated the words, "Eternal damnation." Was the woman in Hell? Adralyn stopped believing in Hell years ago. And she didn't believe in it now. But maybe Hell didn't care whether you believed or not. Maybe Hell snatched you into its bosom no matter what your opinion was. Adralyn couldn't stop looking at her tormented self hanging on the wall even though it made her feel cold and sick and creepy. "But it's not me..." she muttered. "I am me." But she looked down at her hands and saw nothing. She held her hands in front of her eyes but they were invisible. She felt her face but there was nothing to feel. Her hand passed right through where her face should have been. She screamed. The woman on the wall grinned and started screaming with her. The two of them screaming together sounded like sirens, like cats on a fence, like wolves howling. Adralyn abruptly stopped screaming and the woman on the wall did, too, in perfect synchronization with her. Adralyn stared at the woman on the wall, stared with reddened eyes grown wide and showing their whites. "I'll rip your heart out! I'll rip your heart out!" Her hands grabbed at the red dress and tore it open. Like claws her hands dug into the woman's chest. The screaming started again but this time it was only the woman on the wall who was screaming. Adralyn was laughing, laughing, loud and lusty laughing, as her clawlike hands dug into the woman and found the prize, the heart! She twisted it back and forth until it finally ripped free of the woman's chest -- and yet the woman continued to scream, high wailing panicky screams. Adralyn held the heart over her head with both hands and yelled at the woman. "I have your heart! You are no more!" But Adralyn could feel the heart beating between her cupped hands so she put it to her lips and opened her mouth wide and bit into it. Blood spurted all over her face. She gnawed at the heart, using her teeth to rip loose chunks of it. And finally the screaming of the woman on the wall stopped and her head fell forward over the bloody hole in her chest. Adralyn threw the remains of the heart on the floor and wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand. Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a long deep breath. Then she turned around and found a doorknob and left the room. |
Adralyn found herself outside. Plush, green grass was between her toes, tickling her feet. The sun shone brightly above her. Squinting her eyes, she looked around to examine her surroundings and try to figure out where exactly she was. Then a small white orb landed at her feet. She bent over to pick it up and rolled it over in her hands. Small craters adorned its surface, making it feel rough. "Excuse me, may i have that back?" A familiar voice asked. When she looked up, it was Dr Schwab looking back at her, his hand extended. He was wearing a garish orange-and-green sweater vest over a white shirt, with khakis. Adralyn handed him the ball and he thanked her. Then he dropped it, lined up a shot, and shanked it off to the right. Letting out a loud sigh, he looked back at her. "Why can't you at least make me a good golfer in here?" Before she could respond, he was already in the golf cart and asking "Do you want a ride?" As soon as her butt touched the seat, he peeled off as fast as the electric motor would let him. It whined in protest, but he kept the gas flat to the floor. "What are you doing out here?" Adralyn asked, but her eyes remained looking ahead. "I haven't the faintest clue, Adralyn." He looked over at her. "One minute i'm enjoying an exquisite dinner with my lovely wife, and the next i'm out here. Then the minute after that, there you are, standing there in that red dress." Looking down, Adralyn suddenly felt the material of the dress between her fingers. Smooth silk. She felt slightly embarrassed she hadn't even checked if she was wearing anything when she saw Schwab. "Your dreams are very powerful, Adralyn. You have to be careful." He looked ahead again, swerving to avoid a gopher. "Do you see my ball?" She tried scanning the sea of grass in front of her, but finding a small white ball seemed impossible. Especially at this speed. "Doctor, could you slow down?" she gripped the edge of the overhead canopy. Noticing the fear on the edge of her voice, Dr. Schwab eased of the gas. "Ah. I apologize. I am known to have a lead foot." Another few moments passed, and Adralyn was about to ask him another question, but just then he jumped out of the cart and exclaimed "Found it." While he was lining up his shot, she got out and followed him over. On his first swing, a large clod of dirt and grass was dislodged and sent flying a few yards. The second swing connected, and the ball was sent straight as an arrow, out of sight. He then turned back to adralyn and leaned on his club. "What was i saying earlier? ah, yes, your dreams. "Your subconscious mind is powerful, Adralyn. i believe this is what attracted the 'Transies' you keep seeing." He spread his arms in an all-encompassing motion. "You've created this entire golf course here, for example. And, you've managed to pull my sleeping mind into your own world." From his pocket he pulled a fully lit pipe and stuck it in his mouth. "Do you follow me?" Slowly she nodded, understanding for the most part. "Good." Then, suddenly, he pulled open a door. She had simply blinked, and it was right there next to him. When he opened it a bright light spilled out, causing her to shield her eyes. "Now, if you'll just step through this door, lets see what other parts of your mind we can explore." At that moment, one word came to mind. "Sariel." |
Gradually her eyes adjusted to the brightness. She was standing in a large room of white - walls, ceiling, floor - and it was lit intensely by some unseen source. Maybe it was the walls themselves that were glowing white. It seemed to be completely empty and growing bigger. It was already the size of a gymnasium. She watched the ceiling rise and the walls push outward. How big could it get? The lights went out and the sudden plunge into total darkness made her stagger and reach out around her. Then just a few seconds later the brilliance was back. Nothing seemed to have changed. But after a few seconds the darkness came again. This time she accepted it calmly. After a few seconds there was a return of the white light. Periods of dark and light continued to alternate, each lasting only a few seconds. After a while she realized the cycles were speeding up. Soon the light and dark were blinking on and off so rapidly that they began to blur together and the room became illuminated by a flickering gray light which grew steady after a few more moments. She sensed someone standing behind her. She whirled around. His shining golden eyes dimmed until they were brown and human. He was dressed in a white coverall that left only his head exposed. His hair was long and golden brown and flared out like a lion's mane. "Sariel..." she whispered. "Our time together is limited," he said. "The tension between light and dark is strong in you. It takes all my strength to neutralize it." "I don't understand," she said. "Are you not all-powerful?" He laughed. "Not yet. Perhaps never. I'm not sure the All could exist without a balance between light and dark. If one ceases to exist then the other must also." She shook her head helplessly. His words meant nothing to her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know you were expecting much more from me." "No. Yes. It's just that... you have added mystery to mystery. Is there no one that can help me find a way out? I thought you were my friend. I thought you would lead the way." Sariel put his hands together and touched his fingertips to his lips. "I am helping as much as I can. So far it has kept you alive and safe." "Safe?" Adralyn said. "Safe? What good is safety if I am trapped in... in whatever it is that I am trapped in? Is it my dreams like Doctor Schwab says?" "Dreams are only a passageway, a mode of transportation. And Dr Schwab is one of your dreams himself. That doesn't mean you shouldn't take his advice. After all, it is your own advice and might be the most relevant of all." Adralyn beat her fists against her temples. "Stop it! Stop it! This mumbo jumbo doesn't help me! I need out! I need help! PLEASE! I NEED HELP!" She was screaming and yanking at Sariel's collar. He suddenly vanished. She stared at the empty space, at the gray light in the huge room. After a while she noticed the light begin to flicker and then the alternating periods of light and dark returned. The ceiling lowered and the walls pushed in. When the room was a small as a closet she pushed open the door and left. Outside again she fell into the plush green grass, lay there on her belly, sobbing and beating her fists agains the ground. Eventually she grew calm and just stared at the blades of grass near her eyes. She heard the whine of an electric motor. Dr Schwab drove up on his golf cart. "Need a ride back to the clubhouse?" Wearily she climbed into the golf cart. She didn't say anything on the ride, but Dr Schwab cheerfully discussed his game, how he had played against himself and won. "First time for me!" he said and laughed for what she thought was much too long a time. |
The ride back to the club house took what seemed like hours. They must have passed the same tree six or seven times. Adralyn stopped counting. It didn't maky any sense, they were heading straight. "Are you sure you know where you're going?" She asked Dr.Schwab, who responded with a slight nod, but didn't seem too sure about himself. "I think I am." They drove on in silence for another few moments, before a huge building suddenly apeared inront of them, as if it had risen out of the endless green feilds to greet them. Dr. Schwab stopped the cart a little ways from the front door, hopping out and heading towards the door. Adralyn slowly followed, looking the building over carefully. It was a large building, painted white and accented with dark red. It was three stories tall, with wrap around Balconys along the second and third floor. Vines grew along the railing and snaked thair way over the intricate carvings on the beams that held the balcony above it up. Numerous other plants adorned the flower gardens out front, blooming in bright reds, blues, and yellows. A Small delicately painted sign said Recluse out front in a flowing font. All of this seemed very familiar. By now Dr. Schwab had disapeared inside. Fearing she had lost him, Adralyn quickly moved to the front door and pushed it open, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the relative dim inside. A Well-dressed man greeted her. He wore a white button up shirt under a black vest and bowtie. Black pants ended at polished, black shoes. "Name, please?" He looked up at her from behind dark brown eyes. They looked black to Adralyn, but she knew that was crazy. People don't have Black eyes. "Adralyn Summers." She stood straighter, feeling more confident about herself. "Sorry, theres no one with that name on the list." He knited his brows and looked back up at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Ah, Mrs. Kirkwall, i'm terribly sorry I did not recognize you sooner. Please, go right in, Your husband is waiting for you at the Bar." He extended an arm to indicate which direction the bar was. Hesitantly, she headed through the open doorway. A soft hum of conversation washed voer her as the Bar was fairly busy. She had no idea who to look for, so just stood in the doorway like a deer in the headlights, not wanting to make a scene just to find this imaginary person. Absently she rubbed her hands together, and something cold and metallic brushed past her hand. She looked down to see what it was and saw a sterling silver band adorning her left hand. A fair sized red gem adorned it, not big but not small either. Odd as it was, She liked it. It went well with her Red dress, and even the black stilettos that found their way onto her feet. Feeling satisfied with her apearence, she went back to scanning the room. One man stuck out, sitting at the bar. He was a large man, heavy set not with fat but a muscled build. Broad shouldered and thick waisted, he wore a simple blue polo, and white khakis. He had greying hair was swept to one side. From behind he looked familiar, but when he spun around she instantly recognized the thick, well groomed mustache. "Honey, you made it!" he shouted above the din, and motioned for her to come and sit beside him. Adralyn was stuck to that spot, frozen by the sudden realization of this man's identity. "Bill?" |
Adralyn walked toward the bar where Bill Kirkwall waited for her. Thoughts swirled rapidly through her head. Bill Kirkwall died in a car crash over 10 years in the past. They were going to be married. She remembered the horror of the phone call informing her of his death and then her nervous breakdown. So who was this man? But he looked exactly like Bill Kirkwall. She suddenly looked again at the silver ring on her hand with the red gem. Now she remembered. Bill had given it to her on their 5th wedding anniversary. But... there was never a wedding... was there? Now that she was close, Bill stood up to hug her. "Hi, honey! I'm two drinks ahead of you." "I'll catch up," she mumbled. The smell of him awakened a thousand memories... places they had been and things they had done in over ten years of marriage. "Calvin and Madge should be here soon," Bill said. A little shock ran through her. Calvin Ross... Bill's good friend since college. And Cal's wife Madge. Funny, she couldn't picture Madge. Had she ever met her? "Do I know Madge?" she asked. Bill furrowed his brow. "Do you know Madge? Uh... yeah! What kind of question is that?" "I don't know," Adralyn said. "I feel a little strange." "I don't trust that Doctor Schwab," Bill said. "Wh-what? You know Doctor Schwab?" Bill laughed. "What kind of high-powered tranquilizer has he got you on now? No wonder you feel strange. Honey, I think you would be better off on no medication at all. Alcohol! That's the best med for everything!" She remembered Bill loved to drink. That's how he had crashed his car -- drinking and driving. Dammit! She remembered the funeral! She stood up quickly, feeling furious. "What the hell is going on? What's this all about?" The other nearby bar patrons stopped talking and turned to watch the drama unfold. Bill motioned for her to sit back down. "No!" she screamed. "I will not sit down, you... you... GHOST!" Someone snickered. A voice said, "I think someone's been watching too many horror movies." Adralyn whirled around and went stomping towards the exit. Bill caught up with her and grabbed her arm. "Adralyn! Calm down! I swear I'm going to kill that doctor. Please, honey. Just come back and sit down. You'll feel better after a drink." |
She contemplated ripping her arm from his grasp and screaming some more, but by this point the entire room had swiveled to look at her. Defeated, she let her eyes dip and allowed him to lead her back to the bar. She sat down and Bill ordered her something but what it was didn't matter. As soon as it was set in front of her, Adralyn downed it in one breath. Hopefully it would dull her throbbing headache. "Mr. Kirkwall!" The call was close by, but the conversation in the room had started flowing again once Adralyn stopped yelling. More words flowed as Bill got up to greet his guests, but she didn't pay attention. She motioned to the barkeep for another drink. "This beautiful thing sitting next to me is my wife, Adralyn." Somehow she knew this was her que to turn around, smile and wave. When she did so, however, she was looking straight into the eyes of the man she had seen leave her. The very same man that she also watched burn alive. It sent a shiver down her spine, but she maintained her composure. "Calvin," she said, "Bill has told me-" But he cut her off with a wave of his hand. "My friends call me Cal." "Cal," her head began throbbing again. "Bill has told me so much about you." This was of course a lie, but it helped her sound less crazy. "Let's get to our table, shall we?" Bill broke in. The other two agreed and Adralyn let out an inward sigh of relief. She followed them to a small table in the corner of the room. Almost immediately Cal and Bill started up a conversation. Something about papers. Research papers. Bill taught at the university! She couldn't remember what he taught, but remembering the fact that he did made Adralyn feel better. Cal taught also. Something in the history department. He transfered recently. Thats it! A slight grin spread across Adralyn's face, and she sipped at her drink. "Adralyn?" Madge's voice broke her concentration and brought her back to the dimly lit bar in a country club named the Recluse, on a golf course that never ended. Adralyn looked up. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" "I asked you a question and you kind of spaced out." Embarassed, Adralyn glanced at the two men, still deep in conversation, then back at Madge. "What was the question?" Madge pointed at Adralyn's hand. "I said, where did you get that ring?" Adralyn looked down at her hand and stared at the red gem. It appeared to be moving on her, so she held it closer to her face, squinting. The sound in the room dimmed into an inperceivable buzz. Lights were shining inside the red rock, moving and dancing about. She tried to single them out, but it only made her more dizzy, as if the room had started to spin. Suddenly, the ring exploded into a red mist, causing a loud crackling sound that made her jump. Just then she came back to reality and the room was around her again. Everyone at her table was staring at her with a puzzled look on their face. The next table over glanced at her a couple of times but other then that no one seemed to notice. Stealing a glance at her hand, she saw the ring was still there. "Honey, are you alright?" Bill asked, putting his drink down. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I need some air." She stood up and quickly fled the room, going outside onto a balcony. The sudden blast of cold air shocked her, as did the grand veiw of the mountains around her. It was summer a minute ago. And she was on a golf course. Just for a moment longer she questioned it, but then gave up. Leaning on the railing, she stared out at the snowflakes as they sailed through the air silently. Dancing in the wind, trying desperately to stay aloft, but failing in the end. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Cal's voice made her jump, and she spun around to look at him. Now he was wearing a black suit, with a red tie. Much different then the khakies and polo from just a few moments ago. "Do you mind?" he held up a lighter and a cigarette. Adralyn shook her head and looked back at the veiw. Realizing she was shivering, she looked down at what she was wearing. A light blue cocktail dress, fitted snugly to accentuate her figure. Shortly Cal came to stand next to her, leaning against the rail as well. "Bill went back to your room. He's drunk as a skunk." a moment of silence passed before she stood straight and spoke again. "I wish Madge was here. She'd love the view. Too bad Johnny caught the flu." The last statement made her tense up. "Johnny?" She glanced sidelong at him. "My son, Johnathon?" He gave Adralyn a quizical look. "You're the one that suggested the name, remember?" Suddenly Adralyn broke into tears, covering her face with her hands. Completly unprepared, Cal had no idea what to do, so instead just stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. Finaly, he flicked his butt over the edge and tentatively put an arm around her shoulders. "Adralyn, what's the matter?" "I don't know Cal!" she turned toward him, tears streaming down her cheeks and ruining her make up. Then she burried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly before he could escape. "I don't know," she repeated softly. Sobs racked her body, and for a few minutes all Cal could do was pat her back gently. Eventually her wailing subsided, and they just stood there, holding each other, one out of fear and the other out of sympathy. Something about his familiar scent and warm body heat helped Adralyn get to a level place, and she looked up at him slowly. They looked each other in the eye for a few minutes, before she suddenly leaned up and kissed him passionately. |
After a few moments Cal whispered, "Let's go up to my room. It's cold out here." She knew what he was suggesting. "What about Madge?" she murmured, then wished she hadn't. However, he didn't say anything, just put his arm around her and leaning together they walked to the elevator. Later, as she lay naked in his bed, snuggled up to him while he slept, she tried to remember where she had first met Cal. It seemed as if she had known him forever. Third grade. Cal was there. He would chase her at recess and she would scream at the top of her lungs. It felt so good to be chased. Often Cal would play with the other boys while Adralyn was engaged in chats and games with the girls. But when the boys got it into their heads to "chase the girls" and come running at them in a yelling pack just to make them scream, Cal always singled her out. He never actually caught her... Until fourth grade. Once she was deliberately slow because she was curious what he would do. He had grabbed her, kissed her cheek, then run away. In fifth grade they were "going steady" for a month, then not, then again, then not. In sixth grade they were a boyfriend/girlfriend couple all year. And then... middle school. What had happened in middle school? There was a blank space in her memory. She couldn't even remember the name of her school, much less whether Cal was there. This is very odd, she thought, and began to feel a little panicky. How could she completely forget an entire chunk of her life? The ring on her finger sparkled and glowed. A little light seemed to flicker deep within the red gem. Her headache was coming back. She needed a drink. She climbed out of bed and got dressed. Cal did not wake up. He was sleeping so soundly he looked dead. Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't breathe. Was he dead? She reached out slowly, intending to shake his shoulder, but she couldn't touch him. Panic gripped her and she ran from the room. The bar was closed. She saw a clock and realized it was almost dawn. If she wasn't back in her room with Bill Kirkwall before the sun came up then all hell would break loose. She ran into an elevator. There were a hundred buttons and she didn't know which one to press. "Which floor? Which floor?" she screamed. The elevator door opened again and the man who was about to get on took one look at Adralyn's distorted face and said, "Uh, maybe I better take another elevator. You go ahead." She punched a button at random, the doors closed, and the elevator began its smooth ascent. |
A soft hum could be heard all around her, as if it had no real source. Adralyn ignored it as she tried to come up with an excuse about why she would have been out this late. Or early, she should say. The elevator doors slid open slowly, but there was nobody there. It was also six floors above where she had intented to go. Slowly Adralyn slipped out, checking both ways down the hallway for signs of people. Behind her the door slid closed, making her jump. "No, wait!" She pushed the recall button rapidly, but it continued to go down. After taking another quick glance around she started down the hallway. She had no idea where she was going, but something told her that was she was lookin for was this way. The hallway seemed to go on forever, the very end of it dark. when she looked back, she was greeted by the same sight: a long hallway with an imperceivable end. The doors were spaced further and further apart, until there was no more of them. It went on this way for a long time. Finally the hallway ended in large, white double doors with crystal knobs. She hesitated a moment, before pushing the doors open. The doors opened out onto the street. After stepping outside the doors slammed closed behind her. A fat drop of water landed on her head, and she realized it was raining. More fell, quickly soaking her as she ran across the street to take shelter under a bus stop. Breathing heavily, she sat on the bench and tried to discern her suroundings. Street lamps were still on, casting hazy light through the fog. Around her stone buildings rose from the ground, above cobblestone streets. None of this looked at all familier. "You do realize you have a parasol, miss?" The other voice made Adralyn jump, and she looked over to see who it was. At first, his plain features and black-framed bifocals seemed unfamilier, but the realization struck her like a slap in the face. "Uncle Henry?" She blinked, standing again. "And to answer your other question, no, you haven't ever been to London." He stole a quick glance around. "And neither have I." Adralyn couldn't stop gaping. She hadn't seen Uncle Henry since her father's funeral. Or was it her wedding? But wait, she wasn't sure there was even a wedding. Henry's voice broke into her thoughts. "Adralyn, what are we doing here?" |
"I don't know," she said. "You would not believe all the strangeness in my life." Uncle Henry put both hands on his belly and chuckled. "Oh, I believe it all right. It comes from your father's side of the family." Uncle Henry was her father's brother. She had forgotten what a round pot belly Henry had. As a child she thought he must have swallowed something big and round, like a basketball or a watermelon. "You think I inherited my father's strangeness? I never understood about all that, Uncle Henry. I think if Dad had lived longer he might have told me something, but growing up I just thought we were a normal family." Uncle Henry smiled and opened her parasol for her. "Don't get wet. I'm not sure there is any family that is truly normal. Maybe in an advertisemen, but in real life? I'm not so sure." "I agree, Uncle Henry, that being a little bit NOT normal is probably perfectly normal, but the things that have been happening to me are far beyond that. They are truly bizarre." "So I hear. I had a chat with Johnny." "Wh-what? Johnny?" Adralyn's head started buzzing with a jangling sound that made her vision blur. Uncle Henry reached out to grab her shoulder. "Steady there! You looked like you were about to faint. Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned Johnny." "No, it's alright. I'm just so confused. How is... Johnny?" "He's doing fine! Pure chance I ran into him. We didn't talk long. But he said he was worried about you." Adralyn twirled her parasol. The gentle rain was warm and pleasant. "He said that? That was nice. I wish I could see him again." "I imagine you will eventually, don't you?" "I... I don't know. I don't know what to expect. Are we really in London? Why?" "Why not?" Uncle Henry clutched his belly again. She wondered if he was trying to hold his chuckles in or trying to push them out. She wanted to ask him why he grabbed his belly like that, but an awkwardness fell over her and she was unable to speak. Whatever she thought of to say seemed wrong, so she didn't say it. And then she couldn't think of anything to say at all. Uncle Henry didn't help, as he remained silent himself. She wondered if he felt the same awkwardness she did. She gazed around at the wet streets and avoided his eyes. He seemed to do the same. Finally, she said, "Well... should we just stand here all night?" "I don't know where to go," Uncle Henry said. "Do you?" For the first time she noticed how old he was, all the lines around his eyes and mouth. His expression was not one of confidence. He's frightened, she thought, and the thought made her frightened as well. She put her arm through his. "Let's start walking. Maybe we will think of something." |
Adralyn held up her parasol as they walked and they both crowded together to try and stay under it. Needless to say it didn't keep them both completely dry, but it kept the rain off their heads. The road had started to slant downwards, and the cobble stones became slippery. Twice Adralyn had started to fall, but Uncle Henry had caught her. "You know, if I wasn't so old, and you weren't so big, I'd let you ride on my shoulders." He let out a warm chuckle. A few moments passed before he spoke again. "I remember when you were a little girl. As soon as I walked through the door you would start harrasing me for a piggy back ride. " Adralyn smiled a little. She remembered those times. Every sunday Uncle Henry would come over for a family barbeque. Well, family because her father and him were the only family she had ever known. Within minutes she was lost in the memory... It was a cool summers day, a light breeze blowing across the backyard. The sun was high in the sky, shinning bright. The spicy scent of hot Italian sausage filled the air. It was her father's favorite. But Adralyn only liked hot dogs, since the sausage was "icky". "Charlie, stop it!" She giggled, trying desperately to push the furry beast off of her. Charlie, a grey and white husky pup had pinned her to the ground and was ferociously licking her face. She finally pushed him off and stood. Acting big, she growled and chased him around the yard. A few minutes later he stopped and started barking, then chased Adralyn. She giggled and acted terrified, running away from him. Suddenly Adralyn stopped, looking back at the house. She realized her father and Uncle Henry hadn't come out in a long time. Charlie ran smack into the back of her legs nearly knocking her over. He quickly shook it off and started barking, jumping around excitedly. "Wait a minute, Charlie." She ran up the steps as fast as her short legs would let her, and stopped at the double doors. The curtains were drawn, and she could hear voices inside. Quietly pressing her ear to the glass she tried to listen in. "Richard, you have to take care of this." "I know." "You have to do it soon." "I know." "No, I don't think you do know!" Uncle Henry raised his voice, but quickly lowered it, suddenly concious of the little girl in the yard. "Dad left this responsibility to you because you were the oldest. Don't let him down." "What if I don't want to make the Deal? What if I don't like what He's offering?" Her father was yelling now, and it appeared to stun Henry into silence. "What about Adralyn? He'll come after her." Uncle Henry spoke in a hushed tone. There was another silence. "I'll take care of it." A small moment of hesitation passed. "Are you staying for dinner?" Her father changed the subject. "Uhh... no, sorry Rich. I have to take Claudia to her game. You're more than welcome to bring Adralyn by later. I'm sure Claudia would love to see her." "Yea, maybe I'll do that. I'll see you later Henry, and tell Lydia I said Hi." "Sure thing." Adralyn saw the two embrace, then Henry's figure turned and walked out the front door. Her father just stood there. Charlie's cold wet nose touched her cheek, making her jump a little. No telling how long he had been trying to get her attention, sitting there next to her with his head cocked to the left. He was whining quietly, and giving her those big eyes. She started to say something, but suddenly the door flung open, and Charlie just barely managed to avoid being smacked off the porch. However, it took him only seconds to forget and start barking excitedly at her father. Adralyn stood quickly with her eyes downcast, she was sure her father would admonish her for evesdropping. Instead, he smiled and bent down to pick her up. "Uncle Henry had to go home. It's just us." He walked down the steps slowly, trying not to trip over Charlie, who was jumping all around his feet. "So, what do you wanna do today, Boo?" Adralyn smiled broadly at the mention of his pet name for her. She looked up at him, who was smiling back. "Can we go rollerblading?" She suddenly lit up, ecstatic at the idea. He laughed a little and nodded. "Sure, we can go rollerblading." He suddenly flipped her upsidedown, holding her by the waist. Adralyn screamed in suprise, but giggled afterwards. "Maybe you can learn to skate on your hands." The entire day was so crystal clear. Maybe because it was her favorite memory of her father. Or maybe it was because it was the day before their house burned down while she was at school. She remembered that day too. Uncle Henry had picked her up from school, and taken her to his house. She played with Claudia for awhile, but then she wanted to know where her father was, and uncle henry wouldn't answer her. Neither would Aunt Lydia, who nearly broke into tears when she asked. "Adralyn, are you alright?" Suddenly she was brought back to wherever she was now. Uncle Henry had a hand on each shoulder, and he was stooped slightly to look her in the eye. "Yes, I'm alright." She looked around. "Where are we now?" |
"I think we're in the wrong part of London," Uncle Henry said. His legs felt very weak but he had to keep moving.The sudden transition from quietly reading a book in the warmth of his own living room to standing in the rain beside Adralyn in London had shocked him to the core. He head no idea what it meant or why it had happened. Apparently, neither did Adralyn. He was trying to maintain his normal good humor, but it wasn't easy because he was frightened. "How do you know it's the wrong part?" Adralyn asked. "Because... Say, look up ahead, is that an old-fashioned buggy?" "With horses! Do you suppose it's some kind of public transportation?" "We'll find out." Henry rapped on the side of the buggy. A man stepped out from the trees near the road. "Need a cab, guv'nor? I was just taking a break." He held open the door and Henry and Adralyn got in. "Where to?" the cabbie asked. "Is there a police station nearby?" Henry said, but Adralyn tugged at his arm. "Are you sure that's where we should go? Perhaps the library would be better." "The library!" Henry said. "Whatever for? Are you in the mood for reading books?" "I just thought we might find out more about our... situation there. Do a little research, you know?" Henry wasn't sure why Adralyn was so hesitant to seek police help, but he nodded. "Take us to the library, driver." After a short ride during which they passed another cab, also a horse-drawn buggy, they arrived at a flight of stone steps leading up to the entrance to a grand building. "This is quite a library," Henry said. At the top of the steps they passed through a massive entranceway into an immense room filled with books. The ceiling was far above them, but the books climbed the walls on rank after rank of shelves. There were several ladders on rails that could be moved to access the higher volumes. In the center of the room were a large number of reading tables, each able to seat eight people and equipped with four lamps. Adralyn headed for the racks of newspapers. "Now we will find out something." She snatched up the nearest paper. "I thought so! Look at this date! 1891! We're in the late 19th century!" Henry had a wistful look on his face. "Sherlock Holmes," "What?" Adralyn looked at him. "Sherlock Holmes. I've always admired him. This is his time and his place." "For goodness sakes, UIncle Henry. You don't think Sherlock Holmes has anything to do with this, do you?" "I don't know but there is one way to find out. We'll try to consult him. If anyone would know what's going on it would be him." "Uncle Henry! He is a fictional character. He didn't actually live in London in the 19th century." "You're thinking of another London, but what about THIS London? We have to find out. Did they have telephone directories then?" "I think so." Adralyn went searching through the racks of magazines and newspapers, but Henry had gone to seek advice from the front desk librarians. He returned grinning. "He's here alright. Let's see if we can find another cab." "Where does he live?" "Where do you think? 221B Baker Street." |
It was a short ride to 221B Baker street. Even shorter once the cabbie realized that Uncle Henry had no way to pay him. So he dropped them off a few streets early, cursing them as he pulled away. The rain had cleared up, at least. "Let's hurry, before it starts to pour again." Uncle henry turned to look at Adralyn, giving her a small smile. She smiled back, and they set off down the sidewalk. In just a few moments time, they were standing before the stoop that lead up to house number 221, apartment B. Uncle Henry just stood there, gaping. Adralyn shivered slightly, acutely aware of her lack of a jacket. The door opened quetly and a large figure wearing a black trenchcoat stepped out, closing the door behind him. He passed wordlessly, tipping his hat slightly at the two of them. As he walked away, he made no sound whatsoever. Adralyn couldn't even hear his footsteps. "Come on, let's just go in." She tugged at henry slightly, rousing him from his stupor. "Ah, yes. let's go." Slowly they ascended the seventeen steps and entered the main hall. On the right was a brass letter A affixed to the door. On the left was a B. Uncle henry stepped up to the door labeled B, and knocked hesitantly. There was an immensly long silence before a voice gruffly answered back. "Yes?" Uncle henry looke dover at adralyn, and then at the door. "Ahem, Mr. Holmes? we were hoping you could assist us in a ah, situation." The door flung open suddenly, revealing a man of average height and build, dressed in what could only be described as his pajamas. His hair was disheveled, and he looked as if it had been days since he last shaved. Despite his appearance, he had an intensity that caught Adralyn off guard. His eyes flicked between them, and he seemed wired. "you must be Henry." He stuck his hand out sharply, and Henry shook it. "And you," He reached out and took Adralyn's hand, bending slightly and bringing it gently to his lips. "Adralyn, right?" His movements were suprisingly fluid and graceful. Adralyn just gawked, astonished. "How did you know?" she blurted out. "Adralyn, the man is literaly Sherlock holmes!" He looked back at Holmes, who was smiling faintly. "Where are my mannors, come in, come in" He stepped aside, and let them in. Inside the apartment was a disaster zone, papers and objects in huge heaps in ever corner of the room. In the center of the mantle several letters were pinned with a huge dagger thrust through them. A large diagram was drawn on the oposite wall in some black substance, with many parts of it crossed out or written over. There was just a path leading to the back of the apartment, with another branching off into a side room. "Please excuse my appearance, i've been working." He squeezed past them on the outside of the narrow path, heading towards the overflowing table in the center of the room. Balanced precariously on top of the papers was a large platter, with several tea cups and a kettle. "Watson says I work too hard. would you like some tea? I beleive Mrs. Hudson made it today." He poured himself a cup and tasted it, making a face then putting it down. "or yesterday." "Excuse me, Mr. Holmes, but how did you know our names?" Adralyn held her umbrella infront of her, trying to ask as inocently as possible. Holmes clasped his hands behind his back. "I spoke to you father." |
"My father?" Adralyn said. "I don't understand." Holmes directed his piercing gaze at her. "When was the last time you saw your father?" "I...uh... well, it has been a while but that's because he is... dead, Mr Holmes." "And what did he do while he was alive?" "Do? Well, for some years he was in the merchant marine. He was often gone for years at a time." Holmes clasped his hands behind his back and walked over to the window to gaze out. "Have you ever heard of the Bermuda Triangle?" "The place where ships and airplanes are lost? Sure." "Your father came to see me last week with an interesting story. He said his ship was caught in a whirlpool and that when it finally got free, he found that he was no longer in his own time, but had been transported to 1891. Fortunately, they had enough fuel to make it to a port - London - and he came straight to me for help." "He was a big fan of yours," Adralyn said. "Was?" "I guess still is! Then he is here? Where can I see him?" "All in good time," Holmes said. "To tell you the truth, I was a bit skeptical of his story, but he told me all about his daughter and his brother... and now the two of you are here." Uncle Henry had been listening intently. "I say, Holmes, how do you explain it? What force could snatch us from our own time and transport us here?" "I am afraid I can't explain it... yet," Holmes said. "But I am sure there must be an explanantion. Sometimes that which appears most mysterious turns out to be remarkably simple and obvious when we know all the facts." "When can I see my father?" Adralyn asked. "If he maintains his usual schedule, then today. Every evening he drops by to see what progress I have made. I'm sure he will be quite surprised to see you, even though he seems to have predicted your appearance here." |
Suddenly Adralyns throat closed up, preventing her from saying what she was going to say. Her father, whom she hasn't seen in almost twenty years, was going to be here, in this very apartment tonight. She felt a little dizzy, reaching out to uncle Henry to support herself. "We, uh, thank you for your help, Mr. Holmes. But, i need some air." Then she turned and hastily left the apartment, not even slowing to close the door behind her. Uncle henry and Holmes exchanged quizical looks, before Uncle Henry spoke. "I can't honestly say i ever thought i would meet The Sherlock Holmes." He took off his coat, drapping it over one arm, then closing the door. "This is such an honor." "Yes, well. Do you think she will be alright?" He motioned towards the door, obviosly refering to adralyn. Uncle henry glanced back, and nodded. Then he loosened the cuffs on his shirt. "It's a shame that it has to end like this for you." Suddenly uncle henry's voice changed, growing deeper. His figure shifted violently. Holemes was suddenly on guard, taking a few steps back and retreiving the dagger from the fireplace. "Who are you?" his body taut, prepared for anything. Instead of replying, the man who was posing as Uncle Henry attacked. She must have been at least a mile or so away before adralyn could not run any more. She crumpled into a heap on the side of a bridge, leaning against the cold stone guard rail. Her breath came in gasps, and a sheen of sweat covered her body. It wasn't raining anymore, but it was stilll cold enough to make ehr shiver. Adralyn was scared. She was scared of what this meant, and why she was here. Slowly standing, she looked over the railing, into the inky darkness that flowed beneath her. What was she and uncle henry doing here? why was he even dragged into this? Now her father. who was suddenly here, and very real.But, she had just had a conversation with Sherlock Holmes, a fictional character. Adralyn pressed her hands to her head and supressed a scream "I'm insane." she said aloud, not to anyone particular, this much was true and she could not deny it. Without really thinking about it, she climbed up onto the railing, standing slowly and looking down again at the water. Suddenly memories assailed her. Of a big red barn, of cows and horses, of her chasing chickens. She was on a farm, it's rich smell of soil and fertilizer and animals sorounding her. More memories, of a blonde haired little girl, running around and causing mischief. Flashes showed adralyn her whole life, through school, graduation, finding a job. Then there was one memory that stayed longer than the rest. She was in a hay loft. But she wasn't alone, someone elses breathing was prominant in the close quaters. Her own breathing was loud. It felt so right, but there was a tinge of guilt. Then she opened her eyes again, fully in control of herself again. She started to lean forward, but then changed her mind, stumbling and flailing her arms to regain balance. Her foot slid out from under her, she fell back, onto the roadway, but smashed her head on the ground. Her vision blurred, and she was dizzy. she felt sleepy. Adralyn had no idea how long she layed there, half concius, but eventualy she heard voices, felt herself being lifted off the cold ground. They had rediculous accents, and she told them as much. But they assured her they were going to get her some help. "Who am i?" she mumbled under her breath. |