Sparkle and Fade
(Tara's past)
A pretty girl, about six sat out in the shade that the house cast on a little plastic table with her older brother, Donny, and her next-door neighbor, Holly. Holly had a plastic binder and pencil out in front of her, and was trying to look cool and in charge.
"So," Holly said, and everyone turned to look at her, "do ya know why I called ya here?"
Tara shook her head, and Donny said, "No."
Holly sighed at them, lifting her head a bit and looking at the two scornfully. She was nine, a year older then Donny, even. Tara was always trying to be cool in front of her, and Holly always managed to make her seem inferior.
"I had a sighting last night," Holly whispered, leaning in.
Tara gasped, and Donny asked, "What happened?"
Holly smiled, and pushed s strand of her long, brown hair behind her ear with the hand that was holding the pencil. "Well," she began, leaning in a bit more toward the two of them and lowering her voice a notch, "I saw him—it—outside my door."
Donny, who had a slight crush on Holly, said, "Are you okay?"
Holly rolled her eyes at Tara, making her giggle slightly, "Fine, fine." she waved her hand, "Now can I finish?"
"Go ahead," Donny grinned.
"'Kay. So Jenny came over and we were up till, like, midnight. It got all dark and stuff and I peered out my door, and there he was. I saw him for just a second, but he raised his hand in some weird salute and disappeared."
"Wow," Tara said, looking at Holly amazed.
Donny nodded, and smiled, "Your brave."
Holly smiled and wrote on the top of the paper:
The Mystery Man Club
Tara clapped her hands together in pure joy. "We're formin' a club?" she asked and squealed at the same time.
Holly frowned at her, "If you keep actin' like that, you won't."
Donny looked scornfully at Tara, "Yeah, Tar. Grow up."
Tara's lower lip quivered, and her shoulders slumped as she sank down in her chair.
Holly continued to write.
Members:
Holly Jackson…..President
Donny MaClay…..Vice President
Tara MaClay…..Junior Member
"Why can't I be president?" Donny whined.
"Because," Holly said sharply, "I came up with the idea."
"Could we vote?" Tara asked shyly, shifting in her seat.
"Don't be stupid, Tara," Donny told her, "Holly's right."
Holly nodded, "Yeah. And you're a junior member. You can't vote, anyway."
Tara's head fell a little lower, but she nodded.
"Good. Now these pages," Holly flipped through a few blank pages after the one she wrote on, "are to record sightings on the Mystery Man. Tara, get Donny or me to write yours down. No sloppy handwriting and bad spellin' in the book."
"Okay," Tara said, relived to be included.
"Good. Now, Donny as vice prez., it's your job ta get us more members. So, anyone that reports seeing the Mystery Man, let 'em in. Beth, Liz, Jesse, Daniel, anyone, okay?"
Donny nodded "Fine."
"Good," Holly said.
"What's my job?" Tara asked softly.
"What?" Holly asked.
"My job?" she said, still nervous about being made fun of or something.
"You don't have a job, Tara. Junior members don't do anything."
Donny jumped, "Holly!"
"Yeah?"
"He's behind you!"
Holly spun around, and jumped slightly. Tara peered over her shoulder and saw the pine tree bathed in sunlight and the small creek, but that was it.
Holly turned around, "Did ya'll see him wave? It didn't look friendly."
Donny nodded solemnly, "No. It didn't."
Holly flipped a page. "Mystery Man sighting one," she read out loud as she wrote, "behind us in the back yard, He waved. Evilly."
Tara watched, puzzled. How could they both have seen something she totally missed?
Maybe she couldn't see him! Maybe she wasn't able for some reason. If she told them they would so kick her out of the club. She couldn't—she wouldn't—say anything. Anything at all.
Darkness had fallen and Tara tossed and turned in her bed. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to dream again. It was the same dream. Holly and Donny laughing at her, a white mist around them. Then Holly on her knees, screaming and Donny in a glass tube, slowly filling with water. Tara was watching, and her mother's hands were on her shoulder, and a heavy book on the floor. Her mother was chanting something and the words were lost on Tara, and Holly was screaming and Donny was pounding on the glass, and then something was all around Tara, lifting her up and letting her fly. The feeling she got from that was far from pleasant. It was fear; animal, primitive fear and it ate her up. She would always walk up, covered in sweat and once her own blood from clawing at herself.
She didn't want to sleep.
But always…
Always…
She would always drift off into sleep somewhere in the night.
~TBC~
(Tara's past)
A pretty girl, about six sat out in the shade that the house cast on a little plastic table with her older brother, Donny, and her next-door neighbor, Holly. Holly had a plastic binder and pencil out in front of her, and was trying to look cool and in charge.
"So," Holly said, and everyone turned to look at her, "do ya know why I called ya here?"
Tara shook her head, and Donny said, "No."
Holly sighed at them, lifting her head a bit and looking at the two scornfully. She was nine, a year older then Donny, even. Tara was always trying to be cool in front of her, and Holly always managed to make her seem inferior.
"I had a sighting last night," Holly whispered, leaning in.
Tara gasped, and Donny asked, "What happened?"
Holly smiled, and pushed s strand of her long, brown hair behind her ear with the hand that was holding the pencil. "Well," she began, leaning in a bit more toward the two of them and lowering her voice a notch, "I saw him—it—outside my door."
Donny, who had a slight crush on Holly, said, "Are you okay?"
Holly rolled her eyes at Tara, making her giggle slightly, "Fine, fine." she waved her hand, "Now can I finish?"
"Go ahead," Donny grinned.
"'Kay. So Jenny came over and we were up till, like, midnight. It got all dark and stuff and I peered out my door, and there he was. I saw him for just a second, but he raised his hand in some weird salute and disappeared."
"Wow," Tara said, looking at Holly amazed.
Donny nodded, and smiled, "Your brave."
Holly smiled and wrote on the top of the paper:
The Mystery Man Club
Tara clapped her hands together in pure joy. "We're formin' a club?" she asked and squealed at the same time.
Holly frowned at her, "If you keep actin' like that, you won't."
Donny looked scornfully at Tara, "Yeah, Tar. Grow up."
Tara's lower lip quivered, and her shoulders slumped as she sank down in her chair.
Holly continued to write.
Members:
Holly Jackson…..President
Donny MaClay…..Vice President
Tara MaClay…..Junior Member
"Why can't I be president?" Donny whined.
"Because," Holly said sharply, "I came up with the idea."
"Could we vote?" Tara asked shyly, shifting in her seat.
"Don't be stupid, Tara," Donny told her, "Holly's right."
Holly nodded, "Yeah. And you're a junior member. You can't vote, anyway."
Tara's head fell a little lower, but she nodded.
"Good. Now these pages," Holly flipped through a few blank pages after the one she wrote on, "are to record sightings on the Mystery Man. Tara, get Donny or me to write yours down. No sloppy handwriting and bad spellin' in the book."
"Okay," Tara said, relived to be included.
"Good. Now, Donny as vice prez., it's your job ta get us more members. So, anyone that reports seeing the Mystery Man, let 'em in. Beth, Liz, Jesse, Daniel, anyone, okay?"
Donny nodded "Fine."
"Good," Holly said.
"What's my job?" Tara asked softly.
"What?" Holly asked.
"My job?" she said, still nervous about being made fun of or something.
"You don't have a job, Tara. Junior members don't do anything."
Donny jumped, "Holly!"
"Yeah?"
"He's behind you!"
Holly spun around, and jumped slightly. Tara peered over her shoulder and saw the pine tree bathed in sunlight and the small creek, but that was it.
Holly turned around, "Did ya'll see him wave? It didn't look friendly."
Donny nodded solemnly, "No. It didn't."
Holly flipped a page. "Mystery Man sighting one," she read out loud as she wrote, "behind us in the back yard, He waved. Evilly."
Tara watched, puzzled. How could they both have seen something she totally missed?
Maybe she couldn't see him! Maybe she wasn't able for some reason. If she told them they would so kick her out of the club. She couldn't—she wouldn't—say anything. Anything at all.
Darkness had fallen and Tara tossed and turned in her bed. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to dream again. It was the same dream. Holly and Donny laughing at her, a white mist around them. Then Holly on her knees, screaming and Donny in a glass tube, slowly filling with water. Tara was watching, and her mother's hands were on her shoulder, and a heavy book on the floor. Her mother was chanting something and the words were lost on Tara, and Holly was screaming and Donny was pounding on the glass, and then something was all around Tara, lifting her up and letting her fly. The feeling she got from that was far from pleasant. It was fear; animal, primitive fear and it ate her up. She would always walk up, covered in sweat and once her own blood from clawing at herself.
She didn't want to sleep.
But always…
Always…
She would always drift off into sleep somewhere in the night.
~TBC~