Pleading Echoes
-Mask of Twilight
Chapter II
Sarah looked at the old, familiar house that she had never really called 'home'. The white paint still looked new, and overall the house looked the same as it always did. The surrounding foliage was a bit overgrown, but nothing she couldn't quickly take care of. Climbing the front porch steps, Sarah took out the key which Mrs. Stafford had given her. Inserting it into the lock, she swung the door open. She hesitated for a brief moment, recalling the rumours which her neighbor had informed her of. Shaking her head, Sarah whispered to herself, "She's just a senile old woman, Sarah. Don't listen to her stories." She stepped into the pool of sunshine on the entrance's hardwood floor, then shut the door behind her. As the sunlight left her in the dim foyer, Sarah couldn't help but feel a great emptiness in the pit of her stomach. This house held no fond memories for her. She had always tried to escape its boring and trivial realities through fantasies and daydreams.
Her life, till now, had been based upon those fantasies. After high school and two idle years spent at a university, Sarah decided to pursue a career in acting. She had been involved in school plays in her teenage years, and she had always held a passion for the art. Her dreams merely allowed her to envision herself in far off places, but acting gave her the opportunity to live her fantasies, even if only on a stage. She was blind to the wooden scenery and the painted faces. To her, everything was real. Until the true reality of life set itself to diminish her imaginative mind. Her father and stepmother were killed by a head-on collision with a maniacal driver. Toby was committed to his aunt's care, who in turn sent him to boarding school. Sarah, who had been partially living off donations from her parents, realized that acting was now getting her nowhere. She couldn't continue to live off of what little she earned for her performances. Her one escape from reality was taken from her.
And now here she was, back in the house which she hadn't stepped into for nine years. She had attempted to sell the place, after her parents passed away. It was now two years since that tragic accident, and the small, two-story building held no interest for any house-touring customers. It was now Sarah's self-appointed task to find out why.
Sarah wandered throughout the empty and disquieting house. All the furniture was still there, as well as most of the knick-knacks her parents had collected over the years. It was strange, standing amidst the visible memories of their lives. She almost expected them to walk right in, coming home from one of their numerous outings she had always been excluded from.
The woman wandered back into the entrance hall, headed for the stairs. As she passed, she glanced fondly at the old grandfather clock which had stood there as long as she could remember. She'd always thought of it as a comforting friend. As a child she would often lay down in front of it, listening to the gentle tick-tock, watching the pendulum swing back and forth. Her father would always later find her there, fast asleep, Lancelot tucked under one arm.
Sarah ascended the stairs, which creaked slightly under her step. Reaching the top, she flicked the nearby light-switch. The hallway remained dim, only lit by the sunshine that filtered through a downstairs window. "Hmm," Sarah murmured to herself. "I'll need to change that bulb." She continued her way down the hall, peering into her parents' bedroom as she passed. She quickly turned away. While she had accepted their death long ago, it was still discomforting knowing that they had lain there once, sleeping peacefully.
Instead, she wandered to her own bedroom. Stepping inside, she switched on the light. "Thank you," she said to no one in particular as the lights flashed on. She sat down on her old bed, not quite sure what to do next. She had come here to see why the house wouldn't sell, and her brief inspection uncovered no logical reasoning behind the mystery. Everything seemed in order.Sarah sighed, irritated at the situation. She glanced about the room, trying to decide what to do with the rest of her evening. A nostalgic smile passed across her face as she took in all the items which represented her childhood. Her teddy bears still sat in their cubbies on the wall, her theatrical posters still hung where she remembered tacking them up. Her books lay slumped over on their shelf, as the bookends had disappeared long ago. Many things had disappeared from her room the year before high school began, childish things which Sarah had no interest in keeping.
RING! Sarah jumped, a small cry of surprise escaping her lips. She put her hand over her beating heart before rushing downstairs to answer the insistent phone's cry. But in her haste, she tripped over the last step and went sprawling onto the hardwood floor. She listened vainly to the last ring of the telephone as she attempted to get up. "Ow..." she muttered, rubbing her probably bruised elbow. "Great, Sarah, just great. What if that call was important?" She glared back at the obtrusive step. Immediately, her forehead crinkled in confusion. Upon the step lay a mask. Lifting herself to her feet, Sarah picked the mask up for inspection. It was very ornate, like what one would wear to a masquerade ball. But what was it doing here? She'd never seen it before, and she was positive that it hadn't been on the step on her first venture upstairs.
Sarah frowned, a slight shiver causing her skin to raise in little bumps. Carrying the mask into the kitchen, she put it on the counter before approaching the now silent phone. She pushed the button which would reveal to her who had called. "Toby!" she said, smiling. She hadn't spoken to him for six months, at least. Picking up the phone, she quickly dialed the number of his dorm at school. She heard the distant ring from the other line, waiting for her brother to pick up. At length, he did.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Toby! Sorry I missed your call; I had a slight mishap going down the stairs," she said, eyeing the mask upon the counter.
She heard his voice laugh mockingly. "You're so clumsy, Sarah. Wish I could've seen you fall."
"Shut up, Toby," she said, annoyed. "Don't you have something better to say to me?"
"Oh yeah," he said. "I was just gonna let you know that I'm coming to live with you for the summer."
"What?" This was the first time Sarah had heard this news. "What about Aunt Charlene? Aren't you staying with her?"
"Nah," he said casually. "She and Uncle Brad are going to Sicily for a couple months to visit some friends. I'd just be in the way."
"Oh," said Sarah. "I suppose it'd be fine for you to stay here, then. When'll you be coming?"
"Uh...next week, I think? Oh, um...Hang on a sec."
Sarah heard the phone being set down noisily, then a muffled laugh of the female distinction. Oh Lord, Sarah grimaced. Her fifteen-year-old brother already had a girl in his boy's only dormitory. This was certainly something she would have preferred not to know. She was about to put down the receiver, but was stopped when she heard Toby's voice.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was unusually gentle, far from the clipped sarcastic tone he generally used with Sarah. She felt like she was invading his privacy, but was too curious to stop listening. Besides, she needed to be able to hear him when he came back to their conversation.
A soft feminine voice spoke to him. "I want you to come back with me, Toby. You've been once, why are you so afraid of coming back?"
Sarah frowned. Come back to where?
"You know my answer, Jez," his distant voice sounded torn. "Now go away."
Sarah heard nothing for a moment, and then Toby's voice was back on the line. "Um, Sarah, sorry about that. Door-to-door salesman, you know. Took me a minute to get rid of him." He sounded tired.
Sarah was silent a moment. She wasn't sure what to say. He was lying to her, and he didn't do that often. Something serious was going on, but of course she couldn't just ask him about it.
Toby's voice filled the awkward silence with an even more awkward phrase. "So, yeah. School ends in two days, so after that I'll take the first bus home...That sound good?"
Sarah nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. "Yes, that sounds good to me. We'll have fun," she added, a worried smile passing across her face.
"Yeah," Toby muttered distractedly. "I'll see you then, I guess."
"Sure thing," Sarah said cheerfully. "Bye, Toby!"
"Bye," he said, the other line immediately disconnecting.
Sarah hung the phone up. What was that all about? He certainly hadn't seemed too pleased with that girl's appearance. And why was she so desperate to have him come back somewhere with her?
Turning around, Sarah saw the mask's empty eyes mocking her confusion. She glared at it. Picking it up, she carried it to the kitchen table. Sitting down, she held the mask in her hands, pondering it, as well as Toby's strange attitude. It wasn't too long before she had fallen asleep where she sat, the evening shadows filtering in about her.