The Twilight Garden

5

Her head rested against the pillow as she clenched her eyes, trying to drown out the pleading of the spirit that stood in the corner.

'Leave me be, please, just leave me be.' Josephine whispered, gripping her cover tightly around her body. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, to drift into the dark void of nothingness and regain a simple amount of her composure so that she could interact with the good doctor—but that didn't seem likely as she rolled to her other side, facing away from the spirit.

'Josie.... Please help. We need your help.' Minnie pleaded—Josephine covered her head and hid beneath the blanket, trying to barricade herself away from the spirit. 'There is little time, Josie. Please, before he comes to finish it.'

This new information gave her pause—this was the most the child had ever said, in the weeks Josephine had been haunted by her. She removed the cover from her head and turned to face the spirit.

'Who is coming?' She asked, but the spirit did not respond—she only looked at the ground and shuffled her dirt-caked and mouldy feet. 'Please, Minnie, I must know!'

'Help us before he arrives, help us to move on before he has the time to finish the ritual!' Minnie cried —the child turned away as if distracted by something. As she looked back at Josephine, her eyes were wide in terror. 'You do not have long, Josie. The answers are in the study!'

And with that, she was gone. Josephine was alone in her room, the silence she had longed for too loud for her to bare. She screamed in frustration and terror as she thrashed against her sheets and blanket, confused and enraged by the spirits that haunted her.

Leland rushed to the door and knocked loudly, calling for Josephine—all he heard were her screams, and worried, he opened the door and rushed to her bedside.

'It's all right, Josephine. You're safe.' He tried to console her, tried to calm her, but she was caught too deeply in the fit that she hadn't a clue that she was no longer alone. He sat on the edge of her bed and watched as she thrashed against the pillows, crying out in fear and what could only be described as pain.

'What is all this racket?!' Lorrena called, storming into the room. She stopped as she noticed Leland sitting on the bed next to her daughter. 'Excuse me, Dr Scott, but what possessed you to enter my daughter's chamber without permission?'

'I heard her screaming, and, as I am her doctor, I have certain liberties allowing for me to care for my patients to the best of my abilities.'

'Well, let us save that conversation for later. What is wrong with my daughter?'

'She is having an episode, Mrs Bray.' Leland stated, turning back to Josephine. 'I believe this is a psychotic episode, not a seizure. I need my bag, would you fetch it from my room?'

Lorrena baulked at the request but left the room in silence, returning a few moments later with a black bag. She placed it on the floor near Leland's feet and stood back. With one hand, he removed a syringe from the bag while keep his other hand over Josephine, trying to steady her. He turned to her thigh and inserted the needle, dispensing of the fluid into her body. Lorrena crossed her arms in agitation as she watched her daughter settled against the sheets.

'Do I need to stay here, Dr Scott? You seem to have things under control, and I have a social

engagement in town that I really shouldn't miss.'

'Of course, Mrs Bray, attend your engagement and leave your daughter. It is only fair that you be allowed some reprieve from her.' His tone was dark, though if she had picked up on it, she did not show it as she turned to leave the room in a hurry. Sighing, Leland looked at Josephine, whose episode had subsided enough that she wasn't posing a physical danger any longer. 'Josephine, can you hear me?'