Death of a puppeteer
Sage strolled about the atrium lightly, listening every once and a while to the cordial conversation between her love and the man she had never met.
At least in life anyway.
At first she had worried deeply for Edward's safety; even though Danny had such a kindly disposition and gave no hints of inimical behavior, she had kept her distance from him back then.
For what if he changed back to the Sadist she so clearly remembered?
Thankfully she had been reassured that Aaron had died with his remains, and now she could relax around Danny, although sometimes it didn't seem tangible that he was real.
It had been a year since she first came to the freak show and only a few months since she had been having these dreams of astral projection back to the mansion where Danny's spirit lingered.
Here in their dreams, her love had freedom. He could tend to his gardens or view the stars from the attic as he once remembered them.
Sadly back in reality, at the freak show, the lights caused the starry landscape to disappear.
Suddenly, the ghost's voice, called, distracting her from her thoughts.
She moved quickly hearing the implicated distress.
As the woman moved closer she heard the irascible words.
"Don't you want to be free of Jim's grasp?"
Edward seemed to be trying to ignore him; the conversation must of turned dark as she lost herself in thought.
"Yes…but I refuse to do that," responded Edward harshly.
"Do what?" asked the woman, intrigued.
"I can't kill him-I couldn't"
Sage wrapped her arms around the man and whispered in his ear.
"Your heart is too kind. You wish for his death as much as I do."
"It isn't that…I don't want to be the reason for another corpse."
The woman pulled away.
"I know…but remember what he has done to you…us. We could stop him from hurting anyone else."
Danny stepped in.
"Please listen to her."
"Why?"
"I can see what's going to happen if you don't."
The future.
Sage bit her lip, remembering other dreams, nightmares that came to her recently.
The ghost looked to her, knowing what she thought it seemed.
"The nightmares will come true, if you delay."
Now Edward looked from the spirit to the woman, questioning.
"A secret?"
Sage turned from him, ashamed.
"Like the dreams I had before, about being chased in that forest."
The man didn't say anything else, feeling slightly betrayed as he walked to the door to the atrium-the door that led to reality.
The woman immediately followed.
"I will do it if I have to. I don't know how…but you don't need to do anything."
She placed her hand on his shoulder turning him around.
"I will tell you about the nightmares tomorrow, I promise…"
"Why now?"
Why contemplate the death of their tormentor now?
Jim's death wish was clear in the way he did everything and now.
He deserved it, and now the woman knew the future she saw would come to pass if he didn't die.
"You will understand when you hear what will come"
The woman turned back to the ghost.
"Thank you. I wasn't sure if they were true."
As she and her love walked through the door she heard the soft thank you and smiled, feeling determined.
The puppeteer would die.