Way to Fall
Chapter 3
It was a dull day and the sky was leaden with clouds. Sarah had spent a sleepless night after the events of the fair, and the morning was hardly inspiring. A chill wind blew, rattling through the bare trees. Sarah shivered and pulled her coat tighter. Leaves slithered across the path and swirled around her feet as she passed. The park was deserted, but she didn't mind. She wasn't there for people.
Sarah sighed heavily; she often came to the park to think. It was, after all, the starting place for so many things that had affected her life.
She glanced to her left, and saw the bench where she had first seen it. For a moment, she saw a glimpse of the hopeful dark haired girl who no longer had anything to fear, and so much to hope for. In that split second, she saw how she could have been, a normal young woman ready to take on the world. The moment passed, and she looked away. Her destiny had been sealed when she had said the words.
Sarah smiled bitterly and hunched her shoulders. She continued walking, keeping her eyes on the ground. Sometimes it was nice to pretend.
Passing over the bridge, she paused a second to look into the dark water. Tiny eddies dipped and swirled, as the swollen stream raced on.
Lost in her own thoughts, she almost didn't hear the cries of distress. The sounds finally registered in her brain, and her head snapped up.
A few metres away, a figure lay on one of the benches, turning fitfully. However, what Sarah was staring at was the nightmare that knelt by the person. Sarah gasped, and hurried forward. She came up to the bench, and saw the nightmare whispering, whispering into the persons ears with a blissful smile.
For a minute, she stood frozen. The nightmare had one thin hand resting lightly on the girl's shoulder. It had few defining features, something was there where a face should be, a shifting swirl of many features of different faces. Some were human, some were not, but all were terrible. The thing's changing eyes were closed as it murmured with wide red mouth ever present and smiling.
Sarah shuddered, and the movement returned her to her senses. She started forward, avoiding any contact with the nightmare. She shook the person roughly, a sleeping girl. She wished she could call out the only thing that would repel a nightmare 'Wake up, wake up!'
The nightmare trembled minutely, as the girl stirred. She muttered something. The nightmare's eyes opened, they were pure shining black, undiluted darkness. Sarah stared, her hands relaxing their grip. She couldn't look away, mesmerised.
She was drawn closer, an image flicked in the darkness. Sarah frowned absently, swaying as her head tilted to get a better look. She could see…She could see…A girl…A man…A garden…And a deal struck in blood…
Sarah jumped in shock as a hand suddenly clamped on her wrist. The nightmare began to melt away; it bared its needle thin teeth at her, hissing thinly. Her own nightmares rarely woke her anymore, the sleeping pills saw to that.
Sarah tore her eyes away from the fading dream. She saw the sleeper properly for the first time, the girl was finally awake. Her strangely unfocused blue eyes wandered, but the grip on Sarah's wrist was sure. "You can see them? You saw it!" the girl's voice was urgent, almost desperate.
Alarmed, Sarah tried to tug back her wrist. She had enough oddity in her life, and wished to be left alone. "You see the things!" the girl cried, and Sarah stopped struggling. She looked intently at the girl, wondering what she meant.
"You…will stay? Hear me out?" The girl's voice quavered uncertainly.
Sarah patted the girl's hand reassuringly, sitting down on the bench as the girl swung her legs off to accommodate her. While not entirely sure what the girl's intentions were, she decided to humour her.
"My name is…Wendy." She smiled, her eyes staring ahead "Sorry, if I don't look at you, I…" she shifted. "I can't. I'm blind." She finished. Sarah grimaced, and wondered how exactly they were going to communicate. A dog walker trotted past, leading an old, rather fat terrier behind him. He nodded politely, and moved on. Wendy seemed to somehow sense his presence, and was quiet. After he left, she began to talk once more.
"You are there, aren't you? I'm not just talking to myself." Wendy laughed nervously, she put a hand to her forehead – it was trembling. Sarah supposed it was the after effects of the nightmare. From what she had seen, it hadn't been pleasant.
Sarah pressed the girl's hand, and Wendy grinned.
"Thank you. And thank you, for waking me. I didn't want to sleep through that again." Wendy laughed weakly, awkwardly.
"Are you…are you Sarah?" The girl asked suddenly. Sarah stiffened, staring at the girl. Suddenly, this became something she couldn't ignore. Wendy seemed to sense the tension, and spoke hurriedly "They speak of her; I just wondered if - you were- I'm sorry." It was an uncomfortable notion, it appeared Sarah was not as invisible as she thought she was.
Sarah relaxed slightly and tapped once on Wendy's hand "You are her?" Sarah tapped again. "You are her." Wendy spoke, a trace of something in her voice. Awe? Regret? Sarah couldn't tell.
Wendy was silent for a moment "I started seeing them when I was four." She began quietly "There was an accident, I almost died, but…somehow, I survived. Then, after that, I could see them."
Sarah shivered, just a child?She shook her head, a child shouldn't have to feel that kind of fear. Curious, and feeling pity, she looked at Wendy once more.
Wendy twisted her hands in her lap. "Although some are kind, there are some…some that find it simple to be cruel. I was so afraid, I tried to tell my family. They thought I was crazy, I had to take pills, but that just made it worse. Then one day, finally…"
She trailed off, and touched her eyelids gently with her fingers. Sarah understood, the girl had made herself blind. She had taken her own sight to escape. There were faint scars.
Wendy shrugged, a delicate sigh fluttering from her lips. "I was twelve then." She spoke, almost absently.
There was a distracted smile on her face. "It feels nice, being able to talk to someone who doesn't think I'm insane. Anyway, as I was saying, not being able to see them didn't make them go away. They know you're there, that you can sense them. It's almost worse, in a way, that I can't see them."
Sarah clasped Wendy's hand, watching her with strong sympathy. Wendy gripped her hand back "Thank you." She repeated. They sat in silence for a moment.
"…Sarah?" Wendy's voice was soft. "The things…they say…" she paused. "I think I should tell you this…"
Sarah squeezed her hand, silently urging her to continue. She needed to know what was happening. She hadn't spoken to the creatures in some time. If she was honest with herself, she still lived with a vague hope that if she ignored them, they would go away. However, any news that involved her she needed to know. Plus it seemed that Wendy needed to talk to someone.
"Sarah, please be careful, don't trust those who seem trustworthy. Don't…just stay away from the Goblin King. He means you harm, stay away. They whisper…of the revenge he will take." Wendy whispered fearfully.
Sarah felt a cold shudder pass through her spine. The Goblin King? She remembered, his intense look at her bleeding arm, the look in his eyes as he pushed her down…She shook her head fiercely, feeling faint.
"Don't trust him. He isn't what you think." Sarah looked at her helplessly, completely confused.
Wendy grasped around for Sarah's other hand. "I'm sorry Sarah, thing aren't always what they seem." There was a clear message behind her words. Sarah just wished the girl would explain further, she cursed her own lack of speech.
Sarah let go of the girl's hands, heaving a deep shuddering sigh. She stood with her, turning so her back was to the girl.
"You are leaving? That's okay, please do come here again, it would be nice to speak to you again." Wendy was quiet, wistful, and almost apologetic.
Sarah patted her girl's shoulder and walked away quickly. Her quick steps betrayed her turmoil. Wendy's words had spelt a clear message. Danger. The quiet little world she had until now occupied, she sensed, was a time that was quickly drawing to an end.
The girl called Wendy listened as the footsteps grew fainter. A tear slipped down her cheek, then another, until she was openly crying. She rocked back and forth, her breathing hitched with sobs.
She froze, as she felt a hand on her back. Her shoulders tensed, she could feel the cold through her jacket. It could only be him.
"Hush, it is only I." The voice was light, teasing.
She jerked away from his touch. He laughed and moved from behind the bench to sit in the space Sarah had vacated.
The girl called Wendy had her face turned from him. His long fingers turned her face towards him; he traced the path of her tears. He withdrew his hand, and licked the tips of his fingers. "I always loved the taste of your tears, little girl."
"I hate you." The girl called Wendy whispered with venom.
He chuckled "I know, my girl, I do. But remember," his tone changed to soft, insinuating "You were the one who wanted the deal."
The girl called Wendy shook her head. "I was only a child, you tricked me."
"I only did what you wanted, you asked that you would not be able to see them, and you cannot. You should have heard the tales. Human knowledge is forgotten so easily. You were young indeed, young and foolish."
She closed her sightless eyes, and remembered.
A darkened garden, a desperate young girl, and an offer too good to be true. A saviour too beautiful to ever be real. She should have known. 'You'll never see them again, all I want is a drop of your blood, little girl.'
A small scar marked her left palm, where he had collected his due. She'd not known it would mean so much. 'Mommy, my hand is bleeding.'
"Besides, why are you so melancholy? You did do as I asked." He continued seriously "If I am in a good mood– you might even regain what you lost."
He touched her forehead, smoothing away an errant lock of hair. She shied away. He moved his hand away and instead picked up her left hand. He traced the scar with a fingertip thoughtfully. His hands were icy cold; there was no warm blood beneath his skin.
The silence suggested a certain lapse of attention on his part. "You humans never cease to intrigue us. He was so intrigued, he almost left us." He said, almost wonderingly.
The stranger seemed to suddenly remember her presence. "So she saved you from your memories. How kind to save a complete stranger. How cruel, that you would betray such a brave, good girl." His voice was admonishing, cutting.
The girl called Wendy bowed her head "It's not me. It's not me." She muttered brokenly, tears falling from her eyes.
He moved to embrace her, holding the crying girl against his chest. "It is you. You betrayed her But at least you will get what you want, hm? What a pity, she was such a lovely girl." He whispered into her hair "Cruel, like her."
Please review! Feel free to be constructive. I think I can take it. As long as I have enough tissues. Ask questions if you want, whatever.
Now if you are wondering what the hell is going on, join the club, you get free stickers. If you want to find out more about the stories that Mysterious Guy alludes to, one story is 'The Fairy Ointment'...
