Journey of a Girl

Ajo: Chapter Twenty-Two

At first glance, the room was identical to the one Credence had just left.

There were objects littered about, with glowing images moving inside of them.

But these, Credence quickly guessed, were not memories.

They contained scenes that had never come to pass.

The fantasies and dreams, both light and dark, of Ajo's mind.

She peered into the first of them.

There was a lake surrounded by lush vegetation and buzzing insects. In the center of the water stood a young couple, Galeia and Oliver. Oliver said something that made Galeia giggle, and she playfully splashed water at him. He embraced her and touched their foreheads together, whispering words that could not be heard, before pulling her into a kiss.

It was an incredibly private moment, but Credence felt a tender warmth seeing her parents so happy. They carried that same love throughout the years, as strong as it was here, and never dimmed in their affection.

Oliver touched his wife's face and Galeia ran her fingers through his hair.

Why was this scene here? Where was its creator? Credence searched the trees until she found him sitting inside the thick brush.

Ajo glared at the couple with dark jealousy.

And longing.

When the couple kissed, Ajo brought his fingers to his lips. 

The sound of splashing pulled Credence's attention back to the pond.

The scene had changed.

Galeia was smiling at Ajo, who had taken Oliver's place. His arms were wrapped around her, and when he leaned in for a kiss Galeia did not shrink away, but returned his affection with passionate fervor.

Credence looked back to the place Ajo had been watching from, but it was empty. This was his fantasy, an atrocious twist of the truth, and in it there was no jealous spy. Credence turned from the picture, but on her first step a twig broke beneath her foot.

A snap echoed over the water.

"What's that?" Galeia asked, breaking the kiss.

Credence held her breath and tried to remain as still as possible. She'd been heard—how?

What would happen if they saw her?

"It's nothing, my love," Ajo answered. "Kiss me again."

Credence could not stand to watch a second more, so she left the fantasy and moved to the next.

The images behind the green door continued in the same fashion. Many of them were deviations from the truth, fantastical counterparts to real memories, where Ajo got everything he ever desired.

Galeia on her wedding day, standing next to her groom, Ajo.

Ajo kneeling before a pregnant Galeia with his ear against her stomach. They laughed when his child kicked from within its mother.

The further Credence moved into the room, the more grim the images became. They turned from scenes of romance into depictions born of anger and vengeance. These focused on hurting Galeia rather than winning or cherishing her love.

Credence had no interest in these, and she was not halfway through them before she fled the awful room.

***

Credence paused before the final door.

Its charred and scratched exterior did not encourage her entry, and she had purposefully saved it for last, wanting to avoid whatever lay behind for as long as possible.