My bones ached from the cold and my legs were heavy as I moved through the deep snow. The only thing that kept me from stopping was the fact that I would then end up as an icicle if I did. As we walked I thought about my life. My life had not been a pleasant life although there was some good times scattered through them. But I mostly thought about the bad ones that turned my life upside down.
Flashback-
I could hear the thunder outside as the rain poured onto the tin roof of the small cottage. I knew there was no hope for mother now. No one would travel down a small street in weather like this let alone a doctor who lived a mile away.
Although I was only a mere boy of six I knew that mother wouldn't be with us much longer. From what father had said to a massager that was sent to Doctor Mayfield that she suffers from a bad cold. Now colds in my country killed many because of the cold environment. Sometimes people survived them but they to go away to a warmer place so that she could heal but we couldn't afford to send her there.
I was not allowed in to see mother because there was a risk that I could be infected too but I knew there was only hours. Me and my sister Silence sat in the large room of the house (We only had two rooms. The large one contained a kitchen, a living room where we entertain a few people who visited and a place where me and my little sister, Silence slept. The smaller room was mothers and fathers room.).
I knew that this was hard on Silence having to lose a mother at the age of two but it was hard on all of us. We could hear father pacing in the room. He was muttering to mother telling her that the doctor was coming. Even behind the door I could hear a false note in his voice.
Silence gripped for my hand and as I looked at her I could see silent tears rolling down her cheeks and her small little body shaking. Silence like her name barely spoke and barely showed any emotion at all so this silent sobbing was usually for her.
It was five o'clock in the morning when she died. Father was sobbing as he came out to tell us. The doctor didn't come like I knew he wouldn't. Apparently the way to the village had been blocked with snow. The news only hit me when Silence opened her tiny mouth and asked "Has mother gone, Sorrow?" "Don't worry she will watch over you Silence," I replied my voice sounded funny because I hadn't spoke since mother got sick. I could hear some hope in my voice but very little.
After mother's death we didn't go out much. Father wasted away drinking beer to make himself happy so that he couldn't think about losing mother. We barely had enough money to buy a loaf of bread to last us a week because father had been fired because he didn't turn up for work.
After a month of this we desperately needed more clothes. They looked more like rags every day although we try to stay away from things that made them like this. Father saw that we needed more clothes and when he was drunk he decided to take action.
Father never came home that day. Someone came to our house and took it away because we could not pay for it. We asked that man what had come of father and he replied simply. "He was caught stealing clothes and food and now he is in prison for six years."
After that we had concluded that begging for food was the only way that Silence anIe could get food for ourselves.
My little sister clutched onto my jacket bringing myself back to the presence. It had been over two years since those events. Although they seemed to be the past I had never put them behind me.
Silence stomach growled from hunger as it had been five whole days since we last ate a piece of stale bread and some dried nuts. We did not beg for that food. It was given to us by some people who saw as by the edge of the forest. They were nice people, the only ones that would give us food to survive.
We had no home, no food and shelter because after mother died we relied on father but he got himself caught by police stealing clothes and food. We didn't have any more family. I doubted they would have wanted us anyway. People thought of as scum because we begged for the food we needed. We had to or else we would have died the day father was sent to jail.
It had been a bad idea to wander away from that small village but we had no choice in the matter. The people made us. They ran after us with shovels and pit forks until we were far into a dark forest that they believe are filled of creatures from the other kingdom.
There was no moon tonight making the forest eerie and darker than ever. The tall trees around us stood like giants. Under the canopy it was a little warmer than it had been in the village centre. The cold was not that worried me and my sister. It was tales of other kingdom.
As we wandered the forest we came to a dark lake. The lake was frozen over. I had heard of people in the small town talk about the lake. Apparently the lake was connected to the other kingdom. There were many stories of the lake. Stories of drowning children and hands reaching out of the water pulling them under. Somehow theses stories did not faze me.
Me and Silence circled the large lake watching it. Silence shrived every now and then as she eyed the lake. Obviously she believed in the town people's stories. I starred at Silence wondering why she thought that the town people stories were real.
Her face was pale like calk both because she was cold and because as a kid she barely went out. Her hair dark black like mothers and curled around her ears and then dropped to her waist. At the end of her hair there were some small curls. She had dark eyes although they were soft unlike most people with dark eyes. Her eyes told a story that her mouth didn't.
I like her had dark black hair that was straight and short and pale skin because of the cold. But I had different eyes. My eyes were blue sliver and were always looking for adventure like young boys these days.
When we had circled the lake and ended back where we started I stopped and looked at the forest around me. That's when I noticed him.
He smiled at us showing his slightly pointed teeth. He was more paler than us as he almost matched the snow around him. He wore a white buttoned up shirt and tight black pants. His pants were tucked into black boots.
As soon as I saw his teeth I thought about the town people stories about the night people. I wanted to run but something was stopping me. I wanted to hide but I knew he would find me. Most importantly I wanted Silence to be safe from this monster.
My pulse was thudding in my ears as I looked up on his tall features. He was a mere three metres away when I noticed that he was moving closer to me. I stationed Silence behind me away from him. She whimpered and clung to my back.
At the sound of her whimpers he laughed. His laughs were not like anybodies laughs I had heard before. He was cruel and honey like at the same time.
As he laughed I could feel I was falling sensation. I couldn't feel my body. A small hand reached out a clung to mine. I knew it was Silence hand so I didn't let go because she would be scared. I waited for me to hit the ground and die of broken bones or loss of blood. That crash never came. Instead my feet landed softly on the ground.
I looked around the surrounding and noticed that I was standing in the same place by the lake. I then noticed that the colours in the forest had changed. Instead of bright green it was a dark greenish purple. The lakes surface no longer glimmered and shone from the ice instead it lay sullen and dark under the willows. There was soft music. The music father played when we had lost mother. It was mourning music.
Up in the tree lanterns hung, but the forms were like I had never seen before. There were twisted forms of things that were not quite right: a cockroach with elongated teeth, a child with grimacing features and stunted limbs, a death's head and a worm infested apple. I swallowed struggling for words.
Silence whimpered and shrived uncontrollable as she still clung to my jacket. There were paths cleared of snow that disappeared into the forest. I wanted to follow the music for it called to me.
Maybe there was food there. I tried to walk forward but something stopped me. I grunted and tried again but nothing happened. Somewhere I could hear the same laughter as the mans. Again it was like smooth honey. I turned to find where it had come from but I could not see. It seemed to be echoing around me, coming from all directions.
Silence cowered into my jacket away from the laughter. I hugged her close to me. The laughter increased as I hugged my sister. I could feel my legs wobble and my hands shake as I let go of Silence.
"Who are you? Where are you? What do you want from us?" I asked loudly to the forest.
The laughter continued to echo around us. I turned to see where that man had gone. He had to be here. The laughter died down now before anyone answered.
"Always the same questions. I'm quite sick of them now," the man's honey sweet voice answered. The voice came from behind me so I spun around to see him two metres away.
He was still smiling showing his teeth and Silence cowered into my jacket even more when she saw his face close up. I could hear my heart thudding loudly behind my ears and I willed them to stop. He didn't answer my questions and I wanted answers.
"You didn't answer me," I told him trying to make my voice sound like mocking. He smiled at my efforts again showing his teeth.
"Ah didn't I? Well I'm sorry dear Sorrow for this confusion," he said with mockery in his honey voice.
I froze when he said my name. How he know that? He couldn't have know that. I must've let it slip. He laughed at me again but this time it came from his direction.
"Tadeusz, brother what have we here?" a ladies honey sweet voice sang. I couldn't see her and the man didn't show any notice to her instead he just starred at us. I turned to were the voice had come keeping an eye on the man. She was not there. I spun to face the man direction to see that he was not alone. There by his side was a lady with such beauty it almost blinded me.
She like her brother was pale white and had black hair. She wore a black gown that beautifully cut. Although it was a cold night she showed no signs of being cold in her gown. The only colour on her was her lips which were bright red.
When she saw me she like her brother she smiled showing her pointed teeth. She turned to her brother which I guess must of been Tadeusz and said , "Well you have been busy tonight brother."
He dropped his gaze and looked to his sister. "They are not food, Anastasia," he said to her. Anastasia pouted and looked like she was going slap him. She thought better of it and asked Tadeusz "What do you have planned for them?"
He looked at her and said simply "The boy has something that will be useful."
They smiled and turned to us. I didn't understand what was happening. One moment I had turned to see where the ladies voice had come from and the next she was next to what she said was her brother. I knew that they were talking about me but all the words didn't make sense. They were talking to fast.
I felt dizzy and confused. My vision became burled and a few things blacked out. I couldn't feel my hands or my feet anymore. After what seemed like a minute I noticed that I was swaying. I little hand tried to steady me but it was too weak. That's when I fell. I fell to the snow covered ground hitting my head on a sheet of ice.
Now I couldn't see anything. Everything was black. I could hear a little girl screaming but I couldn't tell if it was real or if my head was making it up. I tried to reach for her but my arms felt like metal that could never be lifted. I dropped my arms and they fell beside my body. I felt cold on the ground and I knew I was slowly turning to an icicle.
I tried to fight against the darkness but it over come me. I was tired and it was pulling me under away from the current situation. I felt like I was drowning in water. That I was going deeper and deeper under the surface of the water. I tired to reach for the surface but it kept getting further away. Maybe I was dying. I could not tell. But after a while my body couldn't fight and I went under into darkness.