Disclaimer: I own nothing.
There was nothing abnormal about the Wilshires.
Mr. Albert Wilshire worked as a manager of a car factory, and always came home complaining about "the youngsters" who had "earrings in their ears." He was tall, and largely-built, wore glasses simply to exaggerate his intelligence, and had the face of no-nonsense toleration that seemed awkward and contorted when he smiled.
His wife Susie Leah Wilshire was almost as normal as he was. She was the meanest high school freshmen teacher there was and everyone knew about her: kids warned each other to mind when she approached and adults praised her control over their offspring. Her face was naturally held in a sneer all the time and her pants were creased and hair preferably pinned-up.
The Wilshires had but one offspring of their own, even though the neighbors figured they loathed the disturbance of youth. They raised a daughter named Katie Emily Wilshire born on February 16, 1988. She had the black hair of her mother, green eyes of her Dad, a medium-well build and also an intellectually pretty face. Meaning, as one neighbor put it, "She would be pretty if she could just stop thinking!"
However Katie did not stop and moved to the top of her class: Valedictorian, President of the National Junior Honor Society, Special Reward for Volunteer Hours, Calculator Club and numerous others. She also did nothing out of the ordinary.
Skip school?
Puh-lease.
Date?
Who and where?
Sneak from home?
Are you insane?
She woke at 5:30 each day to take a shower, dress, eat a hearty breakfast via Mrs. Wilshire, kiss her Dad goodbye, and ride the yellow bus to school. Anything away from routine was chaos, and that was what Mrs. Wilshire taught her freshmen class who started worksheets the first day they came to her class.
"Shhh!" Mr. Wilshire told the youngsters, and muttered he would be glad when they were all put in jail. He moved to his office exactly on the minute of his lunch break, pulled out a cigarette (out of routine really) and began reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee.
"House Caught on Fire…Governor Speak out About Abortion…. Sentencing of a Drug Dealer Held in Wingate Court-"
His eyes perused over the newspaper, and paused on the small baby section, naming the newborns and lucky parents of each. He smiled (awkwardly) and thought about when Katie was born…
Susie went into labor a day ahead and drove herself to the hospital quite calmly. (Mr. Wilshire would not leave work until his break.) They, meaning the Wilshires, were not anxious at all that they were having a baby, especially since the birthing interfered with the importance of routine. In the labor room, Mrs. Wilshire pushed when she was instructed to do so, and there came her daughter, crying and horribly groomed. Susie Leah glanced wearily at her husband and he told the doctor the most common name he could think of, "Katie Emily Wilshire."
"We will teach her patience and discipline." Albert told his wife.
"Oh yes." Susie agreed. "She must learn to be independent." She already had high-hopes for her baby.
"Humble," Albert added.
"Yes,"
"Determined,"
"Mmmhmmm,"
At that moment, Albert started to have tears in his eyes. Not from the miracle of the experience of birthing, (no that was too extraordinary) but the thought of what his newborn baby would become: Ordinarily perfect.
Mr. Wilshire smiled to himself as he read the paper and thought. She was becoming just as he planned.
☻
However, there was something that occurred that night of the birthing that he did not expect or plan or even knew about. That night when the newborn baby was taken to its crib in the hospital room, someone watched it with interest.
The nurse left and closed the door, but the fact that she locked it meant nothing to the figure. He crept near the glass panes that overlooked the crib center, blinked, and in a split-second was on the other side of the glass near the cribs. He peered around silently at the sleeping newborns and found the one he had come for, had risked his life for. Taped on the side of the crib was a label that read, "Katie Emily Wilshire, February 16, 1988."
The creeping figure startled for a moment, scared that he was being watched or had been found out, but upon seeing nothing in the darkness went back to the task at hand. Carefully, slowly, the figure pulled from under its cloak an object like a marker and began slowly moving it on the body of the baby. He drew red markings on her face, her hands, her chest until she was covered in red.
Next, he extracted a small book and a pint of dust from his cloak; he opened them, and chanted, reading from the small book and throwing dust upon the baby. Katie began to shuffle; she could feel it on her, and was becoming agitated that someone was interrupting her sleep.
At the last moment, right before Katie began to wail, he pulled from his cloak a stone glowing so brightly it illuminated in the hall outside, and with the force of ram, thrusted the stone towards the stomach of the child, as if forcing it inside.
Katie wailed now. The lines he had drawn on her body where alive, and also reflecting red light as the figure forced the stone closer and closer into the body of the child as if it would fit. He knew he would not have long; he would have to hurry; he would not get another chance for victory, for glory. Kate was crying now, screaming! She was in pain as the red mark lines etched cuts in her skin; but he could not stop.
Not now!
She hat to be it!
The One!
The Sacrifice!
He coerced it harder when he heard a commotion in the hall, and suddenly the stone slipped inside the body of the baby like water. The figure stood astonished for a moment as the lights died down, the red marks vanished, and Katie only cried, apparently still alive.
It was done.
The figure bowed to the baby and vanished just as the nurse returned and flicked on the light. She looked around the room, but only caught sight of baby Katie crying and still writhing in pain. She strolled towards her, and picked her up, observing the odd flecks of dust upon her. She wiped it off, and comforted the baby.
"What's going on?" A security guard asked as the nurse placed Katie back into her crib.
The nurse shrugged. "Baby must've had a stomach ache." She turned off the lights again.