Tales of Aridia

Pyewacket

A knock came to the door. I jolted and hurried towards it. Two policemen stood idly, scratching their bold heads. "Anything the matter officers?" I asked cheerily, greeting them with a big toothy smile. They looked at eachother, puzzled. "We're sorry to bother you ma'am, we'll be on our way now." They said before scuttling off away from the porch. Each officer jumped into a car and drove away confused and dazed. "What did you do?" I asked Max. "Memory loss," he said simply, as if it was something familiar to him.

"Is that what happened to me?" I asked, pulling the curtains shut blocking out the light that started to shine. Max nodded slowly, "that's what happened to you, but on a much larger scale." He said.

There was a moment of silence.

"How do I have memories from when I was a child then?" I asked. Max was becoming used to the constant questions and answered quickly. "We replaced memories in your past with new ones, fake ones." He said.

The thought that my life was a lie fell hard on me. I was almost offended that Max had taken it upon himself to ruin me. "What's a pyewacket?" I asked. Max pointed a finger at my chest and poked it. "It's a thing that lives inside you, it makes you magical," he said.

I recalled the night that had passed, and the wolf I had followed into the depths of the forest. "Max..." My voice trailed off. "Yes?" He replied. "When I was in the forest I was following this wolf, it led me to you," I said.

Max had slumped himself on the sofa and seemed a lot more relaxed than I was. The conversation didn't seem to bother him. "That's your pyewacket, a wolf.Every family has their own animal to represent their pyewacket." He said.

I fiddled with my fingers nervously, absorbing all the information. I too, slumped myself on the sofa hoping that my heart would stop racing if I laid down. A few minutes passed by and the silence seemed to be eating away at valuable time. "Jayden saved me," I said.

This caught Max's attention. He jolted upright and sat back stiffly. "Jayden?" He asked. I nodded, "yes, Jayden." I said. Max paused, he was thinking of what to say like his thoughts had been cast around the room. "Do you know who he is?" He asked.

I broke out in laughter, assuming it was a joke. "Of course I know who he is!" I giggled. "Do you know what he is?" Max rephrased.

I stopped laughing, realising what Max had just said. "He's like you?" I asked. Max responded with yet again another nod and sat in silence. He was angry, he held a scowl over his face and stared at the ground.

Time ticked by and so I asked another question, as it seemed the topic of Jayden had come to a halt. "Is there anything else I should know?" I asked. Max looked back on his thoughts, recollecting everything he knew.

"A pyewacket, can be shared with others but can only be split into three." He said finally.
"Three......" I thought, my mind zipping back to Hope and Lucy. "I would Advise you not to though," he added. I shook my head violently as he turned to leave. "Robyn...I have to go." He said.

His scowl has turned into sadness and his eyes glazed over in tears. "Why does that sound like a goodbye?" I asked. Max shrugged and hugged me gently, not saying anything. He didn't want to talk, in fear of upsetting himself even more.

I knew what was happening, Max was going to disappear, like how Jayden disappeared for a while without contacting me at all.
"When will I see you again?" I asked. Max smiled sadly, "Soon-I promise."

Max placed a tender kiss on my cheek and left the house, leaving a trail of light behind him.