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My dress was a pure white, as was my hair. I was considered beautiful, my skin perfect. My groom was lucky to have me, my eyes a lovely deep blue. I fixed the rose on my head, and pulled over the vale. I took my father’s hand, and looked around the very bright spring air. My gown flew down my legs in ruffles. I started to walk to my groom, when I saw my body fall to the ground, and the crowd pulsed, for they had seen my death.
'I, I'm dead?' I watched my father cry to the skies, but I heard not his voice, I heard another. 'You will stay here, forever watching this town grow and grow, and you will be my own devil.' It was gone after that. I looked at myself now, I was dark skinned, but not black. My dress was no longer white, it was dark black with red ribbons all over it, and the ruffles were hemmed with blood red. My hair was in my face, black, dark.
Below me was the city I grew in. I realized, that I was meant to watch them, for death.
 I pulled on dark pants with a torn jacket, so torn it only covered one arm. How dare my parents forget my birthday, so what if it was her wedding! I waited for this day, for a whole year! Then she scheduled her wedding today. As if she couldn't get worse.
I walked down the stairs and walked into our only room with a mirror. How ugly I must be, I thought, but then suddenly I was out of my body, I watched it fall forward, the mirror cracked, now covered in blood. My body crumpled onto the ground, along with shards of glass.
'You will watch your town and take the pure ones.' 'I will.' I whispered, if this hadn't happened naturally, or so, I would have done it myself.
I saw my hair; it was a beautiful white and yellow. My black attire was now yellow and white, with shining golden buttons. My jacket was very fancy, but still very shabby. Around me floated golden butterflies, fluttering softly landing on my hair, as if to drink my sweetness.
It didn't take me, and the other girl who had shown up as soon as I could fully see, long to figure out that we were supposed to take the souls of the people who died. My old name didn't matter, my new name was, Para of the Parallels. Her old name didn't matter either, it was now Loreli. She looked much like my former self, but I knew I looked much like her former self.
As soon as she saw me... here... she smiled, for she must have hated me so much as to die on my wedding day. I could only look away.
After fifty years of quiet nothing, we saw the first death. The looking glass as we called it, moved silently on its own mind, and we watched for deaths. I had my edge, slightly larger than hers; she had hers, slightly smaller than mine.
What she did surprised me, it was a very handsome old man, or he had been handsome, it was who was going to be my husband. Of the point, she reached her hand into the looking glass (after that day, I simply called it the Death Mirror) and she took my groom. He was pulled up; he looked just like her, in white and gold, white dazzling hair, a very nice formal jacket. He looked at me oddly, then hatred seized him, and I was still alone, their portion of the Death Mirror grew.
After that, even when they slept I saw no death for me, no soul to seize. Year after year, her ranks grew; she soon had a large army of hatred angels. I was alone and could not speak.
After years of seeing her take lives, I saw she only took the souls of handsome or beautiful people, never less always more. I soon realized that after years and years of watching her and her minions take lives, the best thing I remember, maybe even the last, was one Christmas, the 102nd Christmas that is. Three years after the dark one came.
It really did not take long for me to find a death, or maybe it was just how it seemed, really fifty years wasn't that long. She just stared, while I reached my hands into the Looking Glass and took the soul. I laughed as I realized it was her husband, and that I could hear my voice! I guess that I could only hear my voice when I had someone to talk to.
I watched him, he noticed his old bride, I thought he would leave me, but hatred quickly came over him; he sided next to me and we started to talk.
'Why me?' He quizzed, 'Because you were handsome and you died.' He understood instantly that I chose to only choose handsome or beautiful souls. We watched the looking glass and talked, I found him often gazing at his former bride. 'She turned ugly in death.' I told him as I laid down to rest. 'Yes she has.' I went to sleep, while he still gazed at her.
I saw him reaching his hand into the Looking Glass, about fifty years later, and saw him pull out a beautiful brown haired girl.
She looked surprised; she was now dressed formally better than I. I looked her up and down and deemed her fine. She looked into the Glass and saw her body, then saw others kneel next to her frozen body. I explained the Looking Glass to her. 'But couldn't you have saved me?' She still looked confused, I pointed at the ugly black one staring into the Looking Glass. 'We saved you from being ugly. Life wary makes you ugly.'
She was slightly surprised, then she seemed to get the same look I thought I had on my face, over time I never saw her reach into the Looking Glass.
 actually, the day it happened was more normal than others. I got dressed and went to school, and did okay in classes. At twelve, I started going to the other building to go to my next class, someone grabbed me. I was eventually dropped, but I was only in a T-Shirt and sweat pants. I was dropped in the snow at six, next to a very busy sidewalk. Slowly I faded into sleep, then into the parallel. I was really surprised; a white girl was calling me beautiful. She was holding my clothes, which she thought were white and gold, but when I looked down, I was in a marionette outfit, red and black.
She also told me that I was dead. I was really sad because Christmas time is my favorite time; it's the only time I get to see my family. 'Oh honey, don't be worried, I died on my birthday.' I felt slightly concerned, but then I saw many people crouched over my body, a black girl's body. They lifted me up and carried me away.
Later that night the Looking Glass washed over my home, and there my family sat crying. Two years later Martin Luther King Jr. was killed and major racism receded, but I was dead, and it didn't matter.
The day the black girl joined them, I was severely confused, she looked like me, despite the dark skin. I wondered if the Aras were trying to confuse me.
By that time their side of the Death Mirror was slightly larger than mine. After the third death, more came. Our little town had turned into a large city. I watched as happy families sang carols and smiled with the shining Christmas lights.
I was surprised at how many died around Christmas, I looked at all the happy families, they were still happy.
One week until Christmas, I saw a dove flying in to air. What's it doing? Soon it fell to the ground, dead. I thought for a moment, and then reached my hands into the Death Mirror, it was weird. Reaching my hands and arms into the real world, I held the dove carefully, and pulled him up to my parallel.
As soon as I held the bird in my hands in my darkness, it awoke. In now gleaming black feathers. Stars sat silently hidden in his feathers as well. My portion of the Death Mirror grew wider. The bird preened itself, and then made a perch on my shoulder. You're so pretty. I thought hoping he could hear me.
She found a bird! Ha, it's as ugly as her. That crow. It makes me laugh how many people die, they usually die while she sleeps, and beautiful ones die in her wake. I lead my army of white, oh how large the Looking Glass sits now! I sit next to my husband above the parallel, from my perch jutting out invisibly from the dark, I order my now army of ten to grab as many suitable souls as possible. The brown haired one (I'll never figure out why her hair is brown) sits and does nothing. Depressed. He home is almost always in view, she must be depressed that she can't be with her family, strange.
Idea! I'll just see to it that her family dies, then she can be with her family, I'll have to check to see if they will fit, but her mother will defiantly fit!
When she fell asleep, I looked into her house.
Oh how beautiful they were! The Father and Mother had perfect skin, and lovely black hair! Then a child walked into view, a boy. He was just barely handsome enough, at least in the black tux. I might not take him. Then a girl, she looked to be only a year younger than my brown haired one.
She looked to her sister's picture on the wall and started to cry. She was wearing black and her family came to her and comforted her.
Oh, worrying about death, defiantly a big no no. The children are off. Oh well, I bet she'll be happy about her parents anyway.
It was odd, I glanced over towards Loreli, and she was dipping her head into the Death Mirror, and looking back towards the dark one. I looked into the Death Mirror and saw a family that looked just like her getting into a car dressed in all black. Oh no.
It was snowing so hard, the ground so slippery. Loreli just slipped her hands into the Death Mirror, she touched the car and it simply started spinning, I had to help them!
As I reached into the mirror I felt oddly strange again. I held the car steady, but as soon as I took my hands off, the car flipped, and toppled down a large ditch. Four souls took off, I caught a young boy's and a teenage girl's.
I pulled them in and took the mother. Loreli looked greatly surprised, then greatly angry. I heard her voice, how sweet it screaming at me. My dove cooed, and pulled a strand of hair behind my ear.
'Para! I need those souls, they are for the dark one here!' But her voice quickly slipped away. I turned to see my new friends.
All three of them look surprised to see me. I tested out my voice, 'Hello, my name is Para. I'm really sad to say, you died. I tried to save you, I'm not sure where we are other than a parallel.' The trio looked at the Death Mirror, their car was covered in blood. 'Don't look, it is too sad.' The mother collapsed next to her children and wept. My Dove lighted down next to her and cooed into her ear. The boy clung to his sisters black skirt.
I awoke to my father shaking me, or hugging me, I couldn’t tell. At first I hugged him really hard, then I realized he wasn't hugging me in our house, I was in the infinite darkness with him, surrounded by bright monsters. He was one of them now. 'Dad? Why are you here?' His face was wet and I pushed him away. I looked at Loreli. 'What did you do? Why is he here!?'
Loreli's face was smiling so evilly I felt worse than how she thought of Para. 'I took him to you. He had a heart attack, so I took his soul.' I looked at him, 'Rose, white looks so pretty on you.' I felt disgusted. 'Dad you’re not old enough to have a heart attack.' I glanced over at Para's side of the Looking Glass, and saw the rest of my family. My mother weeping, my brother clutching my sister, and my sister standing there wishing I was there with her. I got up, I tried running to them. But my father held me back. 'They are with them now, they betrayed us.' I looked at him, how confused I was! My own father was telling me to not go to his family, his family! I slapped his hand but he didn't let go.
I couldn't smile, I was trapped now, with what I knew were monsters, but I felt I wasn't a monster, Para now she, she, wasn't a monster, she was a goddess! She saved my family from this wretched thing.
Later, Loreli was sitting alone on her perch, I glance at Para, who had a higher perch, and her bird, her dove, sat even higher than her.
Loreli.
'Loreli! You destroyed my family! As if they weren't in enough pain!' She leaned forward and smiled broadly, her evil smile. 'It was not my fault that Para interfered. Yell at her.' She leaned back and smiled, furiously I screamed at her, 'I am going to leave you! I'm not staying with monsters like you!'
Oh no, a big fight, it seems the dark one has wants to see her family. I looked towards her family who all slept below me next to the Death Mirror. The dark one, Rose, was storming away, Loreli was angry, she jumped from her perch, and pushed Rose. Rose started tumbling into the Death Mirror. Wide eyed, I jumped from my own perch, calling my Dove with me. I saw Rose tumble into the Death Mirror, I glanced at her sleeping family and rushed in after her. I dove into the Death Mirror, and saw Rose falling in front of me.
It was odd, after seemingly falling for years, we were instantly on the ground, after living in a timeless world, and we could have only fallen for a second for all we know. She looked at me, and I looked at her.
We were in the real world, alive!
I pushed her, into the Looking Glass, everyone was asleep, so maybe they think the other came for her wrong doing. But then I wondered, what everything that I had seen come into play over the years, I would be very old now, ha I'd be dead! With all those inventions I see every day, maybe it would be fun to go mess with the minds of the people who all forgot me!
I stepped tentively into the Looking Glass.
At first I felt like I was falling, then I was on the ground. Alive? After a hundred years, was I alive again?
No, the pond next to me dared to say that I was not completely visible. I tried to splash the water, but only some of the water splashed. Interesting how I was here, but still dead. When I looked around, I saw tries, then a dirt path.
I must be in the city park. No! My voice is trapped in my head again! No, this can't be! Angry now, I walked to the path and out of the park.
It was odd being with Para, in the real world, we could only half touch things, but Para had a great idea: 'Rose, let’s celebrate Christmas! Oh, what a great idea! We smiled slyly at each other. It didn't take us long to find a tree in the forest we were in. We snuck around town together, stealing garland, ornaments, a large star, and little gifts. We could only hold things completely while we fused our hands together to make a real hand. Often times we scared people when we walked off, with floating things in our hands. The pine we had found was huge, we thought ourselves in the park.
Many people who passed by at night smiled at the tree, with its gleaming ornaments.
Three days before Christmas now.
We stole hundreds of candles big and small; we put them in jars and hung them and sturdy branches, with sturdy rope. We placed a large candle under it and smiled at our work.
We found the presents and put them under the tree, well they all were on a large blanket we found.
Christmas Eve.
Oh how wonderful it is to celebrate Christmas finally! We were lighting all the candles sitting on branches and Rose started asking me questions, 'Para, when were you alive?' I looked up at the few stars shining back at me then my Dove hopped around from branches stringing garland. 'I was alive in the 1850's.' Rose was astounded. 'Really? How did you die?' This time I thought for a moment, 'When did you die, do you know the date?' Rose watched me think. 'The other came for me. On the day of my wedding,' I gestured to my dress, and she nodded, 'I don't remember the date now.' 'Oh, that's so sad. When did Loreli die... Oh wait, she died on her birthday.' I nodded. 'Para, what was your name before you died.'
I looked at her with my red eyes. 'Lavender.'
We looked around and saw light coming from everywhere. 'Lavender, how pretty.' She whispered absently.
Christmas eve, I found them, in a tree! It was Christmas for them, and I. I saw candles coming from everywhere, people coming to celebrate under this tree, why?
I saw Rose, I wanted so bad to strangle her, but something held me back. Rose and Para jumped from the tree, Para's crow following. Para motioned for me to follow, unwilling to be left alone in the dread of the living, I walked away with them.
We kept walking until we were in the town. But even then we kept walking. I held myself back from the tears that tried to fall from my face, because this world had forgotten Par-, Lavender and I. When I realized we were on Main Street, I started to see buildings that looked like the buildings back then. When we were alive. Then we were in the grave yard.
Like we didn't need to be reminded.
It was strange. Rose took the lead and led us to a large circle with two gravestones gleaming. I finally noticed the snow falling around us, but I wasn't colder, I was always cold, because I am always dead. The graves were, respected.
Rose knew where our graves were. Loreli's was made to a perfect shine, mine was white. As white as our faces. Candles were placed around our graves, lit and shining. I knelt down. 'Why is my grave her? Next to yours?!' Loreli ran her hand through the dark grave. 'My parents though you and I were best friends.' She looked at me, surprise hid her anger. 'Why would they think that?'
Surprised myself now, 'Well I thought we were best friends.' Anger hid her surprise now. But it was drowned out.
Loreli was angry at Par-, Lavender, because when they were alive, Lavender thought they were best friends, strange. I said loudly before a fight built up, 'My family won't be buried until spring.' Lavender quickly looked sad, Loreli just looked away. 'Oh Rose dear, I'm so sorry, your family will all rest together.' I started crying. How dare she lie straight to my face!
'I will never rest! I will always be a spirit with you! My family will never rest! I spent my whole life believing when I died I'd go to heaven, with my mom and my monster.' I sat on the ground and wept.
Lavender sat next to me, and cooed into my ear, 'You will, it's not a lie, I know, we've just been trapped in the part of heaven, the dungeon let’s say' 'Then what did I do wrong? I believed Jesus was the only way and came as a little baby, his birthday tomorrow!'
Lavender spoke softly, 'It's not what you did wrong dear, it's what Loreli and I did wrong.'
I couldn't help myself, I wanted Lavender to get angry!
'I want to celebrate Christmas around our tree! Alive!' Oh no, she had been dead a hundred years, watching a hundred Christmas holiday's pass, I had seen three. Every year I watched my family cry around a picture of me.
'Rose it gets easier, really after about ten Christmas Eve's you get used to it.' Loreli was standing in front of me.
Lavender decided we should break into a store and celebrate what was left of Christmas eve there. When we got there she decided to quote the birth of Jesus to us. I yawned and relaxed in a chair. 'I don’t' know it all, but I do know that baby Jesus came, he left his kingdom, eternity of love, to come to be hated. Because he loved us first.' Rose sat directly in front of her like a five year old hearing the story for the first time. I wondered around the store. I found a plug in for the tree we were around and lit it up, it was pretty, but really the tree in the forest with the candles was better.
I'll never tell them I said that.
Wondering soon got old. I pulled a chair over to Lavender's story group, she was just now getting to the part when the sheppards came.
One hundred years and we were still 16.
I felt so, old. It was odd really, we'd forever be little girls. Forever. I felt very childish when I looked at Lavender. She was getting married before she died. I was being selfish and fell into a mirror. I was so oblivious to everything around me that I fell into a world I made up in my mind. Maybe I made this world. Maybe the "wrongs" that Lavender had talked about, were the wrongs of my mind, my oblivious look on the world. The universe.
I sat next to her and help tell the story, she told part I told part. She told of Matthew, I told of Luke.
Of course this doesn't mean that I won't still be cross, but I'm not completely dotty.
Unlike some people, I know when to say, 'I was wrong, and I'm sorry.' Lavender Smiled at me and Rose relaxed. I felt like the mother of her now. She was mine and I'd protect her.
Halfway through the story of Jesus’ birth, Loreli joined me and I felt a broken tie, tied.
I'd like to say it ended there.
Once again I suggested a walk, by now I could see people walking back to their homes. We unplugged the tree (electricity, who would have guessed!); we walked to the tree, our tree. Loreli was some the same, but I could tell she wasn't going to betray us, at least forever, and to us, forever wasn't, isn't, just a thought.
We saw pictures of the dead hanging around us. Well, on the tree. Rose, Loreli, and I were all sitting down in front of the tree, as if they all knew. My dove was on my shoulder the whole time, he looked around and then flew off. Gone into the stars.
He was part of the sky the whole time.
But moments after he flew off I knew why.
The Other had come.
He spoke, but barely.
'I did not send you into the parallel to come back. You have done wrong. You have lost your right to your souls and bodies.'
Like that, it was over for us. As Rose told me, we played the game, we played hard, and we lost hard. But really, to me, the game had always been over and we were in illegal overtime.
Three bodies lay on the ground. The faces forever turned towards the sky. Six eyes lay fixed to the sky. All three bodies were holding hands. One in a deadly dress. One shining white. One dressed like a marionette, red and Black.
Tears stained on all three's faces. The pictures of the death laid out behind them, placed there the night before, but who could know that this would say their bodies would fall in front of them. Their hair mixed in with the snow.
It fell around them, as if when they died, they had laid in the snow to make a line of angels. Christmas angels. In front of the most beautiful Christmas tree.
These were, The Christmas Murders.
 Jayy Bird · Sun Sep 14, 2008 @ 07:23am · 0 Comments |
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