Chapter 3: Believe in fear
During dinner Jamie explains excitedly to his mother and Sophie what would we do tomorrow. Sophie looks the most excited, and when I ask Ms. Bennett she tells me that Mr. Bennett, with his new job, doesn't have that much time for the kids anymore, so he hasn't shown Sophie how to ice skate yet. I turn to the little girl "Don't worry Sophie, I'll teach you to ice skate" "I thought you said that it never snowed where you come from" Jamie says looking at me with a frown "How can you know how to ice skate if lakes and ponds don't freeze?" I laugh "Jamie that's not the only place you can ice skate you know? We happen to have a couple ice rinks back home that open all year long and another one that's outdoors during winter" He still doesn't look that much convinced "An outdoors ice rink? Is it cold enough? Doesn't it melt?" "That the temperature isn't below zero doesn't mean it's not cold dear" Ms. Bennett says trying to stop what was becoming another of Jamie's question rants.
Bed time arrives and I tell Ms. Bennett that I'll put the kids to bed, Jamie and Sophie scream with delight expecting another story of mythical Spanish beings. Once in Jamie's room it's decided that tonight's topic will be the Tooth Fairy. Jaime starts by explaining what the Tooth Fairy is, what she does and telling me all the times he tried to catch her when one of his teeth fell. "Well in Spain is a little different" at this Jamie looks at me flabbergasted "Don't tell me that it's like the Easter Bunny?" at the mention of the bunny Sophie starts jumping in my lap "Easter Bunny, Easter Bunny! Hop, hop hop!" I try to calm her down while laughing softly "No Jamie, it's not like that. There are too many children on the world for the Tooth Fairy alone so she has little helpers all over the world. In Spain operates one of them, Mousy Pérez, he sneaks into your room when you are asleep and leaves something in exchange of your tooth, it doesn't have to be money. For example, he always left me a different book" "A book? Why?" "Because that's what I wanted. Remember the book I'm always reading?" Jamie nods his head "Yeah, the one about magical beings" "That's the one. That book is very special to me, it was the first gift I got from Pérez. It's my personal treasure" Jamie smiles at me "That's really nice, that after so much time you still kept it" Then his eyes widen and turns to me with a new sparkle in his eyes " Wait! Pérez is also your last name Lana!" I can't help but start laughing at what he was hinting "You are right Jamie! But believe me we are not related. When I was your age my father helped me look into my family tree to see if we could find him, but not such luck. I was so disappointed when we couldn't find any Mousy Pérez" Jamie looked crestfallen "That's such a pity! It would've been cool. Imagine that, you would have access to the Tooth Fairy herself!"
After ten more minutes of discussing the coolness of being related to a mythical being, both kids finally fell asleep. Once in my room I took my book out of the shelf and caressed the cover delicately with a soft smile on my face, it brings me so many good memories. Then out of nowhere I feel a cold gust of wind hit my face and it takes the book from my hands making it land on the floor. I turn to the window to see it open, and that's strange because I always leave it closed. I take a look outside but nothing is there just the faint lights of the street and the rustle of the trees in the wind. I close the window, pick up my book, put it on its place and get ready for bed.
Unbeknownst to me, the shadow of the tree outside my window transforms into that of a man and acquires a body of its own "You little girl, have caused me too much trouble" a pair of golden eyes glare at my sleeping form "Always convincing little kids not to fear me" he lifts a greyish hand and strokes my hair softly "But not anymore. No, no, no, not anymore. Once I'm done with you, you will be announcing to the world that they have to fear me" at that moment an abnormally bright ray of moonlight creeps through the window right at the strange man's face "Ah, old friend! I see you also took notice of the girl. This time I'm ahead of you" and from his hand black sand appears slowly forming what looks like a horse from hell. "Yes, this time victory will be mine" and letting the horse go he disappears with a wicked smile on his face seeing the frown on my face.
The next morning I wake up with a start, covered in sweat and breathing hard. What a horrible night, plagued with nightmares, memories I had buried in the back of my mind coming out again. I can hear Jamie and Sophie getting ready for what now they refer as 'Snow day mission'. I decide to get ready too staring with a shower, because frankly I don't think sweat is my fragrance. During the shower I ponder over last night, it's been what 7 or 8 years since I stopped being afraid? I admit that like everyone I'm afraid of a lot of things, but when I was a kid I was terrified of the dark and so embarrassed about it that I didn't tell anyone, not even my parents. If it were not for my brother that one night found me curling in a corner of my room, I wouldn't have overcome it. My dreams, more like nightmares, last night were all the same, me alone surrounded by darkness, I could feel someone else there with me, I couldn't see them but I could hear their laughter, cruel and taunting. A shiver runs down my spine every time I remember it.
The day Jamie, Sophie and Jamie's friends prepared for me was the perfect snow day, we had a snowball fight, that somehow ended with all the kids ganging up on me because they said I kept hitting them even thought my aim at its best is the worst, we build snowmen of different shapes and sizes, we went down a hill with the sleds multiple times and I even had time to teach Sophie ice skating.
Time passed quickly, every day I would take the kids to school and pick them up on my way home from high school, the afternoons were spend playing with Jamie's friends and having fairy themed tea parties with Sophie, but what we enjoyed most was bed time, when I would tell them all kind of fairy tales from all around the world. But not everything was fun and games, oh no, the nightmares came from time to time, the same darkness, the same presence and the same laugh. Some times during the day the lights would flicker on and off and the laugh in my dreams would sound when I'm wide awake.
For the first time in a long, long time I believe I'm truly and deeply afraid.