THE MASTER

Meet William

At the crack of dawn, just as the sun was about to peep between the mound of mountains in the east, a single soul was busy tending to his daisies. Another layer of plot and another batch of the lovely flowers were gingerly planted - orange daisies this time - it was her favorite color after all.

... Hannah.

The man smirked and his beady eyes glimmer with the sweet thoughts he's having. He closed his eyes, stands with his head looking up and spread eagled arms, feeling the heat of the early morning rise as it warms his skin defeating the wetness of the wet fog's reign.

Inside his mind an opera plays...

It's cold, so cold

Everywhere he looked
Darkness looms
He can see nothing
Yet he knows he's not alone
For somewhere in that basement floor
His sister and mother lays unmoving.

It's all quiet now.
Maybe his brother fell asleep in his embrace.
He's afraid to move and let go of him for he might wake up and starts crying again.
He wonders why he was so rigid and cold
But he doesn't care as long as he stays quiet.

Maybe Mama would be disturbed and woke up and call those uncles again.
How he hoped, she stays asleep a little while longer.
For when she wakes up, the horror would start again.
He's tired, hungry and thirsty.
Maybe he could rest now.
But he kept hearing words. Somebody's talking to him and kept disturbing his much wanted sleep.

Hey! Don't sleep! Let's play a game...
You can't close your eyes...
Let's wait for those uncles...
They play a good game...

"I am tired now.
I don't wanna play their game.
I'm scared of them.
Don't make them comeback again..."

Liar! You liked it!
I know, I did!

"No, no, no!"

Yes, yes, yes!

"Go away!
I don't know you.
Go away!"

Stop being funny.
Sure you know me...
My name is Julio DeMarco

"Same as me?"

Silly! You are me!
What a ninny.
Go sleep!
I'd take care of you and me.
From now on.

Remembering all those times filled his heart with hardened resolve. With jaws tightly shut, he decided, it's time.

Time to reclaim what's rightfully his. He's done with sharing.

Before going back to the old house, The man scanned his garden once more. There, at his wide backyard, eight plots layered down one after another. Each one with a wooden plank, sticking out of its middle carefully labeled:

Horatia DeMarco - April 1993;

Hillary - April 2012;

Jane Doe- April 2013;

Hilda - August 2013;

Helena - December 2013;

Holly - April 2014;

Halley - August 2014;

Hope - December 2014;

Hazel - April 2015;