Scenarios

Forever

I'm out on a little date with my two younger sisters. They're both young, Carly at ten and Polly at eleven. I'm about ten years older than them, at twenty two. "Carly, stay close hun!" I call. I can't help but smile, though. She's always so excited. "Ice cream ice cream ice cream!" She cries. She's developing a strangely southern accent, given that we're currently in Virginia. "Yes, we're going to get ice cream. Stay with me, though." I say. She hesitates. "Carly, come hold my hand. Come back or you won't get ice cream." That gets her moving. She comes back and puts her hand in mine. Polly is to my right, holding my hand obediently. "Momma, how far?" She says, her voice tinged with a British accent. Even stranger than Carly's southern, I have no idea where either are coming from. I smile at her use of the term, even though it makes me sad inside. "I'm Jannet, my dear. Not momma," I say. She nods and turns back to our path. Finally the little ice cream shop comes into view. Both girls cheer and I smile at their display. We walk into the shop, and there's a few people here, in line or already eating at their ice cream. We step into line. Polly pulls her hand away from mind and rubs her forehead. "Momma, my head hurts," She complains. Carly looks around me at her, concerned. I kneel down and kiss her on the forehead. "There. All better?" She giggles, the pain forgotten. We get up to the first in line and make our order. As we step aside, Polly groans slightly, rubbing at her forehead. "Head still hurting, love?" I ask, looking down at her. She nods. "Perhaps it'll feel better when you get some ice cream." She smiles, and nods excitedly. Finally we get our ice cream and I hand the girls their cones. I lead them to a table outside. "Don't eat it too fast, or you'll get a brain freeze," I tell them. Polly slows down, but Carly doesn't listen. I sigh and shake my head. She'll get it. Suddenly Polly gasps and holds her head, nearly dropping her cone. I assume she's gotten a brain freeze, but she was eating plenty slow. "Polly dear, what's wrong?" I set my cone down and kneel by her and press my hand against her head. "I don't know what's wrong!" She cries, tears streaming down her face. An older man comes up and kneels down. "What's wrong with her? How can I help?" He asks. Before I can respond, Polly opens her eyes and screams at him. It's slow at first, but the man's body is slowly and steadily incased in ice. Someone screams and Polly looks in her direction, still screaming herself. The bystander is also soon covered in an immobilizing layer of ice. People panic to get away. Polly doesn't turn any more people to ice, as they're all faced away from her and she can't meet any eyes. I set my hand on her shoulder, smiling widely, she turns to me, eyes meeting mine. I can feel her power pushing against me, but I resist it effortlessly. All gorgons can. Her normally brown eyes have blossomed into a gorgeous icy blue. They're glowing right now as her newly developed ability forces its way out of her. Finally, she stops screaming, voice hoarse, and her eyes stop glowing, although they stay blue. They'll stay blue forever now. I can't stop smiling at her. Yeah, we'll have to move, go into hiding for a few months until things settle down. These people will thaw. Nobody's died, at least. But Polly's developed her gaze! What an exciting day! I remember when I developed my gaze. Mother was ecstatic. Carly jaw drops in shock, then she turns jealously grumpy. I put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, my love. Your day will come." I don't waste any time. I rush us back home and begin packing our meager belongings. Both girls are excited about Polly's gaze, but neither of them seem to thrilled on moving again. They'll be ok. I'll take care of them. Forever.