STRING

T W E L V E

"Home isn't where you're from, it's where you find light when all grows dark."

The asphalt was black under the dark cloud, only the white lines gleamed under the headlamps. The wind was biting at the trees, howling wolf-like about the old jeep. Sandra accelerated the speed of her car up, Charlie was in the passenger seat, his sapphire eyes were inspecting the hill sharply as if he could miss something-- or someone.

As the tires ate up the distance between them and the cliff, they dropped themselves out of the vehicle. There were no other people except Sandra and Charlie with their narrow eyes wandered to all spots they could reach.

"He should be here in no time," said Sandra, resting her sight and inhaling deeply, releasing the breath heavily. She stared at Charlie, the most worried person in this incident. She swore in her heart what had happened to her son – how Josh Michael fell off from this cliff was no longer taken as a strange accident. "Charlie, Jimmy is going to be fine."

Charlie lowered his solicitous gaze, watching the dry stony soil beneath his feet. It took him a while to respond, "Once he's here, we will immediately take him ho–"

Everyone paused their movement and soon they heard the song of the chortling little boy, The Hearse Song.

"He's here..." Immediately Charlie recognized the situation as he experienced in his previous visit, he twisted his body around to capture if his brother was already nearby. Shortly, he caught Jimmy walking with his darker eyes staring into blank space. Step by step was taken slowly with his bare feet, against the rocky road and dirt. "Jimmy!"

Charlie and Sandra rushed to approach him, yet he resisted to be held as he kept trying with all his strength to jump upon the cliff, where the songs were still played softly calling him.

"Jimmy, wake up! This is not you!" Charlie scolded while his palm covered both Jimmy's ears, however that seemed not working as he approached the call still. "Jimmy, you can't be like this!"

All of a sudden, Jimmy sighted his brother.

"Jimmy! Yes, look at me. We're taking you h-" Unfinished sentence by Charlie was cut by his body tossed far from where he stood. Just by a stare, Jimmy dragged Charlie away from his way. He happened to do the same action to Sandra until her body hurled against a huge rock on the left side. Now nobody could stop him, he continued walking upon his death.

– – –

Madame Trevils's office room was murky. Candles that lit in the corner of the room, side tables of the wall, and at the round table in the middle of the room were the only lighters of the chamber. At the round table, Madame Trevils, Isadora Monet, and Camilo Sanchez were holding hands wrapping the edge of the table, sitting around and their eyes closed. They awakened in the upside down, where if stopping Jimmy could not be done, then stopping Draco might work.

Camilo opened his eyes slowly, he woke up under the cliff of Rattlesnake Point, which made him very surprised and panicked. Isadora hurriedly grabbed his arm so he would not be too noisy.

"Quiet," Isa whispered.

"Where are we? Is this teleportation?? How can we be here? Aren-"

"I said QUIET," Isadora nagged. "We are not really here."

"Children, you hear that?" Madame Trevils cut off the conversation, she walked with trembling feet towards the source of the sound where The Hearse Song was heard. Isa and Camilo followed, while looking at the mossy stone walls and having roots running from the cracks in the walls. The voice was getting more audible as they were close to the child they were looking for. "This song ... has reached the last verse."

In the middle of the valley, Madame Trevils stopped with a stiff posture. She tried to hide the turmoil of panic that struck her when they found a child who sang the last words of the song. His eyes lit up while his emaciated body was so dark. He looked up, making Cam follow to see what he's catching, then he screamed. "JIMMY!"

Everyone looked up and found Jimmy standing on the edge of a cliff. On his arm there was a red strand that led him to the boy. One more pull, Jimmy would fall from up there and he would not survive. "Jimmy, stop!" Will yelled.

"He won't be able to hear us," Isa answered, "Madame Trevils, you can stop him. He is your son!"

The old woman did not move, she stared with a sad face and tears filled her eyes. Then, she went back to the boy who almost finished the chant. "Release his string, let the child be free ..."

The boy did not listen to what Madame Trevils said. "Draco, please."

As soon as the song paused, he turned to his very old mother.

"Take mine," she handed over the red strand that immediately appeared to wrap each of her arms. "–and I will be with you forever after."

"Wait, what?" Isa was confused. She did not expect Madame Trevils to sacrifice her life instead. "No, if he'll take your string, you'll die!"

"I have died everyday hiding, dear," Madame Trevil said, approaching her son. "Now I'm ready to face it."

The boy took off the red string that connected to Jimmy, and as soon as the rope faded, Jimmy was no longer in danger. He immediately fell backward on the cliff and he was safe. But not Madame Trevils. The boy held her rope tightly. However, that did not make Madame Trevils afraid.

"Mama..." the child groaned softly. Slowly the darkness on his thin body faded. His eyes no longer lit up brightly, replaced by bright brown eyes and his body wearing a red shirt. "Why did you take so long?"

The boy ran hugging his mother. At that moment, Isadora and Camilo woke up.

Again they opened their eyes, with hasty breath and clasped hands tightly. They looked at each other before finding Madame Trevils dropping her back on the round table. Her body was still warm but soon it went cold and stiff. Her eyes were shut. She no longer breathed, her life had gone with his son.

"No..." Camilo sighed, "Is she ...?" He was about to continue, but he glanced at Isadora who drew tears without a word.

"Well-" Isadora sobbed. "At least now there will be no more curse. They both have rested in peace."

She stood up from her warm chair, looked at the helpless body leaning on the table that died with a slight smile on her wrinkled face. "Thank you, Madame Trevils."

* * *