Celtic Memoire

Chapter 6 - The Box

Chapter 6 - The Box

Since it was only me two white coats watched me while I walked into the morning sun outside. I let the wind tease the subtle curls of my hair, left down instead of the insidious braid Carmen always insisted I have. For an early summer morning, the wind was chilly and pinked my cheeks. Taking a few steps towards my usual spot in the shrubbery I halted, mortified. My jaw dropped, lips quavering, and eyes so wide I could have fit the entire Atlantic Ocean in them.

'My flowers!' The entire peony bushes were gone... chopped down, arrested from their precious setting in my imaginary world. The only world I could dream of while I am in this prison.

I ran to them at such haste I would have won the Olympic 50 yard dash, and skidded to a stop in the grass, staining my white leggings terribly. I didn't care. My eyes poured out tears as I forgot all about Solomon in my rage and sorrow from losing those pretty pink, crimson, and white sweet swelling flowers. Even the green leaves weren't there anymore... only an empty line of brown soil with hedge and grass clippings scattered beyond. I buried my head in my hands and wrapped my arms around my knees and began rocking back and forth, trying to wish this horrible nightmare away.

"I feel your pain, little one. But calm, sorrowful Queen. The scouts will haul you away, like they did Bill."

I immediately stopped rocking at the sound of Solomon's soothing voice. Slowly lifting my head I expected to see another sparkle of mist, but his 'apparition' form was there this time. His eyes were almost as sad as I felt and I lowered my legs and crossed them on the grass. His transparent hand lifted to wipe my tears from my face and caress my cheek gently. His hand... it felt like skin but also like feathers and winter wind. I wanted to speak to him, but an inner voice told me it was for the better that I was mute in an asylum and that Solomon could understand me without talk. It was like a secret between me and him that nobody else could know. And that gave me power and confidence to see this hell through.

'I'm sorry,' I immediately thought, mouthing the words slowly.

His apparition shook his head, those red-tinted white waves shaking around his face. "No matter..."

'Why are you not here? Why are you appearing like this?' I asked with my eyes.

"Something's... trapped me..." His voice started sounding very strained, like trying to blow too much helium into a balloon. I tried to grab his palm on my cheek and my fingers went straight through. Mortified, I looked at him and his image flickered in and out of light, just like it had last night. I could see the green hedges and stark white building of the asylum vividly behind him. "Get the box..." With those words he vanished into that sparkly mist and it floated like leaves to the dewy morning grass. In intense curiosity I held out my hand in an attempt to catch some of the dust. An intense burn pierced the flesh of my palm, so hot but it was cold, like dry ice. I winced and withdrew my hands, little stars of burns left on my sensitive cream white flesh. Blisters started forming and I gritted my teeth to hide the pain.

He told me to find the box... that he's trapped! What does he mean? In an urgency I ran from the grassy pasture and nodded to the scouts that I was going in. They followed me in and I ran straight to the bathroom to rinse my hands in cool water. After the pain was sedated enough I thought panicked what I could do to get to the box without getting caught... I didn't have this strange magic that Solomon had... I could not get through the security as swiftly without his help. I didn't even know how he got through the security. There were cameras too!

"Turn left!"

I turned left. I listened to the voice not even thinking what it could mean. It didn't sound like Solomon but it was so familiar...