Made of Constellations

CHAPTER 6

I could still smell my grandmothers scent lingering in this room, as if she were still here, still working on that wooden table in the middle of the room facing a small window that overlooked the sleepy forest. Everything was as I remembered. Nothing looked out of place. Everything was exactly as she left it before....before she left me. Claimed by the angels in heaven. I didn't want to think about the day I lost her. I didn't want to re-open the locked gates in my mind and bring back a flood of memories. For now, my gates will remain locked. For how long I don't know. But when I'm ready, someday, I'll open them. Not today. Not for awhile.

Her room was always so dimly lit. She preferred to work with candle light, instead of a proper light with electricity. She never explained why she preferred candle light. When I asked, she dismissed it by saying that she liked the yellow glow the candles gave out. She liked the shadows the flames cast on her books. I lit a few candles that were placed on her windowsill to drive away the darkness. The flames danced in all different directions, like ballerina's twirling on a stage.

Her room was filled with books. Two whole walls were dedicated to book shelves. The shelves were also filled with tiny ornaments too, little beakers she used to boil her herbs in, and little gadgets that were used for god knows what.

Herbs and flowers, that were now dried and withered after 6 months, were still scattered on her table. She used to go for walks in the sleepy forest to collect all these different types of plants. Then she'd come home, walk to her work room, and make herbal tonics out of them. She used to make me drink them too, claiming that it would improve my health. Not that there was anything wrong with my health, I was perfectly healthy. But she made me drink them anyway, and I never questioned her about it. She would also spend hours and hours reading in here. I tried reading one of her books, but nothing made sense. It was just a bunch of sentences that sounded like gibberish to me. Most of them short poems, or pieces of songs. I don't know why she liked reading them so much. I guess different people have different tastes.

I let my fingers feel the dusty spines of the books as I walked towards the back wall that had a small fire place. On top of the fire place was a mirror, which was probably my favourite piece of furniture in this house. It was antique, yet it was so beautiful. It was a simple, circular shaped mirror, with iron shaped like tree vines surrounding its border. There were iron leaves coming out of the vines, and even some flowers. Some in full bloom, some just a bud. The iron was discoloured. It probably had a shiny silver gleam when it was first made, but years of neglect have given it a bronze colour, making it even more beautiful.

I gasped and stumbled back. Nearly crashing into one of the dusty book shelves.

What on earth was that! I swear I saw a little ripple in the mirror. I stared again, but there was nothing. Just my reflection staring back at me. My pupils have constricted, perhaps due to the sudden shock that ripple gave me. I stared and stared, but there was nothing.

Oh heavens, I was truly going mad. I'll probably hallucinate talking rabbits and walking trees tomorrow. Maybe Em was being nice when she said she didn't think I was crazy. Maybe I just need some time out. Maybe I should call Em and plan a road trip.  

I started to turn away from the mirror.

The ripple. I saw it. I swear I saw it again. I spun around towards the mirror so fast that I almost lost balance.

There it was again, that ripple in the centre of the mirror. It's growing. More than half of the mirror was rippling now until the whole mirror started to ripple. Through the ripples I could make out a set of dimly lit stone stairs. I couldn't see much further as the stairs led upwards to utter darkness. 

Oh dear lord, this is how all those horror movies start. Next thing you know there's going to be a girl in a white gown, with wet black hair draped over her face walking through that mirror. I took slow steps away from the mirror. One at a time. One with every breath. Inhale, right foot back. Exhale, left foot back. I was close to the door now. 

Click, clack, click,clack. 

That sounded eerily like a pair of footsteps. Heavy boots hitting the stone steps. Left, right, left, right. The sound was getting louder. I didn't wait to see what it was. I bet it was that girl with the wet hair over her face.

Inhale, right foot back.

Exhale, left foot back.

I was out of grandmothers room. I locked her room and ran to my own. I locked my room door, and windows, and buried myself under my blankets. Hoping that whatever was coming down those stairs wouldn't spot a shaking girl hiding under a set of blankets.