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The multifaceted life of a father and his daugher |
| This time, the smell is different. This time, the dirt is unfamiliar in taste and consistency. The air is stale, like it is running out. How long has she been down this time? The journey had been longer than any before, that she knew. It had worried her, panic setting in that hadn’t been present for many years. She could not allow herself to panic. Air was too precious to be wasted on unnecessary emotions. The move was one of alarm. Her father’s mind was in a state of sheer desperation and urgency. His mind was not where it should have been, not for this. Mistakes could cost his daughter her life. Maryvale adored her dad, idolised him even. To her, he is her guiding light, fighting the bad guys, fighting the demons and winning every time. But something had been different tonight. Something had spooked her dad more than usual and, in turn, had spooked her too. Normally their ritual is methodical, rehearsed, like a time worn dance. Every contingency plan in place, never changing, never in question. But not tonight. Tonight it has gone to shit, and Maryvale has had enough. It was time for her to sit her dad down and have a long overdue chat. The earth shifted, settled, and with it came again the unfamiliar smell and taste. This was ground she did not know; earth she had not lain under before. Why? Why had the location changed? None of this made sense. Maryvale reached for her water bottle, needing to quench her thirst. She felt around with her left hand towards where it always lay but found nothing within her grasp. She moved her right, thinking maybe Dad, in his distress, had placed it on the wrong side. Still nothing. Shifting her focus towards her legs, between her thighs, she concentrated on the area where a heaviness normally lay, where the torch should be. Reaching down, Maryvales heartbeat kicks up a beat when the coolness of the torch is nowhere to be found. Mary slows her breathing to calm her galloping heart. She can not afford to waste what oxygen she has left. Dad never leaves her down for anything more than two hours, tops. But as she has no torch, Mary cannot check her watch for the time. In fact, Mary cannot remember setting the countdown on her watch as part of the routine. Part of keeping her grounded and calm as it sets off alarms every half hour to remind her that dad is coming. Why can’t she remember? And why is she so unusually thirsty? Out of nowhere, the stillness erupts with a ferociousness that has Mary bolting upright and smacking her head sharply on the lid above. The undeniable sound of machinery rumbles and shakes the very ground in which she lies. No longer can Mary lay still and quiet. With no idea what is happening, what has happened to her father, Mary begins to scream. Her throat burns with the effort to be heard. She screams and yells until her voice starts to lose strength. She begins to cough, spittle flying and landing back upon her face. She strains to breathe. The sound of the machine above becomes louder and closer until it unexpectedly stops. “Oh, thank god” Mary thinks, “by some miracle they have heard me.” She strains her voice again for one last try, and then she hears a voice, unfamiliar and frighteningly unfriendly. My God, they know I’m down here, whoever they are. “You are going to die this time you little bitch” the voice is manic and filled with excitement. “Let’s see how daddy lives on now. It’s over Maryvale. It is all over!!!” The machinery rumbles to life once more, and Mary lays frozen in fear and horror. This can’t be happening!! Tears stream down her face, her body shakes convulsively with sheer terror. And as the next sound rips her soul to shreds, she cries out for her dad to come and save her. |
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