Rise of the Unknown

Chapter 5

Emma cried. She cried so much. She’d never cried this much in a long time. The last time she cried this much was her mother’s death.

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“Momma? Momma!” Emma was five years old and shaking her mother. “MOMMA!!” Tears stained her cheeks. “Momma, please. This isn’t funny, Momma. Momma!” Emma’s hands were stained red. Her stomach clenched. This couldn’t be happening. One of the Indians walked to her.

“She’s in a better place child. May your mother dance with the Great Spirits.”

“Why won’t she wake up?” Emma whimpered. The Indian placed a hand on her shoulder. The others surrounded the one that killed her mother.

“I’m sorry little one.”

“WHY WON’T SHE WAKE UP?!!” Emma was yelling now. “MOMMA!!! WAKE UP! PLEASE! please.” She buried her face in the skirt of her dress. Her face was grimy. Her dress and hands covered in her mother’s blood. She cried. Terrible shrieks of an abandon child. Sobs of a child left completely alone.

She woke up. Aunt Emma at the edge of her bed brushing Emma’s bangs from her face. It was all a nightmare. Nothing more than a bad dream. Then Emma heard voices. Her grandmothers and a man. No an Indian. Her mother was gone. Emma hugged her aunt’s waist.

“Shh. I’m here, Emma Jane.” The older Emma rocked the younger, hushing her and humming.

~*****~

“All I have is a picture… in my..m..ind.. how .it w..ould…be,” Emma’s voice cracked as she sang the song that reminded her of home. Of her parents. But… no. She didn’t have parents. She had a mother. A mother that died long ago. All that was left was a man who didn’t even want her. She was alone. Just like before.

The moon glowed on her back and she looked up. “I want to come home, Manny. He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t even care. You were right. I should have stayed on the moon,” Emma sobbed. Her time on Earth wasn’t as beautiful as she thought. Her father wasn’t what she thought. Emma was miserable. “I brought this on myself. The carriage is destroyed and it will take a long time to get it fixed. Until then it seems I’m stuck here.” Emma tugged gently at her bangs. Emma stood and kicked the ground gently watching the grass spring up under the snow. Snow.

Emma hated it. She hated the color. How cold it was. She hated it all. She hated how it sufforcated the grass and froze the flowers. Chilling. Killing. Those beautiful colors. Emma ran through poems, songs, and stories in her mind. Annabel Lee, Safe and Sound, The Little Mermaid (orginal not Disney). “Chilling, Killing, My Annabel Lee, Close your eyes sun’s going down, The little mermaid closed her eyes preparing to turn to sea foam and meet her fate.” Everything was upsetting. Emma couldn’t think of anything happy and she even wanted to squeeze of golden petal off the marigold in front of her.

“Go away, North,” She grumbled feeling her friend’s presence. “I don’t want any encouragement right now.”

“Polaris?” Emma stared in surprise as her friend appeared before her.

“Emma! Can you see me?”

“How… How are you here?”

“My mirror… Long story…”

“North, I miss you. I want to come home.”

“I miss you too…”

“How’s Manny?” Emma felt near tears. She hadn’t notice Polaris shift or her fake the smile.

“He… He knows you’re gone… He’s upset, but fine…”

“How could I have done this to him, North? The carriage smashed in a snow storm. Could you let them know?” As Polaris nodded Emma gave a sigh of relief. “Thanks. Take care of everyone for me, Kay?” Polaris smiled and nodded this time Emma noticed her friend’s nervousness.”North?” But Polaris vanished as soon as she’d appeared.