Fall 24th
The farmhouse - 11:14 p.m.
Claire tossed and turned in the layers of sheets that tangled up in her lacy green nightgown. She woke up for the second time tonight, this time realizing that her ankle was completely bound up and losing its circulation. Lifting her hands to her face to rub her eyes, she sat up, then slipped her arms under the sheets discreetly, not wanting to take any of the warmth away from Jill, lying motionlessly beside her.
Jill was sleeping like a rock over the past few days. No longer did she stay up to watch the weather reports, or make the following morning's breakfast, or play with the cat and dog. A few times, to Claire's frustration, she had skipped dinner and went to bed after only just a glass of water.
Winter was approaching, and her friend was showing less and less concern by the day. Jill was passionate about the animals, loving them like siblings, or her own children. But lately she was only saying, "Oh, they'll be fine," and retiring early. In spite of the coming changing of the seasons, tonight Claire got out of bed covered in sweat, her sheer nightgown sticking to her skin.
In a daze, she tiptoed over the sleeping Pepper and Moon, leaving them undisturbed as she opened the front door and stepped out, completely unsure why she was doing this.
The air outside was dead. Not even the faintest breeze came by. The stars and clouds up above were at a standstill, and there was complete silence. Claire lifted her arms, like a bird spreading its wings, but the icy air was more numbing than soothing. Rather than going back inside after only about ten seconds, she sat down on the grass and tried to enter a meditative state.
The hammock had been taken down from the slender trees adjacent to Takakura's house, and not a single remnant of Jack remained anywhere on the humble though developing estate. He would have been the perfect candidate to talk to when Claire just couldn't seem to get to sleep. Claire imagined that he would stir from his slumber, offer her a sleepy smile, and pour her a drink from his thermos as they told scary stories, chatting on through the night.
A pale white hand curled around the trunk of one of those trees, and Claire's heart stopped. Was it Jack? Then she noticed a bright golden bracelet attached to that hand, that reached almost all the way up to an elbow. Jack wasn't as flamboyant, and his skin definitely wasn't that milky and delicate.
"Why, hello there sleepyhead!" called a young woman's voice of indeterminable age. The voice was sweet, playful, and had a crystallic echoing quality.
Claire stood upright and flexed her limbs, vulnerable in her nightgown without any heavy farming tools in sight, thinking back to the night that Jack told her about a silver-haired thief.
Instead a female face popped into view, cute and flawless. Her hair was bound into two aqua-green buns on both sides of her head, a long braid trailing down from one of them. She wiggled her fingers at Claire with a flirtatious wave, and Claire marveled at the outfit she was wearing, a revealing turquoise-hued tube top and matching long skirt with a gold leaf ornament hanging from the belt. A billowy, thin shawl-like cape danced across her back and shoulders as this mysterious woman seemed to float out from behind the tree. There was definitely somethingethereal about her, and Claire's stomach twisted into knots as she thought she saw this weird lady float her way over. She hoped that perhaps this lady had long legs, and seemed to float because Claire couldn't see shoes moving beneath the long skirt.
"Ta-daaaaa!" she shouted. Her aqua eyes glistened with excitement, and she spread her arms out in a showy manner, most likely expecting some sort of applause.
"Sssshhh!" Claire stamped her feet and waved her arms desperately. "People are sleeping here! What do you want?"
The woman frowned a little, and tilted her head in confusion. Her hands went on her curvaceous hips. Claire found it disturbingly tacky for her to flaunt her hourglass figure in an outfit like that at the end of the fall.
"Why, I'm here to help you. Don't you know me? I'm the Harvest Goddess!"
Claire rubbed her eyes once more, but indeed, this lady standing before her, this "goddess", didn't vanish. She remained perfectly calm, her wits gathered about her soundly.
"Okay, crazy lady," Claire yawned. "Since you're not some sort of hallucination, I'll just escort you back to wherever you came from."
"Oh, look at you!" the green-haired lady cried, placing two soft hands on Claire's cheeks. Claire's eyes widened in surprise, and she caught the scent of fragrant flowers misted and hydrated by heavy spring rain. She smelled just like a florist's shop. Her naturally-green eyebrows were tweezed to thin perfection, and her lips glossy and pink. Extravagant earrings dangled from her earlobes. She had the spunky eyes of a bratty child that insisted on having whatever she wanted. That much Claire could tell already.
"You're so pretty! I love the nightgown. With a little bit of jewelry, you could almost pass for being me!" She giggled and twirled around, as though enticing her. Whoever she was, most likely she heard that Claire was into women, and was probably trying to flirt with her. And seeing her dressed like that, Claire was prepared to tell her that she hadn't the spare gold to pay her price, even if she wanted to.
"What are you doing here?" Claire demanded, her patience running thin. Why didn't she just stay in bed like a good girl?
"I was so sad when Jack left. I thought he had forgotten all about me! But now he's back, and instead of finding him at this crappy farm, I run into you, Claire, and your little friend. Oh well. It's good to finally meet you, though!" She really was floating in mid-air. And she knew Claire's name.
"Okay, but what are you doing here? Don't you know that Jack's staying at the Inner Inn?"
The woman brought her fingers to her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, good to know. But that's not quite so important right now. I have something to show you." She took Claire's hand, and Claire felt the thin blue fabric of her shawl drape across her body.
"I must be sleepwalking," Claire concluded as the end of her nightgown rippled gently. The Goddess led her by the hand, over the fence and down the path, the two of them gliding just inches above the ground.
"People tend to forget about me after we have these encounters," the Goddess explained with a frown. "This experience will probably be locked in your subconscious mind too, but at least I'll have let you see all this for yourself. We're fighting for you, you know."
"What are you talking about?" By now they were gliding by the tree where Claire and Jack were sitting the other day, and Claire was amazed by the Goddess's strength as she lifted Claire up and sat with her on those same branches.
"You should have come to the pond and gave me something when you were here all day. You two are so silly," the Goddess said, poking Claire in the arm. "Anyway, just sit and watch."
Claire sighed, with no choice but to do as asked. She twiddled her thumbs around and tried not to feel embarrassed about being away from the farm in her nightgown, in a place where someone could easily look up and laugh at her panty-lines in the moonlight. With a thinner layer of clothing on, the scratchiness of that tree branch didn't feel any less painful on her behind and legs.
Swishing noises came from the clear pond. Claire focused her attention on it and almost jumped back when she saw a hand emerge onto the bank. The Goddess clamped her satiny hand over Claire's mouth, and they watched as another hand came up, then dark beaded sleeves, and a mess of blond hair that was sopping wet and hanging low, like an old mop. The woman climbed out of the pond and retrieved her black wool shawl that was floating in it behind her. Wringing her hair out, she tossed it over her shoulders. The Goddess grimaced unpleasantly when she saw the round, cherubish face and deep burgundy eyes.
'I could swear that pond was way too shallow for someone to hide in it,' Claire thought, amused. It seemed like nothing came to a shock to her anymore. Or maybe she really was sleepwalking. She hoped she would remember this dream so that she could write it all out later as a children's fairytale.
'Why would you think that? I've been living in it for hundreds of years!' a voice entered her head.
Claire stared at the tranquil Goddess with widened eyes. She could read minds! Oh goodness. This could be bad.
'Don't worry about it, I can keep your petty little thoughts a secret. Now just stay quiet and watch.'
The strange blond woman wore a gray and purple patchwork dress with cheap beads embroidered to it, and an elaborate system of criss-crossing strings at her waist and across her furry boots. She shook out her soaken black shawl and placed it across her shoulders, a bitter expression on her youthful face. Arms outspread, she held her palms up and spread her nimble fingers out wide. Her bony little hands began to glow a soft violet color, her long uneven nails blending into the aura.
Rock appeared from almost out of nowhere, drifting along in the same purple aura. He wore the face and pose of a frightened little boy approaching the imaginary monster living in his bedroom closet. With bewilderment and intimidation dancing in his eyes, he clutched an old teddy bear to the shirt of his striped pajamas. Fuzzy blue slippers hung off of his feet, about to fall into the grass at any moment.
"Again? Can't I just go back to bed?" he begged the lady.
"Not until you finish your quest, young man." The blond girl held up her finger and waggled it at him, then snapped her fingers and Rock fell flat onto his butt on the ground.
"But I did what you asked!" he whined, brushing dirt off of his teddy bear. "And what about my reward that you promised me? Shouldn't I have that before you ask me to do something else?"
"You little weasel!" the girl snarled, her features wild and her deep wine-red eyes ablaze. "I got myself wet in that pond, checking for that stupid Harvest Goddess on my way to do you a favor! How ungrateful of you!"
"Actually," Rock piped up, tapping his two index fingers together shyly, "I was hoping we could call this off. I don't think I want to do this anymore."
The girl grabbed Rock by the collar of his pajama shirt, and lowered her outraged face dangerously close to his frightened one. "You're so spineless! All I wanted to do was play a few harmless little games. What are you so afraid of? You think I'm going to turn you into a toad? Ha! Ha! Ha!… Come to think of it, that sounds pretty fun!"
"Don't!" Rock cried, holding his ragged teddy bear over him as a pathetic shield.
Claire watched the scene with her hands over her mouth. What was going on? Who was that lady, and was she behind all of this drama? What was she using Rock for?
The Goddess patted Claire's knee. Upon receiving her touch, Claire mysteriously returned to her blissful calm, watching the two down below as carelessly and casually as watching a movie. Being in the vicinity of the Harvest Goddess gave Claire a pleasurable tingle, as though she were being massaged, or like finishing off a hot cup of cocoa. Claire hoped more than anything that she might be able to trust her.
'That's the Witch Princess', the Goddess explained telepathically, holding onto a tree branch and looking down at the scene with a morose face. 'She's always playing pranks on everyone, and getting on all our nerves for years. I fear this time she's taken it a little too far, though.'
'Was she by any chance playing around with me and Jill, and the rest of the villagers recently? Like spreading rumors?'
'Spreading rumors is one of the Witch Princess's favorite things. And since you and Jill are the new kids in town, you two are her current favorite guinea pigs. You could always wait it out if you wanted to, and wait until she picks someone else. Not likely anytime soon, though. She knows that Jack is my territory, and she wouldn't dare mess with him this time!'
'What can I do to get her to, uh, go away?'
The Goddess shrugged. 'Sorry, dear. I've been trying to figure it out myself. These duels of magic spells have gone on for centuries, and cools down and starts back up every few decades or so. Now she's gone back to playing with the villagers like dolls.'
'I sincerely hope she doesn't make voodoo dolls.'
'That's forbidden. I would hope she doesn't dare to go that far. But she has been possessing that poor dimwitted boy for a little while. Oh! I do know one way to help alleviate some of this, though. Here's what you have to do. Just keep an eye on Rock, and when you get the chance--"
The Goddess and the Witch Princess alike stopped what they were doing, and wore matching deer-in-the-headlights expressions. The Goddess jumped up and down in a panic before vanishing in a puff of blue-green smoke, leaving Claire hanging with a spinning sensation in her head.
"I'll play with you later," the Witch Princess told Rock in a harsh whisper, snapping her fingers again. Rock immediately fell unconscious, and the two of them disappeared in a puff of similar purple smoke.
Claire trembled as the color drained from her face. As she heard the approach of crunching footsteps through the bushes and fallen leaves, she held on tightly to the tree branches.
"Look what we have here," said a male voice. Shrubs not far from the tree began to rustle before they separated, and out came a very thin-looking boy that couldn't have been much older than Claire. He was by far the craziest thing Claire had seen all night, scrawny and adorned with a leopard-print jacket top and purple slacks, all fine suede. His hair was long and sleek, unnaturally shiny and, as Claire guessed, styled in fringy layers by razor. It was as silver as starlight, with a light purple halo around his crown from the moonlight. -- Silver hair? Wait a minute….
Claire snorted and turned away as soon as she saw the black plastic ballroom mask and potato sack in his hands. Not that she didn't believe him before, but Jack was definitely right. And this creep had the audacity to come by their farm and pluck their apples?
"A little maiden stuck in a tree, how precious!" the young man giggled, playing with his light, feathery silver bangs. Matching bracelets and a pendant necklace glittered and dazzled him all the more. Handsome though he was, his smile was insincere, his chivalric gentlemanly charm a sickening façade. "Come down, little kitten, and I'll share with you some of the treasures I've got!"
"I don't think so," Claire snapped. "You're that no-good, rotten apple thief that Jack saw on our farm! I suggest you beat it before I slap some sense into you."
The boy frowned, pretending to be hurt as he brought his hand to his chest. "Is that the way a beautiful lady should talk to her hopeful prince? I'm your Robin Hood, and those apples went to a needy family, I'll have you know. Won't you come down so I can get a better look at your perfect feminine grace?"
"Look, you asshole," Claire addressed him before jumping out of the tree. She landed on her feet, but with a painful banging ache in her heels that brought a dizzying pain to her head. "I'm not in the mood for your sugar-coated crap right now, so just go. And while you're at it, how about you hand over that bag before you get yourself into deeper trouble?"
He brought the sack around behind his back and winked at her teasingly. "I can't say no to a princess in her lovely, flattering nightgown. How about you try and catch me first, and then I just might have to surrender in exchange for a little kiss."
Claire looked down at her nightgown, checking to make sure the buttons at the top were all closed. She folded her arms over her chest area and growled angrily, her face turning red.
"Is that red I see on your face? You poor little darling, you're frustrated and full of lust!"
"Who the hell are you?" she finally burst out loud.
"I'm the famous Phantom Skye," he replied, bowing low. "I'd kiss your hand, but I'm afraid you're a bit too modest to let me have it for just a moment."
"You have no idea what I've been through today," Claire seethed, her teeth clenched and her fists shaking. "Everything's already gone horribly wrong as it is, and you're only going to make my life all the more miserable, aren't you? I won't tell anyone a thing if you just go and get the hell away from me. I'm serious. I need my sleep, dammit!"
Skye's baby-blue eyes broadened in unafraid fascination. "A feisty one, are we? Well, my dear, I'm sorry you're having a bad day. Let me give you a present." The silver-haired thief dropped his arm to his side and let his bracelet slide off and hit the ground at Claire's bare feet.
"You're disgusting."
"I love you too, my darling! Stay beautiful!" Skye flashed her some sort of gang sign with his fingers, gathered his belongings and did a backflip into the bushes, his legs springy and nimble.
Claire picked up the bracelet and looked at the moon's reflection in its polished silver flawlessness. Perhaps it could be sold for a good profit. Or she could turn it in to the authorities.
Or, better yet, this could still be a dream. Spinning the bracelet around and around on her index finger, Claire whistled a tune as she walked back to the farmhouse. Tomorrow morning when she woke up, hopefully she wouldn't have the faintest recollection of all this insanity.