Chapter 20: Ghostly Visitor

I jumped up; ready to fight-- or at least try to fight, as the strange, yet familiar figure entered my bedroom through the gaping hole in the wall that had been-- until thirty seconds ago, my bedroom window, "You!" I screamed, aghast, and backing away from her, as seeing her after so long caused the room to spin, "You?" I felt dizzy, "How can it be you?" I asked, nearly blacking out from all the strangeness, "Y-you're dead!" I finally finished, as she came back into focus, and my mind cleared a little.

My fairy godmother slowly nodded, as she floated towards me; her feet eerily inches above the floor; as she passed them, the shards of glass that now littered the filthy floors jumped up, and took their places inside of the window frame; the window had been reformed.

"How in the fuck are you here!" I asked; scared out of my wits at the sight of the ghostly presence-- it couldn't be. It simply couldn't be, "You're dead! She killed you! That whore of a stepmother of mine killed you! SHE FUCKING KILLED YOU!"

My fairy godmother nodded once again; calmly and solemnly-- I was at a loss for words; how could she be acting like she'd just stepped in for a spot of tea? "That she did, my dear child... that she did, my dear Beatrice, but she cannot keep me from protecting you-- No one could," she paused, to give me a warm smile.

"But, how do I know it's really you, Elaine?" I asked, frightened, "How do I know that you're not some trick?"

"You must believe me, Beatrice. You must."

My uncertainties and fears instantly vanished; my shoulders shrugged gratefully, "Thank you," I whispered, "Nobody's said my name in ages," I smiled for the first time in centuries-- a real smile, as she hovered closer towards me, and held out her hand.

I attempted to take it, but my hand passed through the silvery hand-- it was like vapor; Elaine went on, ignoring this, "When Jacqueline murdered me, my spirit left my body at last, and was free to do as it pleased; it was free to wander the world... I've been watching over all of my godchildren, but especially you; I've been keeping a very close eye on you. I've made sure that you continued to remain safe."

I sat down upon the hard floor, and restrained the urge to begin contradicting her, and laughing at her stupid words; 'kept a close eye on me...' After having decided that it would be a better idea if I didn't bring it up, I spoke again, after a long silence, "My God!" I exclaimed, "It seems like years since..." I drifted off, at a loss for words again.

"This is no time for reminiscing!" she exclaimed, as I stood up from the floor, and onto my feet. I wiped a tear away from my eyes, and saw that she was crying as well. Millions of questions were being considered in my mind-- I wasn't sure which to ask first; What's it like to die? Why have you come here? Am I safe? Is there a way back home? "Calm down!" she snapped, briskly; as if reading my mind, "I may only be seen in this form but for a mere hour. There is much to tell! Many secrets still to be learned!"

I lost myself in memories, "More secrets?" I asked, and for the first time in so long, I am able to loosen up; I am able to laugh. A hearty, strong laugh; one that had not escaped from my throat since the days of so long ago when my parents had still been alive and well.

She continued with her story, as if I had not interrupted, "And after I died, you had the good sense to return to the safe haven, did you not?"

" 'Safe haven?' " I repeated, and then my anger boiled over, "What are you talking about? 'Safe haven?' I returned to that Godforsaken oasis, and sat under that God-dammed oak, and wasted my life for a FUCKING YEAR, while you were up in some cloud 'watching over me.' If you cared so much, why didn't you save me? Why didn't you get me out of there-- out of here? I've been humiliated, and made miserable countless times, and yet you show up as if a day's gone by! What's your fucking problem, Elaine?"

Clearly taken aback by my harsh words, she remained silent for a moment; eventually, she shrugged it all off, and began answering my questions, "I could not appear before you were in mortal danger, my child. The magic is difficult to perform, and it can only be performed once in a while. Not very often. It leaves me very weak after it has worn off. All of these other things you speak of-- humility, hard work, and despair-- these are normal parts of life, my Beatrice-- of being human, and if you do not learn to accept them now, you will not be able to survive the long battle that lies ahead."

" 'Battle?' " I repeated, now almost annoyed by her presence, as opposed to being relieved, "There is no battle, Elaine. I'm sixteen years old, and I just want to go home."

"You've much to learn before that time comes, Beatrice," I opened my mouth to complain, "Now shut up, and try to learn something. Earlier, I mentioned the safe-haven; there, you were safe from danger, for oak trees contain an ancient magic which is precious and vital to existence here... there is magic in the very heart of the oak that will repel the shaskas. To them it is something horrible, for it remains pure, and cannot be corrupted."

My angry feelings and resentment towards her now gone, I was truly intrigued, "But why hasn't she killed me? I'm not under the oak. Here I am!"

She smiled at my cleverness, "The people of D'Nalge remain in fear of the shaska, for this is where they originated... Thus, all houses here are made of oak...

When the snake that tempted Eve
Fled Eden
It came to our noble world,
And polluted it,
By becoming mortal,
And finding a lover;
The first shaska was born out of their evils."

"Snake?" I repeated, "Snakes-- ever since you died, the snake has haunted my dreams! It and Jacqueline," I paused, processing everything, "Now it's all beginning to make sense."

"Yes... and remember the night when your father ran over the black cat...?"

"You mean Jacqueline in disguise?" I whispered, excitedly; hardly believing the long-awaited truths.

"Yes; I was watching you that night."

"I knew it!" I exclaimed, jumping off of the dusty floor in excitement, "I got goose bumps! I knew that someone or something was watching us then! It was my-- my-- sixth sense if you can call it that; I could practically hear eyes watching us; I just didn't say anything about it. I figured that something in the darkness was watching us… but where is Jacqueline now?"

"I have a feeling that she remains in this world… she yearns to meet with you-- to kill you."

Suddenly my mood changed at her stating the obvious, the anger that was still bottled up in me exploded once again, "YES-- I KNOW! BUT WHERE?" I roared, "WHERE IN THE FUCK IS SHE!"

This time, my fairy godmother remained unaffected by my vulgar language; "The forest-- the forest… I can sense her there… she is waiting… watching. You must stay away from--"

She suddenly stopped speaking, "Wait!" I screamed, but she began fading away, and could no longer speak-- or even listen to me; "No!" I screamed. "Please!" she was becoming fainter still-- she was little more than a silvery outline now, "Please don't leave me here in this hellhole to rot! Take me with you! Please!" And then, she was completely disappeared; leaving me to my long list of chores.