The Children

Black eyes

The little girl by the name of Catherine stood at the doorstep of a yellow house with baby blue shutters and a white picket fence. Her long red hair in pigtails with white dirtied ribbons billowing in the wind, the sunlight landing on her pale, almost translucent white skin. With a hand behind her back, holding a dirtied stuffed animal, what appeared to be a plush white bunny was now just a threadbare almost brown carcass of what it once used to be.

Reaching up with one hand and standing on her tippy toes, she pressed the doorbell, once pressed her hand fell back to its original position beside her body. Waiting for the owners of the house to answer, she remained quiet, as she heard shuffling from inside the almost silent house. She could hear footsteps coming towards the door and smiled towards herself. As a bolt was slid back and the door opened a crack, she stepped back, the door creaking open. A head peered out form the slightly opened door. As Catherine noticed the open door she turned on the waterworks instantly crying, removing a hand from the two that were now holding her stuffed animal, she reached up to wipe her eyes with the back of her dirty and smudged hand, careful not to look up. Sniffling as if to calm herself. The woman behind the door startled, "what is it darling" a deep masculine voice asked. A tall man with brown hair, freckles, and a beard looked over the petite woman's shoulder, to see the small weeping child.

"shouldn't you let her in" the man asked. The woman looked at her as if he'd just called her crazy, and whispered "she's a stranger". He pushed the door open a little bit more and said "she's a child dear". "hmph you're just being a softy; it doesn't help that you wanted a daughter instead of a son". He looked at her with disgust, sometimes she could be so aggravating.

"Elizabeth you're over reacting, she's just a child!"

Catherine stumbled back at the shout, as if she were scared, her little body began trembling, the man knelt down, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you". Elizabeth huffed, "Chase I swear" turned around and sulked off, stomping her feet a little to show she was displeased. Chase looked behind him in disbelief, muttered some words to himself, then turned back to the little girl, "what happened little one?" keeping her eyes on the ground she responded in a small, almost whispering voice, "Bad man" she sniffed, "chased me", she sniffed again and let out a little whimper, "got away, please help me". The man gave her a look filled with pity and sorrow, and said, "well why don't we hide you from that scary man then". After speaking he held out his hand for the little girl to take and turned around, letting the girl follow him into his home. He walked a few paces forward then turned left, and then right and they came to a bathroom, in which he turned the sink on, wet a rag and gave it to her and told her to wash up. The little girl set her bunny down on the sink and grabbed the washcloth, she carefully wiped off her hands and arms, face, and legs, careful to hide her eyes.

"now little one, what's your name, maybe we can find mommy and daddy" said the tall man.

"Catherine, and you can't because the bad man hurt them really bad, I think they're dead"

The man looked at Catherine with pity filled eyes, poor child.

"is that woman bad" she asked. "who my wife, Elizabeth?" laughing after he said that. "no of course not sweetie, she can just be really moody sometimes, but we love each other, a lot".

She stood up warily from her crouched position, and said "I can help you, you know" with an almost commanding voice, it seemed as if her voice had aged 15 something years, and she was now speaking with the voice of a grown woman. " www- wwhha – whaaatt do you mean?" asked chase.

Catherine looked up at him, and he expected bright light colored eyes to be staring bac, but instead he saw black eyes, iris and everything, a deep dark, black, an endless tunnel of despair and anguish. Startled he stumbled backwards a few steps, and started stuttering and mumbling incoherent words.