AN: Okay, so this is a not so happy christmas story..I actually wrote this before "I saw casey kissing santa" I was sorta inspired by one my favorite short stories ever! "GodFather Death" by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm (Grimm brothers) If you get the chance, try and find it. Mine is not as good, but it is some what of a take on their story!! so enjoy.. Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!
Disclaimer:Grimm brothers rock!! I don't..Family owns LWD!! no me,,Man this sucks,
December 25th, a girl named Lizzie sat on a park bench in South Meadow Park. She sat staring off into the space, thoughts endless as the water inside the fountain across from her. She often wandered to herself how it had become like this.
How and Why? Was the question ever so plaguing.
An old lady named Mrs. Smiths was coming up to the bench. Lizzie scooted down to the left, making room for the old woman. Mrs. Smith sat down and let out a sigh as she relaxed into the bench.
Mrs. Smith would always come to the park everyday to feed the birds. She had no family or friends, well that is if you count the birds her friends. The fact that it was Christmas meant nothing.
Lizzie glanced up at Mrs. Smith, and then looked away. One look, and she everything there was to know. There was a certain familiar tingle run through her body. She sighed heavily. She knew what to do. Lizzie looked over at Mrs. Smith again. She reached her hand out slowly, and gave Mrs. Smith shoulder a light poke. Mrs. Smith didn't flinch from her touch, if anything she felt a small breeze or nothing at all.
Lizzie got up from sitting and walked away. While leaving, she heard the old woman make a noise and fall. She didn't bother turning back to look. She knew, and because she knew made her stomach feel sick. However, with each time the sickness got less worse.
Lizzie continued walking. Where to? I don't know. She didn't know. No one knew. She just continued walking on what felt like an endless road.
Without noticing she had come to a house. Whose house was it? The McDonald-Venturi house. Lizzie stood outside staring at it; a mixed feeling of cold, and sadness overcame her. The was covered in blinking Christmas light. She continued walking towards the house and came to the front door. Her hand shook as she reached for the door knob. She was in. Letting out a sigh of relief, she made her way into the middle of the family room. There was a tree decorated in lights, and ornaments. Stocking hung around the room. Looking around memories instantly flooded back to her; they left just as quick as they came. It could never be like it was.
Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs; it was Casey. She came down the stairs whistling 'Jingle Bells,' Casey walked passed Lizzie, and went straight to the kitchen. Lizzie's eyes followed her sister. She wanted so bad to be seen by her sister. To be able to hug, touch, or anything.
I can't touch her or anyone. My touch is the touch of death.
Her eyes went to the stairs. She took in a breath, and went up them. The hall way seemed dark and long. She went to Marti's room, standing outside the door, she watched her play with her freshly unwrapped toys. Lizzie let a smile come onto her face. Marti's turned, and her eyes looked right at Lizzie, and then went back to playing.
Derek came out of his room, and walked passed her without a care.
Lizzie walked over to her room, or what was her room. She looked inside. Everything in there use to be hers. Now it belonged to Casey.
Edwin still got the attic.
The attic. Edwin. She needed to see him. She went into the attic-room. Edwin laid on his bed reading a book while listening to music. Lizzie, again, let smile come onto her face. However, this smile, and this feeling, she never wanted it to leave.
It wasn't always like this. I guess this is what you get when you don't follow the rules.
The fact of the matter was, she was dead. The date of her actual death was not known. She was unable to recall it. She could remember that her life started going downhill the day they found out her mother had cancer.
"Only a few months to live," said every doctor they visited.
After a while Nora had become bed ridden, and unable to move. That's when she saw him. Death. Or what she assumed death looked like. Now one else appeared to be able to see him. She decided to confront him; not once feeling frighten by his presence. His was indescribable, it left no impression in your memory other then darkness, complete and total darkness.
"Are you the," she said walking up to him.
"Yes." He finished for her.
"So your here to take my moms life?"
"Correct. She will be dead in three days."
Lizzie's heart stopped. Surely, he couldn't be telling the truth.
"Is there anyway for you not to take her?" She blurted out. Surprised by her outburst, she quickly covered her mouth with hand before anymore could come out.
He became interested.
"You wish to make a deal then?"
Lizzie, with her mouth still covered, nodded yes. She wasn't quite sure what kind of deal could be made with him, however, she would do anything to save her mother.
He flashed a devilish grin.
"I think this deal will benefit both of us."
Lizzie stood there staring at him, curious to what his proposition would be.
"I will give you the ingredients to a serum which when given can heal someone instantly, however, it can also kill them instantly,"
"How will I be able to know who it will heal, and who it will kill?" She interrupted.
"If I am standing by their feet they will die, however, if I am standing by their head they will live. I will allow your mother to live, if from now on you work for me. How does that sound?"
He held out his hand for them to shake on it.
Lizzie looked over her mother. Even though she was sleeping you could see pain all over her face. She hesitated, and then slowly slipped her hand into his. His grip around her hand and tighten. He pulled her close and whispered into her "Just one rule: Don't interfere." His tone of voice sent shivers down her spine. Those were consequences she didn't want to know.
To his word, he gave her the ingredients to his serum. Lizzie administered it to her mother, and within hours, Nora was up walking, talking, and feeling better then ever. One week later, they discovered she had been miraculously healed from her cancer. The next day, they found out that their long time neighbor-friend Bill Prednisone had died from a brain aneurysm.
Life for a life. Lizzie it was because of her. That man died so her mother to live. Guilt felt worse then the stomach flue, but she decided to grin and bear it.
Over the next passing months Lizzie would be known for her home made, remedy which could heal a person quicker then anything. Sadly, though, with every healing there was always a killing. Sometimes it felt like she killed more then she healed.
What you get when you work for death.
What scared her most was that she was becoming desensitized to it.
Things would change of course when it hit home again. Casey had fallen sick with a mysteries illness, which the doctor were still trying to identify. Lizzie had confidence that death would once again allow her family member to live. She was wrong. Death was standing by her feet. Lizzie knew if she gave Casey the serum she would die instantly.
Maybe there is a way to cheat this.
Death's words came rolling back into her memory: "Just one rule: Don't interfere."
How could she not interfere? This was her sister. There had to be a way to cheat this.
Where death is standing!
She went over to her sister, and switched her position in the bed. Her head was now facing death instead of her feet.
With hope of this working, she gave Casey the serum. Just like her mother, Casey was instantly, miraculously healed.
"Thank you Lizzie," Casey said. "You saved my life."
Lizzie smiled. She was happy that her sister's life was no longer in danger, however, she feared greatly for her own.
She came into her room, there waiting was death. She opened her mouth to speak, but before a word came out she was transported to what could only be described as the underworld. It was a dark place, which smelled of rotting flesh.
"I said one rule. Do not interfere! You have messed up my design."
Design? Thought Lizzie.
"I don't get your design! "she blurted out. "It doesn't seem structured at all. Every time I think I have it figured out the rules change. Can you explain that? I just don't understand."
"You soon will." He waved his hand, and candles popped up from the ground.
"Do you know what those are?"
"Candles?"
"Yes. They also represent a person's life. It is my job, when it is someone's time to die, to blow their candle out."
He lifted his hand and pointed off at a candle in the right-hand corner.
"Do you know who's that is?"
Lizzie looked at it. The candle was burning tall and proud.
Oh no! It's Casey's. He is going to take her anyway.
"Casey's life?"
He waved his had again, and the candle went out.
Lizzie gasped for air. She brought her hand to her chest and felt nothing, all she felt was cold.
"Yours." His voice echoed all around her.
"I'm dead," she whispered.
"You never existed."
She looked up at him with pure hatred.
"You have been erased. You were never born. Your family and friends never knew you, and all your deeds, good and bad, never happened." He came closer to her and whispered into her ear, "You work for me, helping me control the design. You are now another reaper."
Lizzie fell to her knees. She wanted to cry. She felt like crying. She couldn't. She was without emotion; all she had was vague memory of it; which was slowly starting to disappear, among other things.
The design. What seemed at once so confusing, was now clear as water. She understood everything about the design.
But at what cost.
This was one consequence she had brought upon herself. Now she must wander the earth as a servant of death, slowly losing her memory of everything.
Lizzie came down the stairs and saw Casey sitting in Derek's chair watching a Christmas special on TV. She let another smile cross her lips, it would be her last smile. Lizzie got her familiar sensation, and knew it was time to go. She walked over to Casey, leaned in, and whispered.
"Merry Christmas Casey, I love you."
She gave one last look around, and disappeared through the door.
Life for a life. Forever to wander and obey him.
Casey had a chill run up her spine, and she became cold.
"Merry Christmas Lizzie," escaped her lips.
"What did you say?" Derek said sitting down on the coach next to her.
"I was just thinking...Lizzie is a nice girl's name." She turned and smiled at him.
Derek cocked his head to side, and pondered for a second.
"Yeah it is. I like it."
"Yeah," Casey agreed.
They turned their attention back to the TV. Christmas dinner would be in a few hours, and Casey, Edwin, Marti, Derek, Nora, and George would sit at the table together as the McDonald-Venturi family. Not realizing a vital member happened to be missing. That is, except for one person.