Chapter 10 The First Nightmare
Hey everyone. This chapter kicks it into gear quite strongly. Oh, and before you read know that I am not prejudice against jews. I'm just saying that if you get any wrong ideas.
When Vesta arrived home for the night she glanced out of her left eye and saw Celia and Josh sitting on a stump in the far corner gazing at the full moon. Vesta stepped forward, angry all of a sudden.
What was he doing here?
She almost walked over to them, but she stopped herself. Why was she angry? She didn't hold anything against him for liking Celia, frankly she held more against Celia than she did against the new farmer. She was the religious fanatic, not him. Wordlessly, she turned, and walked inside her house.
"Where have you been?" Vesta looked up to see Marlin glancing at her suspiciously.
"In town," Vesta said.
"I thought you'd promised to help Celia with the watering," Marlin said.
Vesta frowned, surprised by her anger.
"Look here mister," she glowered. "Its none of your business what I do with my time!"
"I'm just saying," Marlin said. "I left under the knowledge that you would be helping Celia with the chores. If Josh..." he said the word 'Josh' with such contempt that it made Vesta roll her eyes, "...hadn't come by she'd have had to do them alone."
Vesta shook her head and started walking away.
"Just because you've been beaten to her by the new farmer doesn't give you a right to be a self righteous pig about it," Vesta said.
"And whose being self righteous?" Marlin asked. "I'm only trying to look out for Celia."
"Oh don't lie to me," Vesta said. "I've seen the way you look at her, and I think you wish there was something more between the two of you than just a friendship."
Marlin glanced at her.
"Its none of your business what I think," Marlin said. "All I know is I think you're reading too much into this new cult thing."
That did it. The argument went on for a while before Marlin marched off to his room angrily and slammed the door shut.
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"I love Forget Me Not Valley," Celia said as we gazed up at the moon.
"I'm beginning to as well," I said. "I've never been to a place so filled with peace."
Celia smiled at me, before turning towards the moon again.
"My parents want me to get married," she said suddenly. "They've picked out a boy whom I don't even know and want me to marry him."
I looked up in surprise. Such a concept was unheard of practically in America where I came from, but who knew what customs these small islands held.
"Its an old Japanese custom," Celia explained, as if reading my mind. "I'm not Japanese, but my family has lived in Japan for the last two generations."
"Really?" I looked up, surprised.
"Yeah," Celia said. "My parents are strong enthusiasts about Japanese culture, but I never cared much for it."
She laughed silently, and lowered her gaze from the moon before staring off into the darkness.
"I guess that's why they sent me here," she said. "After I converted to Christianity, and started dreaming about Australia they decided to send me away to this island, thinking that the small town culture might influence me I guess."
"Well you certainly aren't a city girl," I said.
Celia smiled softly.
"Thanks," she replied. "My parents traveled many times to America, which is why I can speak English and that's also how I began to... drift away from my parents point of view I guess."
"So you're Christian," I said suddenly, knowing that I had to ask the question sometime.
Celia nodded.
"You?" she asked, looking at me with an almost longing expression.
I knew she very much wanted me to say yes. I shook my head. I could feel her disappointment.
"My parents used to take me to Church," I said, "but it just wasn't for me. I never understood any of it, and half the stuff the people there said didn't make any sense."
"What type of Church was it?" Celia asked.
"I don't know," I said. "Some sort of protestant thing. I just remember them going on and on about how they were contemporary and how they weren't Catholic. I had a friend who stopped going to that church and started going to a Catholic church because he said that the people at my old church offended him because they didn't like Catholics very much at all."
Celia nodded silently.
"Marlin's Catholic," Celia said. "But I feel that he's too much a Catholic and not enough a Christian."
"What are you?" I asked, looking at her. "Christianity is a very broad term."
She caught my gaze.
"Actually it isn't," she said smiling. "I actually belong to no denomination. I don't feel that it is right. The Bible says that all true Christians belong to one church, not to many. But on the same token not all churches are truly Christian. But it would be foolish to say that Catholics aren't really Christians, or that Catholics are the only real Christians. That mistake is made too often."
"You said that your parents didn't really approve of you becoming Christian," I said. "Then why did you do it? I knew a person who converted to Judaism, but they asked their parents first. Their parents didn't really care anyways."
Celia looked at the ground.
"Well, Jesus said that you can't go home and ask permission to follow him, he said that you have to be willing to leave your family behind if necessary to follow him."
"Why would he want you to leave your family behind?"
"Because he should mean more to you than your family," Celia replied.
"But... isn't that a bit heartless?"
"Heartless would be leaving Jesus behind to be with your family," Celia looked back up at the stars again. "My parents didn't approve, because they are believers in Reincarnation, and they want me to believe too. They think that if you are a bad person then you are reborn to a lower state of being. As in poor people are people who have done bad things in their past lives."
I thought about the homeless guy Murrey, who I saw wandering around town often. Most of the townspeople treated him with contempt, and didn't pity his poverty. Perhaps it was because of all of the influences from Eastern Mysticism. I sighed. Too much religious crap for me. I decided to change the subject.
"So are you going to marry the guy they picked out for you?"
Celia frowned. "I... I don't really know... I don't want to disappoint my parents, but..."
She sighed unhappily, so I wrapped my arm around her shoulders to comfort her. Celia rested her head gently against my shoulder, but she did not cry.
"They say that its for the best..." she said. "They say that I will grow to love the man in time."
"I know it must be hard," I whispered.
She turned and looked up into my eyes, her beautiful brown eyes glowing in the moonlight. My heartbeat quickened, and I realized what I had to do. Gazing back at her, I leaned in slowly. Our gaze never broke as we stared lovingly into each other's eyes. I moved in closer, and she seemed to be pulled in by this. She too leaned in, and our lips met. We kissed each other under the moonlight with only the stars as our witnesses. I wrapped my other arm around her, and we continued kissing. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, so gently, like a butterflies wings. When I drew away Celia looked at the ground almost sadly, refusing to meet my gaze.
"Celia?" I said. "I don't know what exactly to say, but..."
Celia looked into my eyes and smiled shyly, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"It had to happen eventually," she said. "But I don't know if this is right. My parents..."
"Make your own decisions," I replied. "I'm not expecting you..."
"Its hard though," Celia said. "Its... Its like telling your parents that you're pregnant, except my parents would probably welcome that news more than they would welcome this... I need to think. Would you just leave me alone for now?"
I lowered my gaze, disappointed.
"I really like you Celia," I said. "I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met."
"I know this," Celia replied. "I feel the same way for you, but... I need time to think."
"Will you at least call me in the morning?" I asked.
Celia nodded. I averted my gaze.
"Goodnight then," I said, and she walked off towards her house.
For a while I just sat brooding. So I had a girl who liked me, but not really a girlfriend. She liked me, I liked her, her parents wanted her to marry someone else. Things were just getting better and better.
"Now that didn't go too well," I turned to see Muffy standing on the bridge.
Her bright blond hair blew slightly in the wind. Her tight shirt read: "Cool Jews." Great, more religion.
"Were you listening to all that?" I looked up at her unpleasantly.
"I heard enough of it to know what is going on," Muffy walked over and sat down beside me.
I sighed and looked at the ground. She definitely was a contemporary girl, the kind of girl who would walk into a Ghetto without the slightest shame. Her fiery blue eyes looked at me silently.
"Celia's a country girl," Muffy said. "She's too emotional and tends to listen to her parents too much."
Muffy chuckled quietly, brushing the wrinkles out of her jean skirt. I looked at her dumbly.
"What's it to you?" I asked.
"Nothing," Muffy said. "Except it means that there might be the typical drama which is always dragged in with arranged marriages. What she needs to do is get out of this small town, and learn about the real world."
"I'm really glad to hear that the two of you are such good friends," I said sarcastically, for I was starting to dislike Muffy.
"Hey," Muffy replied, "don't get mad at me. I'm just a messenger. Like this cult thing? Its a small town. Small towns are the breeding place for weird cults, arranged marriages, and general backward behavior."
"I think she's a very nice girl who is just trying to get through life," I said.
"You can't be nice in this world," Muffy said, standing up. "It doesn't get you anywhere. You gotta be a killer to get ahead."
"Right," I replied. "I'll be sure to notify Jack the Ripper that he's getting ahead."
Muffy turned back at me and smiled slyly.
"Trust me dude," she said, "you shouldn't be waisting your time with girls like her. She's just a religious small town hick."
"I thought you were the loyal Jew," I said, eying her shirt.
"At least I'm cool about it," Muffy said. "You want a good girlfriend, you should find someone cooler, someone like me."
"Let me guess," I rolled my eyes. "That was your attempt to hit on me."
"If I needed to hit on you then I would have pulled the sweet little girl act," Muffy replied. "I can get any guy I want. You on the other hand have to be stuck with a quiet Christian girl."
"So this is about her being Christian?" I really wasn't feeling much love for Muffy at this point.
"Christianity isn't cool anymore," Muffy said. "They once oppressed everyone else and caused a lot of mayhem and now they're paying for it. Hitler even said he was a Christian, but he persecuted the Jews. Next thing you know she's gonna turn you into a religious wacko."
"I'm not a religious wacko," I protested.
"Good," Muffy turned, and marched off.
I sighed and shook my head.
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Celia stood at her window, watching Josh walk off towards his farm after Muffy had left. Tears glistened in her eyes as she cried silently. Things just weren't easy anymore. The town was getting taken over by a strange demonic cult, and her parents were setting up for an arranged marriage. On top of all this she was starting to like Josh. Heck, she might even be falling for him. Celia blushed faintly as she thought about Josh, about what she thought of him.
Suddenly she heard a snap. Gasping, she whirled around and gazed out into the darkness of her room. Nothing. Celia fumbled around the wall for the light switch, but when she found it it wouldn't turn on. Was it a blackout? Then she heard a slow creaking noise. Turning fearfully, she saw her rocking chair rocking back and forth as if by magic. Silently, she crept forward, towards it. It continued rocking.
'Nightmares come after-'
'-Those who do not listen.'
Celia gasped, and glanced around the room. Then slowly, her closet door slowly creaked open, revealing a dark figure who stood within it.
'And the nightmares will devour you.'
Celia made out a wide brimmed hat and eyes glowing in the darkness. Then the dark figure stepped out from her closet and into the soft moonlight, its face shrouded by a hideous leather mask. In its hand it held a knife.
"Hello Celia," the dark figure said, before laughing darkly. "The darkness has come after you."
Then the figure sprang towards her, raising its knife to strike her down. Celia screamed as the leather faced killer slammed her to the ground, before shoving its knife up against her throat.
"Now you will suffer!" the man cried, laughing evilly.
Celia stretched her head back, trying to escape the sharp blade pressing against her neck. A small drop of blood formed there and rolled down along her neck.
"Scream!" the man suddenly yanked her up from the ground and glared deep into her eyes.
Celia whimpered, her eyes wide with fright as her face went pale and she felt her blood run cold within her. She was now at the mercy of this madman, who would not show her any mercy.
"SCREAM!" Celia couldn't take it any longer, and screamed loudly, hoping to appease the killer, but it did not.
He quickly slashed her right cheek with the blade.
He's going to bleed me, he's going to torture me!'
Celia could do nothing but stare at the killer in utter terror.
Help me Jesus!
Then, suddenly the door slammed open, and Marlin stood there, with a wooden walking stick held tightly in his hands.
"Let her go," he snarled.
The leather faced killer turned to face the challenge.
"LET HER GO!" Marlin drew the staff back, ready to strike the killer.
Slowly the killer rose back to his feet, tossing Celia aside to the back of the room, before looking down upon Marlin, like a Giant facing down a knight. The killer shot forward, its black cloak flowing like a ghost as he swung his blade. Marlin threw his walking stick up to defend himself, and the knife clanged against it harmlessly. Marlin then thrust forward with the stick, but the madman grabbed it with his other free hand and tore it from his grip. Then, he threw it behind him, striking Celia in the chest, and knocking her over again. Marlin stepped back as the leather faced killer touched the brim of his hat respectfully.
"Now you will die," his dark voice rasped from within the mask.
Suddenly Celia came in behind the killer and swung Marlin's staff into the back of his head, sending the gigantic man tumbling forward, his dark cloak flowing out like a cape. Celia then collapsed, breathing heavily. Marlin leapt out of the way and the huge man fell to the ground, his knife plunging into a wooden table. Then, he quickly leapt back to his feet and flung himself out the window into the darkness outside. Marlin was immediately at Celia's side.
"Celia?" he asked, patting her cheek to try and wake her up. "Are you alright?"
Celia only moaned, just lying there, breathing heavily but refusing to open her eyes.
"Celia, please..."
Her head rolled to the side as darkness took her.
Yeah, and to explain I know that jews aren't like Muffy. I just wanted someone in this story to be jewish, cause I'm trying to account for a wide variety of religions in this, and then while writing this I thought it would be creative to make a scene like this with her. Why? Mostly cause it's different than the typical interpretation of Muffy as a girly flirtacious lonely person. This way she is still a bit of a slut, but she's a more realistic type, and not one of those stereotyped "throw themselves at every guy" slut. She's just a jerk. As for the cool jews stuff, I have seen people take their religion that way and treat it as a badge of pride. And not just jews mind you. That's one of my greatest pet peaves, because religion should not be a badge of pride, because then do you truly believe in it because it is true or just because it is cool to believe in it? Anyways, see you later.
