Tragedy of the African Cinderella [Black Book3]✔

4.

The railway looked rusty and all grown with ankle length bahama grass, elephant ear stalks and fescues. The gravels on it and which lined the sides were course and pointy enough to penetrate the soles of one's shoe. It was rather unfortunate Nora was standing on them bare feet.

She was in the middle of nowhere, standing on an abandoned railway all alone. Nora struggled to take a step ahead but the piercing effect of the sharp gravels won't let her. She lifted a foot to examine her soles, as earlier thought, they were cracked and bleeding as if she had been walking on them for ages.

Had she?

She could go no further ahead but if she persisted there, she might never get help.
Nora ignored the aching whacks traveling all the way from her feet to her gut and set on moving forward. She as well ignored the tremendously huge bushes on either side of her which seemed to contain a variety of living organisms in it judging from the noises they exhibited.

Nora struggled through the flesh tickling and slicing grasses but the railway seemed to have no end.
There was no sign of hope. She was getting hungry and thirsty too. She hadn't eaten in days.

Will her step mum offer her a drop of water or a fraction of food once she made it home? She wondered.

Just when she was ready to give up hope and surrender her body to the wild critters did she see something. No. Someone. Could she be dreaming?

"Hello," she voiced out for the first time and her voice didn't sound at all like hers.

The figure didn't retort either did it move so she did, with the littlest strength she could offer.

Upon approach, Nora took in the full image. It was one she could never forget. She saw it almost every night in her sleep.
It was in a simple immaculately white long-sleeved dress, the same she had last seen her with when she beautifully slept in that awful casket. Her feet were covered in a white pair of socks as well.
The smiling face she carried donned simple makeup and her jet black hair still naturally combed all the way down her shoulders.

"Mum, Mum is that you?" she unbelievably quizzed but her said mum did nothing but smile at her.

She couldn't believe it. Not a bit.
Standing before her mum, her dead mum. Could she be...dead too?

Nora took a few more steps closer so she was two arm's length away.

"Mum, I missed you so much," she said. Her eyes welling up already. "I'm so glad to finally see you again," she paused to swallow.
"Are you here to take me with you because I really do want to go with you. I don't want to return home. Please don't send me back home," she jabbered.

"Daddy doesn't have my time anymore since he married that ugly old woman, she hates me, her children hate me too so you see, I have no reason to return home,"

The woman said nothing besides beaming a smile.

"Don't even think about disappearing like you usually do because I'll do so too, I don't know how but I will. So please take me with you,"

The lady shook her head in dismay yet, smiled.

"Go away," her whisper was barely audible that even Nora who stood not too far didn't quite get a word.
"Go. Away. Do. Not. Cross,"

"Mum, I can't get a word you say,"

"Do. Not. Cross." she began to get more and more translucent than she already was.