What Happened

Now, before I begin, let me forewarn you that this is a story you probably will not believe. Nobody really believes the stories I tell. I suppose that’s partly because Mitch and I are both born storytellers, a trait that has gotten us into a lot of trouble over the years. We are Storytellers. Liars sounds so malicious and that’s not at all what we are about.

It’s the summer before Mitch and I are supposed to go our separate ways. He is going to college to pursue a degree in God-knows-what. I never let him tell me, because, frankly, I don’t care. Any college degree would be wasted on someone like Mitch, but his parents guilted him into it because it’s what they want, and the boy never could resist a good guilting. He’s very easily manipulated. Meanwhile, I am being shipped against my will to my grandmother’s house in Connecticut to help her in her old age, though I know it’s actually a punishment for me not having direction in my life.

Mitch and I love adventures. We take them as often as we can. In the instance in question, we stared up at a huge mountain and I’m not ashamed to say I had to take a minute to compose myself.

“Well, let’s go.” Mitch said, hoisting his own bag over his shoulder.

If I had known how much would change just by taking that one first step, I would not have had the guts to take it. Don’t get me wrong, I was up for adventure. That’s why I had agreed to this whole trip in the first place, but I didn’t really think anything would happen. I thought Mitch was just taking me on a wild goose chase to avoid having to go to college. I could still hear the conversation in my head.

“We’re going to climb to the top of Mauna Kea.” He had said excitedly, spreading his maps and notes out on the table in front of me.

“So have a lot of people.” I was not impressed. “It’s like, not even that tall.”

“Yes, Kaci, I know that people have climbed it before. Just trust me.” He did not appreciate that I doubted his plan.

Regardless of what my thoughts or feelings may have been starting out, all that changed as soon as my foot touched the base of Mauna Kea.

I felt like my whole body had been electrified. Goosebumps covered my skin, and my hair stood on end.

The entire world around me went dark even though it was the middle of a sunny afternoon. I reached my arm out, searching for Mitch. He was evidently doing the same, as our hands found each other and instantly clung together in a death grip. It was just the two of us and the darkness.

In front of my eyes there appeared a light. It started out thin and white, like a firefly dancing in the spring dusk and zig-zagging through trees and bushes. Except this light went from white to light green to dark green to almost black but illuminated. I didn’t even know such a thing was possible. It was light and dark at the same time, each opposite feeding off the other.

So entranced was I by the sheer strangeness of the sight that I didn’t notice the Figures until they were standing directly in front of me mere inches from my face.

They wore hoods that were so black they looked like the void and their skin was such a raw white it was dazzling and devastating. Their faces were terrible and misshapen and in twisted knots and holes ending in a very sharp, pointy chin. I could not tell if they were aliens, monsters, demons, or even angels. They were just definitely not human.

One giant egg-shaped oval that spread from one side to the other and contained the force of a thousand deaths served as an eye.

My hair that was a brownish red color turned white when I looked into that giant eye, for in that briefest of seconds, I could see every fear that I had harbored since childhood, even those I had forgotten or that seemed ridiculous now, like the time when I was six and for some reason, I believed butterflies would kill you if they landed on you. Imagine my terror when my aunt then took me to the butterfly garden at the zoo.

But it was more than fear reflected in that otherworldly orb. I felt dirty and exposed, like I was staring at an unflattering picture of myself or looking in a distorted mirror at a Funhouse that was designed to only show the very worst parts of me. I saw the evil inside; the same darkness that fueled the world’s villains in every act of depravity ever committed.

I couldn’t speak. I could barely breathe as I watched the Figure reach a hand out to stroke my cheek, leaving a thick trail of what could only be blood across my face. I noticed that they had human hands, albeit much thinner and bonier and still that dazzling, glowing white. I couldn’t see any injuries but blood dripped from long jagged fingernails and ran in trails down their palms.

At some point, I had let go of Mitch’s hand and hearing his scream reminded me of that. Terror for him filled me, but I couldn’t turn my head. I thought I had been paralyzed, but then I realized the Figure now had both hands on me, one on each cheek, holding me firmly in place.

A roaring filled my ears. It filled my entire body with deafening force and vibration. My skin became so sensitive that I could feel every individual nerve ending, and my blood felt like a stream of thick water splashing trails through my veins.

Then nothing. I was surrounded by the thickest darkness I could ever imagine. It seeped into my skin through my pores and under my nails. It stuffed up my mouth and nose, making it impossible to breathe. My eyes were shrouded so completely that I wondered if I had ever been able to see at all.

Then that light; those white-green-black fireflies came back, and I realized Mitch was standing beside me, but he wasn’t the Mitch I knew. He must have experienced something different than I had; something far worse, for his mouth was open in a twisted scream with no sound and he twitched and trembled.

“You have a choice to make.” A Voice echoed. It was the silkiest, sweetest voice I had ever heard. It reverberated strongly and deeply, but was soft and sensuous, almost seductive.

I couldn’t see where the Voice was coming from. It filled the air and surrounded us.

“You have something I want.” The Voice continued.

I had no idea what the Voice was talking about, but judging from the sick look on his face, Mitch did.

I realized we were again surrounded by the horde of Figures. This time, their hoods were pulled so low their eye was hidden and only their sharply pointed chins were exposed.

One stepped forward transformed into a Being so transcendently beautiful my eyes watered and I couldn’t look directly at it, but every time I glanced away, I felt my soul wither up within me and was sure that I would die. This was the Voice.

“We are the Spirits of Mauna Kea. You know why you are here, don’t you, Mitch?” The Voice was gentle but very firm.

My eyes darted to my friend. What have you done? I wanted to shout, but I was incapable of moving my lips.

“You will return what you have stolen, or you will pay the price.” The gentleness quickly vanished.

My mind was buzzing. My stomach grew distended, as if I was pregnant. I could see the child- and I hesitate to say child, because it seemed more likely to be some sort of alien or demonic creature inhabiting my body- kicking and pushing against my skin. My whole stomach moved on its own and shifted completely against my will in strange and unnatural patterns.

“I have not been granted the power over life and death.” The Voice continued. “But I do have the power to prevent your future.”

My body began to tremble and seize. Agonizing pain shot from the center of my swollen stomach, spreading outward. The dried blood on my cheeks began to run as if from a fresh wound.

The entire horde of Figures remained unmoving and expressionless. “Return what you have stolen.” They said as one. It came out as a raspy, buzzing hum. They repeated the words over and over in an unending chant.

“Return what you have stolen.”

“Return what you have stolen.”

“You have taken a piece of the past from me, so shall I take a piece of your future.” The Leader said while the chanting continued.

“Mitch, what are they talking about?” I yelled; my breathing labored. I was writhing on the ground in a slippery red puddle.

“Your future lies in the lives of your children. I cannot bring death, but I can make one wish they were never given life.” The chants rose in a loud crescendo and the face of their Leader twisted grotesquely until the mouth took up most of its face as it screamed.

Something within me broke and fluid gushed from between my legs, followed by a slippery, screaming baby, if you could call it that.

I was right. This was not a baby. This was a monster. Its limbs were all there, but not exactly where they were supposed to be and twisted in unnatural angles. Its head was turned so far to the side it was almost completely backwards. Its mouth was filled with fangs that would have been too big for an adult’s mouth and looked like were made of aged stone. Most terrifying of all was the unmistakable egg-shaped orb spread across its twisted face.

“Return what you have stolen.” The chant continued. I was horrified to notice that the infant spoke the words as well.

“Look into the face of your future.” The Leader screamed.

“Return what you have stolen.”

The loud roaring filled my ears again and darkness clouded my vision.

I jerked and landed hard on my bedroom floor. Everything was normal again. My hair was the right color, there was no sign of pregnancy, real or imagined, and my skin was clean.

I didn’t even take the time to put shoes on before I ran out the door, nearly slamming into Mitch before I had even made it off my porch.

He looked just as freaked as I felt.

We grabbed each other’s arms, and both yelled at the same time.

“Did you take anything when your family went to Hawaii?” I shrieked.

“I need you to help me get rid of something.” He declared.

I followed Mitch back to his garage.

He dug through a couple of boxes, mumbling incoherently. I gasped when he straightened and turned towards me.

He held in his hands the tiniest skull I had ever seen. It looked very old and dry with a little piece worn through. I seriously hoped it wasn’t human, but I was at a loss for what else it could be.

You can’t tell me it was all just a dream. It was not. It was real. I’m telling you this because I don’t know what’s going to happen. If I fall asleep before we put the skull back where it came from, will I ever wake up? Even if we do make it all the way to Mauna Kea, I have no guarantees of what we will find. I don’t even know how I got involved in this in the first place.

At least now someone will know what happened to us.