Persephone's Angel

Hallucinogens

Chapter Twenty Six: Hallucinogens

--* The morning was frozen and the sun was pale. Clouds were already pushing their way before the gelid sunlight and the sparkling white snow that lay up to my ankles became colder and colder with each step; earlier, I found that my shoes were taken, and all the protection I had for my feet were thin, cotton socks.

I thought of calling a cab, but, when I checked, I found that whomever dropped me here had taken my purse; which held around twenty francs. More than enough money to get back to Paris. I stood at a street corner, hugging myself and shaking to keep warm; my dress had been torn in my altercation and so I only kept one shoulder strap whilst the other flopped down to my bosom. My dress was filthy, covered in dirt and muck; my hair was completely unruly and I threw it around my ears, in desperate attempts to keep them warm from the cutting wind that seemed to manifest out of nowhere.

At least it wasn't anything new.

Almost all of my life I lived in poverty...extreme poverty. I had been in worse situations than this.

Then again, back when, I was only thinking of myself. Now I've got a small human to think about.  

I sighed and hurried across the street; no one was out at this time, no one save broads. The littered the street corners, wrapped up in shawls and blankets; some were leaving, scurrying back to their homes with the fruits of their labor. As I trudged I felt someone tug on my dress! I turned to find the little girl from the alley standing behind me with a large smile; she wore a dark brown dress that sat limply on the snow and trailed behind her; she always tripped on it. Her blonde hair was tied neatly into a braid that her mother made for her; and her eyes gleamed with curiosity and the hope of excitement.

Though, far away, the world was blurry to her, as she aged the world became so much more clear. I smiled down to the little girl, her smile told me she was only around six; she didn't know what was going to happen to her....no one did. I brought my hand 'round and it went straight through her little skull, however, she didn't disappear, in stead, she gave a confused expression. I sighed and began walking away. "Hey!"

 A little voice cried from behind me, I turned and looked to her; she hurried to catch up with me, holding onto my dress when she finally did.  "W-why'd you leave me? I haven't done anything wrong" said she, I sighed.

"You are not real, you're not really here, so I couldn't have really left you because you're...you're a hallucination. You'll disappear soon enough" I growled, I sighed and began walking away until I felt a sharp pain in my foot; I cried out and whipped around to find the little girl with her arms crossed, her fingers drumming, her brows furrowed, and her eyes narrowing.

"If I'm not real then how did you feel that?" Asked she with a sneer; I sighed and continued ambling along; shivering everyone once in a while and pausing as the wind cut through my body, the little girl hurried after me and clung to my dress. "You have to get out of this wind, Persephone! You'll die! More importantly, your baby will die!"

She cried, pulling me into another alley. I pulled myself out of the alley "there are all sorts of ruffians down there, if I go that way I will surely die; this way, walking out here, I may get a cold but it is not guaranteed I will die." Answered I, the girl sighed and nodded, taking up my hand and walking with me; we walked in silence for a long time, my feet sinking into the snow up to my ankles and she not even making a dent.

What drug was I on?

We were silent until we came upon vast fields of glistening snow. The clouds had completely taken over now and the sun was hidden from view; soft, little globs of damp snow fell from the sky. The little girl broke away from me and danced around in the snow; giggling and laughing and making snow angels. I smiled at her but continued walking; I knew, by carriage, it was at least an hour drive, and that was with no traffic. A walk in these conditions was quite close to three hours, I figured.