GRAVEYARD ANGEL
One moment I was at the annual Christmas party that my mother always took me to. Though I hadn’t wanted to go, I never said no to her. She was my world. She raised me on her own after my father abandoned us. Together, we were so close that we were just two sides of the same coin. And like two sides of the same coin, we faced two ways, and never saw eye to eye.
But I loved her, and never said no.
Perhaps this is also how I got mixed up into all this in the first place. It probably all started with the Christmas party, which I couldn’t say no to.
The night air was frigid, and filled with swirling snowflakes. The ground was slowly coated a thin blue white from the bottom up. All I remembered about the party was how my mother asked me to be a good girl and go play with the other kids. But the only kids in my age group always excluded me. They thought I was just an awkward girl, and never knew what to say to me. I couldn’t blame them. I never went out of my way to say anything back.
So I just tagged along with them, since they never seemed to mind. At least, I never thought so until tonight. When they put on their boots and coats, I did the same. When they left the house and walked into the woods, I followed a few paces behind them. I didn’t care that we were all told by our parents to never go into the woods at night. Common sense pleaded with me to just stay put, but I felt like I had no choice. What if my mom saw me playing alone? She’d think I hadn’t listened to her and done what I was told to do.
They talked softly amongst themselves, although they often glanced back at me conspiratorially, but never meeting my eyes. I didn’t even bother listening because it wasn’t anything new. I got this sort of treatment a lot. Thus time passed slowly, and it felt like we were so many miles away from the Christmas party, from my mother.
Just when I thought I would go back without them, they stopped and turned to look at me. I wanted to ask them if it was time to go back, but nothing came out of my mouth. Something was wrong, and I was never good at speaking to other people.
“What’s the matter? Too scared to speak?” one of the girls taunted me.
A boy spoke next, “Don’t bother talking to her. You know she’s not going to say anything back.” He rolled his eyes, “Come on guys. Are we going to do this or not? My feet are freezing!”
The other kids laughed quietly, as if there was something funny about the whole situation. The heavy weight in my stomach sunk even lower as they walked closer to me, forcing me back. Knowing that not even words would help me now against what they had planned for me, I turned and ran.
For a second, all I saw were trees, frost, and snow. But the snow wasn’t thick enough to capture any footprints that could lead me back to the house. So I let me feet take me blindly, fear flowing cold throughout me as my heart beat loudly in my ears. Not far behind, I could hear the other kids’ hoots and screams. They continued to taunt and chase me, enjoying themselves as they hunted me. I was forced to flinch every time I saw something move from the corner of my eyes, and run in zigzags until I thought my heart would explode and my lungs would catch on fire.
After what felt like an eternity, I realized I couldn’t hear the other kids anymore, so I slowed down. All I could hear was a river, which I found myself drawn to since I hadn’t a clue where I ended up. All I could do was crouch by the riverbank, and bury my head against my knees.
Everything felt like a bad dream. And now I was afraid I would have to wait by the river until morning. I couldn’t even think about my mother. She would be so worried, so…
A twig snapped behind me, forcing me out of my self-pity as I looked towards the sound in horror. It was one of those kids who had lured me into the woods to do god knows what to me. I stood up cautiously as he called for his friends.
“Hey guys! I found her! She’s by the river!”
There were more rustles accompanied by voices now, and one by one, the others appeared. They too were panting but they circled me, as if I were a cornered animal. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. My mind was going blank.
Before they could continue to corner me, I made a mad dash for the largest gap between them, but they easily caught me and brought me down. I felt tears on my face as I struggled, my long tresses tangling with the dirt and dead leaves. Before I knew it, they had me on my feet again with firm grasps on my arms and shoulders. Someone even had their hand snagged into my hair, forcing my head up at an awkward angle.
I was too scared out of my mind to understand what they had talked about. All I could figure out was that they were talking about how deep the river was, and that one moment I was on dry land, and the next I was practically thrown into the water.
My body flailed in pain, feeling as if I were being stabbed to death wherever the ice water touched me. My coat and boots dragged me down like dead weight, and all I could to was cough and sputter while I fought to scream through my chattering teeth.
The other kids panicked, not realizing how deep and cold the river was this time of year. But no one would jump in and save me. Things they said just turned slower, more garbled, and an inky numbness that had started to creep over me without me knowing suddenly took hold.
I didn’t even get a chance to realize I was falling unconscious as I was drowning.
When I woke up again, I was washed up against a riverbank. At first, I had no memory and could barely move. But eventually I forced myself up, falling and stumbling on my numb feet. I didn’t have to walk far until I met with the edge of the woods.
There was an enormous house… perhaps house is not the right word to describe it. It was a huge building, like an abandoned apartment complex – except that it wasn’t as square. It wasn’t until I had somehow stumbled inside, searching the walls, that I realized it seemed different… like a very high-end hotel.
I could barely see in the dark, but at least I was slowly drying. The river water still dripped from me, but I barely noticed. Somehow, I stumbled into a really small room. But as I was feeling my way out, my fingers trembled against a button, causing it to light up. Before I knew it, the doors slid shut and I was trapped.
Shakily, I shoved myself against the far wall to keep from collapsing as the room shuddered and started moving up. After what felt like an unbearably long time, I felt the room shudder to a stop as the doors open again. Not wanting to stay in such small space any longer, I hastily stumbled out of the room. It wasn’t until after the doors closed that I was finally able to find a word for the room I was in.
How could I not have recognized that I was in an elevator? I must have really been slipping. I could barely remember anything aside from running through the woods and getting pushed into the freezing rapids.
Something nagged at me in the back of my mind. I had to leave this place. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just that the shadows looked like they were moving around me. I had someone I had to return to. Someone important.
The only light source came from the massive windows on the other side of room, so I followed it until I could press my hands against the cold, dusty glass. Wiping a small area clean, I peered out the window. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but hoped something would jog my memory.
It was useless though. All I saw was a wide expanse of trees, and the cold night sky with only a moon hanging beyond the silvery blue clouds.
Suddenly, I felt someone watching me. Turning quickly with my back pressed flush against the tall windows, I stared blankly at the figure in the darkness. Beside him, a black cat with luminous yellow eyes watched me carefully. Both almost seemed to melt out of the shadows and into the moonlight so I could see them.
The black figure took the shape of a boy. He looked older than me by a few years, but he couldn’t have been older than his late teens. His dark hair fluttered into his pale face, which almost appeared luminescent in the dull lighting.
There was a catlike smile on his pleasant face, yet I couldn’t tell what color his eyes were. I just knew they were catlike too. And I don’t mean slanted and feral, just… curious and calculating. He extended a hand towards me, but I couldn’t bring myself to return the gesture. However, he remained unfazed and kept his hand out.
“My name is Cecil,” he began, his voice neither low nor high. If I couldn’t see him, I wouldn’t have been able to tell his gender. “May I help you up?”
I hadn’t realized my knees had given away and I was now sitting, pressed against the window. Struggling to gather my bearings, I pulled myself to my feet on my own. I eyed him wearily, not knowing what to do. What did he want from me? Was he in on it too?
Was he with them… with those other kids?
Suddenly, I remembered why I had been running through the woods and how I ended up in the river. I remember being pinned to the ground and mocked at. I remembered the terror that filled me, and continued to claim me now.
“Are you all right?” the boy asked, his accent a little old fashioned. He smiled, not unkindly at me but with a secret mischief, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What is your name?”
Something in me was compelled to tell him, open my mouth and speak, but the instant I felt my jaw loosen, it snapped shut. My eyes looked down at the cat by Cecil’s feet. It watched me ever stonily, but its head tilted in question.
“I don’t know,” I spoke for the first time all night. My voice was tight, and raspy. Not soothing like Cecil’s. It carried a higher note, and may have been pleasant if I wasn’t so scared and worn out. Why was I so confused?
Cecil seemed disappointed, but it was so vague I could barely tell. I felt badly, and had the strangest urge to play to his tune. To do whatever he said. It felt familiar, like I had always done that all my life. Not for him, but for someone else. Someone important to me, whom I just couldn’t remember yet.
He nodded after a moment, “You should stay the night. And you look like you could use a change of clothes.”
Alarm bells rang in my head, and I knew that wouldn’t be possible. I couldn’t stay here. I desperately needed to go back to wherever I came from. Besides, logic was telling me something strange. This boy shouldn’t be here, just as much as I shouldn’t be here. No one else was here. This was an abandoned building with dusty windows and dusty everything.
Feeling obliged to do as he said, I felt my feet walking towards him, as if I was under some spell. But that was ridiculous. How could I possibly be under a spell? Magic didn’t exist. But looking at Cecil, something about him seemed unnatural. I couldn’t bring myself to trust him, or anyone. Not after what I had been through that night.
Resolve that I had never felt before made me stop. I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t. So when I closed my eyes to gather my wits, I began to see things… bizarre things that I couldn’t explain. I could see other people, but their backs were turned to me. With my eyes closed, I looked in Cecil’s direction. He appeared the same as ever, but when I looked down at the cat, I saw a pile of bones.
No, not a pile. It was a skeleton of cat bones.
As I looked up again, the other people were beginning to turn and look at me too. But they… they were like the cat. They were skeletons with grinning skulls as they peered down at me.
My eyes snapped open. I must have looked wild, for Cecil appeared a little startled.
“No,” I said firmly, “This is a trick. If I stay here, I’ll turn into one of them, won’t I? I’m sorry, Cecil, but I can’t. I need to go.”
Cecil’s surprise seemed genuine now, as if he couldn’t believe I had figured something out so quickly. His surprise disappeared though, and was replaced with a pleased grin, “You’re the first to come to that conclusion so quickly.”
I should have been scared, but it was like I had used up all my fear that night. If I could snap out of his spell earlier, I could leave this place as long as I focused on leaving.
“I’m sorry. But I have to go home.”
With that, I walked passed him and the cat, which had mysteriously disappeared. I found the stairs after a while of searching the floor. I hadn’t felt so invigorated in a long time. No longer cold, I found myself moving a little easier, though I still felt a bit sluggish. It was late though, and I knew I was tired. But there was someone I had to return to.
Once I reached the first floor after so many stairs with only the moonlight to guide me, I made a beeline for the front doors, which I had come through in the first place. But before I could reach them, Cecil stepped out of the shadows in the corner. He looked a little sad, but at least he didn’t appear angry.
“Do you know where you’re going?” he asked.
The question gave me pause, but I knew that if I didn’t want to be stuck here, I had to leave. Once I was outside, I turned and saw him and his cat standing right outside of the doors. Closing my eyes, I could see those skeletal people again. They looked down at me from the windows, as if they were curious where I would go too.
When I looked back at Cecil, he was still the same whether I closed my eyes or not. So when I opened them, I looked into his eyes. He remained unfazed, with the same sad look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Cecil. I really am. If there wasn’t someone I have to return to, I might have stayed with you,” for the first time, I felt a soft smile tugging at my mouth, “You were the first to ever show me any kindness.”
He looked genuinely surprised again, before his smile returned. Brighter and more open this time. It was then I knew he was different than anyone I knew. He wasn’t a bad person at all, just lonely. He reminded me of myself in a way.
But before I could think about it, I continued on my way, seeing a path that led out to a massive iron gate. It was locked, but I could see a road beyond it. My best bet was to follow the road to somewhere where there would be people. I shook the intricate wrought-iron bars, but they wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, there was a resounding click as they unlocked themselves. I looked back, just in time to see Cecil one last time before he faded into the shadows of the building.
I followed my instincts in the direction I felt I had come from. I kept traveling, fighting sleep, cold, and dizziness. The sky was still very dark, but I knew dawn was approaching as I had been walking for hours it seemed. Nothing appeared familiar, and I was beginning to feel more lost than ever.
By now, the road had led back into the woods. Vaguely, I knew that if anything, the woods was where I had started out from, so I continued on. But even as the sky began to lighten, I felt more and more hopeless. That was when houses began to appear down the road. I saw cars, and knew that there were people here. Before long, I found a house with police cars in front of it.
A part of me knew I should have talked to the police, but I didn’t even know my own name. What if they thought I was lying? What if they put me in an orphanage? I would never find whoever I was looking for.
Around the house, I heard voices. There were adults, and police in uniform… but they weren’t who scared me. I saw a few kids my age, huddled under blankets as if they had been out in the woods all night like I had been. It was then I recognized them as the ones who had tormented me.
I couldn’t move. All I could do was stand shakily and stare from the edge of the woods that the road had led me to. One of the kids saw me and jumped out of his seat, jabbing a finger in my direction. All I saw were those kids as they stood up together, and come toward me. Followed by the adults and police.
All I could see were people advancing on me. With my mind in a haze of panic and numbness, it took a second before my body reacted in the only way it knew how to.
I ran.
Back into the woods, I ran. I could hear people chasing me, and it was a like a nightmare that just kept repeating itself. It just wouldn’t stop until I was caught and tortured again.
I couldn’t let that happen! In my heart, I called out to the only name I could think of. All I could think of was Cecil and his open smile. I needed help, and the only one who had offered it was he. Even though I had run from him, I couldn’t think of anyone else to trust.
Fear filled me and tears flew from my face as I hoped that wherever I was running, it would bring me closer to him. I did my best to blot out the yelling in the distance. I even tried closing my eyes to look for him, but there was nothing.
Without my knowing, the ground turned steep suddenly, and my wild momentum sent me sprawling. Unfortunately, a bare tree root hooked under my foot and tripped me. Unknown to me at the time, I had been running precariously by a cliff side, and the tree root had thrown me over the edge.
I didn’t even have time to scream before I fell and crashed into a ditch. My body had broken through the ice and now water was seeping back into my damp clothes. Everything hurt so much, especially my back and neck. Even shivering hurt, and I had to wonder if the ice had pierced into me.
My eyes blinked blearily, and all I could see were tree silhouettes against a lightening sky. A light flittered over my eyes, and I caught sight of an officer shining a light down at me, calling for back up. But he looked so small… I must have fallen quite far if he couldn’t reach me…
There was a woman in my blurring vision before I closed my eyes. I couldn’t see her face, but I could see the officer pulling her back forcefully as she tried to climb down after me. I couldn’t hear them anymore though. I couldn’t even tell if I was feeling cold or hot since I felt both to my very bones.
Suddenly, there was a hand on my forehead. It was cold, but it felt so good against my burning face. And it was gentle – so gentle, that I didn’t want the hand to ever leave my skin.
“Cecil?” I whispered the first thing that came to mind.
“Yes,” he answered, holding my cheeks in his cold hands, “I’m here. I heard you calling for me.”
I fought to open my eyes. For some reason, everything seemed dimmer. There was no sound. But I could see his beautiful face hovering over me. It was serious yet gentle like everything about him. It was then I thought of the face of a graveyard angel, standing guard over the dead and comforting them as they moved on. It hurt to smile and speak.
“You came… Thank you.”
He closed his piercing eyes, “Don’t thank me. I knew when I first saw you that your time was up. But I couldn’t take you away yet.”
I couldn’t even grimace as I moved my hand to cover his. It was so cool, so soft and smooth. I cradled it closer to my face.
“Did you find who you were looking for?” He asked this time, touching my hair and moving it out of my eyes.
I couldn’t nod or move, but I could still breathe.
“My mom…” My eyes glazed over, tears leaking out again.
Cecil wiped away the tears that were beginning to freeze on my temples. He looked at my face as if he saw something particularly tragic, but I didn’t mind. I saw her one final time, didn’t I? I knew this would be the end when it happened.
Bits of my memories were finally coming back, and for as long as I could remember; I only ever did what other people told me to do, especially when my mother wanted me to do something. I always thought of her, and how lonely she would be if I weren’t with her. My father wasn’t with her. Who would be there to hold her when she cried herself to sleep?
My breathing became slower, and Cecil stayed with me, offering only his presence and understanding. I knew he would have to take me away as soon as my heart gave out. But for once, I wanted to be selfish.
“Hey Cecil,” I breathed out, “Can I… keep you?”
He almost didn’t know what to say, from the look on his flawless face. I was afraid he would say no, but to my great relief, he nodded. His eyes were gentler than I had ever seen them.
“Forever. I promise you won’t ever be alone again.” He touched my scalp, though I could barely feel it.
If I could smile again, I would, but my lips were frozen completely still, as if I was turning into stone.
“Thank you...” I breathed out, glad to feel someone’s love for me.
This time I felt his lips hover over mine, as if he was drawing out my very soul from the tail of my last breath. But before I could completely rest, I felt the barest touch of a tear on my face. Somehow, I knew it wasn’t mine.
“You’re welcome,” his voice grew softer against my ears.
And this time, I really smiled.
But I loved her, and never said no.
Perhaps this is also how I got mixed up into all this in the first place. It probably all started with the Christmas party, which I couldn’t say no to.
The night air was frigid, and filled with swirling snowflakes. The ground was slowly coated a thin blue white from the bottom up. All I remembered about the party was how my mother asked me to be a good girl and go play with the other kids. But the only kids in my age group always excluded me. They thought I was just an awkward girl, and never knew what to say to me. I couldn’t blame them. I never went out of my way to say anything back.
So I just tagged along with them, since they never seemed to mind. At least, I never thought so until tonight. When they put on their boots and coats, I did the same. When they left the house and walked into the woods, I followed a few paces behind them. I didn’t care that we were all told by our parents to never go into the woods at night. Common sense pleaded with me to just stay put, but I felt like I had no choice. What if my mom saw me playing alone? She’d think I hadn’t listened to her and done what I was told to do.
They talked softly amongst themselves, although they often glanced back at me conspiratorially, but never meeting my eyes. I didn’t even bother listening because it wasn’t anything new. I got this sort of treatment a lot. Thus time passed slowly, and it felt like we were so many miles away from the Christmas party, from my mother.
Just when I thought I would go back without them, they stopped and turned to look at me. I wanted to ask them if it was time to go back, but nothing came out of my mouth. Something was wrong, and I was never good at speaking to other people.
“What’s the matter? Too scared to speak?” one of the girls taunted me.
A boy spoke next, “Don’t bother talking to her. You know she’s not going to say anything back.” He rolled his eyes, “Come on guys. Are we going to do this or not? My feet are freezing!”
The other kids laughed quietly, as if there was something funny about the whole situation. The heavy weight in my stomach sunk even lower as they walked closer to me, forcing me back. Knowing that not even words would help me now against what they had planned for me, I turned and ran.
For a second, all I saw were trees, frost, and snow. But the snow wasn’t thick enough to capture any footprints that could lead me back to the house. So I let me feet take me blindly, fear flowing cold throughout me as my heart beat loudly in my ears. Not far behind, I could hear the other kids’ hoots and screams. They continued to taunt and chase me, enjoying themselves as they hunted me. I was forced to flinch every time I saw something move from the corner of my eyes, and run in zigzags until I thought my heart would explode and my lungs would catch on fire.
After what felt like an eternity, I realized I couldn’t hear the other kids anymore, so I slowed down. All I could hear was a river, which I found myself drawn to since I hadn’t a clue where I ended up. All I could do was crouch by the riverbank, and bury my head against my knees.
Everything felt like a bad dream. And now I was afraid I would have to wait by the river until morning. I couldn’t even think about my mother. She would be so worried, so…
A twig snapped behind me, forcing me out of my self-pity as I looked towards the sound in horror. It was one of those kids who had lured me into the woods to do god knows what to me. I stood up cautiously as he called for his friends.
“Hey guys! I found her! She’s by the river!”
There were more rustles accompanied by voices now, and one by one, the others appeared. They too were panting but they circled me, as if I were a cornered animal. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. My mind was going blank.
Before they could continue to corner me, I made a mad dash for the largest gap between them, but they easily caught me and brought me down. I felt tears on my face as I struggled, my long tresses tangling with the dirt and dead leaves. Before I knew it, they had me on my feet again with firm grasps on my arms and shoulders. Someone even had their hand snagged into my hair, forcing my head up at an awkward angle.
I was too scared out of my mind to understand what they had talked about. All I could figure out was that they were talking about how deep the river was, and that one moment I was on dry land, and the next I was practically thrown into the water.
My body flailed in pain, feeling as if I were being stabbed to death wherever the ice water touched me. My coat and boots dragged me down like dead weight, and all I could to was cough and sputter while I fought to scream through my chattering teeth.
The other kids panicked, not realizing how deep and cold the river was this time of year. But no one would jump in and save me. Things they said just turned slower, more garbled, and an inky numbness that had started to creep over me without me knowing suddenly took hold.
I didn’t even get a chance to realize I was falling unconscious as I was drowning.
When I woke up again, I was washed up against a riverbank. At first, I had no memory and could barely move. But eventually I forced myself up, falling and stumbling on my numb feet. I didn’t have to walk far until I met with the edge of the woods.
There was an enormous house… perhaps house is not the right word to describe it. It was a huge building, like an abandoned apartment complex – except that it wasn’t as square. It wasn’t until I had somehow stumbled inside, searching the walls, that I realized it seemed different… like a very high-end hotel.
I could barely see in the dark, but at least I was slowly drying. The river water still dripped from me, but I barely noticed. Somehow, I stumbled into a really small room. But as I was feeling my way out, my fingers trembled against a button, causing it to light up. Before I knew it, the doors slid shut and I was trapped.
Shakily, I shoved myself against the far wall to keep from collapsing as the room shuddered and started moving up. After what felt like an unbearably long time, I felt the room shudder to a stop as the doors open again. Not wanting to stay in such small space any longer, I hastily stumbled out of the room. It wasn’t until after the doors closed that I was finally able to find a word for the room I was in.
How could I not have recognized that I was in an elevator? I must have really been slipping. I could barely remember anything aside from running through the woods and getting pushed into the freezing rapids.
Something nagged at me in the back of my mind. I had to leave this place. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just that the shadows looked like they were moving around me. I had someone I had to return to. Someone important.
The only light source came from the massive windows on the other side of room, so I followed it until I could press my hands against the cold, dusty glass. Wiping a small area clean, I peered out the window. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but hoped something would jog my memory.
It was useless though. All I saw was a wide expanse of trees, and the cold night sky with only a moon hanging beyond the silvery blue clouds.
Suddenly, I felt someone watching me. Turning quickly with my back pressed flush against the tall windows, I stared blankly at the figure in the darkness. Beside him, a black cat with luminous yellow eyes watched me carefully. Both almost seemed to melt out of the shadows and into the moonlight so I could see them.
The black figure took the shape of a boy. He looked older than me by a few years, but he couldn’t have been older than his late teens. His dark hair fluttered into his pale face, which almost appeared luminescent in the dull lighting.
There was a catlike smile on his pleasant face, yet I couldn’t tell what color his eyes were. I just knew they were catlike too. And I don’t mean slanted and feral, just… curious and calculating. He extended a hand towards me, but I couldn’t bring myself to return the gesture. However, he remained unfazed and kept his hand out.
“My name is Cecil,” he began, his voice neither low nor high. If I couldn’t see him, I wouldn’t have been able to tell his gender. “May I help you up?”
I hadn’t realized my knees had given away and I was now sitting, pressed against the window. Struggling to gather my bearings, I pulled myself to my feet on my own. I eyed him wearily, not knowing what to do. What did he want from me? Was he in on it too?
Was he with them… with those other kids?
Suddenly, I remembered why I had been running through the woods and how I ended up in the river. I remember being pinned to the ground and mocked at. I remembered the terror that filled me, and continued to claim me now.
“Are you all right?” the boy asked, his accent a little old fashioned. He smiled, not unkindly at me but with a secret mischief, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What is your name?”
Something in me was compelled to tell him, open my mouth and speak, but the instant I felt my jaw loosen, it snapped shut. My eyes looked down at the cat by Cecil’s feet. It watched me ever stonily, but its head tilted in question.
“I don’t know,” I spoke for the first time all night. My voice was tight, and raspy. Not soothing like Cecil’s. It carried a higher note, and may have been pleasant if I wasn’t so scared and worn out. Why was I so confused?
Cecil seemed disappointed, but it was so vague I could barely tell. I felt badly, and had the strangest urge to play to his tune. To do whatever he said. It felt familiar, like I had always done that all my life. Not for him, but for someone else. Someone important to me, whom I just couldn’t remember yet.
He nodded after a moment, “You should stay the night. And you look like you could use a change of clothes.”
Alarm bells rang in my head, and I knew that wouldn’t be possible. I couldn’t stay here. I desperately needed to go back to wherever I came from. Besides, logic was telling me something strange. This boy shouldn’t be here, just as much as I shouldn’t be here. No one else was here. This was an abandoned building with dusty windows and dusty everything.
Feeling obliged to do as he said, I felt my feet walking towards him, as if I was under some spell. But that was ridiculous. How could I possibly be under a spell? Magic didn’t exist. But looking at Cecil, something about him seemed unnatural. I couldn’t bring myself to trust him, or anyone. Not after what I had been through that night.
Resolve that I had never felt before made me stop. I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t. So when I closed my eyes to gather my wits, I began to see things… bizarre things that I couldn’t explain. I could see other people, but their backs were turned to me. With my eyes closed, I looked in Cecil’s direction. He appeared the same as ever, but when I looked down at the cat, I saw a pile of bones.
No, not a pile. It was a skeleton of cat bones.
As I looked up again, the other people were beginning to turn and look at me too. But they… they were like the cat. They were skeletons with grinning skulls as they peered down at me.
My eyes snapped open. I must have looked wild, for Cecil appeared a little startled.
“No,” I said firmly, “This is a trick. If I stay here, I’ll turn into one of them, won’t I? I’m sorry, Cecil, but I can’t. I need to go.”
Cecil’s surprise seemed genuine now, as if he couldn’t believe I had figured something out so quickly. His surprise disappeared though, and was replaced with a pleased grin, “You’re the first to come to that conclusion so quickly.”
I should have been scared, but it was like I had used up all my fear that night. If I could snap out of his spell earlier, I could leave this place as long as I focused on leaving.
“I’m sorry. But I have to go home.”
With that, I walked passed him and the cat, which had mysteriously disappeared. I found the stairs after a while of searching the floor. I hadn’t felt so invigorated in a long time. No longer cold, I found myself moving a little easier, though I still felt a bit sluggish. It was late though, and I knew I was tired. But there was someone I had to return to.
Once I reached the first floor after so many stairs with only the moonlight to guide me, I made a beeline for the front doors, which I had come through in the first place. But before I could reach them, Cecil stepped out of the shadows in the corner. He looked a little sad, but at least he didn’t appear angry.
“Do you know where you’re going?” he asked.
The question gave me pause, but I knew that if I didn’t want to be stuck here, I had to leave. Once I was outside, I turned and saw him and his cat standing right outside of the doors. Closing my eyes, I could see those skeletal people again. They looked down at me from the windows, as if they were curious where I would go too.
When I looked back at Cecil, he was still the same whether I closed my eyes or not. So when I opened them, I looked into his eyes. He remained unfazed, with the same sad look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Cecil. I really am. If there wasn’t someone I have to return to, I might have stayed with you,” for the first time, I felt a soft smile tugging at my mouth, “You were the first to ever show me any kindness.”
He looked genuinely surprised again, before his smile returned. Brighter and more open this time. It was then I knew he was different than anyone I knew. He wasn’t a bad person at all, just lonely. He reminded me of myself in a way.
But before I could think about it, I continued on my way, seeing a path that led out to a massive iron gate. It was locked, but I could see a road beyond it. My best bet was to follow the road to somewhere where there would be people. I shook the intricate wrought-iron bars, but they wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, there was a resounding click as they unlocked themselves. I looked back, just in time to see Cecil one last time before he faded into the shadows of the building.
I followed my instincts in the direction I felt I had come from. I kept traveling, fighting sleep, cold, and dizziness. The sky was still very dark, but I knew dawn was approaching as I had been walking for hours it seemed. Nothing appeared familiar, and I was beginning to feel more lost than ever.
By now, the road had led back into the woods. Vaguely, I knew that if anything, the woods was where I had started out from, so I continued on. But even as the sky began to lighten, I felt more and more hopeless. That was when houses began to appear down the road. I saw cars, and knew that there were people here. Before long, I found a house with police cars in front of it.
A part of me knew I should have talked to the police, but I didn’t even know my own name. What if they thought I was lying? What if they put me in an orphanage? I would never find whoever I was looking for.
Around the house, I heard voices. There were adults, and police in uniform… but they weren’t who scared me. I saw a few kids my age, huddled under blankets as if they had been out in the woods all night like I had been. It was then I recognized them as the ones who had tormented me.
I couldn’t move. All I could do was stand shakily and stare from the edge of the woods that the road had led me to. One of the kids saw me and jumped out of his seat, jabbing a finger in my direction. All I saw were those kids as they stood up together, and come toward me. Followed by the adults and police.
All I could see were people advancing on me. With my mind in a haze of panic and numbness, it took a second before my body reacted in the only way it knew how to.
I ran.
Back into the woods, I ran. I could hear people chasing me, and it was a like a nightmare that just kept repeating itself. It just wouldn’t stop until I was caught and tortured again.
I couldn’t let that happen! In my heart, I called out to the only name I could think of. All I could think of was Cecil and his open smile. I needed help, and the only one who had offered it was he. Even though I had run from him, I couldn’t think of anyone else to trust.
Fear filled me and tears flew from my face as I hoped that wherever I was running, it would bring me closer to him. I did my best to blot out the yelling in the distance. I even tried closing my eyes to look for him, but there was nothing.
Without my knowing, the ground turned steep suddenly, and my wild momentum sent me sprawling. Unfortunately, a bare tree root hooked under my foot and tripped me. Unknown to me at the time, I had been running precariously by a cliff side, and the tree root had thrown me over the edge.
I didn’t even have time to scream before I fell and crashed into a ditch. My body had broken through the ice and now water was seeping back into my damp clothes. Everything hurt so much, especially my back and neck. Even shivering hurt, and I had to wonder if the ice had pierced into me.
My eyes blinked blearily, and all I could see were tree silhouettes against a lightening sky. A light flittered over my eyes, and I caught sight of an officer shining a light down at me, calling for back up. But he looked so small… I must have fallen quite far if he couldn’t reach me…
There was a woman in my blurring vision before I closed my eyes. I couldn’t see her face, but I could see the officer pulling her back forcefully as she tried to climb down after me. I couldn’t hear them anymore though. I couldn’t even tell if I was feeling cold or hot since I felt both to my very bones.
Suddenly, there was a hand on my forehead. It was cold, but it felt so good against my burning face. And it was gentle – so gentle, that I didn’t want the hand to ever leave my skin.
“Cecil?” I whispered the first thing that came to mind.
“Yes,” he answered, holding my cheeks in his cold hands, “I’m here. I heard you calling for me.”
I fought to open my eyes. For some reason, everything seemed dimmer. There was no sound. But I could see his beautiful face hovering over me. It was serious yet gentle like everything about him. It was then I thought of the face of a graveyard angel, standing guard over the dead and comforting them as they moved on. It hurt to smile and speak.
“You came… Thank you.”
He closed his piercing eyes, “Don’t thank me. I knew when I first saw you that your time was up. But I couldn’t take you away yet.”
I couldn’t even grimace as I moved my hand to cover his. It was so cool, so soft and smooth. I cradled it closer to my face.
“Did you find who you were looking for?” He asked this time, touching my hair and moving it out of my eyes.
I couldn’t nod or move, but I could still breathe.
“My mom…” My eyes glazed over, tears leaking out again.
Cecil wiped away the tears that were beginning to freeze on my temples. He looked at my face as if he saw something particularly tragic, but I didn’t mind. I saw her one final time, didn’t I? I knew this would be the end when it happened.
Bits of my memories were finally coming back, and for as long as I could remember; I only ever did what other people told me to do, especially when my mother wanted me to do something. I always thought of her, and how lonely she would be if I weren’t with her. My father wasn’t with her. Who would be there to hold her when she cried herself to sleep?
My breathing became slower, and Cecil stayed with me, offering only his presence and understanding. I knew he would have to take me away as soon as my heart gave out. But for once, I wanted to be selfish.
“Hey Cecil,” I breathed out, “Can I… keep you?”
He almost didn’t know what to say, from the look on his flawless face. I was afraid he would say no, but to my great relief, he nodded. His eyes were gentler than I had ever seen them.
“Forever. I promise you won’t ever be alone again.” He touched my scalp, though I could barely feel it.
If I could smile again, I would, but my lips were frozen completely still, as if I was turning into stone.
“Thank you...” I breathed out, glad to feel someone’s love for me.
This time I felt his lips hover over mine, as if he was drawing out my very soul from the tail of my last breath. But before I could completely rest, I felt the barest touch of a tear on my face. Somehow, I knew it wasn’t mine.
“You’re welcome,” his voice grew softer against my ears.
And this time, I really smiled.