pointed a long elegant finger toward the door.
Severin glanced down at me, his eyes narrowing in concern.
I could do nothing but wriggle my fingers toward him. I wanted to say something, to ask him to stay, but no words formed in my mouth.
He reached down and touched my fingers, one by one, then with one last scathing look at my mother, he left, slamming the door behind him.
Don’t go. I opened my mouth to call him back but nothing came out except a series of unintelligible gurgles.
My mother dropped to her knees beside me and stroked my sweaty face. “It’s okay, N’lina, I’m here. I will help you through it, my daughter.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want her here. I didn’t want her love and comfort. I didn’t want to be her daughter. But I couldn’t tell her. Not when I was dying, my flesh betraying me and turning inside out. Pain ripped through me again. I bowed my back, scrambling away from the searing agony.
She continued to brush her fingers over my forehead and cheeks. “Go to sleep, my darling. Go to sleep and let your body do what it must.”
Sleep was the last thing I wanted. That would mean letting go, and I had no wish to do that. But the darkness had other plans. It crept close, floating up from my chest, to settle inside my mouth, my nostrils, and my eyes. It slithered its sinuous ways into my head. Took hold of my mind. And squeezed until I passed out.
***
Chapter 12
Again I was in the darkened woods walking along a dirt path. Glancing down, I noticed I was wearing a green tunic that fell to my knees and I was barefoot. I wriggled my toes in the soft sandy dirt. It tickled and I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t and kept on walking.
Not long before I came to a shallow brook that cut a narrow path through the wood. I sensed this was where I’d wanted to go. My feet longed to feel the cool tingling of the water. So, I sat on the water’s edge and settled my feet into the stream.
A sense of overwhelming peace and comfort settled over me. As if I had traveled a long distance and finally returned home.
Content, I leaned back on my hands and kicked my legs in the water. Much like I had when I’d been a kid and on the one family vacation I remember taking with both my parents. We’d gone camping, and the trip had been the one time when I’d felt completely happy.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed colored lights downstream, dancing above the water. Eager to see them, I sat straight and watched as the twinkling lights drew nearer. Once they were directly in front of me, I saw tiny humanoid shapes in the lights.
“Gladflies,” I said aloud, and smiled.
I held out my hand and one purple glow settled onto it. The tips of its tiny purple feet tickled my palm. I peered down into the tiny spritely face.
“N’lina,” it tittered, its voice like a tiny clear bell. “Beware.”
“Beware of what?”
“The water.”
I glanced past the gladfly to the brook. Nothing menacing appeared in its shallow depths. “Nothing is there.”
“Something is always in the water,” it trilled again then flitted off my hand to dance away with the others along the stream’s edge.
Curious, I leaned forward and peered into the clear water that was only a foot deep. Even in the dark, I could see the rocks that lined the bed. Nothing looked like it could harm me.
But as I watched, the rocks and pebbles jiggled and jumped, coming together to form a shape. I peered harder and spotted a face. The face of my mother. And she was sneering, her face twisted with cruelty.
“N’lina,” she shrieked, “Stay still!” Then her hands, made of flesh and bone, burst from the water, grabbed my head and pulled me under.
I thrashed about, struggling to pull away from her hold. But she was unnaturally strong and the water somehow grew deep and bitter cold, siphoning the heat from my body. Water filled my mouth and nose as she forced my face under. The action was as if she
Severin glanced down at me, his eyes narrowing in concern.
I could do nothing but wriggle my fingers toward him. I wanted to say something, to ask him to stay, but no words formed in my mouth.
He reached down and touched my fingers, one by one, then with one last scathing look at my mother, he left, slamming the door behind him.
Don’t go. I opened my mouth to call him back but nothing came out except a series of unintelligible gurgles.
My mother dropped to her knees beside me and stroked my sweaty face. “It’s okay, N’lina, I’m here. I will help you through it, my daughter.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want her here. I didn’t want her love and comfort. I didn’t want to be her daughter. But I couldn’t tell her. Not when I was dying, my flesh betraying me and turning inside out. Pain ripped through me again. I bowed my back, scrambling away from the searing agony.
She continued to brush her fingers over my forehead and cheeks. “Go to sleep, my darling. Go to sleep and let your body do what it must.”
Sleep was the last thing I wanted. That would mean letting go, and I had no wish to do that. But the darkness had other plans. It crept close, floating up from my chest, to settle inside my mouth, my nostrils, and my eyes. It slithered its sinuous ways into my head. Took hold of my mind. And squeezed until I passed out.
***
Chapter 12
Again I was in the darkened woods walking along a dirt path. Glancing down, I noticed I was wearing a green tunic that fell to my knees and I was barefoot. I wriggled my toes in the soft sandy dirt. It tickled and I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t and kept on walking.
Not long before I came to a shallow brook that cut a narrow path through the wood. I sensed this was where I’d wanted to go. My feet longed to feel the cool tingling of the water. So, I sat on the water’s edge and settled my feet into the stream.
A sense of overwhelming peace and comfort settled over me. As if I had traveled a long distance and finally returned home.
Content, I leaned back on my hands and kicked my legs in the water. Much like I had when I’d been a kid and on the one family vacation I remember taking with both my parents. We’d gone camping, and the trip had been the one time when I’d felt completely happy.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed colored lights downstream, dancing above the water. Eager to see them, I sat straight and watched as the twinkling lights drew nearer. Once they were directly in front of me, I saw tiny humanoid shapes in the lights.
“Gladflies,” I said aloud, and smiled.
I held out my hand and one purple glow settled onto it. The tips of its tiny purple feet tickled my palm. I peered down into the tiny spritely face.
“N’lina,” it tittered, its voice like a tiny clear bell. “Beware.”
“Beware of what?”
“The water.”
I glanced past the gladfly to the brook. Nothing menacing appeared in its shallow depths. “Nothing is there.”
“Something is always in the water,” it trilled again then flitted off my hand to dance away with the others along the stream’s edge.
Curious, I leaned forward and peered into the clear water that was only a foot deep. Even in the dark, I could see the rocks that lined the bed. Nothing looked like it could harm me.
But as I watched, the rocks and pebbles jiggled and jumped, coming together to form a shape. I peered harder and spotted a face. The face of my mother. And she was sneering, her face twisted with cruelty.
“N’lina,” she shrieked, “Stay still!” Then her hands, made of flesh and bone, burst from the water, grabbed my head and pulled me under.
I thrashed about, struggling to pull away from her hold. But she was unnaturally strong and the water somehow grew deep and bitter cold, siphoning the heat from my body. Water filled my mouth and nose as she forced my face under. The action was as if she
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