The Monster Within

Promise Me

Hollis lay in bed, glaring at the ceiling, listening to the wind whip through the trees, the pine needles pelting their cottage. She rolled onto her side, clutching her ragged teddy bear tighter to her chest, the feeling of him in her arms a source of comfort for her. A gift from her father, one small piece of him that she kept near in secret. She knew she was too old to keep such childish things, but she couldn't help it. Without Willow, sleeping was near impossible.

A creak of the floorboards outside her door alerted her to her mother's presence. A few seconds later, candlelight filled the darkness, and her mother shuffled in, pulling her shawl tight about her shoulders. She sat on the chair near the window, setting the candle on the desk and giving Hollis a tired smile.

"I'm making a run to town tomorrow, do you need anything?"

Hollis bit her cheek, knowing better than to ask to go with.

"No," she sighed, rolling onto her back once more. She felt her mother's eyes studying her.

"You and Willow used to carry those bears everywhere with you," her mother said, a sad smile on her face. Hollis bristled, hating displays of uncomfortable emotions.

"What will happen to me when you..." she trailed off, picking at her quilt, unable to finish her question, for fear it may somehow come true. Her mother sat still, spine a bit rigid.

"You'll live here, safe and sound."

It was a reality they had to face, but had yet to do so. After Willow's death, Hollis began to see her world in a different light.

Hollis' eyes caught her mother's, and she glared.

"No one will be able to stop me from leaving, then," she countered. Her mother quirked her head to the side, wondering how to combat her daughter's trail of logic.

"True, but then you will be giving up everything your father fought so hard to protect."

"You never even talk about him."

"He was a good man, and he loved you with every ounce of his being. He wept when you were born, Hollis."

She felt her throat constrict at the image, yearning for that paternal force in her life. She clutched Teddy (as she'd so aptly named him) tighter to her chest. They'd buried Willow with hers.

"How did you meet, if you'd lived here your whole life?"

Her mother and grandmother had lived here for decades, and she knew her father had somehow managed to gain approval to court and marry her mother, but the story was rarely spoken out loud, the memories too painful. His death was another topic off-limits for discussion. Hollis had only tried once and swore she never would again.

Her mother grinned, leaning back in her chair.

"Your father came down from the Alaska Province," she said. Hollis' eyes widened in surprise.

"He was from the township of Anchorage, I believe, and he was just passing through when he saw me. He brought me all sorts of gifts, and papa turned him away every time, until he realized it was useless," she said, eyes glistening at the warm memory.

Hollis felt her cheeks lift in a responsive grin, but it faded as reality crashed upon her.

"I will never know what it is like to love," she grumbled. Her mother chuckled.

"You love me, and your grandmother and Willow. You know what it is to love," she said.

"You know what I mean," she growled to her pointed toes under the quilt.