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Authors: Shelley Madden
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could only watch as the man
met his death at the bottom of the staircase.
The stairs grew hazy, until they finally disappeared. She
was ten years old again, in their family’s boat. She’d gazed at the menacing
sky, feeling the rocking of the small vessel beneath her. She smiled at her
parents, as they determinedly rowed her away from whatever danger haunted them
from a distant land. She heard them say they’d be free now. From what, she did
not know.
But, a terrible storm came. The cruel swells it brought
tossed them about for hours. Her mind spun in dizzying confusion, as wave after
wave slammed into the small craft. The boat rose and fell, rose and fell, until
she could endure no more.
Her belly had grown deathly ill as the rains continued to
beat down mercilessly on the trio. Soon, the boat was consumed with water as
bolts of lightening zigzagged above.
Finally, everything grew quiet. Then, the gulls came.
No. There would be no more pain, no more death. No more
gulls.
She opened her eyes and stared at the staircase. Bice was
reeling backward in midair, his head thrusting out of control toward the sharp
edge of the wooden steps.
Her legs may be frozen, but her mind was not.
She was as light as a feather adrift on the wind as she rose
from her body, leaving it behind on top of the stairs. She gazed down at her
golden hair, watching it flow in cascades down her back. Her body looked stiff
and rigid, reminding her of a faded doll perched on a windowsill.
But she was not afraid. She knew all along she was
different, yet this she had not experienced. She raced down the stairs behind
Bice, faster than her mind could understand. He was falling, falling so
quickly. His hands were in the air grasping at something that was not there.
His face was frozen in terror, petrified in time as the earth below waited to
welcome him home.
The bronzed second hand on the grandfather clock below
suddenly sputtered and jerked. Then, it stood still.
She wrapped her hands around his head the moment before it
struck the stairs.
Burning, golden beams of light encircled him, halting his
downward spiral of doom. Cushioned on a warm gust of air, she gently lowered
him to the glossy step.
She gazed at him and smiled. But something was already
calling her back. She followed the steps and gazed at her body perched too
close to the top of the staircase. The sun rose and fell, rose and fell at a
maddening pace as she watched herself stand frozen in time. She must hurry.
She was already racing up the staircase before he opened his
eyes.
Suddenly, her feet were no longer rooted to the floor. She
blinked her eyes open in surprise and gazed at Bice, lying unhurt halfway down
the staircase.
She lifted her hands to her face. The blisters were back,
and this this time they were on both hands. She didn’t care. She let them fall
to her sides and watched as Bice stared in dumfounded silence at her. Oh well,
he’d had quite a fright, he would come around.
She suddenly felt very, very tired. She must rest. As
before, she already knew she could not make it back to the comfort to her room.
Her body shook uncontrollably. She felt her heart pounding,
a thousand galloping hooves across the desert plains beat in her head. Her
fingers and her arms begin to throb and tingle, until they silently went numb.
She fell face down on top of the staircase. Her arm dangled
from the topmost step, exposing her scorched hand.
The second hand on the clock downstairs suddenly sputtered
and coughed back to life. It froze in limbo a second or two, until it once
again began its rhythmic sweep in endless circles, ticking away at eternity.
* * *
Chapter Six
Bice laid on the staircase in stunned silence.
He felt the blood as it pounded through his veins, reminding
him he was still a living, breathing creature. He knew he’d been milliseconds
away from certain death.
He raised his hand to his temple, reached behind his head
and carefully prodded for grey
met his death at the bottom of the staircase.
The stairs grew hazy, until they finally disappeared. She
was ten years old again, in their family’s boat. She’d gazed at the menacing
sky, feeling the rocking of the small vessel beneath her. She smiled at her
parents, as they determinedly rowed her away from whatever danger haunted them
from a distant land. She heard them say they’d be free now. From what, she did
not know.
But, a terrible storm came. The cruel swells it brought
tossed them about for hours. Her mind spun in dizzying confusion, as wave after
wave slammed into the small craft. The boat rose and fell, rose and fell, until
she could endure no more.
Her belly had grown deathly ill as the rains continued to
beat down mercilessly on the trio. Soon, the boat was consumed with water as
bolts of lightening zigzagged above.
Finally, everything grew quiet. Then, the gulls came.
No. There would be no more pain, no more death. No more
gulls.
She opened her eyes and stared at the staircase. Bice was
reeling backward in midair, his head thrusting out of control toward the sharp
edge of the wooden steps.
Her legs may be frozen, but her mind was not.
She was as light as a feather adrift on the wind as she rose
from her body, leaving it behind on top of the stairs. She gazed down at her
golden hair, watching it flow in cascades down her back. Her body looked stiff
and rigid, reminding her of a faded doll perched on a windowsill.
But she was not afraid. She knew all along she was
different, yet this she had not experienced. She raced down the stairs behind
Bice, faster than her mind could understand. He was falling, falling so
quickly. His hands were in the air grasping at something that was not there.
His face was frozen in terror, petrified in time as the earth below waited to
welcome him home.
The bronzed second hand on the grandfather clock below
suddenly sputtered and jerked. Then, it stood still.
She wrapped her hands around his head the moment before it
struck the stairs.
Burning, golden beams of light encircled him, halting his
downward spiral of doom. Cushioned on a warm gust of air, she gently lowered
him to the glossy step.
She gazed at him and smiled. But something was already
calling her back. She followed the steps and gazed at her body perched too
close to the top of the staircase. The sun rose and fell, rose and fell at a
maddening pace as she watched herself stand frozen in time. She must hurry.
She was already racing up the staircase before he opened his
eyes.
Suddenly, her feet were no longer rooted to the floor. She
blinked her eyes open in surprise and gazed at Bice, lying unhurt halfway down
the staircase.
She lifted her hands to her face. The blisters were back,
and this this time they were on both hands. She didn’t care. She let them fall
to her sides and watched as Bice stared in dumfounded silence at her. Oh well,
he’d had quite a fright, he would come around.
She suddenly felt very, very tired. She must rest. As
before, she already knew she could not make it back to the comfort to her room.
Her body shook uncontrollably. She felt her heart pounding,
a thousand galloping hooves across the desert plains beat in her head. Her
fingers and her arms begin to throb and tingle, until they silently went numb.
She fell face down on top of the staircase. Her arm dangled
from the topmost step, exposing her scorched hand.
The second hand on the clock downstairs suddenly sputtered
and coughed back to life. It froze in limbo a second or two, until it once
again began its rhythmic sweep in endless circles, ticking away at eternity.
* * *
Chapter Six
Bice laid on the staircase in stunned silence.
He felt the blood as it pounded through his veins, reminding
him he was still a living, breathing creature. He knew he’d been milliseconds
away from certain death.
He raised his hand to his temple, reached behind his head
and carefully prodded for grey
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