Randy turned off the engine and stared up towards the building. His search for peace and healing had led him to this place. More specifically a person living here. Losing his wife had made him search for crazy things and he had somehow ended up learning about a woman named Cyan.

"What am I doing here?" He muttered. "It's a scam. I know it's a fucking scam. It has to be."

He felt tears in his eyes and tried blinking them away. There was a tiny hope in his heart that this was real. There was no proof on the website he had found. No pictures or videos of Cyan. Just a claim from someone saying they had been there and seen what she could do. It had to be a scam but as far as he knew, scammers didn't usually live like this.

"What if it isn't?" He asked.

His body worked on its own. He got out of the car, walked over to the long staircase leading up to the building, and started walking up. He counted his steps as he moved up and made it up 200 steps before he reached the top. There were people outside tending to the garden or just hanging around. No one seemed to be bothered about a stranger being there. The door to the house was open and he decided to walk inside. A man came out to greet him with a smile and a nod.

"Greetings. My name is Damian Priest and I'm one of the people living here," Damian said.
"I'm Randy," Randy said.
"Ah, we spoke on the phone," Damian's smile grew. "You can leave your phone here."

Damian held out his hand and Randy placed his phone in it. Damian placed the phone on a table and pointed towards the stairs.

"Right this way, Randy," Damian said.
"You're just gonna leave my phone like that?" Randy asked.
"No one steals from each other here," Damian said. "If you choose to live here, either for a short time or permanently, you get to keep your phone. People living here know better than to post things others don't want out on the internet. Cyan is a very private person. She doesn't like the entire world to know about her. Follow me."

Randy followed the stranger up the stairs to the top floor and down the hallway.

"She likes living on top. She says it brings her more freedom to look over the tree tops far away," Damian said.

Damian stopped by the last door and turned to look at Randy again.

"How did you hear about her?" Damian asked.
"I read about her online," Randy said.
"This is why people aren't allowed to take pictures and videos," Damian sighed. "Guess some stranger on the internet's word still holds some power since you're here."

Damian raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"It's open!" Cyan called.
"You are not prepared for what you'll meet in there," Damian said.

Damian opened the door and stepped inside. Randy looked inside and saw a normal looking room full of cats and dogs. On a chair sat a woman with long, white hair and blue-green eyes.

"Cyan, this is Randy," Damian said. "He read about you online. Don't worry. I'll find that website and have you removed from it. Meanwhile, he would like to talk to you."
"Let him in," Cyan said.

Damian held out his hand and Randy entered. He heard the door close behind him and turned around to see Damian was gone. He looked back at Cyan and tried with his best smile.

"You're an animal hoarder," he said.
"They're not real. I created them. I felt like staying in today with a lot of furry friends," she said.
"Prove it," he said.

She leaned over the table in front of her and started drawing. He watched as she drew a butterfly.

"They call it a peacock butterfly. That's a weird name, don't you think?" She asked.
"I guess," he said.
"I prefer drawing in colors. It makes it more real to look at," she said. "Pencils made it look like something out of the Take On Me music video."

She picked up the drawing, gave him a sideways smile, and then blew out her breath on the paper. The butterfly came to life from the paper and flew around the room. His jaw dropped as he stared in wonder at the little, winged creature she had created. He heard the piece of paper being torn in two and the butterfly disappeared. He looked over at her again to see she had ripped the drawing in half.

"There's two ways to make them disappear. Destroy the drawing or erase it," she said.
"Draw my dead wife, please," he said.
"I don't bring back the dead," she said.
"I just want to say goodbye," he said.

He walked over to her, dropped to his knees in front of her, grabbed her hand, and started sobbing.

"Please!" He cried. "I just want to tell her goodbye."
"It won't really be her. She won't be able to talk to you. I can only create the image. I can't bring her personality back," she said.
"That will be enough for me. I just wanna see her one last time so I can finally let go of her. She died in a tragic accident and they wouldn't let me see her face because it had been destroyed," he said.

He placed his forehead against the hand he was holding on to and continued sobbing. A few seconds later he felt her free hand stroking his head.

"I will only grant you a few seconds," she said.

He looked up through his tears and nodded.

"I will need a full picture of her or you're gonna have a floating head in the room and I doubt that will help you heal," she said.
"I have that on my phone," he said.
"Which you left downstairs," she smiled. "I know the drill. Strangers aren't allowed to bring their phones unless we allow them. I allow it if I'm in charge of it. Go get your phone."

He ran out of her room and down the stairs. No one was there waiting for him. His phone was left untouched as promised. He grabbed it and ran back up. He found a picture of his wife in one of his favorite dresses on her and handed the phone to Cyan.

"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Positive," he answered.

She sighed and started drawing. It didn't take as long as he had expected before she raised the paper and looked at him again.

"Please!" He begged. "Just 5 seconds."

She blew out her breath and his dead wife appeared in front of him.

"Darling," he whispered.

He moved closer and reached a hand up to touch her face. She felt real. Everything about her seemed real. His dead wife had risen from her grave. This was a second chance. He took both her hands and brought them to his lips.

"Let's go home," he said.

He turned to walk towards the door while still holding on to one of her hands. He heard the paper being ripped in half and the feeling of her hand in his disappeared.

"No!" He snapped his head around to look at Cyan. "Bring her back!"
"This is why I don't bring back the dead. I shouldn't have listened to my heart. I know better than this," she said.
"I said, bring her back!" He shouted.

He wrapped his hands around her throat and started squeezing. She clawed on his hands while struggling to breathe but he was stronger than her. He didn't let go until she passed out. She was still alive and he only had a short time to decide what to do.

He pulled his hoodie off and put it on her. He carried her down the long hallway and down the stairs. He placed her up against his side so it looked like a couple in love were leaving together. The hoodie shielded her face from anyone who knew her. He made it to the long staircase and carried her the 200 steps down. He got her in his car and looked up when he heard angry voices.

"Stop him!" Damian shouted. "He's kidnapping Cyan!"
"Fuck!" Randy mumbled.

He saw people start running down the stairs to save their friend. He got into his car, started the engine, and drove away before they had even made it halfway down.

"It's gonna be okay, Randy," he spoke to himself. "It's all gonna be just fine."