Coming From the Shadows Series
The Crossroads
The December air of 2016 held a chill promise of the winter season; Raven, nestled beside Yasmin, felt a flicker of peace, though her mind had been filled with so much that worried her, that had left her fearful; but here beside Yasmin, and despite the constant nightmares she had been having since the arrival of that box from her Grandfather; she did manage to fall asleep, the warm embrace Yasmin held her in helping her.
But sleep was a fickle friend for Raven; but this night, this one would be very different.
As the blackness engulfed her; she found herself in a void, she could hear the beating of her own pulse in her ears, panic was setting in.
Then, she gasped, she jolted upright; but, she was not in Yasmin’s warm embrace, she found herself in a seemingly endless field; the ground beneath her feet was damp, yet it was warmth with the warmth of the sun raised above her – but, the air hung still, heavy with an unnerving silence.
Panic clawed at her throat again; she looked around as she stood up in a hurry “Hello!” she shouted; her voice just echoed in the silent vastness “Yasmin!” she turned around quickly, her eyes darting about as she tried working out where she was
There was nothing but silence.
Raven pinched herself; hard – nothing, she tried to force herself awake, to blink her way back to reality; to scream, purposely let herself fall to the floor, anything to hurt herself that might wake her up; but she wouldn’t.
Dread; thick and suffocating was washing over her, the pleasant bright sky above, with its bright sun had changed, the sky was darker; thick clouds obscured the sun, and rain had begun to fall, it seemed to match her panic, the suffocating terror she was feeling.
This wasn’t a nightmare; this was something else entirely – the crushing weight of the experiences she had gone through over the year; the assault, the abortion, the constant gnawing fear – it all crystallised into a single horrifying certainty.
She was dead.
A figure emerged from the fog that had descended across the vast field of grass; she was an older woman, her face etched with lines of experience; but her eyes, silvery like Raven’s blazed with an unnerving intensity, she wore a long earthly-coat that billowed around her.
It was Lydia; her Great-Grandmother.
Raven only recognised her from the pictures, and her recent nightmares; the stories she had been told of her had always held a special place for Raven; she kept her Grandmother on a pedestal “Lydia?” Raven’s voice trembled, barely audible
Lydia’s gaze was sharp and assessing; locked onto Raven, there was a flicker of something – relief? – it crossed her face “Raven” she said, her voice low but steady
The sound of her name, spoken with such familiarity, solidified the horrifying truth; this wasn’t a dream, it must be the afterlife; tears welled in Raven’s eyes, blurring her vision; the rain above them came crashing down much heavier “Am…, Am I dead?” she choked
Before Lydia could speak though; a third voice chimed, as clear as a mountain spring, it resonated through the field “No, you are not dead”
A woman stood a short distance away; she had an angelic appearance, raven-hair was long reaching as far down as her waist; and deep, gemlike violet eyes – she was impossibly beautiful and she simply radiated kindness, wisdom; yet there was something familiar about her, Raven didn’t know why though.
Lydia’s eyes seemed to narrow “Elpis” she said, the name was laced with a wary respect “It has been awhile”
Elpis simply smiled; her eyes returning back to Raven “You are not dead; you are simply…, elsewhere; a place between realities, the box you have in your possession”
Raven stared at Elpis; confusion warring with a burgeoning hope “A place between…., what does that even mean?”
“It means; you are at a crossroads” Elpis stated simply “Your mental state; the intense distress your experiencing, it brought you here; you’re here because you needed to be brought here; it brought you to Lydia; because that is who you needed”
Raven’s head swam; needed her ?, she didn’t even know Lydia – what she did know was stories, or the pictures she had seen, Lydia had died long before even her own mother was born.
Lydia moved forwards; her eyes softened as she moved in front of Raven; while Lydia wasn’t exactly tall, there was a noticeable difference in their heights between Lydia and Raven.
“So…, I am not dead?” Raven shifted her eyes in Elpis’ direction again for a moment; the weight on her chest eased, replaced with a dizzying sense of relief
Elpis simply smiled before saying “No; you are very much alive” adding “You are merely…, temporarily misplaced; but be wary – this place isn’t meant for long stays; you will need to return” Elpis that seemed to disappear completely
Raven looked to her Grandmother; she stared at her for a moment in silence; the two would remain in that quiet field – Lydia leaving room for Raven to talk when she wanted to do so.
Written By: Westley H.
Leave a Reply