Hidden in the Ashes

Another mystery in town.

This was enough to set papa off into a frenzy. He couldn’t take it after our puppy Miles went missing.

Papa walked around the house angrily as he yelled on the phone. “I’m sick of it, nothing ever goes right in this city. The young lad went missing last week and now my dog this week.. What’s next ?”

I watched as he walked out of the door. And I slowly walked over to the torn up couch in our living room and sat down carefully.

I scanned everything around me as the pipes dripped brownish water, the floor creaked from time to time and the kitchen table was uneven.

I thought about my mother before she left and went on to rehab. I may have not known my mother, but I feel peace every time I think of her.

That same night, before I went to bed, papa told me we were moving far away from the city next weekend, and to start packing early tomorrow morning.

“Haha ! Try to me catch me !” I heard as I woke up.

I sat up and watched from my room into the hallway where my two brothers were horse playing.

Boxes of styrofoam and bubble wrap filled the wooden floors.

As I walked through the hallway to the front door, children were screaming and playing as they rode their bikes.

I smiled as they giggled and told jokes upon one another.

Crash! A loud shatter came from the bathroom.

My father and I ran towards the sound and saw my brother Dustin in shock.

As papa saw what it was, his whole demeanor changed as he picked up the glass pieces in distraught.

The glass was from the vase where my grandmother’s ashes were held.

Papa walked outside of the bathroom without saying a word, and I held my brothers face for reassurance.

Despite the mess that was made, in the middle of all of it was a red heart-shaped locket.

I picked it up, as it glistened and analyzed it in admiration.

“ Did anybody see the backyard?” I asked as everyone brought boxes into the new home.

“Yeah the neighbors literally stared at me until I went back inside like creeps.” My brother Caleb said.

“Hey that’s enough !” My dad responded to Caleb as he glared at him.

Caleb giggled and skipped off upstairs. I rolled my eyes and followed my Dad into my room that was downstairs.

“And there you have it, all of your stuff is now unloaded.” Dad sighed with relief.

After a while, Papa let us know that the neighbors were coming over for dinner.

Before I was completely ready, I grabbed a chair and sat it in front of my closet to be able to reach where I hid the locket.

Suddenly, my door opened and I flinched as I looked back.

“ Is everything okay ?”

I nod my head while breathing heavily.

“Mk the guests are here it’s time to come down.”

After Papa left, I held the locket and put it on as I looked in the mirror.

The light from the necklace beamed onto mirror and reflected, slowly a figure formed in the mirror.

I reached out in front of me very confused. But it vanished quickly.

Downstairs everyone sat, dressed as if they were meeting the President for the very first time.

The neighbors sat across from us at the very petite table and hadn’t stopped smiling.

To me they seemed perfect, a spoiled teenage daughter and her happy mother and father.

“ I do apologize for the lack of decoration.” Papa said.

“Oh no no we understand, moving in and everything must be hard.” The father of the family exclaimed.

Caleb and Nolan, my brothers were uncomfortably dressed and tired, I could tell.

“It’s quiet around here.” Caleb spoke.

Silence swallowed the room.

“It’s peaceful.” I said breaking the silence.

Papa looked over at me as he put a spoonful of greens in his mouth. Before we broke eye contact he stared at the locket around my neck. I hurriedly looked away and nervously sipped my glass of lemonade.

“Laura is a top student at her school, she studies all day and never leaves her room.” The mother said bragging about her oldest daughter.

“ Couldn’t say the same for mine.” Papa said clearing his throat.

I hesitantly spoke.

“ Most of time I’m with my brothers, making sure they’re okay.”

Laura looked up and smiled at me.

As the adults in the room made conversation from time to time, the children stared at one another for about another hour.

After dinner, me and my two brothers cleaned up the table and joked about how routined the neighbors were.

That same night I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling holding the locket. I thought to myself why Papa would be drawn to it.

Thud.

A loud sound came from the hallway, but I thought nothing of it.

Thud.

“Cut it out Caleb!” I yelled.

Thud.

“Nolan! Ugh.”

I got out of bed and walked upstairs to their room to stop them from messing around. I flicked on the lights and I couldn’t believe they were asleep.

As I turned around to get back to bed I saw a dark figure standing in front of me. It appeared as a human and stared at me.

The figure slowly crept towards me and immediately I let out a piercing cry. Next thing I know I’m lying on the floor and Papa is kneeling down over me for comfort.

He led me back into my room and flicked the lights on, as he continued to ask me what happened. I slowly came back to.

“ I saw someone but it was to dark, maybe it was you, but I couldn’t see.. I .. I’m sorry- “

“You we’re just tired, you need rest sweetheart.” Papa moved his hands toward the locket and took it from around my neck.

My palms were sweating and I felt as if I stole something that he owned, but he didn’t feel the need to speak on it.

Throughout the night I tossed and turned thinking about the heart-shaped locket. There was something about it that I needed to know. For the past few weeks, I hadn’t spoken or felt the need to. I just waited for the right moment to go after what I had wanted and I knew exactly when. Papa was going fishing this afternoon and he would take the boys with him.

“You sure you’re okay here?” Nolan had asked.

I nodded my head and messed with his hair to reassure him that I was fine.

“We’ll be back later tonight.” Papa said.

I locked the door behind them and watched through the window as they drove off.

Now was the perfect time to find the locket. With a quickness, I ran into Papa’s room and searched for it. I toppled over his shoes that were neatly stacked, looked up in his closet, peeked under his bed but there was nothing.

“Think like Papa.” I whispered to myself continuously.

Then I remembered that Papa always kept his safe for important things. And the safe sat still on his dresser that I had not touched. Of course it was locked and there was no way I knew the code or had enough time to find the key. I looked over at his briefcase where he held his gun.

I picked it up and analyzed it, this chance was a once in a lifetime thing. And I had to do it.

I pointed the gun at the lock on the safe and squinted my eyes to focus.

POW! I dropped the gun from frightening myself, but the lock was still locked.

I picked it up again.

POW! The lock flew and the safe opened.

I continued to breathe heavily from adrenaline and grabbed the locket inside.

I ran to a mirror and put it around my neck.

Knock. knock.

I panicked thinking they had come back early.

But through the peep hole, I saw Lauren.

I opened the door barely. “Hey.”

“Is everything okay? I heard gunshots but I’m not sure where they came from.” Lauren sounded concerned but very monotone.

I shrugged.

“Mind if I come in? , Mom and Dad have been fighting.”

I opened the door but allowed Lauren to come inside.

As I motioned her to have a seat and prepared to listen to a long rampage, Lauren sat and looked around as she tapped her fingers together.

“ Is everyone asleep?”

I shook my head no. “ They went down by the lake.. fishing.”

I retracted to the real issue.

“Do they know that you left Lauren?”

She nodded.

“Could I use the bathroom?” She had asked.

“Of course.. I’ll wait out here.”

Thirty minutes later, Lauren still didn’t come back. There was no sound from her, it felt like I was alone again.

I knocked on the door, “Lauren?”

After she had not responded I kicked the doorknob and the door flung open.

Lauren was not there.

I quietly walked out into the hallway and searched for her.

I felt a breeze behind me and sighed.

“Seriously this isn’t the time to play.” I yelled.

I followed where I heard giggles coming from the pantry. I swung it open and did not see Lauren.

I quickly headed for the front door until the lights shut off.

“Lauren?”

My heart beat began to echo throughout the house as my ears heated up.

And there it was. The same dark figure was across from me as I stood in the kitchen.

“It’s mine.” I heard a small voice say.

My head start to throb and my stomach felt empty. I slowly reached behind me for a kitchen knife.

“Hand it over.” The voice said again.

I backed up into a corner.

“You took it.”

The dark figure started slow as it walked up to me but came faster.

I screamed and used the knife to protect myself but heard a familiar voice.

“ ow what is wrong with you?” She hit the lights and it was Lauren.

I dropped the knife and began to shake.

“I thought you.. I didn’t mean it, I -“

“You’re crazy!” Lauren looked angrily at me and left.

Tears fell onto my reddish cheeks. I tried to snatch the locket but it seem it had gotten smaller and tighter around my neck.

I held tight onto the locket with both hands hoping it would eventually break. I walked into the bathroom and the heart glistened off of the mirror. It molded and turned completely black, then it shattered. A hand formed out of the shattered mirror, and reached for the locket.

I lifted my hand to touch it and it turned into ashes.

“Ah !” I backed up and hit my head on the wall.

I drifted into darkness.

Hands cold, feet numb and a small headache. I laid on the floor and a tight squeeze formed around my neck. The locket felt like it was apart of me. I crawled helpless to the house phone that stayed in the basement. I fell down a couple steps on my way down. I picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1, they did not make out what I was saying so I continued to scream.

I took the phone from my ear and held it in my lap as I laid there cold and out of faith.

“No. No” I said to myself.

“Excuse me ma’am, Are you there?” The lady spoke faintly on the phone as I drifted off.

Another mystery in town.

This was enough to set papa off into a frenzy. He couldn’t take it after our puppy Miles went missing.

Papa walked around the house angrily as he yelled on the phone. “I’m sick of it, nothing ever goes right in this city. The young lad went missing last week and now my dog this week.. What’s next ?”

I watched as he walked out of the door. And I slowly walked over to the torn up couch in our living room and sat down carefully.

I scanned everything around me as the pipes dripped brownish water, the floor creaked from time to time and the kitchen table was uneven.

I thought about my mother before she left and went on to rehab. I may have not known my mother, but I feel peace every time I think of her.

That same night, before I went to bed, papa told me we were moving far away from the city next weekend, and to start packing early tomorrow morning.

“Haha ! Try to me catch me !” I heard as I woke up.

I sat up and watched from my room into the hallway where my two brothers were horse playing.

Boxes of styrofoam and bubble wrap filled the wooden floors.

As I walked through the hallway to the front door, children were screaming and playing as they rode their bikes.

I smiled as they giggled and told jokes upon one another.

Crash! A loud shatter came from the bathroom.

My father and I ran towards the sound and saw my brother Dustin in shock.

As papa saw what it was, his whole demeanor changed as he picked up the glass pieces in distraught.

The glass was from the vase where my grandmother’s ashes were held.

Papa walked outside of the bathroom without saying a word, and I held my brothers face for reassurance.

Despite the mess that was made, in the middle of all of it was a red heart-shaped locket.

I picked it up, as it glistened and analyzed it in admiration.

“ Did anybody see the backyard?” I asked as everyone brought boxes into the new home.

“Yeah the neighbors literally stared at me until I went back inside like creeps.” My brother Caleb said.

“Hey that’s enough !” My dad responded to Caleb as he glared at him.

Caleb giggled and skipped off upstairs. I rolled my eyes and followed my Dad into my room that was downstairs.

“And there you have it, all of your stuff is now unloaded.” Dad sighed with relief.

After a while, Papa let us know that the neighbors were coming over for dinner.

Before I was completely ready, I grabbed a chair and sat it in front of my closet to be able to reach where I hid the locket.

Suddenly, my door opened and I flinched as I looked back.

“ Is everything okay ?”

I nod my head while breathing heavily.

“Mk the guests are here it’s time to come down.”

After Papa left, I held the locket and put it on as I looked in the mirror.

The light from the necklace beamed onto mirror and reflected, slowly a figure formed in the mirror.

I reached out in front of me very confused. But it vanished quickly.

Downstairs everyone sat, dressed as if they were meeting the President for the very first time.

The neighbors sat across from us at the very petite table and hadn’t stopped smiling.

To me they seemed perfect, a spoiled teenage daughter and her happy mother and father.

“ I do apologize for the lack of decoration.” Papa said.

“Oh no no we understand, moving in and everything must be hard.” The father of the family exclaimed.

Caleb and Nolan, my brothers were uncomfortably dressed and tired, I could tell.

“It’s quiet around here.” Caleb spoke.

Silence swallowed the room.

“It’s peaceful.” I said breaking the silence.

Papa looked over at me as he put a spoonful of greens in his mouth. Before we broke eye contact he stared at the locket around my neck. I hurriedly looked away and nervously sipped my glass of lemonade.

“Laura is a top student at her school, she studies all day and never leaves her room.” The mother said bragging about her oldest daughter.

“ Couldn’t say the same for mine.” Papa said clearing his throat.

I hesitantly spoke.

“ Most of time I’m with my brothers, making sure they’re okay.”

Laura looked up and smiled at me.

As the adults in the room made conversation from time to time, the children stared at one another for about another hour.

After dinner, me and my two brothers cleaned up the table and joked about how routined the neighbors were.

That same night I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling holding the locket. I thought to myself why Papa would be drawn to it.

Thud.

A loud sound came from the hallway, but I thought nothing of it.

Thud.

“Cut it out Caleb!” I yelled.

Thud.

“Nolan! Ugh.”

I got out of bed and walked upstairs to their room to stop them from messing around. I flicked on the lights and I couldn’t believe they were asleep.

As I turned around to get back to bed I saw a dark figure standing in front of me. It appeared as a human and stared at me.

The figure slowly crept towards me and immediately I let out a piercing cry. Next thing I know I’m lying on the floor and Papa is kneeling down over me for comfort.

He led me back into my room and flicked the lights on, as he continued to ask me what happened. I slowly came back to.

“ I saw someone but it was to dark, maybe it was you, but I couldn’t see.. I .. I’m sorry- “

“You we’re just tired, you need rest sweetheart.” Papa moved his hands toward the locket and took it from around my neck.

My palms were sweating and I felt as if I stole something that he owned, but he didn’t feel the need to speak on it.

Throughout the night I tossed and turned thinking about the heart-shaped locket. There was something about it that I needed to know. For the past few weeks, I hadn’t spoken or felt the need to. I just waited for the right moment to go after what I had wanted and I knew exactly when. Papa was going fishing this afternoon and he would take the boys with him.

“You sure you’re okay here?” Nolan had asked.

I nodded my head and messed with his hair to reassure him that I was fine.

“We’ll be back later tonight.” Papa said.

I locked the door behind them and watched through the window as they drove off.

Now was the perfect time to find the locket. With a quickness, I ran into Papa’s room and searched for it. I toppled over his shoes that were neatly stacked, looked up in his closet, peeked under his bed but there was nothing.

“Think like Papa.” I whispered to myself continuously.

Then I remembered that Papa always kept his safe for important things. And the safe sat still on his dresser that I had not touched. Of course it was locked and there was no way I knew the code or had enough time to find the key. I looked over at his briefcase where he held his gun.

I picked it up and analyzed it, this chance was a once in a lifetime thing. And I had to do it.

I pointed the gun at the lock on the safe and squinted my eyes to focus.

POW! I dropped the gun from frightening myself, but the lock was still locked.

I picked it up again.

POW! The lock flew and the safe opened.

I continued to breathe heavily from adrenaline and grabbed the locket inside.

I ran to a mirror and put it around my neck.

Knock. knock.

I panicked thinking they had come back early.

But through the peep hole, I saw Lauren.

I opened the door barely. “Hey.”

“Is everything okay? I heard gunshots but I’m not sure where they came from.” Lauren sounded concerned but very monotone.

I shrugged.

“Mind if I come in? , Mom and Dad have been fighting.”

I opened the door but allowed Lauren to come inside.

As I motioned her to have a seat and prepared to listen to a long rampage, Lauren sat and looked around as she tapped her fingers together.

“ Is everyone asleep?”

I shook my head no. “ They went down by the lake.. fishing.”

I retracted to the real issue.

“Do they know that you left Lauren?”

She nodded.

“Could I use the bathroom?” She had asked.

“Of course.. I’ll wait out here.”

Thirty minutes later, Lauren still didn’t come back. There was no sound from her, it felt like I was alone again.

I knocked on the door, “Lauren?”

After she had not responded I kicked the doorknob and the door flung open.

Lauren was not there.

I quietly walked out into the hallway and searched for her.

I felt a breeze behind me and sighed.

“Seriously this isn’t the time to play.” I yelled.

I followed where I heard giggles coming from the pantry. I swung it open and did not see Lauren.

I quickly headed for the front door until the lights shut off.

“Lauren?”

My heart beat began to echo throughout the house as my ears heated up.

And there it was. The same dark figure was across from me as I stood in the kitchen.

“It’s mine.” I heard a small voice say.

My head start to throb and my stomach felt empty. I slowly reached behind me for a kitchen knife.

“Hand it over.” The voice said again.

I backed up into a corner.

“You took it.”

The dark figure started slow as it walked up to me but came faster.

I screamed and used the knife to protect myself but heard a familiar voice.

“ ow what is wrong with you?” She hit the lights and it was Lauren.

I dropped the knife and began to shake.

“I thought you.. I didn’t mean it, I -“

“You’re crazy!” Lauren looked angrily at me and left.

Tears fell onto my reddish cheeks. I tried to snatch the locket but it seem it had gotten smaller and tighter around my neck.

I held tight onto the locket with both hands hoping it would eventually break. I walked into the bathroom and the heart glistened off of the mirror. It molded and turned completely black, then it shattered. A hand formed out of the shattered mirror, and reached for the locket.

I lifted my hand to touch it and it turned into ashes.

“Ah !” I backed up and hit my head on the wall.

I drifted into darkness.

Hands cold, feet numb and a small headache. I laid on the floor and a tight squeeze formed around my neck. The locket felt like it was apart of me. I crawled helpless to the house phone that stayed in the basement. I fell down a couple steps on my way down. I picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1, they did not make out what I was saying so I continued to scream.

I took the phone from my ear and held it in my lap as I laid there cold and out of faith.

“No. No” I said to myself.

“Excuse me ma’am, Are you there?” The lady spoke faintly on the phone as I drifted off.