Behind Closed Doors

The Little Girl.

"Are you sure you haven't been poisoned?"

"Why are you hiding your predicament from the church?"

"You need help. You need to be admitted."

She said all these things out of panic. He was dying in front of her again, and she couldn't do anything.

She watched Mark fall to the ground and take his last breath. His bleeding continued until he was soaked in his own pool of blood.

"Mark, can you hear me?" she asked, her knees pressed to the ground as she held his head up.

"Mum, can you see me?" a soft voice said from behind her. It was a voice she recognized—the voice of a child. She had heard it before but couldn't place where. No, it wasn't Lucas's; this one was different.

Emily gasped and turned to look behind her. She saw a child by the foot of the stairs. The light emanating from her was so bright that she couldn't see her face clearly. As soon as she sighted the young girl, her eyes welled up. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't.

"Why did you abandon me after all these years?" The girl spoke eloquently, not like a small child. "You said you loved me."

"I did, my love. I love you with all my heart. I..." Emily cried to the little girl, she was finally seeing her again after a long time.

"Then why did you kill me? That day in the hospital? And after that, you said we would only meet in our little world, but you abandoned me."

It was hard to see the little girl's facial expression due to the bright light.

"You were dead... I had to. I would have died; you would have decayed in my womb and killed me too. I was..." Emily stuttered so hard she almost bit her tongue. "I did everything I could to save you. I prayed and fasted day and night just so I could hug you, to be with you, my sweet little angel, but..."

"You should have died alongside me. We would have been together in heaven, but you decided to kill me because of your selfishness," the girl pointed her index finger at her. "You are the poorest woman I know."

"I... was scared!" Emily screamed. "I was scared of everything. I was confused! I'm sorry I should have tried harder... I know I'm a failure. I couldn't even protect my husband, your father. Now look at him."

"It's all your fault, Mum," the girl suddenly screamed. "You abandoned all of us."

Emily closed her eyes, trying to maintain her composure despite the chaos unfolding. The world stopped for a second.

"Seven," Emily immediately said after exhaling. "You would have been seven in the coming year," a smile broke out on her face. "My big girl."

"You abandoned me," the girl said. "See what happens when you abandon us?" She pointed to Mark on the floor. "What is the use of your life?"

"Nothing," Emily whispered. "Nothing," she repeated, staring into the abyss.

"Then come with me. Be the best mother to me, just like you are to my brother," the little girl said, stretching out her hands toward Emily.

Emily's heart was full of joy. "You know your brother," she said, all choked up. There was light in her swollen eyes. "But if I leave him, who will take care of him?"

"He has Dad, Andre, Ma, Jay, Donna, and John," the little girl said. "But I have no one, Mum. For years I have suffered alone in this place. I'm lonely, and I need your guidance. Please, Mum, it's scary without you."

Emily's cries intensified.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry for doing this to you."

The little girl's sobs filled the room, echoing everywhere.

"Don't cry. I will come with you," Emily said. "And I'll never let anyone take you away from me again," she rose to her feet and staggered toward the girl. "I'll take care of you. I'm so sorry..."

"Mummy?" she heard from the other side of the door and quickly turned to see Lucas holding a toy, his face confused. "Where are you going?"

"Lucas?" Emily began to walk towards him. "What are you doing here?" she fell on her knees and cupped his face.

"Angel," Lucas pointed at the little girl, diverting his attention from Emily. "Did she kill the big bad guy?" He pointed at Mark's corpse on the floor.

"That's your sister," Emily smiled at him. "See how beautiful she is."

"Mum, come back to me. Let him be," the girl said, her voice sounding impatient now. "He has people to take care of him. I don't. I have only you. I thought I would never see your face again, but now I have. When next will we ever see each other?"

"Mummy, wake up," Lucas tapped Emily's right shoulder. "I want to pee."

Emily wiped her eyes and smiled at him. "I'm right here with you, Lucas."

"Mummy, wake up," he continuously tapped her like a robot programmed for that specific function. His voice began to echo through the room. It was soon joined by external voices, those she could not recognize.

"I'm right here. What are you talking about?" she smiled at him.

"Hurry and come with me," the little girl whispered. "We have no time to waste. They will soon take you away from me."

"But..." Emily's mind was already full of doubt now. Her desire to follow the child was waning.

"No buts, Mum. If you love me, come with me to paradise. All your pain and suffering will stop." Emily looked at Lucas, who continued to tap her, then back at the little girl. She noticed her fading away.

"I'm sorry, but I can't... I can't come with you... I... I can't abandon Lucas..."

There was silence between them except for the voices that continued to wake Emily up.

"You don't love me. You never have," the girl grumbled. "But not to worry, Mum. Your days on earth are already numbered. Soon, we will be together, never to be separated from each other again."

For once, Emily got a glimpse of her face. She looked just like her father, like Lucas. A smile broke out on Emily's face.

"I cannot wait for that day," Emily said, mirroring her smile until she could no longer see her.

Emily's eyes shot open, and the first thing she saw was the faces in front of her. Her blurry vision slowly cleared, and she saw Donna, an unknown woman who seemed to be the doctor, and Ma staring at her.

"She's awake! Praise God!" Ma exclaimed, delight written all over her face.

She felt a small hand grab her fingers and say, "Mummy, are you awake yet?"

Emily had no idea what was happening, but she felt happiness wash over her causing a smile to form on her face.

"Yes, Lucas, I am," she replied.