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THE ST. JUDE STORY!!!!!
REALITY
I flung my arm trying to release his grip on it. "Let go, Chris!"
"Not unless you agree to join us," he persisted. "Come one Jen, just one. It's not going to kill you to join us for one, and it won't even have to be alcohol. I promise."
"No!" I exclaimed. "I don't believe you! You're just going to go and spike it. Now let go!" I swung my arm back and hit him smack-dab on the side of his face.
He staggered back with his left hand on his cheek. "Ow! What the-! That hurt you no good lousy little-"
"Now, now, Chris," interrupted Sarah, trying to calm him down, "please calm down before you start yet another scene in my house."
"She just whacked me in the face with her arm!" Chris screamed out angrily.
"Yes we saw, but it was your own fault for trying to force her to drink," said Paul, sitting on the couch with a sly smile.
"Whatever." I said, not very concerned for the situation. "Look here, I'm leaving, and don't try to stop me."
"Oh, you won't be going anywhere!" screamed Chris from behind. I turned around to scream at him some more, and saw him make a run and grab something. I knew I was in big trouble now. I turned and tried to make a run for it, but before I knew it I was knocked in the head with something hard, metallic. The Pole to the broken lamp?
I fell to the ground and lost sight of everything slowly. Everyone was in a panic and screaming, but I could barely make anything out. The last thing I heard was Sarah shouting for a phone, and that was all. I was out. Dead even maybe, but before I was out completely, I saw Paul there, hovering over me, shaking me, screaming my name, and oddly, he was crying. I had never, in my life, seen Paul cry... that is... till now.
My mind was hazy. Every thought and bit of struggle for consciousness faltered and everything went dark. Was I... dead?
***
I felt the hot sun, warm against my skin as something brushed my face. I could hear birds chirping, squirrels chattering, the beat of paws against grass. Where was I? I found that I was lying in a field of lush grass as I opened my eyes. I could taste the earthy air as it fill my lungs. There were trees surrounding the field varying from ones I knew and ones that were very alien to me. I felt the grass sliding against my leg and the kiss of every gentle falling leaves against my face. The clouds above past swiftly by the sun, creating shadows every now and then as it covered it up.
I lifted my face, letting the light and shadow dance across my skin. I sat there as still as a statue in a living museum where no limb dared move and disturb the peace. I inhaled the earthy air as I continued to take in every bit of the scenery slowly. I didn't bother to think about where I was. Or how I got here. I'll worry about that later, I told myself. What time was it anyway? I looked back up to where the sun was starting to set. This can't be good, I thought to myself, I can't just stay here all night. I should get home. Question is... which way is home?
I was starting to worry now. I didn't know where to go. HECK, I didn't even know where I was! I got up from where I sat and looked around once more. The field was round with trees on all sides. "I guess I have to start somewhere, and hope I get out one way or another." I said to myself. I set off through the trees. It was getting dark fast, and creepier as I went. I fastened my pace. The light was fading, creating new shadows and dark patches around me. Eyes glimmered from tree hollows. The wind wailed between distorted trunks, carrying the sickly stink of wood rot. I moved faster till I broke out into a full sprint, ignoring the briers that caught at my jeans, the damp leaves that grimed my skin. I was desperate now. I should have stayed in the opening. At least there would be more light raining down.
I kept running. I didn't know where I was going, but I wanted to get out. Just then, I head something running behind me. The tree branches creaked as the leaves rustles in the howling wind. The steps behind me got louder, closer, and I panicked. I took one look back, but there was nothing there. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked around.
CRACK! I turned around at the ear-slicing crack of a tree branch. I stared but didn't see anything. Only a vague shadow; an outline of a person. I started shaking, my eyes squeezed shut tight. I could feel a scream welling up in my throat.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Cutie." he said, breathing down my neck. Feeling the warm breath against my skin, I let out a muffled scream, but that only made him press his hand against my mouth more, making it hard to breath. I tried to pry his hand off, but it wouldn't budge. "Don't bother trying dear, you're not going anywhere. If you want to get away, all you have to do is hand over everything you've got worth selling along with all your money and I’ll let you go without a single scratch on your pretty little face.
He was annoying me now; he reminded me to much of Chris. Getting irritated of his persistence, I managed to open my mouth wide and bit down hard on his hand. "What are you trying to do!" I said taking in a deep breath, "Kill me?"
He was holding down his bitten hand now, cursing quietly to himself. He looked up me, fire in his eyes. 'You stupid girl!" he exclaimed, taking something out of his pocket. "You'll pay for that girl."
He got up and charged at me with a pocket knife in his hand. I tried to back away, but I found that I had my back against a tree. I shrank back making myself as small as possible as he came closer. I eyes squeezed shut automatically and I held my breath for what was about to happen.
Minutes passed by as he seconds ticked away, and still nothing happened. Then I heard it. I hadn't heard anything but the howling wind till now. I opened my eyes in that instant and saw my pursuer flying across the forest and hitting against a tree, but there was someone else here, standing with his back towards me, right in front of me.
"you know something Kevin," said the new arrival, "you should really stop stealing from people."
My pursuer, who I presume is this Kevin, got up from the ground and stared at us hard, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Tye." he said, a sly smile on crossed his face, "What are you doing here?"
"Stopping you, obviously." he, who I presumed was Tye, replied back.
"Oh? Is that so?" Kevin replied, taking a step towards us."
"Yes. And if you so as give a care for those unbroken bones of yours, I suggest leaving now, or I'll slam you against another tree.: Tye said, a bit to calm and serene to be threatening, but still, the look on Kevin's face was horrified, and that was the last I saw of Kevin.
As soon as Kevin was gone, Tye turned around and looked straight at me, a sweet childish smile on his face. "Hey there. Hope Kevin didn’t do anything to you." he said, holding out a hand to me. "Now come one, you can come over to my place and clean up a bit."
I looked down at my clothes and felt the blood run to my face. My clothes were horribly torn. My jean was torn in spots and grimed with dew and my tank-top was nearly shredded off. I felt my face go scarlet red. Tye let out a soft chuckle and dropped something over my head. "You may need that on the way to my place."
I took the jacket off my head and looked up at him, hand still extended out towards me. "Uh... thanks, I guess." I mumbled under my breath, taking his hand.
"It's nothing," he chuckled, pulling me off the ground as I slipped into his jacket. It's smell was oddly comforting, and soon enough I was following Tye out of the woods and to his place.
The town we entered was quiet, calm, every light was off. We passed by a sign that said, "Welcome to Simcah," and I instantly thought to myself, exactly how far away from home am I?
Tye stopped now, and I nearly ran into him, in front a brick-laid home. "Well, this is my place."
The House was the size of any normal two-story, brick-laid house. The freshly laid bricks glistened in the moonlight, like a giant colossal sapphire, with chunks of highly polished diamonds, which were of course the windows. The great terracotta roof sat perfectly, resembling a large red hat, but this was just the outside.
The large majestic oak door was pushed open, immediately hitting us with a smell of fresh Italian leather from the sitting room chairs. The walls looked as soft as butter, but were thankfully as hard as stone, which said something about how welcoming they looked, the newly fitted feathery red Axminster carpet helped us walk silently, and not one floor board creaked as we proceeded to the bathroom. The moonlight rained through the window, bouncing off the tiled floors and window, making the bathroom a bath of moonlight.
The bathroom was huge with tiled floor and a mirror and sink taking up one whole wall. Opposite the mirror and sink was the shower in one corner and the bathtub in the other with the window sitting right above the tub, letting moonlight in. At the back wall was two other door, one a closet, and the other where the toilet was.
Tye saw the surprised look on my face and laughed out, “Never seen a bathroom before?”
“Uh… no. That’s not it.” I replied, “Just that… do you really need all this space for a bathroom? I mean, my room is probably smaller than this!”
He let out another laugh, “Probably not, but this is what my parents left me and my sister when they died. So however it was then, is however it’ll be now.” He looked at the bathroom solemnly now.
“Oh…,” I started, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to….”
“It’s ok.” he said, looking as he did before he mentioned his parents, “Anyhow, you should probably get cleaned up.”
I felt my face go red again. “Uh… yeah… probably….”
He let out a soft laugh, “ I’ll go get you some of my sisters old clothes. They should fit you. Just wait here a bit and I’ll be back with the clothes.”
I thanked him as he left and went and leaned against the sink counter. How am I going to get out of here, I thought to myself. Maybe Tye has a map I can use. Or some way for me to get home. Wonder if anyone even notice I’m gone… or if anyone even remembers me. It’s been scarcely a day. I stopped thinking now. Something at the back of my mind was itching it’s way back, but what was it? I couldn’t remember. I tried thinking harder. It was something that I saw before everything went black, but I just couldn’t remember.
I found that I was staring at the floor now and looked back up where I saw Tye, standing at the door looking a bit concerned now. I managed to pull off a smile to tell him I’m fine. “Hey there.” I said.
“Hey. You ok?” he replied, handing a pair of jeans and a blue Silk Chiffon Beaded Blouse. Odd enough, it was the same one I had wanted just a few days ago at the mall.
“Yeah,” I told him cheerfully, “Just… thinking about some things is all.”
“I see. Well you can tell me all about it if you want. After you get cleaned up a bit that is.” he told me, “And you can just leave my jacket on the closet hook over there.”
“Ok.” I told him back, “Thanks again by the way.”
“It’s nothing.” he said as he left the bathroom.
I turned on the shower and let the water rain down on me as thoughts after thoughts bounced through my head. I told myself to stop several times as I finished my shower.
I turned off the tap and took the towel Tye had brought for me along with the clothes. It was fluffy and was perfectly hung on next to the shower, a line of lace fluttering along it’s hem.
I dried myself off and my dried my hair with the blow-dryer sitting on the counter and tried on the clothes to see if they fit. They fitted me perfectly. I turned round in round in front of the mirror to see how it looked. I was so glad that Tye lent me this outfit. I heard the door behind me open and saw Tye looking at me, one eyebrow raised, as if not so surprised that I was basically dancing in front of a mirror admiring myself, and, once again, I felt my face go red and heard Tye let out one of his laughs, which sounds oddly familiar to me. There it was again. That tug at the back of my mind, trying to urge me to remember something, but once again I couldn’t remember anything.
“You having fun there?” he joked.
“Much.“ I replied rolling my eyes.
He let laughed again, “Well how about we head out to the sitting room now? And I forgot to ask you, but what‘s you name? You already know mine, but I‘m Tye”
“Sounds great to me, and my name‘s Jenny, but just call me Jen.” I said, probably still red.
I followed him out to the sitting room and sat on the couch across from the armchair he sat in, “You’re not from around here are you?” he asked me suddenly.
“No. I’m from Reno, Nevada.” I replied looking down. “Exactly where is ‘here’ exactly though? I’ve never heard of Simcah.”
He looked at me strangely, “Oh no….”
“’Oh no?’” I asked. “What do you mean by oh no?”
“Let me explain to you this. Where you come from, is what we call ‘The Reality.’” he said.
“What are you talking about?” I asked lost. “What do you mean by ‘The Reality?’ And who is ‘we?’”
“In other words… well let me put it simply. You’re probably in a coma where you come from near death and whatever the cause of it may be was probably strong enough to knock your consciousness here to this world, which most of your kind call… well I don’t know that one.”
“Ok ok. You lost me.” I said frustratingly. “I can’t be in a coma cause I’m here, and I can’t be near death cause I’m perfectly fine, and I’m not in some fantasy dream-land cause It feels quite real to me, and I really need to get home right now so can you please help me?”
“I don’t know how you can get home.” he said looking down. “Only Nicky and the elder of this town would know.”
“Well where is this Nicky or elder?” I asked desperate. “I’ll go ask them. Just please tell me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you to them tomorrow, though Nicky might not be any help….” he said. “For now though, you should get some rest. Ok?”
I looked at him for a long moment, but gave up, “Fine. You win.”
“Ok then.” he said cheerfully. “You can stay in my sister, Anne’s, room. She’s not going to be home for days, so it should be fine. You can probably borrow one of her night-gowns too. They should be in the closet.”
“Thanks.” I said,
“It’s no problem.” he said. “Come on. I’ll show you the way to Anne’s room.”
“Ok.” I said as he got up.
He led me up the staircase to the first room on the right, “Night Jen.”
“Night.” I told him as he walked to his room.
I closed the door and went over to the closet and pulled out a pair of pajamas and went to bed.
I didn’t sleep to well that night. I kept getting a feeling I was forgetting something. I dreamed about the moment I was knocked in the head by Chris. There were three people there; Chris, Sarah, and someone else. Who was it? I knew him, I knew that, but I couldn’t remember.
I felt something wet run down my face and I instantly sat up in bed, panting, wiping my hands across my tearstained face. I was… crying…. I looked over at the nightstand clock and found it was only nine O’clock already. Later than I usual wake in… The Reality….
I got dressed in the clothes Tye gave me yesterday and headed downstairs where Tye was already awake in the kitchen, “Morning sunshine.”
“Mm… yeah. Morning.” I replied
“Didn’t sleep well?” he asked.
“Slept as well as you did.” I replied seeing the bags under his eyes.
“Yeah yeah. Now do you want to go see Nicky and the elder or do you want to sit here all day and mock me?” he said.
“As much as I’d prefer to mock you, I think I’d rather find a way home.” I said.
“Oh… ok then.” he said. “Let’s get going.”
I thought about what I said just now and realized something. “Hey Tye. If I go home… back to… Reality. Will I ever be able to come here again?”
“I… don’t know.” he replied looking down. “Anyway, let’s go see Nicky.”
“Ok.” I said.
We left the house and walked for about 15 minutes till we ended up at an abandoned church. It looked like ruins. The whole top part of the church was knocked down and the double-doors weren’t so up-right anymore. The left one was tilted and covered over the left.
“I thought we were going to see Nicky.” I said. “Not some ruins of an old church.”
“Listen carefully.” Tye told me.
“Ok?” I replied. I stood still and listened closely. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard on the church and then I heard it. It was soft, but I heard it. It sounded like a violin. A violin, playing a sad, sad song. I opened my eyes and looked over at Tye, who was staring at the church with sad blue eyes. “Why?”
He looked over at me. “Why what?”
“Why would she play here?”
“Cause… this is where her boyfriend had died.” he replied. I looked at him surprised. Then he took a step forward. “Come on. Let’s get going.”
“Uh, yeah.” I said.
We entered the church through an opening on the side. In the center of the church stood a beautiful girl with brown hair down to her waste playing a violin. She wore a beautiful white dress. She didn’t seem to notice us standing there and continued playing. I tried to speak, but Tye stopped me and shook his head. We stood there listening to her play.
After about five minutes her song came to an end and she opened her eyes and sat the violin down by her side. Tye raised his hands and started clapping and soon enough I joined in. Nicky looked our way and gave a courteous smile.
“Good to see you again Tye. I see you’ve brought someone with you today.” she replied.
“Yes. She would like you to help her out. She’s… also from The Reality.” he said back.
“Wait, also? As in…,” I looked over to Nicky, “Nicky’s also from The Reality?” a look of shock came over me as I stared at the talented violist.
“Yes.” replied Nicky looking my way now, “I am. And I say you shouldn’t stay here like I did.”
“I don’t really plan on it to tell you the truth. I love it here, but something tells me… I need to go back.” I told them, looking over to Tye.
“It’s best that way, but I’m sorry I can’t help you get back. Only the Elder of each town have the ability to, the elder alone… and you yourself must want to go back in order to get back.”
“Yeah, Jen….” said Tye.
“You guys must get going now. Who knows how much longer she has.” interrupted Nicky.
“Uh… ok.” I said, and Tye and I were off, out of the church and Nicky, she went back to her violin.
Tye led us out of the church and we headed on our way to the elder’s place now. “So… why doesn’t Nicky go back?” I started, really curious about it all.
“You can’t return to where you no longer exist.” he told me.
“I don’t get it.” I said. “If she’s here, like I am, shouldn’t she be in a coma too?”
“And she was,” he said, “but not anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, hoping he doesn’t mean what I thought he meant.
“The hospital, Jen… they gave up on her.” he replied looking down. “She refused to leave this place. She fell in love with this guy name Steve. She stayed here with him and after a year he died. His last dieing words… they were… “Go back to The Reality and live the life you were meant to live, but always know that I love you no matter what. I love You.’ Jen… he wanted her to go back to where she belonged.”
“They… gave up on her?” I said shocked.
“Yeah...” he replied. “She was in a coma for five years about. And I guess her parents didn’t have the money or something.”
“That’s horrible…. So when she tried to go back, and it didn’t work…. She must have realized that she no longer existed in Reality, making it impossible for her to go back. ‘You can’t return to where you no longer exist….’” I said, repeating what Tye had said.
“Yeah.” he said. “That’s why she wants you to leave here. She doesn’t want you to make the same mistake she did.”
“That’s nice of her.” I said, “I wish I could help her out.”
“We all do. She’s known by all here in town.” he said, “Known and loved.”
“I don’t see why not.” I said, smiling now. “Even her music reaches to the depths of every heart. You have to be stone-cold dead to not want to cry listening to her.”
“Yeah.” Tye said stopping in front of a house that looked like any other in the neighborhood.
“Yeah. I guess so.” I said.
“Well this is it. This is where the elder lives.” he said ringing the doorbell.
I looked at the house surprised. “You’d think the elder would live in a bigger fancy house.”
“Yeah. I know,” replied Tye, “but the elder here prefers to save up the money for the town rather than waste it on the house. Unlike the other elders of the other towns.”
The door opened and in the doorway stood a frail old man. “Welcome young ones.” he greeted in a deep voice that didn’t match his frail body.
“Hello elder,” Tye greeted. “My friend here needs your help.”
“Hello elder.” I greeted shaking his outstretched hand.
“I see. And how may I be of your service?” he asked.
“I need to get home, and Nicky says only you can help me with that?” I told him.
“Ah. Then you must be from The Reality. Right?” he said.
“Yes.” Tye told him.
“Well come on in. Don’t just stand there.” he told us leading us into his house. He led us into the sitting room where Tye and I told him about everything that happened from before I came here and after up till now. “I see. So that’s what happened. Well then, just follow me and I’ll get you back, but you may never return here again, but then again who knows?”
He led us down to the basement now where it got much colder. As soon as you get to the bottom you’d know why. There was some kind of round sphere in the air, like a rip in time and space. I stared at it mystified.
“Well, go on in. It will bring you right back.” the elder told me.
“As simple as that?” asked Tye.
“Yup!” screamed the elder, “Go on now.”
I stepped up to the rip and turned back to look at Tye, who instantly threw himself at me with a big hug. “Take care, Jen.” Then, after his good-byes, he pushed me right into the rip and I felt everything go black again….
***
I felt something wet hit my face, and I thought I was crying again. I swiped my hand across my face and wiped away a single tear.
I heard a gasp then someone yelling, “Jen! You’re awake! Jen. Hey Jen can you hear me?”
I opened my eyes and saw a fuzzy figure hovering over me. The fuzziness dispersed and there he was, as dark and handsome before, and I remembered now, what was tugging at the back of my mind. It was Paul. Sitting in the chair now he looked so different, skinnier. “Hey there, Paul.”
He threw himself at me into a tight hug and told me I was in a coma for three weeks… strange… it only felt like a day or two to me. I hugged him back and told him I had the weirdest dream. He asked me what about and I told him…
“I’ll tell you all about it.” I told him as I started to tell him everything from every little detail to every important ones.
 Seductive Lullaby · Thu Jun 04, 2009 @ 01:52am · 0 Comments |
