Visions and Daydreams

Mystery Woman

I heard yelling.

It was faint, but there. I could hear my father and another voice that I didn't recognize. My dad sounded worried and a bit scared while the other voice sounded irritated; it was a woman's and her choice of words seemed odd to me. I tried to ignore their conversation as best I could, but it was hard to fall back asleep with their bickering. Besides, I was curious to know who this mystery woman was. Focusing my hearing, I listened in however, I could only catch a couple words and mumbles.

"Go away..." My father muffled to the lady, "...too young...'s my daughter...can't do this!"

"...pathetic man..." The lady muffled back, "...knew this was to be...go against fate?...my care...better the upcoming."

Even with what I had caught, I had no clue what they were talking about. The woman made me feel uneasy and I was a bit scared as to what she wanted that my father had disagreed with. The longer the conversation went, the easier it was to tell that the woman was becoming more angry with my father's rejections.

Her voice grew louder, "You are not to interfere with what is to be!"

My father shushed her in stutters and tried to whisper, "Quiet down.... You'll wake her...."

I could hear someone walk around the house, "The child must come with me," the woman's voice drew closer to my room, "Her presence is mandatory at the Temple."

"The Temple can wait a couple more years." I could hear my father shuffle behind the woman as doors opened and slammed shut, "She can't even drive a car yet..."

"A car is unnecessary for her fate."

The door before my room slammed and I quickly jumped out of bed to hide in my closet. I had a feeling that my father didn't want her to see me.

My bedroom door opened and the woman stomped through, "Where does she hide?"

I ducked deeper into the closet behind long summer dresses.

"I-I don't.... I-I'm not...." My father sounded a bit relieved, yet scared.

Peeking through the dresses, I tried to catch a glimpse of the woman. Her side was to me and my room was dark, so I couldn't see her face, but I could tell that she was a little shorter than my father and wore a long, black cloak. It looked like she had an oversized hood covering her head with a grey scarf loosely wrapped around her mouth and nose. I could only see the bottom of her boots, but they looked like a black leather with mud staining the heels.

My father gasped. I looked toward him and noticed that he could see me. He looked terrified and shooed his hands at me to hide deeper in my closet.

"What is it?" The lady turned to him.

He smiled at her with clenched teeth, a red face, and sweat dripping down his forehead. He obviously looked suspicious, "N-Nothing...." His voice shook, "Just thought I saw a...uhh...a spider."

"Excuse me? A spider?" The woman walked to him slowly and put her face close to his.

"Y-yes....A spider. Creepy little devils!" My father laughed nervously and tugged at the collar of his shirt.

The woman moved in closer, "Do you lie?"

My father shook his head. Everything was quiet and still for a while. The woman stayed close to my father's face as he tried to keep his gaze from falling on me, but easily failed. His hazel eyes darted in my direction then quickly back in their place, but the woman caught him. She turned to where I hid and walked toward me. I moved further in the closet and grabbed an umbrella that stood beside me. I held tightly to the umbrella's handle as the woman moved my hanging clothes, searching for me. Peeking through the dresses, I saw two black gloves with a glimpse of the woman's golden eyes.

She caught a glimpse of my hazel eyes. Our gazes now locked on one another.

I swallowed hard and tightened my grip on the umbrella. The woman parted the dresses completely, exposing myself to her full sight. My knees were propped up with a black umbrella held tightly in my lap. I must've looked ridiculous.

The woman examined me slightly before turning her head to my father with a sigh, "I understand this is difficult, Andrew, but this is how things must be. How they should be. You know this. You know your daughters fate...." The woman sounded sincere.

"I-I...." My fathers voice shook. He looked up at me, his face serious and a bit unsettling, "No! I won't let you take her!" With this he grabbed the woman's arms and forced them behind her back with a tight grip.

The woman struggled to get lose and was winning, "What do you think you're doing, you fool?" She shouted with anger.

"Marigold! Run!" My father said tightening his grip on the woman as he yelled at me.

Without thinking I jumped up and whacked the woman as hard as I could with the umbrella. She fell unconscious and, without hesitation, my father and I rushed out the house and to the truck, hoping to get as far away as we could.