This is the continuation to a previous post back in... wow... 2012. You can refresh your memory (as I did) by clicking here.
She stands at
the doorway of the study, spying on her father. Hastily, he trashes about the
small room rummaging through the books and sheets of paper that once filled the
now emptied shelves and drawers lying on the floor. Piles of paper are heaped into
the fire place. He rips pages from his notebook and tosses the bits along with
their remains to the flames. She had never seen her father like this before
however she was not afraid of him, only curious to why this forever loving and
jovial guardian was disturbed.
Earlier, she
had eavesdropped on her parents discussing the need to move from their home.
The only home she knew. Her mother had given birth to her in this house and by
the time she grew into the young lady that she was today, she already knew all
of its secrets. The leaks in the roof her father always planned to fix, the
creaks in the steps and the noise the rusted pipes would make when the heater
was turned on. Though she could not fully hear what was being said - as they
spoke, her father’s face was pale and he trembled uncontrollably. She saw the
fright on her mother’s face and without question, agreed to her husband’s
request then immediately began packing.
As she stands
there, her eyes are pinned on him but he does not acknowledge her presence. The
fire place is lit and his slender figure looks much robust being cast on the
walls. On the mantle the only remaining figment still in its original place is a
photo of her mother. For a moment he pauses at the picture, reliving the memory
from that day. He strikes a fist against the wall.
She runs to
him.
“Daddy” she
says, and before he realizes she has already wrapped her arms around his legs.
“It’s going
to be okay darling” he responds sensing the worry in her voice.
“What are you
doing?”
“Nothing
dear. Daddy needs to get rid of a few things but I promise I will tidy up.
Would you like to help?” She manages to smile, accepting her father’s words.
“Yes I would”
“Great. I
seem to have misplaced the scissor. Would you be a dear to go ask your mom for
the other?”
“Sure daddy.”
She responds, already scampering out of the office.
“…and no
running through the hall.”
As she makes
her way down the hallway the sound of a glass shattering ricochets off the
halls from the study. Her frightened scream is silenced by her mother’s hands
now over her mouth. She’s pulled into the nearby closet. The fear of the unknown
sends chills down her back.
“Mhairi…” her
mother whispers, “I need you to listen to me okay?”
Frozen in
silence, listening to the footsteps coming down the hall, she does not answer.
“Mhairi!’ her
mother repeats sternly.
She looks up
for a moment to respond “Ye.. yes mother”
“I need you
to stay in here. No matter what you hear do not come out. You understand?”
“Are we being
robbed mommy? Who are the men in the house?” she asked, dismissing the request
from her mother.
“That is not
important right now. I need you to promise me that you will stay in this room
okay?”
As uneasy as
the request was, she agrees. Then with a kiss on her forehead - as she would
get every night before bed - she watched her mother walk out the door. Again,
her curiosity got the best of her and followed her mother without her
knowledge.
She could
hear her father speaking to the men. This was not a robbery as he seemed to
know who they were and why they were there. She saw her mother enter the room
and a shriek followed. She hesitated for a moment, worried that she would be
grabbed just like her mother if she got to close. Yet she needed to know what
was going on.
Through the
crack in the door her father was surrounded by masked men while her mother was
seated with a gun pointed to her head. Mhairi gasped at the sight of the peril.
“You know why
we are here doctor” One of the men seemingly in command said. He was the only
person without a mask but his head was held down while his top hat covered his
face.
“You are wasting
your time, I do not know what you are speaking of” the doctor managed to respond. With
his unfavourable response one of the men punches him in the face. A thick stream
of blood ran down his nose.
“Now… I am not here to torture or scare so I will
make this very simple for you.” The man in the top hat began, “I will count to
3 and if you do provide me with what I seek, your wife dies.”
“Please… I'm begging you... leave her out of this”
“1”
“Ava… I'm sorry” her father said, looking at her teary eyed mother.
“2”
“Ava. I love…”
“3”
The sound of
the gunshot was not loud yet the sound of her mother’s fragile body hitting the
floor sank her heart. She could not scream, her mouth opened but nothing came
out. She paces backwards from the doorway, visions of her mother’s limp body
flashes through her mind as she silently sobbed silently to herself. Her father
cries violently from the top of his lungs after witnessing the death of his
wife before his eyes. In a violent rage he shoves one of his captors
simultaneously disarming him of his weapon then pointing it to the man in the
top hat.
“Don’t
be stupid doctor; you know I cannot be harmed.” The man advised. Without a word,
her father with a last look at his now dead wife lying in a pool of her own
blood, turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger. The picture of his wife hanging on the wall was splattered
with blood and brain fragments.
The shock could
not be contained this time around as Mhairi screamed for her father. The man in
the top hat looked in her direction, his eyes glowed an unearthly red colour as
he shouted to the other men...
“Kill her!”
.......to be continued again........... maybe....
Olsfred James 2014©
