I own nothing! Sorry, yes this is late. I blame Tuesdays for being a day where I'm usually gone until about 4:00pm, and then comes supper, after which I had to complete four assignments for literature and Latin. As of now, it is 12:20am.
I still haven't forgotten the skin on my hand. There isn't even a scar. I barely sleep at all.
Chapter 19: Death
I spent more time at the hospital the next day. Mom was busy stressing over whether or not she should agree with the course her sister wanted to take, to disconnect Grandmother Ellison from the machines. I stayed out of their way, and read a book. I'd received texts from Sam and Tucker, but I'd chosen to ignore them until now. Finally, I picked up my phone and began the long task that was replying to 10 messages. How I did this? I sent the first text, asking Sam and Tucker if they missed me.
Sam responded by asking what I was doing texting at that ungodly hour in the morning. I apologized, having forgotten the time difference. Tucker was online in seconds, asking me how I'd been, and if there were many hot ladies in New York. I texted back a "Yes," and told Tuck I was fine. Tucker and Sam tried to keep up a conversation, but it was too early, and they fell asleep on me. Instead, I contented myself my finishing the book. We ate lunch at a Japanese buffet. The sushi was interesting, but I didn't really like the idea of eating raw fish, so I didn't eat much.
When we got back, Mom had made the decision, to disconnect Grandmother. She told Alicia, and Alicia told the doctors. Mom was in tears, and Jazz was nervously rubbing her hands back and forth across each other. She was a little teary, as well, so I did what Danny would have done, putting my arm around her shoulders, and allowing her to cry as she watched the nurse turn off the machines. We waited.
It took about an hour, because, at first, Grandmother was still capable of breathing. Fifty minutes passed before she stopped breathing, and another wait, almost ten minutes, before her heart stopped functioning completely. It was a strange sensation, death was. Somehow, I felt it, inside my mind. It was like, for a second, everything went eerily still, and then something was fading, missing, gone. It was the mental life draining out. All vestiges of emotion that had been left were gone, before I stood up, and started to leave the room, Jazz standing and walking towards the place that Grandmother Ellison used to occupy.
As a cold burst of air escaped my lips, I heard a soft, swelling sound, echoing through the air, and jerked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. It took several seconds to locate the direction of the moaning noise, only to discover that it came from a bent, old woman, standing in the corner of the room, watching everyone. The woman had wrinkles all over her face, and tattoos. Not the kind of tattoo most people think of. What I mean are very carefully inscribed lines that almost looked like words, and, across her neck, an intricate Celtic knot design.
"What's that?" I yelped, startled by the odd hag. I flinched slightly, into the doorway, freezing. The only response I got was a funny look from Jazz, and an angry look from Mom and Alicia. The old woman looked startled, but didn't give much attention to my astonishment, keeping up the wailing sound. I covered my ears, getting an even odder look.
"What's what?" Jazz asked, frowning.
"Don't you hear it?" I stared at the woman, "and don't you see her?"
I just got a look from Jazz, as Mom told me, "Danny, there's nothing there, and I don't hear anything, except what you just said."
"But…but she's right there!" I gestured to her, hand shaking a little.
"If you can't stay in here and remain silent, please leave, and stop joking. Nobody's in the corner." Alicia was the one who gave me the sharp look, and glared at me until I left, confused, and wondering what the hag was doing. I hurried down the halls, listening to the chilling sound that rose and fell, driving all thought out of my head.
I stopped at a door, hearing a man yelling about a noise in the hallway, and glanced in. He was shaking, and staring in the direction of the room I had just come from.
"Listen!" He'd spotted me, and I started to hurry away. "Listen to her! It's enough to drive a man insane!" His pupils were wildly dilated, and he grimaced, struggling, almost as if he were battling some invisible force. He heard her?
I ignored him, running past the room, and into the maternity section, where, as if cut off by an invisible barrier, it stopped. I stayed there, sitting, thankful for the abrupt, unexpected relief from the sound. I stayed for nearly an hour, before I walked back, waiting for the wail to return, but it didn't. I finally arrived, back at the room, where a soft noise continued, but it was barely there. Then, I realized that Mom was gone, as were Jazz and Alicia, and turned around, heading for the main part of the hospital, where people were just before they went up to visit the people there.
Everyone was there, and I was still collecting a look. The receptionist glanced up, and asked, "Is anything wrong?"
"No, Mrs…" Jazz said.
"Miss O'Brian." The receptionist corrected her.
"Miss O'Brian. My son just kept hearing things." Mom chose to finish what Jazz had been going to say.
"Hearing things?" The receptionist gave me a curious look.
I didn't really want to respond, but the look I got prompted me to answer. "Yes, ma'am. I just heard an odd noise. I guess it must have been me just hearing things, though."
Once again, the receptionist asked something unexpected. "Did you see anything? Sometimes people hear strange things around here."
I froze, confused, before responding. "Yes, ma'am. I was pretty sure I saw an old lady, but that wasn't right. Nobody else saw her."
Miss. O'Brian studied me for several seconds before writing something down on a sheet of paper. It took less than five minutes, and she handed it to me before we left. I didn't open it yet, instead waiting for the taxi, then getting back to the hotel. Mom was still in tears, and Alicia was rubbing her back. Mom was the emotional one.
When we got back, I sat down and opened the paper. It read:
When you get home, look up the term, banshee. There's always been one at the hospital, as far as I know, and she's perfectly harmless. Not many people see her, and I'm afraid I'm the only one here who can see her. I'm an O'Brian, and we O'Brians tend to see things like that. It has to do with being Irish. If you want to contact me, my phone number is 212-407-6920. My email address is obrianh. .
Haley O'Brian
I made a note to myself, mentally. I would look up banshee the second I had internet access.
First appearance of supernatural beings! Please remember to write a review after reading! Thanks!
-MiaulinK
