Chains of the past
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Edward Scissorhands, though I wish I did, nor do I own Tim Burton or anything else that deals with the movie -.-; So don't sue meh ;
Chapter 1
"Did it really happen?" Katherine Kelly had repeatedly asked this question to herself.
Grandma Kim certainly believed it did. Every since she was a little girl, Kate's grandmother would always find the time to tell her a story about the snow.
Of course, it always dealt with the strange young man, who had scissors for hands. Yet Kate didn't mind. She always enjoyed hearing about the fictionist man that her grandmother had fallen for.
In fact, almost every time Kate came to visit, Grandma Kim would gently tuck her in, flash a warm smile, and ask, "Would you like to hear a story?" Her little granddaughter would always reply with a big grin. "Yea! Tell me about the scissor-man!"
And so, she would settle down in her cedar chair placed in front of the fireplace, all snuggled in her woven shawl, and would began the wonderful tale of the snow.
Thus started the special bond between the two. They would do everything together, from helping Kim tend to her garden, to taking long walks to the town park and back.
Kate even looked like a young Kim, with her wavy strawberry blond hair and chocolate brown eyes.
Since then, many years had passed since little Kate last asked for a story, and Kim Boggs Schneider continued to grow older and weaker, until finally, her kind soul had reached it's peak, and passed on.
It was one gloomy day. 'A perfect day for a funeral' Kate thought glumly. Not only was it pouring outside, but also there she was, standing there in a black dress, observing silently as her grandmother was being laid to rest.
In all of her 17 years, she had never been to a funeral before, nor had she ever seen someone die. It wasn't pleasant, and the young girl found herself wishing that her grandma were still alive.
It was very difficult to believe she was gone. Why, only a few days ago, during a visit to the hospital, Kate had a small conversation with Kim, concerning the main character out of the tales of Suburbia.
"Kate, would you do me a favor?" The frail old woman gazed up at her granddaughter from the hospital bed, her kind eyes glittering softly.
"What is it Grandma?" "In the attic, there is an old box filled with photo albums. Would you please sort through those and take them with you, to the house on the hill…?"
Kate blanched at the thought of climbing up the steep hill and entering the realm of that creepy place. However, Kim, sensing the uncertainty of her granddaughter, reached out from the railing of the bed and gently grasped Kate's hand.
"You don't have to if you don't want to…I just thought that perhaps it would be a nice good-bye present to him…" There was a longing in Kim's eyes that couldn't be missed.
Kate was certain that she even detected a hint of regret. Sighing inwardly, Kim forced a small smile and nodded." Ok Grandma, I'll take care of the pictures and give it to…'him'."
Feeling satisfied with her answer, Kim returned to her relaxed position, giving her granddaughter's hand a loving squeeze. "Thank you dear…I really appreciate it." Kate glanced away, tears welling up in her eyes.
'Why did I ever make that promise?" Kate groaned inside her mind. Underneath her maroon umbrella, the rain continued to pound the earth, soaking everything around her.
Shivering, she nudged closer to her parents, who had their heads bowed, their eyes filled with sorrow at the passing of a most beloved woman. As the priest concluded the eulogy, and everyone had said their final goodbyes, Kate couldn't help but think of excuses to tell her dead grandmother why she couldn't go up to the mansion on the hill.
Her parents jutted her out of her thoughts. "Honey, do you want to go ahead and pay your last respects?" Her mother asked. "We'll be waiting in the car sweetie." Her father added.
Nodding, Kate waited until she was the last one to remain standing there before doing anything. Closing her eyes, she sighed, fighting the tears that threatened to come.
"Grandma…I…I wish you were still h-here…" A sob escaped her lips, which caused the tears to finally leak out. Biting her lower lip, she shook her head, somehow finding the strength to continue.
"I…d-don't know if I can go up there, Grandma…it's…its scary…and I…I'm sorry…" There she stood, sobbing, the loved granddaughter of Kim Boggs Schneider, wishing with all her might that her grandmother was there to comfort her. However, she wasn't, and Kate felt completely alone.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before the young teenager dragged herself away from her Grandmother's grave. Yet there was a new conflict inside her.
Should she carry out Kim's awkward request? Or, she could forget the entire thing, and go home; only to be constantly troubled about not fulfilling Kim's final wish, thanks to her being insecure about an ancient mansion that supposedly harbored a strange creature.
Decisions, decisions…
Later that day, after returning to the cozy little house and drying off, Kate trudged upstairs to retrieve the old albums that Kim treasured.
On the low, cream ceiling, a tarnished brass handle was plastered onto it. Reaching for it, she managed to barely grasp the handle and pull it down.
Such was the luck of being petite and short. As the old staircase lowered, Kate caught the musty, pungent smell of age. "Great…" Taking a deep breath, the teenager quickly walked up the pathway leading to the attic.
Inside was the usual junk that any attic contains, including boxes stacked up high with old games, clothing that belonged to Great Uncle Kevin, Great Grandma and Grandpa Boggs, old furniture, and more.
Either way, all the items were smothered with layers of thick dust, a true sign of age. Kate wandered through the mazes of heavy boxes and bags, wondering exactly which box she had to look for.
It wasn't difficult, for on one section of the attic, was a medium-sized box with her 'Kim Boggs' labeled on the front.
Inside was a few dark books filled to the brim with pictures of her grandmother when she was Kate's age, a dress that looked like it used to be a silvery white, with a dark brownish stain on the upper right fold, and scattered on the bottom of the box, pieces of cloth that looked like they had been through a shredder and more.
"This is what she wanted me to find?" Shaking her head, Kate gently lifted up the old evening gown, draped it over her forearm, and then proceeded to grab as many albums as she could carry.
A few minutes later, Kate was in her room, inspecting the photos all sprawled out on the clean bedspread. The dress she had merely dropped on the floor.
She couldn't help it; her arms were aching due to the weight of the photo albums she was carrying. Nevertheless, there she was, going through all the old pictures of the family.
She couldn't believe how young Kim had looked, and how much she herself resembled her. Leafing through the pictures, she found a photo of a young energetic guy holding a cheerful-looking Kim close to him.
It was an outdoor pic, and it made Kate smile. 'Grandma, you sure were a very happy person…' Almost every picture she found contained a gleeful Kim.
She wondered what her grandmother was like as a teen. Continuing on, Kate scanned the majority of the pictures in the albums, not spotting anything out of the ordinary.
"Like I'd find anything…." She was bewildered as to why she even looked through them to begin with. In fact, she didn't know why she was even planning on paying a visit to the creepy old mansion. 'Because Grandma wanted you to, that's why…'
She was sure that no one had been to the estate in many decades. Every time the place was mentioned, the elderly would break eye contact and mutter about having some errand to do.
Some would get downright nasty and plainly say to stay away from there, it was dangerous. She was certain the people of Suburbia were hiding a dark secret.
Either way, Kate had made up her mind to take the pictures to the run-down, old mansion. It couldn't be too bad, right?
Heya! This is my very first fanfic on here, so let me know what you think so far. ; Any comments are welcomed!
Next Chapter: The Old Mansion