Chapter 5: Autumnal Equinox, 1830
I think I'm starting to go mad. The voices are getting worse. I don't know they're real or all in my head. All I know is I can't deal with being alone. After my brother Roy kicked me out, I was grateful Hazel had offered me to stay with her.
"As long as you don't mind living with three other people besides me," she chuckled.
"No, I don't mind at all. I'm just fortunate to have a dear friend like you who is offering me a place to live. Who else lives here with you?"
"You know Jésus. He still lives in the guest quarters separate from the house."
Jésus was a wonderful guy. I still feel bad that I was initially skeptical about him. When we first met, he shook my hand with an unusually weak grip and I was immediately suspicious. My father had told me growing up that a man with a weak handshake couldn't be trusted.
"Not really a man of words. Just like working with my hands and feeling the energy from the earth."
Since that meeting, we became friends and shared many interests. I was surprised he still resided here. He had been offered another job that paid better, but said he'd rather work here.
"I know this house and this land have their oddities, but in a way…this place feels just like my childhood home. I feel like I have a purpose here."
Hazel was nervous about something. She was fiddling with her hair ribbon, refusing to look at me directly. "What's wrong? Why are you uneasy?"
She raised her eyes to me. "The other resident that lives here is Louise. But you have to understand, Stacey. She's desperate and has to think of her son –"
"There's no need to explain Hazel. It's water under the bridge. I no longer have ill feelings toward her." It was a lie, but I really needed somewhere to live. As long as I didn't run into her, all would be fine.
Louise was Henry's granddaughter. We met at his funeral. She was a couple years older than Hazel, but they had become friends while attending school. Hazel had introduced us, and the three of us were inseparable for years. As long as I had Hazel and Louise in my life, that's all that mattered.
The three of us had been invited to Eli Porter's house for a dinner party. Eli was Louise's older brother and was a councilman. He threw many extravagant parties, inviting anyone who was interested regardless of social status. I felt a lot of this had to do with filling the void of losing his son. Timothy had been assisting his uncle at the mines when he slipped and fell to his death. Eli and Josslyn were devastated. They still had three children whom they held closer since Timothy's untimely death.
As I fetched another glass of wine, I nearly spilled it onto a tall gentleman. This gentleman was Jeremie Rosenthal. He was the assistant to the city manager. After I had profusely apologized to him, he told me it wasn't a big deal. Jeremie said he was clumsy as well. We spent the rest of the party engaged in conversation, developing a mutual attraction for each other. A couple months later, he officially began courting me. I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
We had been together for close to a year before deciding to marry. It was three weeks before the wedding. Louise had asked me to come by and to make sure I was alone. I hadn't seen her in the last three months so it was nice to get to have some time with each other and catch up. Once she shut the door, Louise turned to face me but refused to look at me. I noticed a small bump on her stomach before she quickly turned away.
"Are you with child Louise?" I was excited for her as she had been talking of wanting to settle down. Had she finally found someone that would make her happy and start a family? However, Hazel would have mentioned if Louise had been seeing someone. My happiness changed to concern as she stayed silent.
"What's wrong? Who's the father? Or was this not planned?" My concern heightened at the possibility of my dear friend being assaulted and carrying some bastard's unwanted seed.
Louise rubbed her stomach slowly. "Yes. I know who the father is." She finally turned to me with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Stacey."
I was confused. "What do you mean you're sorry? At least you know who the father is. People will talk a little bit less now. Not that it's any of their business. People really shouldn't be so –"
"It's Jeremie's. Jeremie is the father of this child, Stacey." I could hear her gulp nervously. "It was an accident –"
My confusion turned to anger. "An accident? How could this be an accident, Louise?! Last I knew, having intimate relations with someone that ends with pregnancy is not an accident! You're supposed to be one of my best friends! Friends don't do this to each other!"
She made an attempt to explain what happened, but I didn't care.
"It doesn't matter, Louise! As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer my friend."
I needed to talk to Jeremie. He was just as responsible for this as she was. I thought we loved only each other. Once I got to his house, there were constables everywhere. Sitting near the front gate was his 14-year-old cousin Jonathan. He was pale and couldn't stop shaking. This alarmed me as men weren't supposed to cry. I ran to him and sat down. He hugged me, burying his face into my shoulder.
"I can't get that image out of my head. Please tell me this isn't happening." He sobbed.
"What are you talking about Jonathan? Where's Jeremie? I really need to talk to him about something –"
"He's dead Stacey! I found him. He had hung himself."
To this day, Jonathan's words still haunt me. Has it really been six years ago, I thought. Even though Jeremie betrayed me, I feel like we could have worked through this. It could have made our love even stronger than before. But it was too late now. What didn't help was shortly after I moved in, I saw a little boy running around the yard. He looked just like Jeremie, and it took everything I had not to break down. I learned his name was Matthew, and he was Louise's son. Though he took to me quite well, I have avoided him as much as possible. It was for the best.
Hazel came home today with a beautiful hand mirror. "Came across an old man and his young daughter selling all kinds of trinkets. As soon as I saw this mirror, I knew it would suit you perfectly."
I closely examined the mirror; it was silver with an exquisite design framing the glass. I've never seen anything like it before. "I hope you didn't spend a lot on this, Hazel. You didn't have to get me anything." I couldn't hide my smile though. It was a thoughtful gesture. I wonder if she knew that it was the anniversary of Jeremie's death.
"No problem at all. Actually, it didn't cost me anything. The gentleman seemed to be pleased to be rid of it. His loss."
She smiled at me, but I could tell it was for show. She had been gone to her sister's funeral. Hazel told me Margaret had shot herself and her daughter found her. It was strange though. Margaret had always been upbeat and cheery. Nothing ever seemed to get her down and was a devoted mother to her only child. I suppose we all have our demons, and hers got the better of her. I wish Hazel or I would have known. Maybe we could have gotten her help.
I decided to take one more glance into the mirror before getting into bed for the night. A flash of light flickered on the glass. That's strange, I thought. I think I'm just tired. As I placed it on my nightstand, the sound of a raspy growl filled the room.
"Stacey Borne. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The voice spoke. I looked around the room. Memories of Crebraal entered my mind, and I started shaking.
"Wh-who's there?" I shakily asked. I got up and ran to my vanity. Sitting on top was a small wooden jewelry box where I kept Ellis' amulet and took it out to examine it.
"No, I am not there. I'm not that insolent imp. No, I am here as a friend. I want to help you."
I felt stupid for asking, but I was confused and wanted answers. "Who are you? Where are you at?"
The voice chuckled, its laugh unnerving and hoarse. "I am inside your mirror. If you pick it up, you will be able to see me. Much like a looking glass from the fairytales."
Looking back at me from inside the mirror was a dark shape with red eyes. I gasped. "Sorry that my appearance makes you uncomfortable. I am here to see if you'd be willing to have a little chat with me. Get to know the person who has possession of my mirror."
"Your mirror? I don't understand. Hazel said she bought it from –"
"Where do you think he acquired it from? He was the previous holder, yes. But I am the one who claims it. It's mine. But enough about that. I'm very curious to get to know you."
We ended up talking until the early hours of the morning. I learned that it called itself Him. He said I would come to know of His name in due time. A wave of déjà vu came over me. After Crebraal, I promised myself not to allow anyone or anything to influence me. I couldn't afford for another slip-up. Something I quickly learned about Him was He liked to talk about himself and that he was "trapped at the dark altar". He couldn't get out until He completed some ritual.
Two night later, He was telling me about His newest acquisition. "Do you see them? There's a new set of teeth. They're just behind my other teeth. You can only see them by looking into this mirror. Oh, I can't wait to sink them into fresh meat. It's been too long."
Maybe I truly was losing my mind and didn't know what was real or what was an illusion anymore. Talking to a figure I could only see in a hand mirror. That would earn anyone a trip to the asylum. As He talked about the horrible things He would do once He got out, another flash of light appeared from the corner of the mirror's edge. I saw a small figure of a girl in the corner. She was hiding in the shadows, looking at me despondently. "Hey, who is that –"
The girl pointed at me, covered her mouth and shook her head. She was telling me to stop speaking. About her being there? But I wanted to know why she was there. Was she someone I could trust or was it something worse than Him? "Never mind. Just getting tired and seeing things." I quickly explained away.
He was telling me about some powerful and ancient artifact called the Chalice of Insanity. It was my mission to find it. This chalice would be essential to unlocking Him from his prison. I do not know how to go about finding it or where to start.
"The one who ruined your life. Her great-grandfather found my chalice and it's been with that damned family ever since!" He was talking about Louise. She has mentioned it before, but it wasn't until that moment they were one in the same.
"There is bad blood between your families, yes? Stacey Borne, get me that chalice. If you succeed, I can make Louise disappear! I can make the whole Porter family disappear! There are great things in store if you accomplish this for me. I even have the perfect plan."
He wanted me to wait a week before enacting the plan. It was in that moment I should have said no. It was the Crebraal situation all over again, but with a more powerful entity. However, what was being offered was tempting. When that day arrived, everything started falling into place as He said they would. It was too easy convincing little Matthew to go play upstairs. Louise and Hazel didn't let him go up there, but he was more than eager to explore. What I was about to do didn't need to involve the child.
Next, I needed to find Louise and get her into the cellar of the house. This was per His instructions. He also told me that I would need to convince Hazel to join her. I was hesitant to this part of His plan. Hazel was the only person whom I trusted and I didn't want anything bad to happen to her.
"Have you seen Louise? I borrowed a spool of thread and need to return it to her."
"Oh! That was awfully considerate of her. I think I last saw her down in the cellar."
There was a knock at the door. I heard Him chuckle at this. I didn't dare take the mirror from my pocket to ask him what was amusing. "Perfect. This is just too easy. Jonathan Rosenthal came to you."
Before Hazel walked away to answer the door, I grabbed her arm. "I'll get that for you. Can you go let Louise know about that thread?" She nodded and headed to find Louise.
Going to the door, I saw it was indeed Jonathan. He had changed so much since I last saw him at Jeremie's funeral. "Hey there Jonathan. What brings you around?"
He held up a bag of tools. "Talked to Hazel when she was in town a few days back. She mentioned something about helping Jésus with patching up the barn door. Where is she? I needed to ask her a couple questions."
"Oh yes! If you need her, she's down in the cellar helping Louise with something. Go on ahead. I'm sure she wouldn't mind at all."
"…like I said, too easy." He was speaking to me in my head now. Now was the time to make preparations to kill Louise. He had reassured me that Hazel and Jonathan would not be harmed as long as I did what he asked.
Hurrying to the door in the kitchen that led to the cellar, I turned the lock, trapping them. I ran outside to place a barrier over the outside door. Jésus was coming around the corner as I finished putting up the barrier, but he didn't seem to notice me.
He had been unusually agitated earlier this morning. It seems his mood hadn't improved as he wandered around the yard anxiously. There was something that glimmered in his hand. Why was he carrying a piece of broken glass?
"No! They have been moved! Who moved these stones?" He shouted to no one in particular. "He will escape!" I watched him frantically pick up one of the stones, moving it to one with a similar character. "No, this isn't correct. Where does this one go?"
Slowly approaching him, I placed a hand on his shoulder. "What are you talking about? What stones are you referring to and why are they important? What do they signify?"
He was clutching the shard of glass too tightly, but he didn't seem to notice. Blood ran from his hand and down his arm. A few drops of blood landed on the ground near the largest stone. From it, there was a human-like mist that began rising from the ground. There was a large crack followed by ghostly wails coming from the basement.
"Those dead here may not be so dead after all," Jésus whispered in horror as more mist rolled through the ground. "The veil between the living and the dead has been weakened. I must leave here. It's too late for any of us." He took off running from the yard and disappeared into the woods. A few moments later, I heard a distant scream.
"The portal to Hell has opened up! The time is drawing near to show these traitors what it is like to be cast into Hell!" I removed the mirror from my pocket. He was looking at me with a large grin on his face. "Thatcher Borne is bent on revenge. He'll find a way back to this world," He continued. "From time to time, the veil of death will descend upon this house and all within will be shrouded in the quiet of the grave."
Two spirits materialized before us. The shorter of the two spirits looked eerily like Father. "Papa? Is that you? What's going on?"
"I am not your father. I am your great-great-great grandfather, Batcher." I took note of his tall companion. Even as an apparition, he didn't look healthy. His aura had a sickly green hue, and I could see a bullet wound in his chest. "This is my brother Thatcher. It is him you have summoned to help."
Upon hearing his name, I remembered the silver bells I discovered years before. The initials 'T.B' were inscribed on them. I had carried those bells on me for luck. I held them up to show him and asked if they were his.
"You have found them! I thought they were lost forever. It's wonderful to see they are back in the family after all this time." All I could do was smile and nod. This was reassuring to know that an old family heirloom was back in the right hands. I would keep them safe until the day I died.
The house began to distort inward as though something in trying to swallow it underground. The mirror flickered and I saw Jonathan, Hazel and Louise. Jonathan was trying to get the door open as Thatcher appeared. His mad cackle filled the air and scared them as far from him as they could in the small space. He started a chant in a strange tongue and more mist started pouring out of the walls. It was a frighteningly beautiful scene. So many spirits who took residence in this place start rushing out in a fit of madness.
"See that little girl?" Batcher pointed to a girl in a pale blue gown. Her long black hair tied back in a ribbon, and she was carrying a teddy bear speckled with blood. She had a sad smile on her face as she floated by. "That's your aunt Jenni."
"I didn't know my father had a sister. But he didn't tell us a lot about his past either. He said it was too harrowing and felt those memories should remain there."
Another figure glided past and I had to do a double take. He looked just like my brother Roy when he was younger aside from a horrific gash that went across his neck.
"That is my grandson Baxter. He died shortly after your grandfather was born. Horrible tragedy. He had a promising future ahead of him. But no matter. He is here to help you as well."
A loud explosion went off near the cellar door. I saw a bright light shoot toward the sky as I saw Louise rush out into the yard, Hazel and Jonathan right behind. Jonathan was putting something back into a leather sheath. I knew right away it was the Helm. It had granted him a positive outcome instead of misfortune.
"Destroy it." He snarled and I felt the mirror shake. "Get the Helm and destroy it. We can't have another opportunity like this present itself."
I saw Thatcher's apparition fly from the cellar. He looked enraged as he chanted another phrase. Black mist appeared and transformed into faceless apparitions. They looked menacing as their eyes opened, revealing nothing but white with small red pupils.
"Strike them down. They are the enemy." Thatcher hissed. The black apparitions rushed past me and toward Louise. I wasn't sure how he did it, but Jonathan managed to successfully block them before they could harm her.
But he wasn't quick enough. Another spirit flew by and scratched his arm. He screamed in agony, clutching his arm. Louise grabbed the harpoon he dropped and attempted to protect him and Hazel. She happened to see me in that moment.
"Stacey! Please make this stop!" It was satisfying hearing Louise beg for her life. "If this is about what happened –"
"Louise, watch it!" Jonathan jerked her back before one of the spirits touched her. "Don't let them touch you. They seem to have a substance they release off their forms. It'll burn your skin damn near to the bone."
"Talk about an unfair advantage! The mist can harm us but we can't do anything about them?" Louise glared at me. Her eyes were filled with animosity. "You! Who did you consult with? Why is there a giant hole in the cellar? What sick act are you trying to accomplish?"
"That's enough!" Hazel cried. "Stacey. I know you've been through a lot. I don't know what's going on, but please make this stop. Can't we talk about this without resulting to fighting and bloodshed?"
I could hear Him laugh at her statement. They must have heard Him as they looked around to find the source. "She's trying to get you to back down. I thought she was your friend. But it seems she's agreeing with that traitor! Would you really feel so bad if she were to be sacrificed as well for a greater cause?"
There was a groaning sound coming from the cellar. The four of us watched as the house started collapsing inside a large sinkhole. It was continuing to grow in size. I started to back away, afraid it was going to consume me. I heard whispering behind me and saw my ancestors staring at the chasm. Suddenly their whispers ceased and the hole stopped growing.
"With this incantation, we can make the portal larger until it completely swallows the house. But this can't be done all at once. We are bound by strict limitations," said Thatcher. "We need this portal to remain open. Those traitors are going to try and destroy it. If they succeed, they will ruin everything He's accomplished."
"However, if you are able to sacrifice them into the portal, it will go faster." Baxter commented. "The sooner they die, the sooner everything will come together. He will be free and you will reap from the benefits."
There was a part of me that felt uneasy about all of this. Hazel and Jonathan didn't deserve this, and it was wrong of me to keep moving forward. I knew He was something I should not anger. But the other part of me that enjoyed seeing the chaos and destruction. Even though it was petty, getting to see Louise suffer made this all the more gratifying.
"Stacey!" I knew it was Hazel. She sounded desperate. "I don't know how you got involved with all of this. Whether you are the source or an unwilling victim to this, we can help you. Please make this portal banish."
My eyes started to fill with tears. She was trying to undermine me. She was trying to get me to cave. I wouldn't back down so easily.
"I'm sorry Hazel. But this has to happen. There are great things in store if He is released from His prison."
Hazel's eyes widened. "Is this Crebraal's doing? How did he manage to escape?"
I shook my head at her. "This isn't that foolish imp's doing. This is something much greater than any of us can imagine. He has shown me many things. He has told me many things. It may hurt now, but there are great things in store in the future if He is set free from His prison."
"Who is He? I don't understand!"
A mocking laugh escaped my lips. "No, you don't understand. Again, I'm sorry Hazel. But don't try and stop this. Don't fight it. Just let this happen."
Her face fell for a second before turning around to grab the leather sheath from Jonathan.
"I need to consult the Helm! It could be the only way to stop the portal to Hell from being opened!" Hazel took the shard of glass and sliced her finger. A spot of blood fell onto the center of the Helm as the red crest filled another empty space.
Instead of providing direction for my friend; something had gone wrong, and the Helm had other plans. As I saw Hazel raise the sickle, she rushed for me. I saw Thatcher utter something and a sharp fragment from the house came hurling toward her. I screamed for her to stop but it was too late. The fragment went clean through her neck, and she dropped to the ground in a lifeless heap.
I became overwhelmed with emotions. Going from shock at what had just transpired to anger at why she would attack me. I finally settled on a numbing sadness at the fact she was dead. She had died trying to close the portal. She had died trying to stop me. I backed away from her body and wiped away the tears that were streaming down my face.
More whispers were heard as my ancestors expanded the chasm and another section of the house fell into the portal. I saw Thatcher turn his head to look at Hazel's body and watched as her body began to float toward the opening.
"STOP!" I screamed at him. Her body fell to the ground as he looked at me. His eyes were mixed with confusion and ire. "Please. We need to open this portal, but please leave her body be. Please don't sacrifice her. The only one I want to see sacrificed is Louise."
Thatcher only nodded as he turned away to look at the remaining survivors. Jonathan had managed to grab his harpoon and was getting ready to shoot. Louise was staring at me with disgust.
"I will do all I can to avenge you Hazel," Louise muttered under her breath. "Jonathan! Get me the Helm!"
"Are you insane!?" He shouted. "You did see what happened to Hazel, right?" We both need to survive to stop this portal from opening up!"
"There's no other choice! I'll take the risk if it means closing this damn portal!" Louise grabbed the tip of his harpoon, made a small nick on her finger and pressed down onto her family's emerald crest. Another spot filled on the Helm. She could feel her energy being restored and she felt refreshed. She saw her more severe wounds get smaller in appearance, and a few disappeared completely.
"You know," I heard Him chuckle. I took the mirror out. "If it wasn't for your dear Jeremie, I would have been released so much sooner. But he had to ruin it by getting Louise pregnant."
He must have seen my puzzled expression. "All I needed was a Borne sacrifice to complete my emancipation. I already had someone from the Sterling and Porter bloodlines. It was too easy."
"You were supposed to die on the same day as Jeremie Rosenthal. Margaret Watson didn't shoot herself. Timothy Porter did not die in that mining accident. Jeremie certainly didn't hang himself. They all died because I made it so. Humans are such weak-minded creatures."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Their lives were ended prematurely, but why? There were many unanswered questions I had. Then again, I wasn't sure I really wanted the answers.
"But that fool. I don't know how he knew, if he did at all. It could have been a coincidence. Jeremie Rosenthal could have chosen a much better plan of action to keep you away that day."
I threw the mirror away from me. "It was YOU who killed him?!" My screams of agony filled the air. "I want nothing more to do with you!"
"Stacey!" Thatcher hissed. "Don't let those fools get the mirror! They will destroy it, ruining all this progress! Don't be selfish."
"Louise!" I heard Jonathan yell. "That mirror! This is our chance to destroy it! Grab it! Quick!"
I saw Louise racing toward the discarded mirror. "What are you doing Stacey? Pick. It. Up!" He barked. "Louise Porter will destroy it! You will die if she succeeds!"
I snapped out of my daze and ran toward it. However, Louise got to it before I did. She brought her sickle onto the mirror and smashed it into hundreds of broken pieces. The apparitions of my ancestors screamed in agony and started to fade away.
"What have you done?!" I screamed at Louise as I rushed to gather up all the pieces. Maybe it wasn't too late to put it back together. I failed to see a rock as I going to grab another fragment near the opening of the portal. I tripped forward and fell into the opening. In the corner of my eye, I saw Jonathan attempt to grab my hand but it was too late.
This was the perfect punishment. For trying to allow Him to ascend. If I had known He was behind this, I would have put a stop to it before it got out of hand. Hazel wouldn't have had to die. But maybe this was supposed to happen. Maybe this is how she was supposed to depart from life. I'll never know. Eli's amulet slipped out of my pocket and started crumbling rapidly. A horrid scream came from the jewel as it disappeared completely.
"A door between realms has been opened. The first lock is broken, and He is almost awake. See you soon, Stacey." An enigmatic voice came from within the chasm.
I could feel my body start to disintegrate; ashy fragments fluttering into the air. It didn't hurt; it was a peaceful sensation. Peace was something I had not felt in a long time. Is this what it felt like to die? There was a part of me that wished it could have departed this life sooner. But whether I liked it or not, we all have a plan made for us. We have no control over what happens or how it happens. The final page had been written for me and I'm finally at peace.
