There was a sudden banging sound that came from the other room in the basement. We journeyed into the game room, and I realized that it was coming from the crawlspace.
I remember just when the house was bought I used to go in there for fun until I cut myself on a nail. It was not a fun experience, and since then I hadn't returned.
I wish he could have ignored it. I wish I could have told my parents. I wish I could have done anything other than go in.
But if it meant their wrath focused on me and not the people I loved, then so be it. It used my nails to pry open the long shut door and carefully opened it.
There was no one inside, but there was a small chest fixed with four locks.
I knew what they wanted us to do. I wasn't stupid. But even if I left it here it would still have found a way to us. I picked it up and brought it into the center of the room. My girls all looked more than just a little perturbed.
"Dude, seriously. I'm getting freaked out." Vivian tried to laugh through her fear with little success.
Naomi looked at her key and then at the chest. She said, "Hey, my key might fit this lock."
And it did. With one turn of the key the lock fell to the ground. Only three to go. I was almost helpless as each lock was freed from the chest.
"Did you plan this at all?" Naomi looked at me, curious to see my answer. I shook my head. I slid the chest ajar and found that it housed a rat skull resting comfortably on an old pocket watch. Rebecca shuddered at the sight while Florence fearlessly reached in and inspected them. As her fingers moved over the skull it cracked and turned to dust within seconds.
The pocket watch was in perfect working condition, yes, but the arms moved in the wrong direction--backwards. I held it in the palm of my hand...and then it stopped.
That's when we heard the sound of rats in the walls. The squeaking and scratching was seemingly everywhere.
The game room door slammed shut without anyone prompting it, trapping us. The lights went out, and though we were grown adults, we screamed.
The door slowly, ever so slowly creaked open. The light that came out was sterile, harsh, and I hesitated to even go near it.
But I did. I looked outside and saw that we had transported into a silent winter tundra. We were all so confused and frightened, but I saw no other way out than through. The snowflakes were thick and heavy and came down at a steady pace.
"This is impossible," Rebecca murmured. "Christ Almighty, what is going on?!"
"I don't know...I honestly don't know." I reached over and held her trembling hands. This all went against the reality she so cherished--she was probably holding back a nervous breakdown. I looked back to the silent playroom and saw that everything was beginning to rot and rust away.
The only way out was through.
We ran into the snow as the room fell to pieces, crumbling in on itself as we watched helplessly. We were stranded in a whiteout, so cold and so frightened.
Naomi gasped out, "Elizabeth! What's happening?! What was that?! Why is this--how is this--what is going on?!"
"I don't know! I just don't!" I screamed it out louder than I should have. "But this is kind of what happened on Halloween."
"Are you serious?!" Florence blurted out.
"Yeah, but this...this is worse. So much worse. I don't even know what it wants. Last time they demanded that I leave before midnight or everyone dies."
They all believed now. I wish to God they didn't. I looked around and saw nothing but grey clouds and snow as far as the eye could see. The farther we walked the worse the weather became.
And then there was an icy wind that seemed to blow right through us, the cold chilling the tips of our hair and fingers.
When I opened my eyes I saw a man, dressed all in black and a Venetian mask concealing his face (a patch covered the right eye), appeared before us. He extended his gloved right hand, as if asking to dance. We backed away from him.
Behind the man was the Fear Dubh, as black as the world around us was white. Its arms were like a gnarled, diseased ridden tree. The man still held out his hand.
In a split second I became overridden with anger. Here they were--toying not only with me, but with my dearest friends. I screamed out curse after curse, demanding that they stay away from me and the people I loved. I felt my girls' arms struggling to drag me back, but I didn't relent.
Looking back it was probably so stupid of me to even try to challenge them. There was a blinding flash of white, then nothing.
The next thing I knew I was in the woods near my once. Again. Flat on my back and my Christmas dress gone from my body (the shoes, however, were left), I laid there for a few minutes to try and process what just happened. Outside of the now functional pocket watch, there wasn't anything cryptic or useful on me or around me.
With as much dignity as I could muster, I made my way out of the woods and began the slow trek back to my house. Along the way I worried sick over my friends, my girls--where they were, if they were okay.
The rest of my family was asleep when I unlocked the front door (thank god for the spare key under the happy Santa statue). The first place I went to was the basement, and much to both my confusion and relief, it was as if nothing had happened.
The nutcracker was gone as was the chest, both of them nowhere to be seen. I was happy I would hopefully never have to see either of them again.
Much later my parents interrogated me on where I went last night and why we all left. They were fuming, which was more than understandable. I didn't know what to say or how to say it. I made up a story about how we all took long walk which ended with us getting lost. I don't think they bought it.
I'm happy to say that all four of them are fine. They were teleported to odd places around their homes (Florence in an old fire pit, Naomi in a pool, Vivian in a tree, and Rebecca in her garden). It's hard to laugh about it, since it was so terrifying, but I'm scared of what else is going to happen.
Showing posts with label rebecca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebecca. Show all posts
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Christmas Day part I
I am currently recovering from what can only be described as the most unnerving Christmas of all time. I'm lucky to be alive, to be honest, and now my poor girls are roped into this, too.
Christmas Eve was spent at our cousin's apartment. We chatted, drank out after dinner coffees and exchanged a few gifts here and there. We stayed until nine-thirty, in which we returned home to wait the arrival of St. Nick himself.
Our house had been Christmas central for a long, long time, becoming a tradition. My family and I threw ourselves into the holiday and every level was exquisite. In the happily blinking outdoor lights I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of someone moving to a darker area. I blinked and my heart began to race a bit. Would I have another note tapped to the door in the morning...or something worse?
As soon as we got into the house I made sure that all the doors and windows were locked. I chastised myself for doing something so foolish--they would find a way in no matter what, and that alone made me terrified for my family.
Sleep didn't come easy, but I managed.
Christmas morning should have been a happy one, and at first, it was. We opened up presents and ate Christmas-y pancakes, drank eggnog and played with the gifts we so loved. For a few hours we watched classic movies and enjoyed one another's company until it was time for the party. I went upstairs to my room and stopped dead in my tracks.
The Nutcracker was out on its box (which had been shoved in the back of a closet) and stood proudly on my bed, staring at me intently. I honestly didn't know what to expect from the thing, but I was terrified of going any closer. I grabbed what I needed and ran out of my room like a coward. I refused to go back into my room.
Finally it came time for our little party, and just as promised my girls came. There was a voice in my head that wanted to tell them that the party was cancelled and that they had to go home, if only for their safely. The only good side to what happened was no mysteriously locked doors.
We mingled, we laughed, they asked me how I was doing after the Halloween incident, and even though I said I was alright, I could tell they weren't buying it. Eventually I would have to come clean about everything.
Then Naomi looked behind me, her brow furrowing into a confused knot, and said, "Hey, who brought your nutcracker down?"
I spun around and there it was again on the dessert table as if it always was there. Florence was the first one to make her way over to it, and soon they all crowded around the table.
"Woah, it looks like someone put a lot of love and effort into making it." Rebecca sounded really, really impressed. "This is something you would see in museums or sold online for hundreds of dollars. Who sent you this?"
So I told the rest of them what happened. Vivian smiled a bit, "looks like someone likes you enough to do this. Save those notes and call the cops if they try to do anything funny. Until then, maybe we should try breaking a walnut with its mouth, just to see if it works."
"We didn't buy any walnuts, Vivian. Where do you see them?" I was out shopping with my parents the majority of the holiday season. I would have known for sure if we got any. In a small bowl near its feet were several nuts, all of which seemed to beg to be crushed. Without any prompting, Vivian took a walnut and was seconds away from trying it out.
Rebecca grabbed Vivian's wrist. "Vi, no! This looks priceless! That's actual gold leaf and Swarovski crystal on this thing! Don't break it!"
"She's not gonna break it, Becks. Chill out." Florence almost rolled her eyes. "I don't see the point of a nutcracker if it doesn't crack nuts, you know what I mean? Just one isn't going to kill it."
"I think we should go play some games and forget about this. Come on, my brother got a new fighting game I think you'll like... guys?" I tried to sway them away from their object of interest, but they were so fascinated by it that it was hard to drag them away.
Without even a second thought Vivian took her nut of choice, opened its mouth and pushed the handle down.
It cracked the walnut perfectly. But the shell didn't yield anything edible--inside was a tiny skeleton key. Vivian whistled her surprise. Next thing I knew, Florence took another nut, and yet another key appeared. Soon all four of my girls had beautiful keys as their prizes.
I didn't like where any of this was going. Unluckily for all of us, things didn't get any better. It was just getting started.
Christmas Eve was spent at our cousin's apartment. We chatted, drank out after dinner coffees and exchanged a few gifts here and there. We stayed until nine-thirty, in which we returned home to wait the arrival of St. Nick himself.
Our house had been Christmas central for a long, long time, becoming a tradition. My family and I threw ourselves into the holiday and every level was exquisite. In the happily blinking outdoor lights I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of someone moving to a darker area. I blinked and my heart began to race a bit. Would I have another note tapped to the door in the morning...or something worse?
As soon as we got into the house I made sure that all the doors and windows were locked. I chastised myself for doing something so foolish--they would find a way in no matter what, and that alone made me terrified for my family.
Sleep didn't come easy, but I managed.
Christmas morning should have been a happy one, and at first, it was. We opened up presents and ate Christmas-y pancakes, drank eggnog and played with the gifts we so loved. For a few hours we watched classic movies and enjoyed one another's company until it was time for the party. I went upstairs to my room and stopped dead in my tracks.
The Nutcracker was out on its box (which had been shoved in the back of a closet) and stood proudly on my bed, staring at me intently. I honestly didn't know what to expect from the thing, but I was terrified of going any closer. I grabbed what I needed and ran out of my room like a coward. I refused to go back into my room.
Finally it came time for our little party, and just as promised my girls came. There was a voice in my head that wanted to tell them that the party was cancelled and that they had to go home, if only for their safely. The only good side to what happened was no mysteriously locked doors.
We mingled, we laughed, they asked me how I was doing after the Halloween incident, and even though I said I was alright, I could tell they weren't buying it. Eventually I would have to come clean about everything.
Then Naomi looked behind me, her brow furrowing into a confused knot, and said, "Hey, who brought your nutcracker down?"
I spun around and there it was again on the dessert table as if it always was there. Florence was the first one to make her way over to it, and soon they all crowded around the table.
"Woah, it looks like someone put a lot of love and effort into making it." Rebecca sounded really, really impressed. "This is something you would see in museums or sold online for hundreds of dollars. Who sent you this?"
So I told the rest of them what happened. Vivian smiled a bit, "looks like someone likes you enough to do this. Save those notes and call the cops if they try to do anything funny. Until then, maybe we should try breaking a walnut with its mouth, just to see if it works."
"We didn't buy any walnuts, Vivian. Where do you see them?" I was out shopping with my parents the majority of the holiday season. I would have known for sure if we got any. In a small bowl near its feet were several nuts, all of which seemed to beg to be crushed. Without any prompting, Vivian took a walnut and was seconds away from trying it out.
Rebecca grabbed Vivian's wrist. "Vi, no! This looks priceless! That's actual gold leaf and Swarovski crystal on this thing! Don't break it!"
"She's not gonna break it, Becks. Chill out." Florence almost rolled her eyes. "I don't see the point of a nutcracker if it doesn't crack nuts, you know what I mean? Just one isn't going to kill it."
"I think we should go play some games and forget about this. Come on, my brother got a new fighting game I think you'll like... guys?" I tried to sway them away from their object of interest, but they were so fascinated by it that it was hard to drag them away.
Without even a second thought Vivian took her nut of choice, opened its mouth and pushed the handle down.
It cracked the walnut perfectly. But the shell didn't yield anything edible--inside was a tiny skeleton key. Vivian whistled her surprise. Next thing I knew, Florence took another nut, and yet another key appeared. Soon all four of my girls had beautiful keys as their prizes.
I didn't like where any of this was going. Unluckily for all of us, things didn't get any better. It was just getting started.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Happy Birthday, Rebecca!
Even though it rained and was really dreary, I'm glad we all found a way to enjoy it. Thanks for humoring Florence with the laser tag and putting in 100% of your skill. You were great! I'm also really happy you loved the gardening books we got you. Plant something nice while it's still autumn, girlie.
I'm still working on the DVD. It's not a trippy excursion through hell...but it is disturbing.
I'm still working on the DVD. It's not a trippy excursion through hell...but it is disturbing.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The Test
Eight days later I sat back in Dr. Frey's office. Instead of my usual, comfy seat I was led to a plain wooden chair, old and worn, which audibly creaked when I sat. He had me place my hands palm down on the small desk before me and walked away, pulling out a small sheet of paper.
"Now, Elizabeth, I want you to clear your mind completely. If you like you can close your eyes. I'm going to read you a list of words and you will tell me what you associate them with. Is this alright?"
I nodded, "Yeah, it is."
He leaned back into his chair, stopwatch in hand and paper in the other. "Good. Alright, first word: apple."
I said, "Pie."
"Doll," he murmured.
"Porcelain."
"Wolf."
"Wild."
"King."
"Crown."
"Darkness."
"Light."
"Baby."
"Family."
"Sex."
"...family..." my fingers curled against the cool desk. Suddenly I had a rush of memories of Catherine with me, bare breasted in the moonlight as we spoke of our hopes and dreams. "Yeah, family."
Dr. Frey 'hmmed' and wrote something down. "I see, Elizabeth." He was silent for a moment, and I looked up from my pale hands to the diploma adorned wall before me. "You're anxious...you haven't gotten over Catherine, have you? This just shows me that you're hanging on to your beloved with an iron grip. You're not giving up on her or on finding her supposed killer."
I broke down inside. I evened out my voice as best I could, "I never will give up, Dr. Frey. I never will. I understand that, I accept that. I will go the rest of my life with my four best friends, but never another girlfriend."
I turned to look at him, and he gazed back at me with a heartbroken expression, "It can always get better, you know. You seem to not be giving it a chance."
He stood up and I followed suit. He scheduled me in for another three weeks. "Let me know if you see this black figure again."
Naomi's birthday came on the 10th of March, and on that day, at her house, while we laughed and joked and enjoyed ourselves, I saw it standing in the calmly in the twilight, right on the backyard lawn.
My throat tightened and I felt every vein in my body freeze. I chugged my decently sized glass of sangria to get moisture back into my mouth, and in the moment my eyes were averted, it seemed to come closer.
"Elizabeth?" Rebecca nudged me slightly, "You alright?"
I made the mistake of turning my head towards her, "I'm...sorry, I'm just out of it." I looked back to the window and it came just a few feet closer. My heart began to beat faster.
"No, you're not 'just out of it,'" Florence placed her glass on the coffee table. "What's the matter?
You're whiter than a ghost right now. You're not like that"
I blinked. It came closer. What could I say...?
"Don't look behind you," I whimpered, "Please, please don't."
"What?" Vivian's brow furrowed and she made the move to look at the window behind us. I grabbed her shoulders too roughly. "Ow! Elizabeth, what the fuck?"
Naomi turned around. She turned around as I held Vivian, went outside to check it out. I screamed at her to come back inside...she did, "Elizabeth, there's nothing out there. What's going on? Why did you freak out?"
What could I tell them? What could I say? "Please stay inside, girls. I don't want to lose you..." I broke down right on the floral couch, my tears landing on my glasses. My poor girls, they were so confused and worried. This was Naomi's special day and it ruined it. I ruined it.
For now it disappeared...but how long until it comes back?
"Now, Elizabeth, I want you to clear your mind completely. If you like you can close your eyes. I'm going to read you a list of words and you will tell me what you associate them with. Is this alright?"
I nodded, "Yeah, it is."
He leaned back into his chair, stopwatch in hand and paper in the other. "Good. Alright, first word: apple."
I said, "Pie."
"Doll," he murmured.
"Porcelain."
"Wolf."
"Wild."
"King."
"Crown."
"Darkness."
"Light."
"Baby."
"Family."
"Sex."
"...family..." my fingers curled against the cool desk. Suddenly I had a rush of memories of Catherine with me, bare breasted in the moonlight as we spoke of our hopes and dreams. "Yeah, family."
Dr. Frey 'hmmed' and wrote something down. "I see, Elizabeth." He was silent for a moment, and I looked up from my pale hands to the diploma adorned wall before me. "You're anxious...you haven't gotten over Catherine, have you? This just shows me that you're hanging on to your beloved with an iron grip. You're not giving up on her or on finding her supposed killer."
I broke down inside. I evened out my voice as best I could, "I never will give up, Dr. Frey. I never will. I understand that, I accept that. I will go the rest of my life with my four best friends, but never another girlfriend."
I turned to look at him, and he gazed back at me with a heartbroken expression, "It can always get better, you know. You seem to not be giving it a chance."
He stood up and I followed suit. He scheduled me in for another three weeks. "Let me know if you see this black figure again."
Naomi's birthday came on the 10th of March, and on that day, at her house, while we laughed and joked and enjoyed ourselves, I saw it standing in the calmly in the twilight, right on the backyard lawn.
My throat tightened and I felt every vein in my body freeze. I chugged my decently sized glass of sangria to get moisture back into my mouth, and in the moment my eyes were averted, it seemed to come closer.
"Elizabeth?" Rebecca nudged me slightly, "You alright?"
I made the mistake of turning my head towards her, "I'm...sorry, I'm just out of it." I looked back to the window and it came just a few feet closer. My heart began to beat faster.
"No, you're not 'just out of it,'" Florence placed her glass on the coffee table. "What's the matter?
You're whiter than a ghost right now. You're not like that"
I blinked. It came closer. What could I say...?
"Don't look behind you," I whimpered, "Please, please don't."
"What?" Vivian's brow furrowed and she made the move to look at the window behind us. I grabbed her shoulders too roughly. "Ow! Elizabeth, what the fuck?"
Naomi turned around. She turned around as I held Vivian, went outside to check it out. I screamed at her to come back inside...she did, "Elizabeth, there's nothing out there. What's going on? Why did you freak out?"
What could I tell them? What could I say? "Please stay inside, girls. I don't want to lose you..." I broke down right on the floral couch, my tears landing on my glasses. My poor girls, they were so confused and worried. This was Naomi's special day and it ruined it. I ruined it.
For now it disappeared...but how long until it comes back?
Friday, October 18, 2013
Unprepared
Catherine's birthday is on the 20th. I'm not ready for it.
Her parents are moving out of the county--they said that they just couldn't stay here anymore. Mrs. Moore told me how much she wished I could have been her daughter in law. They're leaving after her birthday to northern Jersey, and I feel that their leaving is just making everything worse.
My girls aren't dealing with Catherine's death any better than I am. A few days ago when I carpooled with Florence and Naomi one of Catherine's favorite songs came on the radio. Florence immediately shut it off and I heard Naomi begin to cry. Her tears were infectious: Florence and I began to sob as well.
During a spontaneous trip to the mall, Rebecca, Vivian and I just barely got to shopping before we saw this beautiful purple dress. It would have fit Catherine like a glove. I just couldn't deal with it any more. I just collapsed right there in the busy mall and the poor girls had to nearly carry me out. I felt terrible for ruining what should have been a pleasant day. But they weren't looking any better than I was.
Everywhere we go something reminds us of Catherine. I've failed her.
I've been trying to move on, but time isn't making things better. It's just making this irreparable wound fester. Dr. Frey told me that this was normal and that I would eventually heal from it. How? How can I heal from this? How can I move on knowing that the love of my life was probably kidnapped, held against her will and then was either driven to suicide or straight up murdered? Time will ever heal this.
I need to take a long walk.
Her parents are moving out of the county--they said that they just couldn't stay here anymore. Mrs. Moore told me how much she wished I could have been her daughter in law. They're leaving after her birthday to northern Jersey, and I feel that their leaving is just making everything worse.
My girls aren't dealing with Catherine's death any better than I am. A few days ago when I carpooled with Florence and Naomi one of Catherine's favorite songs came on the radio. Florence immediately shut it off and I heard Naomi begin to cry. Her tears were infectious: Florence and I began to sob as well.
During a spontaneous trip to the mall, Rebecca, Vivian and I just barely got to shopping before we saw this beautiful purple dress. It would have fit Catherine like a glove. I just couldn't deal with it any more. I just collapsed right there in the busy mall and the poor girls had to nearly carry me out. I felt terrible for ruining what should have been a pleasant day. But they weren't looking any better than I was.
Everywhere we go something reminds us of Catherine. I've failed her.
I've been trying to move on, but time isn't making things better. It's just making this irreparable wound fester. Dr. Frey told me that this was normal and that I would eventually heal from it. How? How can I heal from this? How can I move on knowing that the love of my life was probably kidnapped, held against her will and then was either driven to suicide or straight up murdered? Time will ever heal this.
I need to take a long walk.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Happy Birthday, Rebecca!
Happy Friday the 13th, girlie. I know you're not superstitious, but damn, we just couldn't help but make some jokes about it. Thanks for asking about how I was doing, even though you could tell I was lying through my teeth. It was your special day, and I didn't want to ruin it. Did you like the gardening tips book we got you? Now's the time for planting any seeds you want in your beloved garden, so use that to the best of your ability.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Reactions
Something wasn't right about that call. It didn't sit right with me or anyone else who knew her. For the most part I was still in a state of shock, moving around like I was half-dead and having sleep avoiding me like the plague. It couldn't have been anyone else on that phone except for her, so I ruled out an imposter. I know Catherine's voice by heart; that was defininely her breaking it off with me. Saying I was heartbroken was the biggest understatement of the goddamn century.
Her parents were beyond devastated, nothing in the world could comfort them. Abigail and Christian, people I loved as if they were my own parents, hired anyone they could think of to assist in finding Catherine. The psychics they had help them frantically abandoned ship after doing a thorough reading, leaving so quickly and their faces pale and full of unimaginable fear. They called at a later date telling them something evil was out there, but then never elaborating. It got so bad that I felt a full on mental breakdown coming to claim us all.
"She left of her own accord, that's true," Naomi said one day, rubbing my back as I cried over a cup of tea. "but I can't fathom the reasoning behind it. Some things just don't add up. I believe you when you say she called, we all do. But something isn't right."
"I know," I sobbed. "I know! And nothing makes sense! It just came out of nowhere, Mi! I asked her questions and--and she sounded so cold. I begged, I pleaded..." I paused to sniffle, "it was a nightmare."
She nodded, "The police can't track the cell, so maybe she destroyed it after she called you. I'm not sure." I could see on Naomi's face that she was trying to find the right words to ease me. With her vast vocabulary and keen intuition, she typically did. But this time, nothing would come to her."Oh, Ellie. It must be so hard right now. I'm just so sorry."
Florence let out an angered huff, "I'm going to bet that someone put a gun to her head and forced her to read a script. She didn't want to leave, but was forced to. We know Catherine far too well to think that this is normal. But maybe....just maybe, she had to take her fight somewhere else. I don't know." Behind her demeanor, I could see frustration and anger at not knowing building inside. Florence was one who loved having answers for people, to contribute to the conversation, so when a topic would come up in which she didn't have any sort of comment on, it would dampen her usually fiery spirit.
"Somehow, I get the feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye. There might have been something else that she wasn't telling us, or maybe she herself didn't know about. Why would she call you up to say those cruel things? I just can't imagine..." Rebecca's voice trailed off, directing her attention to the uneaten sponge cake on her plate. To her, there was nothing that couldn't be broken down logically. Except for this instance.
And Vivian, who had been listening and restlessly tapping her fingers against the table surface said, "I'm going to second everyone else's statement, Liz. I mean, unless she's going to call back hopefully soon and clear up any doubts, I don't know what to say." she chucked her soda can into the garbage, completely defeated by this scenario. "This sucks more than anything that has every sucked before."
It got a little chuckle from us, though it was one of agreement than one of mirth. They were trying so hard to find answers that would work, that would explain things, to ease not only me but themselves. Find some method in the madness. It was fruiltless.
I would have to call everyone on the guest list to tell them that the wedding was off and cancel the reservation at the modest hall we reserved. I would need to call off all of the plans we had made and focus on trying to find her. Once we track down where she is, I thought, then I can finally ask her all these questions, and I can get answers. That is what will happen. Don't give up hope. Don't. Give. Up. Hope.
When I was at the police station, I heard Officer Tammet once say, when she thought that I was out of eartshot, "You know, what this sounds like is that this mentally ill girl couldn't handle the stress of a wedding and marriage, so she just up and left. Shit, it sucks, but I bet that Rosenthal girl can do better. I wouldn't want to be dragged down by all that, and neither should she."
I wanted to slap her so hard. Catherine never had a history of mental illness until recently. Even then, it wasn't her fault. To make things worse, another police woman said, "Yeah, to me we should stop looking for her. It's pretty clear now that the girl wasn't in her right mind. Best to just move on and see if there are people we can actually help and not waste any more time."
If I had the ability to kill with a single look those two would have been gone. I just couldn't believe how casual they treated this subject, even when they believed that I couldn't hear them! Disgusted, I walked out of the station to my car and was nearly about to drive off when a horrible thought struck me: Kidnapped! She was must have been kidnapped!
Without stopping I raced back inside, nearly breathless as I said, "Please, please let me speak to someone.It's about my fiancee, yes. Listen, I think she might have been kidnapped. What do we do?"
I spoke to one of the troopers that were assigned to the case, and after I had finished expalining my thoughts, he said, "Yes, but this is a strange case, Miss Rosenthal. Any leads we find--which are not many, I have to be honest--just go straight to a dead end. Kidnapping might very well be a possibility, but have you looked into the option that she might have not wanted to get married? Or that there was someone else you didn't know about?"
I didn't even blink when I said that no, Catherine had desired for a marriage with me for a long time and that I had no idea if there was anyone else, but I doubted it. The trooper moisted his lips before continuing, "Dr. Frey has lent us the files on her, and it seemed that her mentall illness was getting worse. Auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, bounts of amnesia, violent and bloody coughing fits...she had problems, Miss Rosenthal. It wasn't getting better. We will try to find her as best we can, but like I said, all clues lead to nowhere. And didn't she break it off with you, saying that you shouldn't try and find her? Maybe that's what she wants. Go home. If anything turns up, we will let you know, alright?"
He gave me a comforting pat on the shoulders and escorted me out of the bulding, which was very kind of him. I drove home, walked up to my room and cried.
Her parents were beyond devastated, nothing in the world could comfort them. Abigail and Christian, people I loved as if they were my own parents, hired anyone they could think of to assist in finding Catherine. The psychics they had help them frantically abandoned ship after doing a thorough reading, leaving so quickly and their faces pale and full of unimaginable fear. They called at a later date telling them something evil was out there, but then never elaborating. It got so bad that I felt a full on mental breakdown coming to claim us all.
"She left of her own accord, that's true," Naomi said one day, rubbing my back as I cried over a cup of tea. "but I can't fathom the reasoning behind it. Some things just don't add up. I believe you when you say she called, we all do. But something isn't right."
"I know," I sobbed. "I know! And nothing makes sense! It just came out of nowhere, Mi! I asked her questions and--and she sounded so cold. I begged, I pleaded..." I paused to sniffle, "it was a nightmare."
She nodded, "The police can't track the cell, so maybe she destroyed it after she called you. I'm not sure." I could see on Naomi's face that she was trying to find the right words to ease me. With her vast vocabulary and keen intuition, she typically did. But this time, nothing would come to her."Oh, Ellie. It must be so hard right now. I'm just so sorry."
Florence let out an angered huff, "I'm going to bet that someone put a gun to her head and forced her to read a script. She didn't want to leave, but was forced to. We know Catherine far too well to think that this is normal. But maybe....just maybe, she had to take her fight somewhere else. I don't know." Behind her demeanor, I could see frustration and anger at not knowing building inside. Florence was one who loved having answers for people, to contribute to the conversation, so when a topic would come up in which she didn't have any sort of comment on, it would dampen her usually fiery spirit.
"Somehow, I get the feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye. There might have been something else that she wasn't telling us, or maybe she herself didn't know about. Why would she call you up to say those cruel things? I just can't imagine..." Rebecca's voice trailed off, directing her attention to the uneaten sponge cake on her plate. To her, there was nothing that couldn't be broken down logically. Except for this instance.
And Vivian, who had been listening and restlessly tapping her fingers against the table surface said, "I'm going to second everyone else's statement, Liz. I mean, unless she's going to call back hopefully soon and clear up any doubts, I don't know what to say." she chucked her soda can into the garbage, completely defeated by this scenario. "This sucks more than anything that has every sucked before."
It got a little chuckle from us, though it was one of agreement than one of mirth. They were trying so hard to find answers that would work, that would explain things, to ease not only me but themselves. Find some method in the madness. It was fruiltless.
I would have to call everyone on the guest list to tell them that the wedding was off and cancel the reservation at the modest hall we reserved. I would need to call off all of the plans we had made and focus on trying to find her. Once we track down where she is, I thought, then I can finally ask her all these questions, and I can get answers. That is what will happen. Don't give up hope. Don't. Give. Up. Hope.
When I was at the police station, I heard Officer Tammet once say, when she thought that I was out of eartshot, "You know, what this sounds like is that this mentally ill girl couldn't handle the stress of a wedding and marriage, so she just up and left. Shit, it sucks, but I bet that Rosenthal girl can do better. I wouldn't want to be dragged down by all that, and neither should she."
I wanted to slap her so hard. Catherine never had a history of mental illness until recently. Even then, it wasn't her fault. To make things worse, another police woman said, "Yeah, to me we should stop looking for her. It's pretty clear now that the girl wasn't in her right mind. Best to just move on and see if there are people we can actually help and not waste any more time."
If I had the ability to kill with a single look those two would have been gone. I just couldn't believe how casual they treated this subject, even when they believed that I couldn't hear them! Disgusted, I walked out of the station to my car and was nearly about to drive off when a horrible thought struck me: Kidnapped! She was must have been kidnapped!
Without stopping I raced back inside, nearly breathless as I said, "Please, please let me speak to someone.It's about my fiancee, yes. Listen, I think she might have been kidnapped. What do we do?"
I spoke to one of the troopers that were assigned to the case, and after I had finished expalining my thoughts, he said, "Yes, but this is a strange case, Miss Rosenthal. Any leads we find--which are not many, I have to be honest--just go straight to a dead end. Kidnapping might very well be a possibility, but have you looked into the option that she might have not wanted to get married? Or that there was someone else you didn't know about?"
I didn't even blink when I said that no, Catherine had desired for a marriage with me for a long time and that I had no idea if there was anyone else, but I doubted it. The trooper moisted his lips before continuing, "Dr. Frey has lent us the files on her, and it seemed that her mentall illness was getting worse. Auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, bounts of amnesia, violent and bloody coughing fits...she had problems, Miss Rosenthal. It wasn't getting better. We will try to find her as best we can, but like I said, all clues lead to nowhere. And didn't she break it off with you, saying that you shouldn't try and find her? Maybe that's what she wants. Go home. If anything turns up, we will let you know, alright?"
He gave me a comforting pat on the shoulders and escorted me out of the bulding, which was very kind of him. I drove home, walked up to my room and cried.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Last Supper
And then, for a while, there was nothing. Another dry spell came, but didn't last long. That seemed to be the pattern: Catherine would be tormented, a break would happen, and then it would start up again. Whatever else this thing was, it was a sadist through and through. It had an agenda.
September ended and October was just beginning. I had asked her what she would like most for her upcoming birthday; be it jewelry, clothes or a flowery branch. She shrugged and said that anything from me would do. Catherine had resumed living with her parents, their eyes protectively watching over her and being there in case she ever needed them.
But she began to act quietly, not talking for long periods of time. Now usually it's not cause for alarm, especially considering everything that had happened, but this wasn't the usual kind of self-reflecting; it was far more silent, like a snowy and gelid winter day. But never was she hostile or confrontational towards me or anyone else.
I invited the other girls to the house for dinner to surprise Catherine one time, and for the most part she seemed very pleased with it. She and Mom cooked dinner despite our desire to help. "Let the masters do the work, Liz," my mom said playfully. We set the table and enjoyed the fine meal that we had waited for all evening. The dinner was spent happily chatting and commenting and making jokes. After we had all ate, as she and I were cleaning the plates and bowls, Catherine said, "Thanks for inviting them over. It's nice having everyone together."
"Hey, anything for you. I'm just happy that you're happy." It was true; I was thrilled that she was smiling again, really smiling. It gave me hope.
We were so full that unfortunately dessert had to be skipped, and instead after-dinner cordials were sipped from cute glasses as we watched silly videos on YouTube. I forget exactly what it was, only that it included 'epic fails' of people hurting themselves. We were laughing so hard that we had to stop watching it to catch our breaths and not spill our drinks on anything.
The only one who didn't show any emotion was Catherine. I saw her stare blankly at the screen, sometimes a little smile tugging at her lips, but not the full-blown laughter like I had seen before. Her eyes wandered from me, to our group, to the room, to finally being laid downcast. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking then. Maybe I could have done more.
Florence nudged her shoulder, "Yo, Cath? What's the matter? You look really out of it."
From that she was roused from her stupor and blinked, "Wha...? Oh. Yeah, I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?" I said, pausing the video and giving her 100% of my attention.
She stared down at her unfinished cordial, swirling the liquid back and forth, "I was just thinking about you guys, that's all. I'm lucky to have friends that are so understanding; any others would have kicked me to the curb. It's nice knowing who you can count on."
Immediately I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "You know that we're always going to be there, no matter what."
We assured her that we would always be there for her no matter what, no matter the stakes. I could saw tears in her eyes forming as we talked.
Eventually it got so late that the girls had to leave. Florence had been nice enough to let Vivian, Naomi and Rebecca carpool with her to my house, efficiently saving time, money and gas for the three of them. We walked to her car that was carefully behind Catherine's
As Naomi eased herself into the front seat she asked, "You alright to drive, Flo?"
"I'm perfectly fine. You know that I drive better when I'm tipsy." With a shrug and a laugh, Florence opened the driver's side door and was ready to place the key into the ignition.
In seconds Rebecca snatched the keys right out of Florence's hand, "Alright, then I'm driving. I don't want you to risk it."
"I'm going to guess that she was making a dumb comment, Becks, so you can calm down." Vivian folded her arms on the top of the car, an amused grin forming on her face. "Florence knows her limits, though."
Throughout this exhange, Naomi was giggling behind her hand. She wasn't one to get upset easily, which has always been one of her strengths. Catherine entered in, "Florence only had a few small glasses; I think that she's more than capable to drive. But that's just me."
Rebecca thought about it, her brow furrowed. Finally, she handed the keys back to Florence. "I trust you. But please drive safely."
With that agreement, Florence resumed her rightful place as the driver. "I will. And if I swerve or anything, I'll pull over and you can drive. Is that good?"
"Deal."
Catherine and I waved until we couldn't see them anymore, in which we then went back inside, closed the door and collapsed on the couch. She asked if she could sleep over for the night, and I readily agreed. We changed into our sleepwear (I usually gave her a pair of my pajamas if she didn't bring her own; she and I were the same size) and cozied up to re-read our favorite childhood book, The Velveteen Rabbit.
When we finished the Catherine said to me softly"Elizabeth, even after all that's happened, you still love me?"
It was beyond a no-brainer. Never once did I think about leaving her or even stop loving her. She wasn't at fault for any of what happened. All Catherine was doing was desperately try to keep on keeping on while this thing attempted to ruin her life. Was I frustrated? Yes, but not at Catherine. "Of course I do. I really do. Why do you ask?"
Catherine looked at me, a relieved smile on her face, "Just making sure. I love you, too." she kissed me, placed the book back onto the self and walked to the door, shutting off the light completely."Go to sleep, Ellie. It's late; I'll be right back."
I did so, closing my eyes and waiting for her to come back. I was so tired that I was on the border of sleep and awake when I felt her come back.
It would be the last time I would ever see her.
I woke up the next day alone; Catherine and her car were gone. The pajamas I lent her were neatly folded in the bathroom and nothing seemed amiss. At first I believed that she has woken up before me and returned to her house, but a quick call to the Moores made my heart sink: they didn't see Catherine in the slightest, but they noticed that several things from her room were missing, such as her diary, some clothes and other assorted items. I assume that Catherine went back to gather more things and then go to parts unknown.
Like clockwork, I tried calling her and only got the voicemail. I had no idea where she went or where she was at that time. Her own parents had no luck there either.
Calm down, calm down...I tried to console myself as I paced the floor of my room, she always came back before. Catherine is going to come back again. I know it. I feel it. She's going to come back.
Then a day went by, and the another, without any sign from her at all. When seven days turned into ten, I began to get so worried I could barely think straight. But would Catherine come back after two weeks? Or three? Or a full month? I had no way of knowing then. I was a nervous wreck.
On the fourteenth day, we filed a missing persons report.
And then, almost a month later, she called.
September ended and October was just beginning. I had asked her what she would like most for her upcoming birthday; be it jewelry, clothes or a flowery branch. She shrugged and said that anything from me would do. Catherine had resumed living with her parents, their eyes protectively watching over her and being there in case she ever needed them.
But she began to act quietly, not talking for long periods of time. Now usually it's not cause for alarm, especially considering everything that had happened, but this wasn't the usual kind of self-reflecting; it was far more silent, like a snowy and gelid winter day. But never was she hostile or confrontational towards me or anyone else.
I invited the other girls to the house for dinner to surprise Catherine one time, and for the most part she seemed very pleased with it. She and Mom cooked dinner despite our desire to help. "Let the masters do the work, Liz," my mom said playfully. We set the table and enjoyed the fine meal that we had waited for all evening. The dinner was spent happily chatting and commenting and making jokes. After we had all ate, as she and I were cleaning the plates and bowls, Catherine said, "Thanks for inviting them over. It's nice having everyone together."
"Hey, anything for you. I'm just happy that you're happy." It was true; I was thrilled that she was smiling again, really smiling. It gave me hope.
We were so full that unfortunately dessert had to be skipped, and instead after-dinner cordials were sipped from cute glasses as we watched silly videos on YouTube. I forget exactly what it was, only that it included 'epic fails' of people hurting themselves. We were laughing so hard that we had to stop watching it to catch our breaths and not spill our drinks on anything.
The only one who didn't show any emotion was Catherine. I saw her stare blankly at the screen, sometimes a little smile tugging at her lips, but not the full-blown laughter like I had seen before. Her eyes wandered from me, to our group, to the room, to finally being laid downcast. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking then. Maybe I could have done more.
Florence nudged her shoulder, "Yo, Cath? What's the matter? You look really out of it."
From that she was roused from her stupor and blinked, "Wha...? Oh. Yeah, I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?" I said, pausing the video and giving her 100% of my attention.
She stared down at her unfinished cordial, swirling the liquid back and forth, "I was just thinking about you guys, that's all. I'm lucky to have friends that are so understanding; any others would have kicked me to the curb. It's nice knowing who you can count on."
Immediately I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "You know that we're always going to be there, no matter what."
We assured her that we would always be there for her no matter what, no matter the stakes. I could saw tears in her eyes forming as we talked.
Eventually it got so late that the girls had to leave. Florence had been nice enough to let Vivian, Naomi and Rebecca carpool with her to my house, efficiently saving time, money and gas for the three of them. We walked to her car that was carefully behind Catherine's
As Naomi eased herself into the front seat she asked, "You alright to drive, Flo?"
"I'm perfectly fine. You know that I drive better when I'm tipsy." With a shrug and a laugh, Florence opened the driver's side door and was ready to place the key into the ignition.
In seconds Rebecca snatched the keys right out of Florence's hand, "Alright, then I'm driving. I don't want you to risk it."
"I'm going to guess that she was making a dumb comment, Becks, so you can calm down." Vivian folded her arms on the top of the car, an amused grin forming on her face. "Florence knows her limits, though."
Throughout this exhange, Naomi was giggling behind her hand. She wasn't one to get upset easily, which has always been one of her strengths. Catherine entered in, "Florence only had a few small glasses; I think that she's more than capable to drive. But that's just me."
Rebecca thought about it, her brow furrowed. Finally, she handed the keys back to Florence. "I trust you. But please drive safely."
With that agreement, Florence resumed her rightful place as the driver. "I will. And if I swerve or anything, I'll pull over and you can drive. Is that good?"
"Deal."
Catherine and I waved until we couldn't see them anymore, in which we then went back inside, closed the door and collapsed on the couch. She asked if she could sleep over for the night, and I readily agreed. We changed into our sleepwear (I usually gave her a pair of my pajamas if she didn't bring her own; she and I were the same size) and cozied up to re-read our favorite childhood book, The Velveteen Rabbit.
When we finished the Catherine said to me softly"Elizabeth, even after all that's happened, you still love me?"
It was beyond a no-brainer. Never once did I think about leaving her or even stop loving her. She wasn't at fault for any of what happened. All Catherine was doing was desperately try to keep on keeping on while this thing attempted to ruin her life. Was I frustrated? Yes, but not at Catherine. "Of course I do. I really do. Why do you ask?"
Catherine looked at me, a relieved smile on her face, "Just making sure. I love you, too." she kissed me, placed the book back onto the self and walked to the door, shutting off the light completely."Go to sleep, Ellie. It's late; I'll be right back."
I did so, closing my eyes and waiting for her to come back. I was so tired that I was on the border of sleep and awake when I felt her come back.
It would be the last time I would ever see her.
I woke up the next day alone; Catherine and her car were gone. The pajamas I lent her were neatly folded in the bathroom and nothing seemed amiss. At first I believed that she has woken up before me and returned to her house, but a quick call to the Moores made my heart sink: they didn't see Catherine in the slightest, but they noticed that several things from her room were missing, such as her diary, some clothes and other assorted items. I assume that Catherine went back to gather more things and then go to parts unknown.
Like clockwork, I tried calling her and only got the voicemail. I had no idea where she went or where she was at that time. Her own parents had no luck there either.
Calm down, calm down...I tried to console myself as I paced the floor of my room, she always came back before. Catherine is going to come back again. I know it. I feel it. She's going to come back.
Then a day went by, and the another, without any sign from her at all. When seven days turned into ten, I began to get so worried I could barely think straight. But would Catherine come back after two weeks? Or three? Or a full month? I had no way of knowing then. I was a nervous wreck.
On the fourteenth day, we filed a missing persons report.
And then, almost a month later, she called.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The White Tree
When you have very little to do, the hours seem to grow long and longer. Five minutes seem like thirty, and thirty minutes seem like a full hour. Taking walks around the entire neighborhood lost its novelty and I had caught up on all my reading. It was during this time that I learned the meaning of the phrase, "boredom is not a burden anyone should bear."
So in my desperation to get away from boredom, I called up Catherine and the others to carpool somewhere, preferably a place with electricity. Thankfully everyone was available to hang out, so away I went to pick up my friends and fiancee to steal them away. During the drive I heard several horror stories about what had befallen them in the meantime: Florence and her family had to clean out broken glass from not only her shed, but from her garage as well. Vivian's stove stopped working, which meant that they could not even warm up soup for mealtime. The window to Naomi's family room had a nice big tree branch thrust through it, making an unholy mess. Rebecca had to deal with her poor mother twisting her ankle on something. The injury wasn't too serious, but it made things harder on Becks.
We stopped at our nearest Sonic and ate a yummy lunch there. As we sat in my car, wondering what to do next, Catherine said, "Let's go to the park. I want to take a walk through the woods."
At first we were all a bit shocked that she would want such a thing. As you know, Catherine had developed an irrational phobia concerning forests, so at first I didn't know what to say. But she looked at me with this expression of 'trust me, I know what I'm doing.' I did trust her, so I complied. "The park it is, then."
On the way there Naomi asked, "So has Dr. Frey been helping you?"
"Mmhmm. Very much. He's a huge help."
"How are your parents doing?" Rebecca reached over and patted her arm.
"They're doing good. They're such troopers about this whole thing, making sure that I'm safe and keeping their eyes on me. Sometimes it get a bit much, but it helps."
Vivian said, "What do you want to do in the woods?"
"Walk around, get a feel of the place again. I want to see if I can do it."
After that, we spent the rest of the ride in silence. I trusted Catherine to know what she wanted to do. Maybe her fear of playgrounds would be conquered as well. All too quickly, we reached our destination. I parked the car and said, "Well, we're here."
As we walked towards the woods, I patted Catherine on the shoulder in comfort. I wanted to let her know I was here.
Vivian was the first to walk in, and halfway down the path she looked back to see if we were coming. Rebecca followed, then Florence, then Naomi. I hesitated walking along with them, since I didn't want to leave Catherine waiting. But she gave me a firm push, saying "No. If you're in there, it will give me a lot of incentive."
I whispered, "You can do it, Cathie."
To be honest I wanted to be right there with her, to hold her hand at let her know that everything would be alright. But if this is what she wanted and if this helped her, then so be it.
I walked as far as the girls did, turning around to see what Catherine would do.
She stood at the mouth of the forest, looking at the path and took one hesitant step forward. I saw her mouth the words 'here come the sun' as if it were a prayer that kept her from harm. She didn't close her eyes as she walked; Catherine kept them wide open as if in defiance, it seemed. With each step she got more and more confident, so much so that she walked right past us.
We cheered loudly on her behalf, and in my happiness I bum rushed her in a hug. I was so happy that she had faced her fears. I gave me hope that she would completely get better, and we could look back on all those frightful times and laugh.
All six of us walked down the long path, chatting and now fully enjoying ourselves in the soothing shade of the forest. I don't know how long or how far we walked, but in the fork in the road, we saw something...chilling.
Before us was a dead, white tree. The branches were bare and gnarled as if writhing in pain. It wasn't small by any means, but it wasn't big either. Hung on those branches were trinkets held with twine: bird feathers, fish scales, bottles of what looked like blood and dirt, pieces of goat horns, broken glass and mirrors, an entire assortment of bizzare and disturbing decorations. The trunk of the tree was not spared from oddity: some parts were smeared with what I assumed was ash from a burned thing. Some words were written on it (carved into it) in a strange language that neither I nor anyone else could identify.
Catherine tugged at my hand, "I want to go now. I don't like this at all."
I turned to look at her and saw that her face was nearly at white as the tree. I saw fear and anger in her eyes, but nothing that suggested violence. Without looking back, we all walked quickly away from the tree and to my car.
So in my desperation to get away from boredom, I called up Catherine and the others to carpool somewhere, preferably a place with electricity. Thankfully everyone was available to hang out, so away I went to pick up my friends and fiancee to steal them away. During the drive I heard several horror stories about what had befallen them in the meantime: Florence and her family had to clean out broken glass from not only her shed, but from her garage as well. Vivian's stove stopped working, which meant that they could not even warm up soup for mealtime. The window to Naomi's family room had a nice big tree branch thrust through it, making an unholy mess. Rebecca had to deal with her poor mother twisting her ankle on something. The injury wasn't too serious, but it made things harder on Becks.
We stopped at our nearest Sonic and ate a yummy lunch there. As we sat in my car, wondering what to do next, Catherine said, "Let's go to the park. I want to take a walk through the woods."
At first we were all a bit shocked that she would want such a thing. As you know, Catherine had developed an irrational phobia concerning forests, so at first I didn't know what to say. But she looked at me with this expression of 'trust me, I know what I'm doing.' I did trust her, so I complied. "The park it is, then."
On the way there Naomi asked, "So has Dr. Frey been helping you?"
"Mmhmm. Very much. He's a huge help."
"How are your parents doing?" Rebecca reached over and patted her arm.
"They're doing good. They're such troopers about this whole thing, making sure that I'm safe and keeping their eyes on me. Sometimes it get a bit much, but it helps."
Vivian said, "What do you want to do in the woods?"
"Walk around, get a feel of the place again. I want to see if I can do it."
After that, we spent the rest of the ride in silence. I trusted Catherine to know what she wanted to do. Maybe her fear of playgrounds would be conquered as well. All too quickly, we reached our destination. I parked the car and said, "Well, we're here."
As we walked towards the woods, I patted Catherine on the shoulder in comfort. I wanted to let her know I was here.
Vivian was the first to walk in, and halfway down the path she looked back to see if we were coming. Rebecca followed, then Florence, then Naomi. I hesitated walking along with them, since I didn't want to leave Catherine waiting. But she gave me a firm push, saying "No. If you're in there, it will give me a lot of incentive."
I whispered, "You can do it, Cathie."
To be honest I wanted to be right there with her, to hold her hand at let her know that everything would be alright. But if this is what she wanted and if this helped her, then so be it.
I walked as far as the girls did, turning around to see what Catherine would do.
She stood at the mouth of the forest, looking at the path and took one hesitant step forward. I saw her mouth the words 'here come the sun' as if it were a prayer that kept her from harm. She didn't close her eyes as she walked; Catherine kept them wide open as if in defiance, it seemed. With each step she got more and more confident, so much so that she walked right past us.
We cheered loudly on her behalf, and in my happiness I bum rushed her in a hug. I was so happy that she had faced her fears. I gave me hope that she would completely get better, and we could look back on all those frightful times and laugh.
All six of us walked down the long path, chatting and now fully enjoying ourselves in the soothing shade of the forest. I don't know how long or how far we walked, but in the fork in the road, we saw something...chilling.
Before us was a dead, white tree. The branches were bare and gnarled as if writhing in pain. It wasn't small by any means, but it wasn't big either. Hung on those branches were trinkets held with twine: bird feathers, fish scales, bottles of what looked like blood and dirt, pieces of goat horns, broken glass and mirrors, an entire assortment of bizzare and disturbing decorations. The trunk of the tree was not spared from oddity: some parts were smeared with what I assumed was ash from a burned thing. Some words were written on it (carved into it) in a strange language that neither I nor anyone else could identify.
Catherine tugged at my hand, "I want to go now. I don't like this at all."
I turned to look at her and saw that her face was nearly at white as the tree. I saw fear and anger in her eyes, but nothing that suggested violence. Without looking back, we all walked quickly away from the tree and to my car.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Happy Birthday, Rebecca!
Happy 22nd, Rebecca! I hope you have a great semester and get accepted into Miskatonic like you wanted. If you do, don't forget to send us an e-mail once in a while to let us know how you are doing. I hope you liked the books I got for you!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Storm
On August 21, we began to prepare for the oncoming hurricane. I can't tell you how many times I went out to the supermarkets (with and without friends) to get the supplies that we needed in case of something going wrong. With a hurricane that big on the way, we couldn't take any chances.
August 27 was pretty much judgement day. We were as prepared as we could ever be, flashlights, batteries, the works. Lunagirl, usually an outdoor cat, was brought in the house due to our fears that she would be hurt. We knew that she was smart, but from what we heard, the hurricane was too big and too wild to risk her safety. As I predicted, Lunagirl loved being inside. She roamed the house like an excited kid through Disney World, brushing up against and jumping up on everything she could find; it was the cutest little thing.
Before I headed off to bed, I made sure to call not just Catherine, but all of my girls to make sure that they were safe, sound and prepared for whatever came their way.
We all slept in our basement, where it was the safest. Lunagirl curled up next to me and didn't stir for the remainder of the night. If I dreamed of anything, I can't remember for the life of me.
In the morning I awoke to the sound of Lungirl meowing loudly in my ear. No doubt she was hungry. She pawed at me, insistent that I get up and tend to her needs.
"Alright," I croaked, "I hear you. Come on...let's go" I got up from the couch and lumpered up the stairs, rubbing my eyes as I did so. In my blurry vision I could not see anything outside the windows, besides the early morning sun rising. Lunagirl sat at the backdoor, waiting to be let out. I said, "Be patient, kitten. Let me get your breakfast...really? You want to be let outside now? Oh, alright. Come here."
I walked outside, with Lunagirl in my arms, into a near war zone. Fallen branches and unearthed trees were everywhere. One large tree had completely fallen over into our neighbor's pool, breaking the fence and crushing their heater. Luckily, our pool only had half a tree in there; all my dad had to do was fish it out, albeit cursing up another storm. My precious cat seemed confused about what happened and why the people around her seemed so distraught. It seemed that as she ate her food she was mulling over this puzzle.
My mother tried to turn on the lights multiple times and found that we, like the rest of our neighbors, were completely without power.
My phone came alive, and before I had time to say 'hello' to the caller, Vivian practically screamed, "Dude! That was one hell of a storm last night! That hurricane destroyed three houses on my street!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope. I'm looking at them right now. No one's dead, but their houses are toast."
And as if to prove her point, shortly after our call ended I got pictures of the said houses. They were indeed toast.
Twenty minutes passed and a text message from Florence read, 'Tell me that you're alright, El.' I responded with telling her that I was indeed alright, but without any power. She texted back with a '-3- same here. My parents are getting twigs and bushes out of the shed. The windows broke and there is glass every which way. I have to help clean it all up. Christ almighty -_-.' Damn, I really felt bad for Flo.
On a whim my father got us all in the car to see how everyone else faired. The neighborhoods around ours were lightless, looking with absolute horror at how many power lines were completely torn from the poles, knotted with the branches of the trees that fell them. Seeing as we were in the car already, we all went to the magical land of 7-11 to get breakfast. You never saw a convenience store so crowded, I swear to God. I got a cinnamon roll and orange juice to ward off the hunger. So there we were, sitting in the 7-11 parking lot wondering what the hell we would do, and in that time Naomi sent me some pictures of what happened near her. Surprise, surprise, it was as bad as everyone else's.
When we returned to our house, the power was still out and wouldn't come back on. The hours ticked by and still nothing. Rebecca set me a video message from her phone to mine, walking around her street and expressing her dismay at how the storm ravaged seemingly everying.
The one upside that I liked was that the stars could be seen much better without all the lights. The first day wasn't so bad, actually.
August 27 was pretty much judgement day. We were as prepared as we could ever be, flashlights, batteries, the works. Lunagirl, usually an outdoor cat, was brought in the house due to our fears that she would be hurt. We knew that she was smart, but from what we heard, the hurricane was too big and too wild to risk her safety. As I predicted, Lunagirl loved being inside. She roamed the house like an excited kid through Disney World, brushing up against and jumping up on everything she could find; it was the cutest little thing.
Before I headed off to bed, I made sure to call not just Catherine, but all of my girls to make sure that they were safe, sound and prepared for whatever came their way.
We all slept in our basement, where it was the safest. Lunagirl curled up next to me and didn't stir for the remainder of the night. If I dreamed of anything, I can't remember for the life of me.
In the morning I awoke to the sound of Lungirl meowing loudly in my ear. No doubt she was hungry. She pawed at me, insistent that I get up and tend to her needs.
"Alright," I croaked, "I hear you. Come on...let's go" I got up from the couch and lumpered up the stairs, rubbing my eyes as I did so. In my blurry vision I could not see anything outside the windows, besides the early morning sun rising. Lunagirl sat at the backdoor, waiting to be let out. I said, "Be patient, kitten. Let me get your breakfast...really? You want to be let outside now? Oh, alright. Come here."
I walked outside, with Lunagirl in my arms, into a near war zone. Fallen branches and unearthed trees were everywhere. One large tree had completely fallen over into our neighbor's pool, breaking the fence and crushing their heater. Luckily, our pool only had half a tree in there; all my dad had to do was fish it out, albeit cursing up another storm. My precious cat seemed confused about what happened and why the people around her seemed so distraught. It seemed that as she ate her food she was mulling over this puzzle.
My mother tried to turn on the lights multiple times and found that we, like the rest of our neighbors, were completely without power.
My phone came alive, and before I had time to say 'hello' to the caller, Vivian practically screamed, "Dude! That was one hell of a storm last night! That hurricane destroyed three houses on my street!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope. I'm looking at them right now. No one's dead, but their houses are toast."
And as if to prove her point, shortly after our call ended I got pictures of the said houses. They were indeed toast.
Twenty minutes passed and a text message from Florence read, 'Tell me that you're alright, El.' I responded with telling her that I was indeed alright, but without any power. She texted back with a '-3- same here. My parents are getting twigs and bushes out of the shed. The windows broke and there is glass every which way. I have to help clean it all up. Christ almighty -_-.' Damn, I really felt bad for Flo.
On a whim my father got us all in the car to see how everyone else faired. The neighborhoods around ours were lightless, looking with absolute horror at how many power lines were completely torn from the poles, knotted with the branches of the trees that fell them. Seeing as we were in the car already, we all went to the magical land of 7-11 to get breakfast. You never saw a convenience store so crowded, I swear to God. I got a cinnamon roll and orange juice to ward off the hunger. So there we were, sitting in the 7-11 parking lot wondering what the hell we would do, and in that time Naomi sent me some pictures of what happened near her. Surprise, surprise, it was as bad as everyone else's.
When we returned to our house, the power was still out and wouldn't come back on. The hours ticked by and still nothing. Rebecca set me a video message from her phone to mine, walking around her street and expressing her dismay at how the storm ravaged seemingly everying.
The one upside that I liked was that the stars could be seen much better without all the lights. The first day wasn't so bad, actually.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
A Bit of Reason
I was so worried about Catherine that I barely got any sleep that night. I tossed and turned and counted the seconds until dawn. It seemed like an eternity before the sun came up, and when it did, I was out the door and into my car. I drove to her house in a trance, my hands gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.
As I pulled up the driveway, I saw that her parents' cars weren't there; they got up early for their job and sometimes got home late. Catherine's car, on the other hand, was in its usual haunt. I approached the front door, unlocked it, and went right towards the stairs.
"Catherine? Are you awake?" I called out from the bottom of the steps. "Are you sleep asleep, girlie?" I quietly walked up the stairs, before finally getting to her closed door. I knocked twice, and when I recieved no answer, I opened it.
She was gone.
The blankets on her bed were tangled and pushed back seemingly in a fit, as if she had clawed her way out of a nightmare. Some papers with the creature were flung around, and on closer inspection of found small droplets of blood upon a few. I stood there completely dumbfounded for some time before rushing through the house screaming her name, looking everywhere in the house. She was nowhere to be found. I clearly remember a cold panic thundering through me, and the helplessness and worry seemed to take me over.
I called Catherine hundreds of times, left hundreds of voice mails, and paced any room I was in so many times I swear I left a long groove in the floors. I asked her parents if they knew where she was, but they were just as confused as we all were. A part of me tried to reason that it was her going out and looking for a wonderful place for us to vacation to, as she had said before. But judging by the way she acted the night I dropped her off, it didn't seem likely.
On the fourth day I simply curled up into a ball on my bed, clutching my cell phone and crying softly into my pillow. I wished that I had walked into the house with her and stayed. I wished that she would get better. I wished harder than ever before. I don't know how long I stayed that way, but the sound of the doorbell roused me from my stupor. I slowly walked down the stairs, hair disheveled and eyes bright red, and answered the door.
Lo and behold it was Rebecca, who wanted to check up on me and see how I was doing. From the sympathetic look on her face when she saw me, Rebecca was kicking into full on mommy-mode; ready and willing to ease my pain. I felt my eyes beginning to sting; the tell-tale sign that another flood of tears were coming my way.
Immediately she escorted me to the kitchen, sat me down, and let me cry a river into her shoulder. As I wept, I also heard her cries join mine. It took too long for my tastes to calm down again, but when I did, Rebecca was right there for me.
When I could manage words again, she asked, "Do you have any idea what might have caused Catherine to act this way? Any hint at all?"
I took a deep breath and told her everything that had happened with me and Catherine; the new fears, the insect, the bloody coughs...and then I told her about this Fear Dubh, and how it might be connect to all of these events.
Rebecca sighed and looked at me incredulously, "Elizabeth, really? Fear Dubh and any related stories are just that: stories. Anyone and everyone claiming to see it is just mass paranoia. There has to be something else that is the matter."
It was so tempting to just nod my head and agree with her. Rebecca took nonsense from no one, tolerated stupidity from no one, and used logic and reason to sort out any problems. Her being that grounded helped the rest of us many a time.
"But Becca, you know her. She was never like this at all. What if someone--something-- is stalking her? Actually, no. I know that something is stalking her. Maybe it's that thing."
Rebecca shrugged, and I could see that she, too, was as anxious as I was. "Catherine is such a sweet person; I can't see her earning the ire of someone, unless this person was just sick in the head. Maybe, just maybe, there is a stalker who is using the image of the Fear Dubh to terrorize her. Maybe she is an unfortunate, random victim of a person who likes to torment their targets by messing with their minds as much as possible."
I opened my mouth to speak, but as I thought about what she had said, it had some basis. In fact, I was willing to believe everything that she had said. And then she continued, stating facts and giving logical answers to the confusing questions I had. Another knock at the door came an hour later, and this time I saw Vivian there, also coming to see how I was. As soon as Rebecca gave her the rundown on what was going on, she, too, joined in the conversation, though Vivian was a bit more willing to believe that something supernatural was most likely happening.
"It could happen!" Vivian exclaimed. "I mean, Catherine was never like this before. Who is to say that Fear Dubh doesn't exist? Stranger things have happened."
"All I'm saying is, I just have a hard time believing that a tall man all in black exists." Rebecca replied. "It doesn't seem probable in the slightest. When we find Catherine, we should get her to see a psychiatrist and clear this up. Something is going on and we have to get to the bottom of it. We all hate seeing her like this."
Vivian raised her hand. "I'll drive her, when the time comes. And we can all go to a restaurant afterwards."
I muttered agreement. I wondered how long my Catherine would be gone; a moment longer and I would pack my bags and look for her myself. The big problem was, I had no idea where in God's green earth she was. None whatsoever. I would be pure foolishness to go out and try to find her when I don't have the slightest clue where she is.
On the seventh day, Catherine returned.
As I pulled up the driveway, I saw that her parents' cars weren't there; they got up early for their job and sometimes got home late. Catherine's car, on the other hand, was in its usual haunt. I approached the front door, unlocked it, and went right towards the stairs.
"Catherine? Are you awake?" I called out from the bottom of the steps. "Are you sleep asleep, girlie?" I quietly walked up the stairs, before finally getting to her closed door. I knocked twice, and when I recieved no answer, I opened it.
She was gone.
The blankets on her bed were tangled and pushed back seemingly in a fit, as if she had clawed her way out of a nightmare. Some papers with the creature were flung around, and on closer inspection of found small droplets of blood upon a few. I stood there completely dumbfounded for some time before rushing through the house screaming her name, looking everywhere in the house. She was nowhere to be found. I clearly remember a cold panic thundering through me, and the helplessness and worry seemed to take me over.
I called Catherine hundreds of times, left hundreds of voice mails, and paced any room I was in so many times I swear I left a long groove in the floors. I asked her parents if they knew where she was, but they were just as confused as we all were. A part of me tried to reason that it was her going out and looking for a wonderful place for us to vacation to, as she had said before. But judging by the way she acted the night I dropped her off, it didn't seem likely.
On the fourth day I simply curled up into a ball on my bed, clutching my cell phone and crying softly into my pillow. I wished that I had walked into the house with her and stayed. I wished that she would get better. I wished harder than ever before. I don't know how long I stayed that way, but the sound of the doorbell roused me from my stupor. I slowly walked down the stairs, hair disheveled and eyes bright red, and answered the door.
Lo and behold it was Rebecca, who wanted to check up on me and see how I was doing. From the sympathetic look on her face when she saw me, Rebecca was kicking into full on mommy-mode; ready and willing to ease my pain. I felt my eyes beginning to sting; the tell-tale sign that another flood of tears were coming my way.
Immediately she escorted me to the kitchen, sat me down, and let me cry a river into her shoulder. As I wept, I also heard her cries join mine. It took too long for my tastes to calm down again, but when I did, Rebecca was right there for me.
When I could manage words again, she asked, "Do you have any idea what might have caused Catherine to act this way? Any hint at all?"
I took a deep breath and told her everything that had happened with me and Catherine; the new fears, the insect, the bloody coughs...and then I told her about this Fear Dubh, and how it might be connect to all of these events.
Rebecca sighed and looked at me incredulously, "Elizabeth, really? Fear Dubh and any related stories are just that: stories. Anyone and everyone claiming to see it is just mass paranoia. There has to be something else that is the matter."
It was so tempting to just nod my head and agree with her. Rebecca took nonsense from no one, tolerated stupidity from no one, and used logic and reason to sort out any problems. Her being that grounded helped the rest of us many a time.
"But Becca, you know her. She was never like this at all. What if someone--something-- is stalking her? Actually, no. I know that something is stalking her. Maybe it's that thing."
Rebecca shrugged, and I could see that she, too, was as anxious as I was. "Catherine is such a sweet person; I can't see her earning the ire of someone, unless this person was just sick in the head. Maybe, just maybe, there is a stalker who is using the image of the Fear Dubh to terrorize her. Maybe she is an unfortunate, random victim of a person who likes to torment their targets by messing with their minds as much as possible."
I opened my mouth to speak, but as I thought about what she had said, it had some basis. In fact, I was willing to believe everything that she had said. And then she continued, stating facts and giving logical answers to the confusing questions I had. Another knock at the door came an hour later, and this time I saw Vivian there, also coming to see how I was. As soon as Rebecca gave her the rundown on what was going on, she, too, joined in the conversation, though Vivian was a bit more willing to believe that something supernatural was most likely happening.
"It could happen!" Vivian exclaimed. "I mean, Catherine was never like this before. Who is to say that Fear Dubh doesn't exist? Stranger things have happened."
"All I'm saying is, I just have a hard time believing that a tall man all in black exists." Rebecca replied. "It doesn't seem probable in the slightest. When we find Catherine, we should get her to see a psychiatrist and clear this up. Something is going on and we have to get to the bottom of it. We all hate seeing her like this."
Vivian raised her hand. "I'll drive her, when the time comes. And we can all go to a restaurant afterwards."
I muttered agreement. I wondered how long my Catherine would be gone; a moment longer and I would pack my bags and look for her myself. The big problem was, I had no idea where in God's green earth she was. None whatsoever. I would be pure foolishness to go out and try to find her when I don't have the slightest clue where she is.
On the seventh day, Catherine returned.
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Beach
The next day I decided that now was as good a time as ever to cheer Catherine up with a trip to one of her favorite places. I called the rest of the girls together, and we all carpooled to go to the beach. It was a perfect day for such an outing, and the moment we got there I could see that everyone couldn't wait to start enjoying the day.
We set up our area and finally took the time to relax. Naomi dove into the ocean as soon as she could, with Florence not far behind. Vivian and Rebecca stayed on the sand, listening to music and reading a book respectively. My finacee and I sat on our beach chairs holding hands, admiring it all.
"I love this area, Ellie. It's so peaceful." as she said that, her eyes wandered to the perfect blue waves and sky, to the sand and the small children that splashed and yelled with joy. "I can see why tons of people flock here every summer. It's like you can forget the whole world here." With that she removed her sunglasses and wide brimmed hat, waded into the water...and proceeded to get nailed by a wave. She was alright, though, and as soon as she collected herself (and spat out some water and sand) Catherine laughed about it.
It felt so good to see my Cathy smiling again. It seemed like forever since I saw her act normally. After we hung around the beach for a few hours, we decided to head down to the Point Pleasant boardwalk. Honestly it was one of the most fun days I've had, with us playing those games and going on those rides. Just us being together having fun was amazing. And what better way to finish up such a lovely day than by eating a heavy dinner of boardwalk confectionary? We probably all gained more than five pounds, but damn, was it worth it.
The sun was beginning to set when Catherine and I took a short walk down the beach. As soon as we got back, we were all going to head home. Truth be told nobody wanted to. Catherine sighed, "It's too bad we have to leave." she said, "Please promise you'll take me here again."
Suddenly she began to cough; not violently, but softly. She wiped her mouth, and I saw a bit a blood on the back of her hand. I freaked out a little bit on the inside, and I prayed that whatever she had would pass and our lives could go back to the way they were."Yeah," I said, "I promise."
I wish I could.
As we drove home, and I dropped off the girls at their respective homes, I could see Catherine start to get a bit nervous. The night had already fallen by the time I was driving to her house. I saw her nervously bite her lower lip, as if she was anticipating some unwelcome event, or someone to just pound on our window at a traffic light. "Hey, Catherine," I said softly, "How about you take a rest, okay?"
"I'm not tired."
"I...you look really nervous. Close your eyes for a bit, and I'll wake you when we're close to your house."
"Ellie, please. I'm alright."
"Are you sure? You look very upset about something."
She didn't respond to me, only turned her head to look out her window. For a brief moment there was silence, and in that moment I mulled over what I could do to help my beloved. Suddenly, Catherine let out a choked scream. Whatever she saw was freaking her the hell out, and I pulled over to try calming her down. I grabbed her shoulders in an attepted to
I spoke to her as loud and clear as I could, asking her what was the matter, begging her to calm down, telling her to take deep breaths, anything I could think of. Within minutes she did indeed manage to stop her hysteria.
"What happened? What did you see?" I asked, hoping that her answer could give me a reason behind her sudden outburst. She swallowed heavily and said, "I saw a guy out there. Really freaky looking. I though he was coming towards the car."
"Did he looked like the guy you were drawing?" I asked, curious to see if she confirmed it or not.
I would love to say that she nodded or shook her head, but she didn't. Instead Catherine reclined back in the front seat and said nothing. I drove to her house, escorted her to the door as I always did, and went home.
The next day, Catherine went missing again.
We set up our area and finally took the time to relax. Naomi dove into the ocean as soon as she could, with Florence not far behind. Vivian and Rebecca stayed on the sand, listening to music and reading a book respectively. My finacee and I sat on our beach chairs holding hands, admiring it all.
"I love this area, Ellie. It's so peaceful." as she said that, her eyes wandered to the perfect blue waves and sky, to the sand and the small children that splashed and yelled with joy. "I can see why tons of people flock here every summer. It's like you can forget the whole world here." With that she removed her sunglasses and wide brimmed hat, waded into the water...and proceeded to get nailed by a wave. She was alright, though, and as soon as she collected herself (and spat out some water and sand) Catherine laughed about it.
It felt so good to see my Cathy smiling again. It seemed like forever since I saw her act normally. After we hung around the beach for a few hours, we decided to head down to the Point Pleasant boardwalk. Honestly it was one of the most fun days I've had, with us playing those games and going on those rides. Just us being together having fun was amazing. And what better way to finish up such a lovely day than by eating a heavy dinner of boardwalk confectionary? We probably all gained more than five pounds, but damn, was it worth it.
The sun was beginning to set when Catherine and I took a short walk down the beach. As soon as we got back, we were all going to head home. Truth be told nobody wanted to. Catherine sighed, "It's too bad we have to leave." she said, "Please promise you'll take me here again."
Suddenly she began to cough; not violently, but softly. She wiped her mouth, and I saw a bit a blood on the back of her hand. I freaked out a little bit on the inside, and I prayed that whatever she had would pass and our lives could go back to the way they were."Yeah," I said, "I promise."
I wish I could.
As we drove home, and I dropped off the girls at their respective homes, I could see Catherine start to get a bit nervous. The night had already fallen by the time I was driving to her house. I saw her nervously bite her lower lip, as if she was anticipating some unwelcome event, or someone to just pound on our window at a traffic light. "Hey, Catherine," I said softly, "How about you take a rest, okay?"
"I'm not tired."
"I...you look really nervous. Close your eyes for a bit, and I'll wake you when we're close to your house."
"Ellie, please. I'm alright."
"Are you sure? You look very upset about something."
She didn't respond to me, only turned her head to look out her window. For a brief moment there was silence, and in that moment I mulled over what I could do to help my beloved. Suddenly, Catherine let out a choked scream. Whatever she saw was freaking her the hell out, and I pulled over to try calming her down. I grabbed her shoulders in an attepted to
I spoke to her as loud and clear as I could, asking her what was the matter, begging her to calm down, telling her to take deep breaths, anything I could think of. Within minutes she did indeed manage to stop her hysteria.
"What happened? What did you see?" I asked, hoping that her answer could give me a reason behind her sudden outburst. She swallowed heavily and said, "I saw a guy out there. Really freaky looking. I though he was coming towards the car."
"Did he looked like the guy you were drawing?" I asked, curious to see if she confirmed it or not.
I would love to say that she nodded or shook her head, but she didn't. Instead Catherine reclined back in the front seat and said nothing. I drove to her house, escorted her to the door as I always did, and went home.
The next day, Catherine went missing again.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
New Year, New Problems
2010 had come and gone, and 2011 came with heavy snow and record cold. It was a bitter, gelid winter that seemed to have no end in sight. The storms that came were relentless to the point of cruelty. Luckily for us, school and planning kept our bones and hearts warm.
Rebecca, Florence, Naomi and Vivian were to be our maids-of-honor, my little brother the best man. My family, Catherine's family, and some friends were invited to the wedding.
The invitations that we had sent out were adorable: it was a single white card, elegant script joyously proclaiming our wedding day, the place, the time, all those little details. Vivian thought that it would be interesting to add in some scents to make it more personal, like gardenia or jasmine. It was a neat idea that Catherine and I liked. We decided that jasmine would work perfectly, and added some glitter in the envelopes for that extra sparkle.
The goings on in our lives were hectic, with the wedding stuff, work, and college. How we managed would have been anyone's guess, but we did it and we did it with pride.
Rebecca (surprise, surprise) got the best report card out of us all. She always did, really. Only one B- in a sea of A's and A+'s. In November of last year she told us that she was seriously considering transfering to Miskatonic University in Massachusettes, and wanted to see if any of us wanted to apply with her. Now, MU is one of the most prestigious universities out there, on par with Harvard and Yale. Someone with Rebecca's smarts would get in without a doubt, but us? It was a 50/50 shot.
Florence was often found in the fitness center after classes, burning off all the stress and any thoughts of doubt, she would say. And when she wasn't getting her cardio in, she was at home writing down business plans for a company that she wants to start. Fürstin is to be her company's name. At first, Florence wanted to work for Vogue, but decided that she could do much better. She always wanted to be a businesswoman, and she wants Naomi to write for her magazine.
Naomi's true love has always been writing. She's been a part of the creative writing club for so long that she may as well be the person who runs it. Since as far back as I can remember she was always writing and reading all these incredible stories. She had written some pretty poems that she submitted to the newspaper often, and had a rough draft of a book series she eventually wanted to get published, but told us that she wanted to also write for a magazine. That's where Florence came in and proposed that Naomi write for her.
Vivian has wanted to make music for the longest time. The stuff she makes now are really catchy and well-made. It's nothing like what the pros do, not yet anyway. She is on our college's radio with her own show, called "Music of the Spheres." It's a hoot and a half listening to her. She hopes that after college she could find someone to help with her music career. She knows that the business is tough, but if anyone could handle it, Vivian would be at the top of the list.
As for Catherine, her grades went down and she dropped out of her beloved home ec club. I feel like a broken record saying this over and over again, but that was totally out of character for her. Yet again, she refused to open up and brushed it off, stating that she just had things on her mind. When she and I were talking about a book we had been reading, there was a stinkbug that had wandered into the kitchen and had begun to fly around obnoxiously. It was crashing into the ceiling and walls like it was drunk, and I laughed at the poor thing's antics. But Catherine...she reacted bizzarely.
She tracted that thing down and smash it into oblivion. Catherine wasn't the biggest fan of bugs, and should she encounter one, she would only swat it away or go into another room. I had never once seen her do that. The she told me that the bug wasn't ordinary...it was watching us.
The explaination was strange, silly, bordering on paranoia. Actually, no. It was paranoia. But after making sure that the bug was dead that no other insect was crawling around us, she calmed down and resumed our discussion as if nothing had happened. The grip Catherine had on my hand, it was as if she believed that she and she alone could protect me.
Rebecca, Florence, Naomi and Vivian were to be our maids-of-honor, my little brother the best man. My family, Catherine's family, and some friends were invited to the wedding.
The invitations that we had sent out were adorable: it was a single white card, elegant script joyously proclaiming our wedding day, the place, the time, all those little details. Vivian thought that it would be interesting to add in some scents to make it more personal, like gardenia or jasmine. It was a neat idea that Catherine and I liked. We decided that jasmine would work perfectly, and added some glitter in the envelopes for that extra sparkle.
The goings on in our lives were hectic, with the wedding stuff, work, and college. How we managed would have been anyone's guess, but we did it and we did it with pride.
Rebecca (surprise, surprise) got the best report card out of us all. She always did, really. Only one B- in a sea of A's and A+'s. In November of last year she told us that she was seriously considering transfering to Miskatonic University in Massachusettes, and wanted to see if any of us wanted to apply with her. Now, MU is one of the most prestigious universities out there, on par with Harvard and Yale. Someone with Rebecca's smarts would get in without a doubt, but us? It was a 50/50 shot.
Florence was often found in the fitness center after classes, burning off all the stress and any thoughts of doubt, she would say. And when she wasn't getting her cardio in, she was at home writing down business plans for a company that she wants to start. Fürstin is to be her company's name. At first, Florence wanted to work for Vogue, but decided that she could do much better. She always wanted to be a businesswoman, and she wants Naomi to write for her magazine.
Naomi's true love has always been writing. She's been a part of the creative writing club for so long that she may as well be the person who runs it. Since as far back as I can remember she was always writing and reading all these incredible stories. She had written some pretty poems that she submitted to the newspaper often, and had a rough draft of a book series she eventually wanted to get published, but told us that she wanted to also write for a magazine. That's where Florence came in and proposed that Naomi write for her.
Vivian has wanted to make music for the longest time. The stuff she makes now are really catchy and well-made. It's nothing like what the pros do, not yet anyway. She is on our college's radio with her own show, called "Music of the Spheres." It's a hoot and a half listening to her. She hopes that after college she could find someone to help with her music career. She knows that the business is tough, but if anyone could handle it, Vivian would be at the top of the list.
As for Catherine, her grades went down and she dropped out of her beloved home ec club. I feel like a broken record saying this over and over again, but that was totally out of character for her. Yet again, she refused to open up and brushed it off, stating that she just had things on her mind. When she and I were talking about a book we had been reading, there was a stinkbug that had wandered into the kitchen and had begun to fly around obnoxiously. It was crashing into the ceiling and walls like it was drunk, and I laughed at the poor thing's antics. But Catherine...she reacted bizzarely.
She tracted that thing down and smash it into oblivion. Catherine wasn't the biggest fan of bugs, and should she encounter one, she would only swat it away or go into another room. I had never once seen her do that. The she told me that the bug wasn't ordinary...it was watching us.
The explaination was strange, silly, bordering on paranoia. Actually, no. It was paranoia. But after making sure that the bug was dead that no other insect was crawling around us, she calmed down and resumed our discussion as if nothing had happened. The grip Catherine had on my hand, it was as if she believed that she and she alone could protect me.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Anniversaries
Our first anniversary wasn't anything special; we stayed at her house, ate ice cream and watched a few movies. I don't care what anyone says: Moulin Rouge was one of the best movies ever made. In inspired Catherine to make a themed restaurant based on the actually place itself. People would have come around from everywhere just to go there, had she done it.
Our second anniversary we spent with our friends. Music, dancing, movies, even baking treats for us to enjoy now and later. We played some video games, too. So in the end it was a pretty sweet party.
Our third was essential us taking a walk through these really nice woods, not the creepy ones near my old house, from which I long since moved out of. It was these other woods, in a park that we played in when were were little girls. It was the afternoon, and we were walking hand in had on a path that we just found. It was very romantic. Along the way, a beautiful deer scampered right past us and into another part of the forest. We just stood there and marveled at our luck to see that shy an animal that close. As we walked further, a fox scurried across our path and seemingly in the same direction of the deer.
I nudged Catherine and said, "They're all out for our anniversary." She laughed and we kept walking. Finally, Near the end of the path, we saw a crow pecking at something we couldn't see. As we got closer and closer, the crow stopped what it was doing and stared us down. Even as we walked past it, it didn't move, just glared at us. When it deemed us far enough, the crow continued its pecking. Odd.
We went back to my house and talked about the animals, then went out to a Japanese restaurant. The girls mentioned that it was beyond strange, bordering on eerie. Naomi put it best: "spooky creepy."
Our other anniversaries weren't anything special; just us being together and exchanging presents. I got her a lavendar diary one year, since that is her favorite color and she needed it. She got me a really pretty rose brooch, which I love to death. We did love doting on each other.
Our second anniversary we spent with our friends. Music, dancing, movies, even baking treats for us to enjoy now and later. We played some video games, too. So in the end it was a pretty sweet party.
Our third was essential us taking a walk through these really nice woods, not the creepy ones near my old house, from which I long since moved out of. It was these other woods, in a park that we played in when were were little girls. It was the afternoon, and we were walking hand in had on a path that we just found. It was very romantic. Along the way, a beautiful deer scampered right past us and into another part of the forest. We just stood there and marveled at our luck to see that shy an animal that close. As we walked further, a fox scurried across our path and seemingly in the same direction of the deer.
I nudged Catherine and said, "They're all out for our anniversary." She laughed and we kept walking. Finally, Near the end of the path, we saw a crow pecking at something we couldn't see. As we got closer and closer, the crow stopped what it was doing and stared us down. Even as we walked past it, it didn't move, just glared at us. When it deemed us far enough, the crow continued its pecking. Odd.
We went back to my house and talked about the animals, then went out to a Japanese restaurant. The girls mentioned that it was beyond strange, bordering on eerie. Naomi put it best: "spooky creepy."
Our other anniversaries weren't anything special; just us being together and exchanging presents. I got her a lavendar diary one year, since that is her favorite color and she needed it. She got me a really pretty rose brooch, which I love to death. We did love doting on each other.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Start of Our Relationship and the People Who Did(n't) Like It.
You couldn't find a happier couple on the planet, I will tell you that. Catherine and I complemented each other so well, as if we were made for one another.
We never fought; just had debates and minor misundersandings. Never once did we jump to conclusions or fly off the handle and pointed fingers. All we did was sit and talk. That was one of our strong points: our willingness to find a middle ground. And once everything was sorted out, we made sure to learn from what we had just discussed.
I remember our first date at a nice restaurant. Okay, it was a pizza joint. We sat down at our table and ordered some drinks, holding hands and just talking. Everything was going fine until a couple next to us felt uncomfortable and demanded that they have their table changed. Catherine and I weren't doing anything over the top, mind you. We weren't making out right there and then, just holding hands on the table and saying sweet things. The looks those two gave us were the nastiest we have ever gotten. Then I heard the woman say that we were (you guessed it!) going to burn for the sin of sodomy. I kid you all not. I wish to God almighty above us all that I was joking. It didn't ruin our night, but it made us think. For a while we theorized about homophobia, what the root of it is and why it prevails.
So our date wsn't a total bust.
At school we kept our relationship under wraps; to anyone else we were just the best of friends. It was a smart move on our part, really; kids can be very cruel. But no matter how well you think you are keeping a secret, a few people figure it out. I should have expected it, really. But nothing prepares you for the day that you're called a bunch of derogatory names to your face. It hurt, it really did. Luckily for us, we had a support system: our friends and family. Without them, I don't think we would have survived it all. As we all went from grade to grade, they found better things to do with their time than pick on people. I ddin't know how much longer I had to take being called a dyke for the 1,000,000,000 time.
But as you know, adversity either makes or breaks people and their relationships. All of that made us stronger people. I can take on anything after that ordeal.
The six of us made such a wonderful group, bound together tighter than sisters. From study sessions to just plain goofing off, there was no other people I would rather be with. No one at all.
We never fought; just had debates and minor misundersandings. Never once did we jump to conclusions or fly off the handle and pointed fingers. All we did was sit and talk. That was one of our strong points: our willingness to find a middle ground. And once everything was sorted out, we made sure to learn from what we had just discussed.
I remember our first date at a nice restaurant. Okay, it was a pizza joint. We sat down at our table and ordered some drinks, holding hands and just talking. Everything was going fine until a couple next to us felt uncomfortable and demanded that they have their table changed. Catherine and I weren't doing anything over the top, mind you. We weren't making out right there and then, just holding hands on the table and saying sweet things. The looks those two gave us were the nastiest we have ever gotten. Then I heard the woman say that we were (you guessed it!) going to burn for the sin of sodomy. I kid you all not. I wish to God almighty above us all that I was joking. It didn't ruin our night, but it made us think. For a while we theorized about homophobia, what the root of it is and why it prevails.
So our date wsn't a total bust.
At school we kept our relationship under wraps; to anyone else we were just the best of friends. It was a smart move on our part, really; kids can be very cruel. But no matter how well you think you are keeping a secret, a few people figure it out. I should have expected it, really. But nothing prepares you for the day that you're called a bunch of derogatory names to your face. It hurt, it really did. Luckily for us, we had a support system: our friends and family. Without them, I don't think we would have survived it all. As we all went from grade to grade, they found better things to do with their time than pick on people. I ddin't know how much longer I had to take being called a dyke for the 1,000,000,000 time.
But as you know, adversity either makes or breaks people and their relationships. All of that made us stronger people. I can take on anything after that ordeal.
The six of us made such a wonderful group, bound together tighter than sisters. From study sessions to just plain goofing off, there was no other people I would rather be with. No one at all.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Realizations
So as you can see, my schooling and life was ordinary, nothing exceptional. Elementary school was very good, full of fun activities and teachers that were enthusiastic about teaching. Middle school was also very good. A few pitfalls here and there, but nothing I couldn't pick myself up from.
By the time I reached middle school I knew for a fact that I was different. I never found myself attracted to any boys, and most of my time was spent with my friends. Friday and Saturday nights were typically either me studying or hanging out with my friends. I didn't mind; honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. That's not to say I wasn't asked out by some of my male friends. I politely declined all of them.
The moment of truth came after a study session with me and Catherine. For a while I had a crush on her, but I didn't know if she would reciprocate. If she didn't, then I was more than content to stay her friend. I never heard her remark about boys, or even other girls for that matter.
Were were on the couch, holding hands and watching a movie. It was a film adaptation of a short horror novella, the name if which I can't remember. At some point during the movie, we turned to each other and...well, we kissed. After the first time, we kissed often throughout the movie. After she left to go home, I realized that I was indeed a lesbian. I knew that it wasn't fleeing; it was here to stay. It was who I was.
The first people I told were my friends, who were completely supportive of me. Vivian told me to go pursue my feelings and not hold back, even for a moment.
However, I waited a bit to tell my parents. I knew that they would've probably told me that I was too young to think like that. I was only 13-14 years old at the time. That reaction was completely understandable.
And when I finally did tell them? They were so chill and so accepting. No judgement, no shaming. Just accepting me for who I was. Even my little brother Tommy didn't give me any hell. He just hugged me and said that it was okay. I was so happy. Catherine's mother and father already knew, and had long accepted her as well. So luckily for us, there was no drama. Well, except for my grandmother on my dad's side. She said that I was going to hell if I didn't change my ways. It wasn't until I started college that she relented. I still don't think she likes me, though.
Catherine and I talked for a long time about our feelings, and the summer was filled with us hanging out, almost always together. Were weren't 'dating' in the traditional sense just yet. Come to think of it, I don't know why we waited so long. We both knew what we wanted, but maybe it was just us celebrating our final summer as only 'best friends'. But come 9th grade, Catherine and I were officially official.
Just talking about this makes me cry. I miss her so badly. I wish I could've done something. But now, I think it's just too late.
By the time I reached middle school I knew for a fact that I was different. I never found myself attracted to any boys, and most of my time was spent with my friends. Friday and Saturday nights were typically either me studying or hanging out with my friends. I didn't mind; honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. That's not to say I wasn't asked out by some of my male friends. I politely declined all of them.
The moment of truth came after a study session with me and Catherine. For a while I had a crush on her, but I didn't know if she would reciprocate. If she didn't, then I was more than content to stay her friend. I never heard her remark about boys, or even other girls for that matter.
Were were on the couch, holding hands and watching a movie. It was a film adaptation of a short horror novella, the name if which I can't remember. At some point during the movie, we turned to each other and...well, we kissed. After the first time, we kissed often throughout the movie. After she left to go home, I realized that I was indeed a lesbian. I knew that it wasn't fleeing; it was here to stay. It was who I was.
The first people I told were my friends, who were completely supportive of me. Vivian told me to go pursue my feelings and not hold back, even for a moment.
However, I waited a bit to tell my parents. I knew that they would've probably told me that I was too young to think like that. I was only 13-14 years old at the time. That reaction was completely understandable.
And when I finally did tell them? They were so chill and so accepting. No judgement, no shaming. Just accepting me for who I was. Even my little brother Tommy didn't give me any hell. He just hugged me and said that it was okay. I was so happy. Catherine's mother and father already knew, and had long accepted her as well. So luckily for us, there was no drama. Well, except for my grandmother on my dad's side. She said that I was going to hell if I didn't change my ways. It wasn't until I started college that she relented. I still don't think she likes me, though.
Catherine and I talked for a long time about our feelings, and the summer was filled with us hanging out, almost always together. Were weren't 'dating' in the traditional sense just yet. Come to think of it, I don't know why we waited so long. We both knew what we wanted, but maybe it was just us celebrating our final summer as only 'best friends'. But come 9th grade, Catherine and I were officially official.
Just talking about this makes me cry. I miss her so badly. I wish I could've done something. But now, I think it's just too late.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Of Friends, Forests and Disney
I left off last post talking about how I met Catherine and my friends. I remember one day, when we were all taking a walk in one of the parks near my old house I mentioned offhandedly how I wanted to be pretty, maybe try and put brightly colored ribbons in my hair. Catherine exclaimed, "Oh, so that's what you've been up to. I won't let you get popular with the boys! You're mine, Ellie! Mine mine mine!" and playfully chased me around until she grabbed me, holding me very tightly as if that would keep me there forever. We all laughed and thought it very funny.
I remember that along the rocky path we always walked on there was a forest at the end of it. It was really, really spooky, but Florence said that she wasn't afraid and tried to walk in one or twice. She's bravest of us all. Rebecca would hold her back and say that they shouldn't. Flo would always ask why, and Becca would say that we could get lost, or something along the lines of that. That's Rebecca for you. Stopping people from making bad or rash decisions. I think that Florence went in on a dare a few days later, but she either saw or heard something and ran out. We didn't blame her; those woods were creepy as hell.
Catherine once told me that she would only be comfortable going into those woods if I came with her. I agreed, and we tried going in by ourselves. We never did. It was just too unnerving. There were no birdsongs or rustling of little animals. Just pure silence. And even on the warmest, brightest days that forest was dark and cool. Something about it didn't seem right.
Back in the days of the Disney Renaissance, the girls and I would marathon through the ones on VHS and come up with stories all our own. Some of them were stories about how, through that dark forest, there was Beast's castle or maybe Sleeping Beauty being guarded by thorns. Others were about the Disney Princesses meeting and trotting into another tale. Maybe ones with Aurora fighting her way out of the dream world Maleficent put her in, or Snow White and Cinderella having parties with the dwarves and animals. We had so many stories going on that I can't possibly remember them all, which I wish I did. Memory is a strange thing.
I remember that along the rocky path we always walked on there was a forest at the end of it. It was really, really spooky, but Florence said that she wasn't afraid and tried to walk in one or twice. She's bravest of us all. Rebecca would hold her back and say that they shouldn't. Flo would always ask why, and Becca would say that we could get lost, or something along the lines of that. That's Rebecca for you. Stopping people from making bad or rash decisions. I think that Florence went in on a dare a few days later, but she either saw or heard something and ran out. We didn't blame her; those woods were creepy as hell.
Catherine once told me that she would only be comfortable going into those woods if I came with her. I agreed, and we tried going in by ourselves. We never did. It was just too unnerving. There were no birdsongs or rustling of little animals. Just pure silence. And even on the warmest, brightest days that forest was dark and cool. Something about it didn't seem right.
Back in the days of the Disney Renaissance, the girls and I would marathon through the ones on VHS and come up with stories all our own. Some of them were stories about how, through that dark forest, there was Beast's castle or maybe Sleeping Beauty being guarded by thorns. Others were about the Disney Princesses meeting and trotting into another tale. Maybe ones with Aurora fighting her way out of the dream world Maleficent put her in, or Snow White and Cinderella having parties with the dwarves and animals. We had so many stories going on that I can't possibly remember them all, which I wish I did. Memory is a strange thing.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Hello
So I'm just starting this as a way to cope with how I feel. It's been going on for months, now. I hate it.
I know that this is some blog that no one will probably read, but I don't care. My best friends told me that I need to get all of my feelings out, because they worry about me. None of what we're going through is good or healthy, so here it goes.
My name is Elizabeth Jayne Rosenthal. I'm 21 years old, born May 11, and I have no clue what my bloodtype is. Probably O. I'm a major in anthropology, I have a cat named Lunagirl and for the most part life is awesome. Well, was. It was awesome. Now, it's all surreal.
I was 5 years old when I met Catherine Marie Moore at Victor Montée Daycare Center. I barely remember my babyhood, but I remember meeting her. She toddled up to me and told me that I had the nicest, longest hair she had ever seen. When I was young, I had very, very long hair, down to my thighs. I wish I never cut it. We started talking about little things that I can't remember, and not soon we were inseparable. I remember that she was the one who started the whole 'Rapunzel' nickname.
Catherine would play with my hair and tell me that I was the fairest in the land. We would have so many playdates and sleepovers together, each and every one of them precious to me. We didn't have many friends other than each other due to us being branded 'weirdos'.
We stayed together even through elementary school, where I finally met lifelong friends, who in turn became hers. In order, I met Rebecca Schellen, Naomi Hertz, Florence Eichel and Vivian Laub. They are the ones who thought it would be a good idea to start this thing. I never doubted them once.
I'll continue another day. I need to sleep.
I know that this is some blog that no one will probably read, but I don't care. My best friends told me that I need to get all of my feelings out, because they worry about me. None of what we're going through is good or healthy, so here it goes.
My name is Elizabeth Jayne Rosenthal. I'm 21 years old, born May 11, and I have no clue what my bloodtype is. Probably O. I'm a major in anthropology, I have a cat named Lunagirl and for the most part life is awesome. Well, was. It was awesome. Now, it's all surreal.
I was 5 years old when I met Catherine Marie Moore at Victor Montée Daycare Center. I barely remember my babyhood, but I remember meeting her. She toddled up to me and told me that I had the nicest, longest hair she had ever seen. When I was young, I had very, very long hair, down to my thighs. I wish I never cut it. We started talking about little things that I can't remember, and not soon we were inseparable. I remember that she was the one who started the whole 'Rapunzel' nickname.
Catherine would play with my hair and tell me that I was the fairest in the land. We would have so many playdates and sleepovers together, each and every one of them precious to me. We didn't have many friends other than each other due to us being branded 'weirdos'.
We stayed together even through elementary school, where I finally met lifelong friends, who in turn became hers. In order, I met Rebecca Schellen, Naomi Hertz, Florence Eichel and Vivian Laub. They are the ones who thought it would be a good idea to start this thing. I never doubted them once.
I'll continue another day. I need to sleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)