The Soul Steeling Gnome

Chapter 3 - Home Again

" its not so bad, is it?" Lucy said looking at Kara watching her face as emotions faught for dominance.

"Do you want me to stay?" She asked

Kara looked at Lucy "No but will you come back if i need you to?"

"Of course!" Lucy pulled her into a tight hugg "I'm only a few min away you know ill be here in a second if you call me."

Kara hugged her back "thank you i may need you to" tears slipped past her lashes and she let lucy go watching her get into her car and slowly drive away

Turning back to the house she pulled out her keys and opened the door to her childhood home and allowed the movers to start unloading her belongings.

“Put that over in the kitchen"
"No thats a living room box thanks" a crash sounded from the door way.…hey, watch it that’s fragile.” Kara said as she reached the movers and took the top box of her mothers belonging from them.

Grabbing the box of her mother Lara’s keep sakes she watched as the house filled with her belonging and the movers finish.

Finally done and the movers gone Kara heaved a relived sigh. She could unpack the rest in peace, she never was found of having strangers around.

Starting in the kitchen she worked her way into the bedroom unpacking and cleaning as she went. Done for the day she left the rest of the boxes unoped in the living romm for tomorrow, save for the box belonging to her mother.

Kara sat on the bed, with nothing left to distract her thoughts she reached over and flipped the lid opened on the box, letting the tears flow freely as a mixture of good and bad memories flooded her mind.

Pulling out a large picture frame, Kara's eyes dripped with heartbreak. A woman’s smiling face arms full of a green eyed, adorable curly headed little girl and a man hugging them both and smiling into the camera stared up at her.

Godbhow she missed her moms arms holding her at night, or her dad helpimg her ride her tricycle, great memories she had of her parents yet to few of them, she cried hating the fact that they were taken, hating that she had to face this house again, hating never being able to tell the truth for fear of being sent back to that terrable hospital, she new Lucy would fight tooth and nail to keep her out of there but there was always that fear that it would matter.

Hugging the picture close she closed her eyes and tried to picture them as they were, trying to ward off the nightmares that still plague her dreams.

As she finaly fell into a deep sleep it was not the Gnome she dreamt of, nor her parents brutal murder but rather a dream of strangers.

The air feels chilled yet the sun was shinning with no clouds in the sky. The park looks eary and deserted as kara makes her way threw the grass.

A childs laughter rings through the air as a dark haired man pushes her on the swing, the little girl looks up and there eyes lock freezing kara o  her place.

The child reaches out to her as she stands from the swing smiling, kara takes a deep breath as unease clouds her mind.

She reaches her hand to the girl and the hand melts away just before she can grab it, the girls screams as the father fades away and the seen is gone in its place stands a gnome, green and blue with red glowing eyes. It reaches for the girl as a golden haze slowly starts moving towards her and kara screams. Suddenly the gnome shatters, standing in front of her is the little girl, “help me” she cries brokenly “he wants my soul” others children appear around her saying over and over, kara cries out to them asking “how?" As the come closer closing in On all sides there body twist and bend and there screams fill her ears. "what do you want from me?” she screams and then are gone.

Kara sat up in bed sweat coving her body as she fought to slow her breathing. Blinking her eyes she sobbed. Picking up the picture from the floor were it fell, she placed it back in the box next to the bed.

heading for the kitchen she stopped just out side her parents old bedroom. Still unable to open the door, she laid her hand on it and cried "God i miss you so much"

Grabbing a glass of water she headed to the living room.

At the front door she stopped to lock it wile peaking through the glass criss cross pains, suddenly she noticed a shadow. Hurrying to the living room window she looked out. The glass of water slipped from her fingers, shattering at her feet as her breath caught in her throat. Glowing red eyes stared back at her, she closed her eyes “your not real, your not real, your not real” popping them open, the eyes were gone. Taking deep breathes to fill her tortured lungs she flopped on to the chair. “Yeah this was a great idea.” She said to herself, move back to the place it all started, and find closure they said, it will be good for you they said, you need this they said. No she needed beat this she could not let i control her life any longer.

After finished the water and calming her on edge nerves, kara stood to go make something to eat. Just as she passed the door a loud knocking sounded startling her caused her to jump and drop the glass shattering it on the floor.

Carefully stepping around the shards of glass she closed her eyes taking a deep breath and slowly opened the door....