Laura

Laura had gathered her favorite pencils. The bright green one, which looked good next to yellow, and the deep red which she sometimes mistook for purple. Of course, she had the orange and yellow pencils to draw the sun, and the teal one to draw her favorite dress. The one that Elsa wore. Hannah, her best friend, sat next to her, coloring something with brown and dark green. In front of her was a clear, white paper. It was her gateway to the fantastic place. Today, she would draw a happy day at the park. A day when daddy was not looking tired and mommy would smile, and they would eat strawberries next to the big tree that mommy liked.

Laura’s hand went to the green pencil. The hand almost worked by itself, rotating over the paper and leaving beautiful green lines. Soon she would draw the trunk and the grass, and then draw herself as a princess. She had not decided yet on mommy’s dress, but daddy would be wearing his jeans and shirt with blue lines. As the tree began to form on the paper, she noticed the heavy feeling in her chest disappeared. She did not have to worry about Micah stealing the Lego pieces she was playing with, or that Grown-Up-Eva could shout at her. All washed away. Her feet tingled slightly as she thought about running barefoot over grass.

“Look, Laura, I’ve drawn you!” Hannah announced and slid the paper she had been drawing on.

Lines like knives jutted out from dead, brownish ground. It was a house, but it looked like a scar, with black flecks mingling with the white of the paper like gravel. Horrible, dark green trees clawed towards a night sky, making Laura think they were angry at the little moon.

“It’s your mom’s new house,” Hannah said, each single word crawling down Laura’s ears like bugs. “And she’s a witch!”

Laura’s gut knotted up. Her jaw felt hard and her temples warming, hotter than daddy’s coffee cup. Strange, needle-pricks jumped over the back of her hands, before she grabbed Hannah’s drawing and crumpled it. The paper cracked and ripped between her hands, making the lying picture less real. Hannah’s eyes were wide. Laura had never seen them like that before. Nor heard the piercing scream that she unleashed. All other sounds vanished. The chatter from Micah and Trevor and the clicking of their legos. The roaring, though somewhat muffled car sounds Jake would make from behind his pacifier. The grown-up-talk that the grown-ups would talk. All gone, replaced by the ringing screech Hannah made. And for some reason, Laura felt drops running down her cheeks.

Grown-Up Eva appeared. Laura felt Eva’s hands crushing against her ribs. Eva saying things. Her face moved with short and sharp moves, but whatever her lips were saying, Laura did not hear. She only felt the swelling in her throat, the hard grown-up hands around her chest, which were making her whirl from the chair and out of the room. Eva took her to the quiet room. The plain room with a tiny chair. Freezing white walls surrounded her and the tiny wooden chair she had to sit on. She had only been there once. Once she had passed by the room and heard Jake sob from the other side of the door. Eva was the only Grown-Up who put people there. Jake most of all.

Laura sat for a while. The sunlight from the window had moved across the floor. She wondered if her drawing was still on the table. The green of the tree was almost done, almost fluttering with leaves and sighing in warm breeze. The sound felt nice. Laura liked that sound, like the sound daddy made when he laughs.

“Hey,” a familiar voice called. The tree, daddy’s laugh and the breeze all vanished in an instant. The ice-white walls were still there. Laura turned around and saw mommy standing in the doorway. Laura sprung from the chair and rushed towards mommy. She sank her face into mommy’s jacket and mommy’s warm arms curled around her and held her tight.

In the distance she heard Grown-Up Eva say strange words. "Inappropriate", "excessive imagination" and "correctional measure". Laura had no idea what they even meant. She heard mommy speak back to Eva with a soft voice, which hummed through the intoxicating warmth of her jacket. She could feel mommy’s hands lifting her up from the floor. Mommy’s shoulder felt so warm, almost as warm as her pillow at home. Mommy gathered Laura’s things in the wardrobe and carried her to the car.

The car was strange, worn and not the one mommy had driven her to kindergarten. The insides of the car smelt like dirt. Laura’s skin began to tingle as mommy sat her down in the backseat.

“Mommy,” Laura said. “Did you buy a new car?”

Mommy smiled. “No, honey, I am borrowing this car.” she said as she fastened Laura’s seat belt.

“What happened to our regular car?”

“Oh nothing, honey,” mommy said, which made Laura’s skin tingle even more. Mommy never said “honey” to her. “It’s just in for a check-up. I’ll get it back tomorrow.”

Mommy started up the car. The engine hum became a muffled music to the changing scenery outside. Laura’s skin stopped tingling, but now her belly was growling. As if mommy had read her mind, they stopped by a Starburger’s. Mommy drove through the drive-through and got a couple of bags and drinks. She handed Laura one of the bags. It held a paper-wrapped burger and a pack of fries.

“Mommy, is there gluten in this?” Laura asked.

“Ah, yes, honey,” mommy replied. “Just eat the fries or pick away the buns. You’ll be fine.”

Mommy drove for a long while. Laura ate her fries and picked at the burger, but it turned messy. The ketchup and sauce mixed with the bun and stuck to her fingers, which made her feel like something was coming up her throat. She tried to wipe her fingers with a napkin that was in the bag. Outside, she could only see lots of trees by the road. They sky was turning to the same color of red as her favorite pencil. Suddenly, she yawned. She looked at the trees for a few more moments before her eyelids felt heavier than stones.

“Wake up, Laura,” mommy said. She used to whisper when she wanted Laura to wake up, but now she seemed angry.

It was dark outside, with only a single light coming from a house not far from the car. Mommy fidgeted with something and then produced a light in her hand. She undid the seatbelt and picked up Laura. Outside the car Laura heard only the gentle song of crickets and the occasional sigh of night-breeze. Mommy carried her all the way to the house. It seemed old. The white paint was flaking, and some parts of the wall had black spots.

“Mommy, do we have to go in there?” Laura asked.

“Yes, honey,” mommy said, again saying honey. “Just for a little while.”

Mommy did not feel warm like she did in the kindergarten. Mommy used to talk about her day, and about Laura’s day. Sometimes they would talk about daddy too, even after he moved away. But mommy had been quiet in the car. Laura felt a couple of knots in her chest just thinking about it. Mommy opened the door and carried her in.

The house was dark. There were lights on, but they barely fended away the shadows and the darkness from outside. A staircase led up to the second floor, while to the right she could see a kitchen and a dining table. To the left, she saw a living room with just a table and a shelf with books in it. Mommy liked pretty lamps, but this house only had light bulbs hanging from wires.

“Let me walk you to your bed,” mommy said.

Laura wanted to ask about story-time or supper, but as soon as the thought came to her head, she felt coldness creep up her back. She nodded as politely as she could and went up the stairs when mommy pointed at them. Mommy led her to a room that only had a mattress lying on the floor. The walls were white like the silent room in the kindergarten, but messier. Grey and black dots mottled the faded walls. There was a window with no curtains. In her normal room, she had a curtain with a gleeful Olaf playing in the snow.

“Go to sleep, honey,” mommy said.

Before Laura could ask for a blanket, mommy shut the door. Instead, she walked over to the mattress and sat down. It was an ugly mattress. Dark and brown spots stained the pale white walls. She did not want to lie down, but it was hard to even stay awake. She rested her head, smelling the clay-like scent of the mattress and thought about the drawing. The verdant tree, daddy’s laugh, mommy’s pretty smile and the soft grass on her bare feet. For a moment, she swam, unmoving on the mattress.

A cold hand touched Laura. Her eyes shot open. It may have been a scream she heard. She was not sure. Her pants and cardigan was cold to the touch. Her arms shivered and her jaw shuddered as she got up. Thin lines of rime covered the window, glittering in the moonlight. She could make out the features of the room enough to reach the door, which she opened. Downstairs she heard mommy say words. Her voice was angry, but it reminded Laura of a song. Like in church, but angrier. Laura sneaked towards the stairs, stepping only with her toes.

“Oh Lord Stranger, hear my call,” Laura heard mommy say. “A sacrifice to thee.”

Each step in the staircase creaked. Laura held her breath and tried to move slower, but the house was old. She reached the bottom of the stairs while mommy continued to sing the strange song. She reached the doorway of the living room. Mommys words were powerful and made Laura tremble. She could hear the words, but she also felt them in her tummy.

“Oh Stranger, my Prince in the Shadows,” mommy said. Mommy was dressed in a black, flowing dress that revealed much of her back and arms. Her red hair flowed over her shoulders. She was holding a kitten, which she placed on the table in front of her. Candles lit the entire room. Strange lines were drawn on the walls and on the table. The lines looked like stars and moons, something was wrong with them. Mommy made a quick motion, and the kitten lay still on the table.

“My prince,” mommy called with a loud voice. “Heed the call of your servant.”

The kitten began to float in the air, hovering over the table. Something dripped from its tail. Laura realized it was blood. She felt frozen, unable to move her eyes. She blinked and in an instant she realized why it looked like the kitten was floating. Something was holding it. A figure made of shadow. A ghost. Laura gasped.

Mommy turned and hissed. “YOU!”

Mommy dashed toward Laura. The shadow man - no - the Stranger disappeared and the kitten fell to the table. Laura tried to turn away, to run or to scream, but mommy’s claw-like hands caught her shoulder. Mommy lifted her up as if she was a feather. Mommy’s eyes were wide and she hissed like a snake.

“You bitch, you ruined my ritual,” mommy growled. “I told you to sleep.”

“Mommy, it hurts,” Laura whined. Mommy held her up, the nails digging into her skin.

“Shut up, I’m not your mom,” she said. “Go back upstairs or I’ll gut you and bury you next to the kittens.” she said through her teeth. She let Laura go. Laura ran upstairs, crying as she went. She went for the mattress and lay down, wanting only to wake up at home.

---

A couple of days had passed. Laura had been in the room almost all the time. There was a bathroom upstairs too, which the lady wanted her to use. Each night, the lady would sing her song, but open kittens and call for the Stranger. Each morning, the lady would bring her food and a glass of water. It was cold all the time. After a while, all that Laura managed was to lie on the mattress.

“Laura!” a voice called. Laura had closed her eyes. The verdant tree rustled in the breeze. The sunlight blinding. “Laura!” The voice came closer. A door slammed. “Laura!” the voice called again. Laura opened her eyes. Daddy? She heard footsteps downstairs. An angry voice. Then someone running up the stairs. The door burst open. It was daddy.

“Laura!” he shouted and scooped her up from the mattress. “Oh my god.” He looked sad, but Laura was happy to see him. She tried her best to smile for him. It was difficult to speak, but she could smile.

Daddy carried her downstairs, out the door and over to where the cars would stop. Laura realized that daddy stopped. The Lady had appeared. She was looking straight at daddy, but she looked surprised. Daddy looked at Laura, then put her down gently.

“Don’t look, baby,” daddy said, then stepped out of view. She heard something that sounded like a clap, followed by a gasp. Daddy grunted a couple of times and she could hear a rhythmic thudding sound.

“Wait,” Laura heard the lady gasp. Then a crack, like twigs breaking.

Daddy picked her up again and brought her to daddy’s car. Laura closed her eyes. The next time they opened, she was lying in a bed. She could see blue curtains, daddy talking in the phone. Sometimes a woman as old as Aunt Lydia would come by and talk to Laura about feelings. Another nice man in a white coat also talked to her, along with some police people who wanted to know about the Lady. Daddy said the Lady was actually called Amelia - mommy’s twin sister. Mommy had never mentioned that she had a sister.

It was night when daddy came over to Laura and said: “Guess who’s here?”

The door opened and mommy stepped in. Laura smiled and felt warm. A ghost of pure blackness, appeared behind mommy. Mommy smiled back, but Laura screamed. The Stranger had come.