CHASING SHADOWS

III

Kelvin couldn't stop smiling after having a chance to talk to Maya. He dreams about holding her hands and twirling her around as petals and cool breeze circles around them.

Lucinda made a disgusted look. She rolled her eyes and then smiled. She'd a idea,a devilish one. She walked down the stairs moving her hands down the handrails.

“Oh,Kelvin! Sweet naive Kelvin!"
Kelvin sighed in annoyance. Just a mere sight of her drove him nuts. He slowly turned to face her only to see her face inches close to his.

Kelvin jumped back in fear.
“What do you want from me?!" He asked, his voice weak and teary. Lucinda smirked again brushing her cold hands over his shoulder. She could tell he was shivering in fear but he wasn't showing it.

“Have you forgotten about our little
deal?!". She said as she sat down majestically on the master's chair which looked like the throne of a king or queen.

Kelvin looked up at her with angry tears. His eyes red from crying too much. “I'm aware of your sick twisted plans, Lucinda!". He sniffled.“I just don't know why you'd be so shallow. Wish Dad could see through your lies". Lucinda gave a bored yawn.

“You don't have to worry about Dad.
He's not gonna find out about all this, would he?!" She asked giving him a maniacal smile. Kelvin, gnashed his teeth angrily and stormed out slamming the door behind him leaving Lucinda alone laughing hysterically like some otherworldly spirit.

Meanwhile, Maya's parents couldn't put their finger on their present predicament. Sure, Maya was back but not being able to hug,touch or have any physical contact with your child is excruciatingly painful and sad.

The truth is Maya died five years ago from a rare unsuspected blood disease. She was seventeen at the time of her death. Her parents started noticing few spots on her skin on daily basis but it always disappears and reappear with more spots.

Concerned for their daughter's health, they immediately rushed her to the hospital but it was too late, Maya had died unexpectedly as she'd blacked out and her heart not beating. That day, Maya's parents learnt the real meaning of pain.

In an attempt to bring her back,they seeked the help of a spellcaster,a fancyword for a witch. The witch had a long curvy nose, green eyes, dressed in black cloack and had a white hair.

The witch's “house" was decorated with bones, blood smeared around the walls like red paint,and skeletons surrounded the entire place.

Maya's parents were scared shitless but they had to do it for their baby to come back to them. With shaky voice, Caleb, her father said:
“I hope we're not interrupting 
something". His wife, Esmeralda cowered under his arms.

The witch grinned revealing some set of yellow teeth and a single black tooth. She brushed away the leftover part of a decapitated woman whose mutilated and maimed naked body laid motionless on the table. Her weird appearance and actions made Esmeralda gag in disgust.

“Speak! why you have come to
me!". The witch asked taking a bite out of a severed arm. Trying not to throw up, Caleb answered boldly fighting the surging fear inside him.

“We need your help,oh great one!
We want you to bring our daughter back". Esmeralda being her usual emotional self, began to cry.despite her husband's gentle patting on her back.

The witch sighed deeply and muttered a few incantations into a giant black bowl. All of a sudden,the empty bowl got filled up with some kind of black liquid. “Blood!". The witch said in a creepy voice as she approached her terrified customers.

She raised Caleb's sleeve and using her freakishly long nails, made a cut on his arm. The witch then dragged Caleb's bleeding arm and made the blood drop into the black liquid. Esmeralda whimpered watching her husband being dragged. Caleb held his sleeve up to the injury. Then, the witch turned to Esmeralda who glued to her husband like the plague.

“No! please, don't. Caleb, please don't
let her take...." The witch dragged her by the hair. “I ain't got time for this, ma'am!". The witch raised her sharp claws and clawed Esmeralda just as she had done Caleb.

Esmeralda whimpered loudly as Caleb lovingly took her into his arms whispering gently “it's okay!".
The storm thundered shedding a tiny bit of light on the witch. Esmeralda paused. It seems the witch was someone she knew. Someone her and her husband know too well. Their own neighbour, Lucinda.