Tuesday, December 13, 2005

   Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO- The Shadow-man, the River of Gold, and a Haven Like No Other
I stumbled into my house, tears running down my face, the body of my late friend placed awkwardly on my back. I layed her aside carefully and sunk to the polished wooden floor, sobbing hysterically.

"Momma! Daddy! Come quick! Something horrible has happened!" I called.

I waited for a moment, and soon there was a response. A blood-curdling scream rose from our living room. The voice sounded like my mother's.

Suddenly, with a nearly blinding light, a bolt of lightning struck near the house. Then, darkness overcame the house as the power went out.

"N-no, please. Just leave us! We've done nothing wrong!" begged my mother's voice. Another scream.

"Okana! Get back! Don't challenge him... Why are you here?" said my father's voice, obviously faking braveness. He was overpowered and he knew it.

There was a deep growl and my mother shrieked again. I stood and walked to the doorway, completely horrified. I peeked around the corner at exactly the wrong moment.

There were five candles placed in the room, but for some reason, they only illuminated the bodies of my parents. The mysterious stranger who towered over them remained dark, like he was only a shadow.

"This is for what would have been," the stranger said after unsheathing his sword. He swiftly beheaded my father. My mother screamed as she was showered in his golden blood, along with the bookshelves behind them. A small river of the thick, golden liquid ran over towards me. I scooted out of its way and let it pass me.

My mother caught my eye right before she died. I will never forget the raw, pure terror her light blue eyes held. She was swiftly beheaded after muttering, "My dying wish... Is that you never harm my daughter."

I stood, petrified, as the dim candlelight reflected off the man's smile and I could tell he was looking directly at me. I staggered back, and he turned and walked onto the windowsill. A bolt of lighting flashed in the distance, leaving me only with the memory of his silhouette.

He was gone. My world was gone. My family, my friends, my life. All gone. And it was his fault. What had my parents ever done to him? What had I ever done to him? My best friend, the only friend I had ever needed, and my parents, the only family I had ever had, all killed before my eyes.

My first instinct was to cry, and cry I did. I sat slumped against my bedroom door and just cried. It seemed like hours, not minutes that I was stuck in that haven of a room.

No one could get me there, it seemed. It was a safe and sacred place, my own personal sanctuary.

My instinct, then, was to run. I began to gather my most precious treasures before I fled. Suddenly, my room was filled with smoke. I could barely see the murals on my walls, each depicting a different element.

I ran from my burning home, fleeing from my past. I didn't know where I was going or where I would stay...

I lived on the streets for three days until that nice girl found me... I can't quite remember her... Some people say that three days is a very short time, but it was the first level of what seemed like my eternal hell.

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