Between the Willow Trees [NaNoWriMo 2013] (Editing)

1: Travelling Back in Time

Chapter 1: Travelling back in time

 It’s a cold December evening and I am walking home from a friend’s house. On this particular day, I am on my way home a lot later than expected. My friend had convinced me to play on the Xbox with them, which of course meant that I lost track of the time. Now I have to walk home in the dark. I am not scared of the dark, that’s not the problem. I am scared that he might return.

For seven years now I had managed to block out the imaginary man my younger self had called Thorne. My therapist had given me medication that should keep him from returning, but at times like this when I’m alone in the dark he has a habit of creeping back to me no matter how hard I try to supress him.

“Astrid, you need to listen to me,” he spoke out of the darkness. I try my best to ignore him. He doesn’t exist, I repeat over and over again in my head. I hope that if I keep saying it then he will just go away.

I walk up the steps that lead to the bridge over the bypass. I feel much better higher up because I can see the stars once I’m out of the trees. That helps me to block him out at first, but then I catch the scent of smoke which makes my heart speed up just a little as my mind runs through different horrible scenarios. I’ve always had the habit of imagining the worst possible situation and then almost convincing myself that it could happen.

“Astrid, I understand that I promised you I would stay away, but you need to stop walking right now. You are in danger. Someone destroyed the portal to Elethoria between the willow trees in your garden.”

I’m vaguely aware of him chasing after me as I speed up my pace to get away from him. My mind jumps back to the burning smell I caught before, of course the simple explanation is that someone has a bonfire nearby but I can’t help but think it might be something else. I suppose the date I had memorised is at the back of my mind. I knew that something bad was going to happen today as Thorne had told me it would.

There’s probably been an accident on the bypass, a car crash, but when I glance down at the road there’s clearly no sign of an accident. The traffic is flowing at a normal speed. If the strong burning smell isn’t coming from the bypass then it’s probably coming from one of the nearby houses over the bridge. In fact, swirls of black smoke can faintly be seen against the night sky and the smell of burning is only getting stronger as I get closer.

“Astrid, please stop this nonsense. I am only trying to help you. I do not want you to get hurt.”

That’s when I snap. My therapist had told me not to speak to him because that would only make him worse, but I can’t help it. He just makes me so angry. I stop on the spot and spin around, glaring at him in a half-hearted attempt to scare him away. Thorne hadn’t been expecting this and he almost walks straight into me. For a moment he even looks scared. His eyes flash blue, changing back to green instantly though.

“You’re not real,” I tell him.

“Oh wonderful, not this again,” he replies, his tone full of sarcasm. For a second I can’t help but contemplate the fact that they clearly use sarcasm in Elethoria, before I remember that just like Thorne, Elethoria doesn’t exist. It’s just yet another thing my overly active imagination produced when I was younger.

“Please, stop this Thorne. I thought I’d managed to get rid of you, the medication had been working. Don’t do this to me now. Leave me alone,” I beg. Scaring him isn’t going to work so I have to resort to begging.  If he really is just a part of my subconscious then perhaps he’ll see just how distressed I am and he’ll leave me. It doesn’t work though.

“Then you have really been convinced that I am just a figment of your imagination.” Thorne looks away from me for a moment and his eyes flicker golden yellow for less than a second before returning to their usual shade of green. He looks hurt and I almost feel guilty for upsetting him. “How can I convince you that I am real?” he asks.