Hiyo! Here we are again…an important piece of the puzzle ready to be slipped into place. I'm not sorry for what you'll read in this chapter…it was necessary! I'll try and have the last chapter by next weekend! Happy reading!
The Scarlet Sky: I know. I'm a horrible person now. Rick? Great guy, Rick. I've always respected him. I married him in one of my games and he's a sweetiebear. Good luck and mazetov on your wedding! Thank you so much for your review! Remember to PM me those suspicions, though. I wanna know!
Moonlit Dreaming: You are sweet. I'm always worried that it's cheesy. I'm not through killing off characters, though!
Ultra Drama Queen: All these people who hate me because of my incessant torturing of poor video game characters! It breaks my poor little heart! No, I'm fine. Don't get too bent out of shape--I promise I'll work it out for you.
Like red on a rose: Calm down, sweetie! Things are gonna be all right…well…eh…most of them will!
Klutz586: Haha thank you!
Gamerzgal: Texan? Awesome! I was born in Texas! I know that I'm being a bad bad girl to the folks in Mineral Town. But you just wait, I'll redeem myself, I promise! And I updated in a timely fashion, too! Now you don't have to kill me!
KG.: Read on my friend, read on…
Awesome Rapidash: Awww I luffles my Awesome Rapidash! Thank you so much! More emotion heading your way!
Ekoaleko: Wow…what a compliment! Thanks! I love Juno, too. She's kind of like the comic relief in the tough spots. No funniness here, though. It's pretty serious from here on out. Even so, my next story is gonna be lighthearted, so I won't always be killing people off.
1angelette: What the heck are you talking about…? -fell off that train a loooong time ago-
Harvest Moon Glows: COOKIE! SQUEE! Ooh and it's a la mode, too! How fancy! Thanks for your review! You are very close to the truth, there. Close, but not quite there. Don't be sad. Happiness is around the corner.
CHAPTER TEN: The Light through the Threshold
Cliff rushed into the Inn from the Vineyard, fear in his heart of what he'd find. His wife's scream had shaken him badly, but none of his fears prepared him for the sight that awaited him. No…no…he thought, stumbling forward until he was beside Ann. Ann reached out her arm and drew it around his leg, sobbing into it. Without a sound he knelt beside of her and held her tight.
Joanna came running down the steps, an annoyed look on her face. Her first thought was that Ann had seen a mouse, but when she saw the tiny corpse on the table, her heart skipped a few beats. Her hand flew to her mouth as she moved silently towards the table. Her first instinct was to check the baby out, just to make sure that Ann hadn't missed a pulse in her panic. As soon as her hand stretched out, however, the mother rose to her feet with a shriek. "Don't you touch her!" She yelled, unceremoniously pulling the child towards herself and grasping it tightly. She pushed off Cliff and ran out the front door, towards the Goddess Pond.
Nothing was right in her mind. The steps she took all melded together and she barely recognized the figure of Gray leaning against the farmhouse, his face in his hands. He looked up as Ann passed and could sense what was wrong. It didn't matter. Ann wouldn't have stopped for the end of time. When she reached the pond, she threw herself the ground, holding Monami in one arm and scrabbling for grass with her other arm. She threw the grass into the water and watched it sink to the bottom. The Goddess didn't come and Ann bit her lip hard and painfully, causing a thin stream of blood to issue forth.
Breathing thin, shallow breaths, Ann stood up and looked towards Mother's Hill. It was her last hope. She stumbled as she began to run up the hill. Her head was pounding and the rocks cut her knee when she fell, still protecting the child's body in her arm, against her heart. She expected to find the pinnacle desolate, empty…but instead she found quite a gathering of girls at the top. They all turned to look at the newcomer. Ann's unfocused eyes didn't immediately recognize any of them and she slumped to the ground, beginning to cry again. Her head of curly red hair fell into her face as she clutched her daughter to her chest, willing the sound of her heart to become Monami's.
One of the women separated herself from the group and walked gently over to Ann, kneeling down in front of her. Ann looked up and found herself staring into a remarkable face. It appeared to be a teenaged girl with medium length platinum hair tumbling over her shoulders. She was slim, barefoot and dressed in a gown of white, pale pink and light yellow. In her hair were tiny rosebuds, floating in the expanse of blonde as if fastened there. Her eyes were a shimmering hazel, wide and endless. One could get lost in those eyes. "Ann." She said quietly. Her voice was high, soft and like an adolescent's. "Ann…she's gone. Give me the child." Something about the way she spoke made Ann relax a bit, but she held Monami all the tighter. "Ann…there's nothing you can do. I will help you, I promise." She was so sincere. Ann let go of her grasp on the baby's body and the teenager lifted the child out her arms as gently as if she was being borne up by the wind.
Cradling Monami as she were a priceless piece of pottery, the girl brought her over to the group, but did not let anyone touch her. "Risa…here she is."
A taller woman walked over to the one holding Monami. She was fair of skin and her eyes were blue. She wore a flared dress of black, tied with a red ribbon. Her hair was brown and tied back with a ribbon that matched the one on her dress. Her face and countenance were majestic and upright. She stared at the baby for a few moments, then turned to a girl who stood away from the group, staring out over the town. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Lumina turned and faced Moririsa, Great Spirit of Death. "Yes." She said, sounding definite and without question.
Cliff suddenly burst onto the scene and went to Ann before ogling all the women standing before him. "Who are you?" He asked. "Why do you have my daughter?"
Perse, who was the one holding Lumina, smiled sadly at him and turned to Moririsa. "You have my permission to take her life."
Cliff and Ann both mouthed the words 'take her life', but before they could say anything, the tall Moririsa walked up to Lumina and took her hands. A darkness drew around them and Lumina began to separate into two parts. From where Cliff and Ann crouched, it looked as though all the color was being drained from the girl's form, leaving behind an opaque figure. Ann's eyes darted over the rest of the Great Spirits to see if this was supposed to be happening and was met with an unsettling sight.
Juno stood erect and emotionless, a redheaded girl in a cream and green dress was closing her eyes and frowning sadly and a wisp of a girl in a gray, raggedy dress was smiling nastily. Beside Juno stood Mercury, the Witch Princess.
She was crying.
Witch Princesses never cried. It was almost a rule.
Yet there stood Mercury, thick, dazzling, iridescent tears falling from her long, light eyelashes. She was sick with the shame of the past.
Moririsa finally let go of Lumina's hands when all of Lumina's color and solidity was contained in a ball of swirling light in the Great Spirit's hands. She stepped away and held the ball of light out to Perse. "I give you permission to take this life and use it as you see fit." She said, her voice low and weary. All was silent as she walked back to Lumina's transparent form. The woman knelt and picked up a rock from the ground. She used the rock to draw a large box in the air. Where she drew the box, the air seemed to melt away and light streamed out.
Figures were clustered around the doorway to the world. They were opaque and shining, just like Lumina. As Ann's eyes adjusted, she began to recognize some of the figures. Camellia was there, waving at her daughter. Ellen was bright and walking again. Lillia could be seen, a healthy glow in her faded cheeks. An old couple was beaming at Lumina and Ann recognized them as Romana and Sebastian--Lumina had described the two in detail. Barley, Saibara…so many others from the past craned their necks for a view of the newest member of their world. A young girl with curly hair was pulled from the box by Moririsa.
Two shapes pushed themselves to the front. The resemblance was clear. They were Kurt and Florence, Cliff and Lumina's parents. Kurt had his arm around his wife's back and as soon as Lumina saw them, Florence opened her arms wide.
Lumina ran into her mother's arms.
The light from the Other World faded away, leaving a surreal darkness over the town and the people on the hill. All that remained was the small girl whom Moririsa had plucked from the throng. Perse, still holding the bundle in her arms, advanced and handed the ball of gyrating light to the girl. The girl pressed it against her chest, smiled and disappeared.
Instantly a loud wailing sound broke through the silence. Perse looked down at the wriggling baby in her arms and smiled a pure smile straight from her heart. With soft steps she approached Ann and held out Monami. "Blessings, Ann." She said.
Ann took the baby and stared at her. Something was different. It was her eyes…they were now gold and flecked, Just like Lumina's. Relief flooded her being and she became dizzy, but Cliff supported her from behind and together they reveled in the joy of having their daughter back.
Then they realized what had happened and looked up to where Lumina had stood minutes before. "It's no use." Juno spoke up, striding forward. "She won't be coming back."
"W…what happened?" Cliff asked shakily.
Juno looked disappointed. "Really…I thought it was rather obvious! I told Lumina that the only way for her to break the curse was to die. She wasn't overly thrilled about that, as any Young One would feel. But you know what she had that so many Young Ones don't? She loved you. I don't know what she wouldn't have done for you. Of course, she was planning on sticking around for a few more days until she could find the words to explain it to you…but the child didn't last as long as we predicted. Once she died, it was only a matter of time before others followed suit, so Lumina hopped to her task." She contemplated the situation. "Amazing girl, that Lumina. Never a complaint out of her mouth. Well, except for that one, but goodness knows she's owed that. It was a simple task once she got here. Moririsa and Perse exchanged permissions and exchanged Lumina's life for Monami's. The ultimate act of love…giving your life away." Juno fell silent.
The redheaded Spirit spoke up. "She's bound to have a few of her aunt's characteristics." She said, gesturing towards the now-asleep baby. "If I were you, I'd invest in a piano."
"Too right, Felicitas. Too right." Juno nodded ceremoniously. "In fact, I might even--"
Her words were cut off by Cliff. "Hey…Eva…what are you doing here?"
It was directed at the shabby girl in the gray dress. Her hair was black, but there wasn't an ounce of gloss or shine in it. Everything about her, her skin, her clothes and her hair were faded and worn. She wore an unpleasant smirk on her face, still there from before. "Hello, Cliff." Her voice was incredible. It was as if twenty girls spoke at once--deep voices, high voices, girly voices, breathless voices…all kinds of voices were as once coming from her mouth.
Juno looked over at the girl sharply. "Eva? What…NO! Eros, you…you…disgusting scoundrel! You were the one playing with Cliff and Kai, weren't you?" She walked over to her opposite, furious. "I ought to punish you! You knew that the place was cursed and you just made it even worse!"
Eros grinned up at Juno. "Come now," She said, her amazing voice cajoling. "all I was doing was having a bit of fun! I mean, those men were practically begging to be steered astray!"
"Who all did you try your tricks on?" Felicitas asked, exasperated.
"All of them except the nerdy one. It was most disturbing--I could only change for Kai and Cliff. Do you know what Tim and especially Gray saw the one time I went in front of them? They saw me exactly as their wives were! Imagine that! It was disgusting." She pouted childishly.
Cliff looked lost. "What…? Who are you, Eva?" To his eyes, she was still the pink-haired maid from the times before. She turned to him and unshielded her appearance. He yelped and took a step back. "Who are you?!"
"Eros, the girl who led you astray like a sheep! You were so easy! I could do it again in a heartbeat!" She yelled, still grinning.
Juno intervened then. "Stop! You, Eros, get lost and don't let me hear of you being active until I say so. Go!" Eros flashed one last haughty look at Ann before disappearing.
The other Spirits stared coldly at Cliff. "You were frightfully easy to stray." Moririsa said gravely.
"Disgustingly easy." Felicitas remarked.
Juno jumped in, too. "I was ashamed! Try being appreciative of all that Ann does for you! Imagine what you'd be like without her!"
"Nothing!" Felicitas sang.
"Nothing." Juno warned.
Moririsa crossed her arms and glared at him. "I'll be watching you."
Perse stepped in between her sisters and Cliff. "That's enough." She said gently. "Please. Let them rest. It has been a hard road." She turned to Cliff and smiled, her body glowing with an intrinsic light. "Go to your wife. You and she have many things to discuss and night is upon us."
Cliff turned and trotted back to Ann, pulling her up and into his arms gently, whispering words that are nobody's business but he and Ann's own. Together they walked down the hill, leaving the Great Spirits behind to worry about how to fix the damage done on the town.
For Cliff and Ann, the worst was over.