The Foreign Gates

Chapter:8- The Vanishing Act

*Picture of the cottage*

Instantly, I am drawn back to the time when I was just nine years of age.

(Begin Flashback)

Screech! The bus came to a halt on the tarmac road in front of my house. I got up from my seat and climbed the steps down of the bus down. I got up, saying a good-bye to my friends and proceeded down to the step of the bus to the porch. As the bus raced along behind me, I heard my brothers crying. Ugh! How exhausting it is to have twin brothers that cry at every little thing. I opened the door and walked in to see my mom holding them in her arms and singing softly to them. Thank goodness! Another minute of that madness and I would have gone mad. We mouth out question of our day to each other to keep them from waking up.

Later, I head up to my room. As I untie my pigtails, I begin to think of the wonderful weekend mom and dad had planned for us. We would go to the quiet woods a little far away, have a picnic and even play in the brook a little bit. A day in the woods!! I was too excited to do anything else, but unfortunately, I still had tomorrow before the weekend. I sat on my desk and took out my homework, completely engrossed in my work. when I was done, it was turning dark outside, so I new that dad would be home soon. I skipped the stairs two at a time, due to my ravenous hunger, clawing at my insides. Opening the fridge, I take out the heavenly chocolate fudge cake from the twins' first birthday last week.

As I heap a normal amount (for kids that is) of the cake onto a plate, my mom enters the kitchen. I tensed up. The moment she would see my plate, I was in for a hearing. I turn around slowly, about to explain myself, but stop abruptly when I see mom. She has a worried expression on her face and is talking intently on the phone to someone. Trying to look casual, I eavesdrop on them, taking out the spoon from the drawer at snail-pace.

"Are you sure he left Bill? When-- oh, an hour is it? Yes, please. Ok then, thank you so much Bill", with that, my mom cut the phone and finally noticed me. She chewed her lips, as she saw my worried expression.

"Is everything ok mom?", I asked.

"Yes, honey. Your dad just will be late tonight, no need to worry. Now how about we go see what's up on the TV?", she said.

As we watched Aladdin on TV, I noticed my mom look nervously at the phone every few minutes, as if waiting for something to happen. Finally, the phone buzzed an mom jumped to get it.

"Hello? Yes....I'm sorry, what?......no!.....no!....NO!", my mom was shaking and crying and I had no idea what the heck was happening. I was scared, but more that that, worried for dad. It was pretty late and he never EVER got this late. Mom, with the phone still in her ear, told me to stay with the boys and that she would be back in another hour or so. With that, she grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter and rushed out the door.

I was told later that dad had left the office early to spend more time with us, but never reached our neighbourhood. His colleagues approached the police and asked for an investigation, upon which they found his empty car in the woods where we were supposed to go this weekend. We all searched for him but it was like he was no where on the planet. I knew right then that he was gone and no matter what, I wouldn't be able to find him on Earth.

(End Flashback)

Here, standing right in front of me, after so many years, was my father. The one who disappeared such a long time ago. He stood motionless, with shock in his eyes. I took a cautious step towards him, as if he would vanish again if I made any sudden moves. suddenly, a log of wood fell in between us. 

'Must be rotten', I thought. But then, what was that burning smell? Wait a second.....falling wood, cracking sounds, burning smell?.....we were in a fire!!

I snapped out of my reverie and looked above us- the roof was ablaze, about to collapse upon our heads and if we didn't get out, we would burn with it. The smoke thickened and I coughed. I spotted the exit and shouted for dad to get out of here. He nodded and followed my outside, just as the roof collapsed on the beauty that once stood in these woods, burning brighter that the stars above the now darkened sky.

I turned to face my father, the two of us covered in soot, and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What are you doing here? How did you disappear? More importantly, WHY did you disappear? How could you?", I questioned him, as I felt tears prick my eyes. He gave a sad smile and just shook his head a little. He gestured me to follow him, as he walked on a bit to the stream near the giant tree in his garden. He sat down and gazing at the stream, said, "You will get your answers Lucy, but it's a long story. Why don't you sit down and wee can have a nice little chat on our history."

I walk towards him and sit down in a huff, waiting to hear his justification for his disappearance. As he begins, he says something that makes me shrink, makes me want to cover my ears and say that all he was saying was a lie or just a dumb joke. But deep inside, I knew this was true and that I was simply in denial and had to get over it.

He saw my reaction and said, "It's true Lucy. I am Merlin and I am going to die."