I quickly ran down stairs. There a blonde woman in a tennis outfit walked into our kitchen with groceries. she walked straight staring off into the distance in a mystifying trance.
"Here let me help you with that, mommy", I took two bags from her arms and placed them on the table. She placed the remaining bags on the table and walked out then returned a few minutes later. Sometimes mother had to borrow other people's bodies. She can't live like other people, she's been sick for her whole life, so she depends on nice people to help her get groceries or come to teacher parent meetings at my school. Everyday she has a different helper. When she returned she was her normal self, Dark brown hair and gaunt figure. "Oh, Absynthe honey! How was your day!", she hugged me. "Good,Good. I got an A on my math test". She smiled and ruffled my hair. I peered out of a little slit in the newspaper covering the window. I saw the blonde haired woman sitting up on our lawn dazed and confused. Horrified the woman looked at her surroundings and quickly began to run away. I turned my attention back to Mother who began to pull out the groceries to prepare dinner. She turned to me slowly and gave me the look. I knew exactly what it meant. "Absynthe ...", I cut her off. "No mommy please not tonight". I started backing away from her clutching my wrist. "Please Absynthe, mommy really needs this. I'm not feeling that strong". I began to run away, I grabbed the railing to the stairs and tried to get up the stairs. "ABSYNTHE STOP"! I ran faster and began to struggle with the latch to my room. I heard her coming towards me the dread feeling crept up my finger tips and toes as if I could feel her reaching for me. Suddenly I felt her grabbing my legs. I screamed louder and began crying. I could feel myself getting dragged across the carpet. I reached out flailing trying to grasp onto any stable object an arms length away. As we rounded the corner I hit my head on the corner of the metal stair case and began to lose consciousness on the bumpy way down. I awoke later to see mother standing before me. Her lips curled into a sick smile and I could hear her ragged breath, she'd caught me. I was sat in The Chair. It was a thick ebony chair nailed to the floor with metal clasps at the wrists and feet. I felt the fingernail markings on the arms of the chair where I'd been held captive before.
I strained my wrists against the clasps that bound my hands to the chair. "I've caught you". She began to circle around me and observe me. she pulled on a lock of my hair. "Now listen Absynthe, mommy needs this. Do you want mommy to die"? I shook my head vigorously and began to cry. "Let the games begin", She reached her hand inside my chest and immediately the searing pain struck me. I felt like my whole world was collapsing around me. I saw a white flash and suddenly I
started seeing my worst nightmares spiders and demons flashing before my eyes. I felt suffocated as a nightmare flashed before my eyes of myself being buried alive. She was taking away fear. It's a bit hard to explain but, you see, there are nine parts to the human soul. Some are good and some are bad. Mother has my jealousy, happiness, disappointment, empathy, and now my fear. I don't want to lose all my soul, but i also do't want my mother to die. I began crying and kept crying even after the fear stopped. I was no longer feeling afraid, i couldn't but i just felt empty and violated. I looked up to see mother back in perfect health. Her skin regained its natural glow and her hair smoothed and fell flawlessly on her shoulders. she gave me a warm smile, "come, Absynthe. Who would do this to you". She began to gingerly unshackle my hands. Shaking, i ran into her arms and began sobbing clutching my chest where a new scar had appeared. "It's alright, im here now Absynthe i wont let anything hurt you". I climbed into her embrace and soon stopped crying. I remembered one memory vividly my one fear. The day i cut a piece of my hair. For about an hour or so i was fine, i felt so fine, that i went and bragged to my mother. She looked at me horrified. She grabbed my wrist and began pulling me to the mirror in her room. It Was large mirror that my mother had her whole life. It was lined with red velvet and gold designs. It was dark and intimidating. She pulled me in front of the mirror. I screamed horrified, i was old and wrinkled. my skin sagged in odd places and my hair was wiry and gray. My mother smirked as if to throw in my face the inevitable I told you so. I began to beg, "PLEASE MOTHER I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS CURIOUS AND I DIDN'T THINK SUCH A THING COULD HAPPEN"! It's alright Absynthe, calm down. Mommy will fix this". she took me into the kitchen took out a giant flask decorated in silver and other gems. she opened it and a foul smell lifted out. She pushed into my mouth and i swallowed a big gulp. It tasted just as terrible as it smelled. I gagged and sputtered then lost consciousness. When i woke up i was normal again and i never tried it again.
