Dream Beyond Life's Edge

Her Daughter's Visits

Jane's second pregnancy occurred when Talia was only 2. Unfortunately, it resulted in a stillborn. Another 7 years passed, she conceived 2 more children but they died soon after their birth. By then, she'd begun giving up on having another child. That was until the first event that she would later call 'Her daughter's visits'.

Jane laid down on her and her husband, Perole's bed, alone. Frequently did Perole not come home for the night, his job is quite important after all. Usually, this wouldn't bother Jane in the slightest. However, this night, something felt off. It was the air itself that felt discomforting. Jane tried to brush it off and went to sleep.

A flash of yellow bursted right beside Jane's bed, waking her up and shaking her to her core.

Beside her bed appeared a blue-haired girl. "Hello, mother," she said.

The girl's words caught Jane completely off-guard. Her hair, identical to Talia's if not for it being longer. She was a little bit taller than Jane, looking to be around fifteen to sixteen years old. Even though she clearly wasn't, her heart told her this was someone very, very dear to her heart. "Talia?" The words accidentally escaped Jane's mouth.

"Yes?" the girl asked.

"Is that really you?" Jane's mind raced to think of a rational explanation, but she couldn't find any.

"Yes. Yes I am. This is pretty hard to explain, but please help me fulfill my dearest wish," the girl said before she casually sat beside Jane.

Tensing up, Jane calmed herself and prepared to get the intruder out no matter what it took. "What do you want?"

"To put it bluntly, you'll help in killing me." A warm smile formed on the girl's face, placing more suspicion and wariness in Jane.

Jane stood up, walked back, and aimed her palm at the girl. "Leave."

Off in her own world, the girl continued mumbling to herself. "Though I guess it would probably destroy everything... Well, it's fine I guess."

In an instant, the intruder swiped Jane's legs away and she fell on the floor. When Jane began standing up, the intruder smashed Jane's head down—her palm covering Jane's eyes—and forced her hand down her throat.

The girl pulled her hand away as it swelled and transformed into a tree. A horrid scream and screech invaded Jane's mind. The room crunched into the size of an ant. Heat blew up inside of her, swirling and pushing inside her body. Her body imploded and reformed in seconds. Something scratchy pressed on her back and the whole world flipped over. Then, everything turned dark.

When she woke up, she laid on her bed, lightheaded. No blood on the floor. No injuries on her body. Honestly, she felt nothing weird. Just worried.

"Oh, you're awake," Perole said, holding a steaming bowl. "I made you soup."

"But you can't cook..." Jane said, relieved.

"Well I can try," Perole said, sounding offended.

He placed the soup on the cabinet and Jane took it, immediately trying it. They chit-chatted for a while before Perole approached the subject and they discussed the happenings of the prior night, deciding to not do anything except for reporting it to the village's chief.

A couple months later, Joseph was safely birthed too.

Due to the timing coinciding nearly perfectly, Jane worried whatever that girl did might have impacted her newborn son.

*****

Heavy rain crashed on the roof and windows of their home. Thunder struck the ground, illuminating their surroundings in bright light. Wind swept across the village and woods, tilting the trees, uprooting the aged fences, and damaging some particularly shabby houses.