Jonathan
and Jackie were so anxious. It seemed so far-fetched. Jonathan was
really starting to doubt his sanity now. “I would never have
imagined that Clayton would be sitting on a stake-out for a
creature in the middle of a treacherous mountain, in all my
life.”
“
I know, Jono. They are so brave. They are being very good
about it. They act as if it is the most normal thing in the world.
I hope this is going to work out. I hope they will be
alright.”
“
I know, I know. I wish we could do something for them, make
it easier. But the saddest thing is that all they will manage to do
if they succeed, is to have a live together, that’s
all.”
“
How do you mean?”
“Well, what they are doing today is for
the
ir own benefit. If
they have children, it starts all over again. That is the saddest
thing for me, that it is a temporary measure, that’s
all.”
“
Oh Jono, I never thought about that. I’m glad, for once, you
had the decency not to be logical and point it out to them. It
might have made them give up. Thank you, darling.”
“
It’s my pleasure. Rebecca is fully aware of it and that is
why she has been so sullen about it. She knows that her parents did
this and now their daughter, a vicious cycle they cannot break.
Rebecca knows, but she loves Clayton enough to make the
effort.”
*****
The night was fast approaching and Rebecca sat calmly on
the blanket. Clayton was on the side of his car, waiting
impatiently.
What if the thing does not show?
Rebecca had said it always came if she was outside
in the dark.
Well, it is getting pretty dark and it is not here.
It had to come, because he
could not bear to do this again. Today was either the beginning or
the end. Rebecca was chanting slowly.
“Come to me, oh power of darkness. Come to me. I surrender
to your power, come to me. Come to me, I surrender
to your
power.”
She visualised it and continued chanting. Then she heard
the hissing. It was just as strong, but less agitated. It was
getting closer and closer. Clayton moved silently in the dark, a
tiger hunting his prey and not a sound could
be
heard from him.
Rebecca knew he was close by, so she rose to her feet. It
was flying high in the air now, its yellow eyes like the lights of
a
small aircraft. It was
moving cautiously towards her and she begged it to come to
her.
“Please, power of darkness,
come to me. I surrender
to your power.”
It
moved closer and Clayton rose behind her. He stood next to her on
her right and placed his left hand on their butterfly. The light
came up, like a beam of sunlight in the night sky. The Darkness was
so shocked, it
stopped flapping. And with his right hand
raised high, he directed the light to the creature. It ducked the
light, but swayed slightly. Clayton kept directing the light to it,
as it moved to the left then the right. He noticed the pattern, and
realized that it could only move from left to right and then back
again. It was like a moth, attracted to a flame then repelled by
it. He directed the light to the right, then the left and suddenly
to the left again and caught it in the light. It flapped and
shrieked and Clayton let out a deafening loud roar. He roared and
roared, like a tiger trapped and angry. It was fighting him,
tearing at his back with deep, long strokes, the sound of its sharp
claws were scraping and tugging at his flesh. Clayton knew that it
was getting into his mind and tearing away at him, because he saw
it up there, some distance into the air. It was using his own mind
to destroy him. It had tapped into him and was using his anger
against him.
The power of love, that’s what I need. The power of
love.
He just roared and roared and it continued. Rebecca
started chanting something he did not understand. Her voice grew
louder and louder, until she was screaming. Clayton’s pain was
forcing his hand to slide off her back, but the creature had also
stopped flapping. Even though it had stopped tearing at his back,
he still felt himself weakening. The pain had been too much for
him. He was slipping away, slowly, slowly.
“Clayton, I love you. Stay with me
Clayton and destroy The Darkness.”
Her voice was strong
and loud and it suddenly shot
through his body.
She loves me, she loves. I
am her Protector.
Fuelled by these thoughts, he started regaining his
strength and his hand firmed on her back. The light grew brighter
and spread its brilliance openly across
the dark sky. It
looked like it could have been a bright, sunny day on that dark
mountain sky.
Rebecca
screamed at the creature.
“Creature of darkness, Power of darkness. You are banished
to the abyss of darkness. Be gone with you, there is
nothing
for you here. Be gone, never to return. You are banished to the
abyss of darkness. Be gone. There is nothing for you
here.”
It
was not moving at all, its stillness contrasting the brilliant
power of the light. It seemed an eternity, the stillness
in
the light. Rebecca was getting tired now. The light sucked her
energy from within her and she fought to visualize herself strong
and sure. Doubts crept in her mind.
Is Clayton okay? Why is he
in pain? Why have I put him through this? Will he survive? Oh God,
what have I done to the man I love? Have I sent him to his
death?
“Oh God, Clayton, I am losing my strength
,” she whispered.
“
I love you, Rebecca. That is your strength. I love you, now
and forever.”
At
those words there was a large explosion in
the sky and
pieces of light splashed across the sky in leaps and bounds, like a
giant fireworks display. Then the shattering glass started. It was
loud and persistent, piercing the pure mountain air. Fragments of
light hit the ground and disappeared on
impact. It was a dramatic scene and it went on and
on, as if there had been many creatures in that
light.
Suddenly
it was quiet. Clayton directed the light around in the sky, but saw
nothing. Slowly he removed his hand from Rebecca and the light
stopped. Rebecca felt the last gasp of energy in her body, turned
to him and collapsed onto his chest. He took her to the car and
placed her on the seat and turned the lights on. Her face was white
and drained and she was breathing slowly, faintly.
He
lifted hi
s head and felt a wave of dizzy nausea hit him from
his belly. He moved away from the car to breathe and felt the first
wave of nausea rise up in his chest. Unable to control his body, he
puked. He was half bent on the ground and could not raise himself.
He kept puking, a green bile rising from the depths of his body. He
saw the images fly through his body, images of his pain, of his
anger, of Suzanne, her father, their baby, the accident and her
diary. His back was burning with pain and when the nausea stopped,
he went back to the car, Rebecca was still breathing slowly. He sat
down on the ground, enjoying the cool, soothing relief of the
grass. He was breathing hard now, trying to fight the dizzy spells
that threatened to engulf him. He fell to the ground, his hand
grasping his stomach. He tried to move, but could not. His back
felt raw and scourged. He needed to move. He was urging himself to
get up off the ground to help Rebecca when he lost consciousness.
That is how they remained. Rebecca was on the seat of his car, pale
and lifeless, her legs dangling out and her Protector was
unconscious on the ground, clutching his belly.
~ ~ ~
~
Rebecca walked slowly through the long dark passage. There
was faint light coming from the end and she wanted to get to it.
She was lost. She did not know how she had got here.
Where is
Clayton?
She moved
further and further down the passage, her body feeling light as she
moved. She saw that the light was coming from a closed door and she
opened the door. She was shocked at what she saw. There was Malcolm
still fourteen years old, crying and afraid.
“
I love you Rebecca, so why do you want to hurt
me?”
She
tried to go to him, but as she touched his
shoulder, he vanished. She was startled and backed out of the room.
She opened another door further down the passage and it was the
same. Here sat Reynolds, a boy she had met at eighteen. She had
liked him so much and he had liked her too. He was also crying,
asking her the same question. Rebecca left the room and hesitated.
Should she open the next door? Would it be the same? She stood,
confused and afraid. Tears were rolling down her face.
What is
happening to me? Where is Clayton?
She moved to the next door,
hoping Clayton was there. It was the same as the others and she was
bitterly disappointed. She rushed down the passage, opening all the
doors, hoping that Clayton would be there. Each time there was some
man from her past and he was crying. Rebecca was hysterical.
Oh
no, I have lost Clayton.
“
Clayton, Clayton!” she was screaming.
She
opened the last door and saw her patient Carl, crying
also.
“Rebecca, why did you leave me? Why did you leave me? I
wanted to show you
what happened. I wanted to tell you that
it was my fault that James died. I hit the horse, we were playing.
Did you leave because you knew? You also hate me? Rebecca, please
come back, I am sorry. I did not mean it. It was an accident, I
swear. Please come back.”
As
she moved further into the room, he disappeared. Her frustration
and pain engulfed her and she sat on the floor, her face in her
hands and cried. It was hopeless and there was nothing to do. This
had been the last door and Clayton was not t
here. She had
lost him. She had known she would, like all the others. She had
known. Why should she have his love? Rebecca just cried and
cried.
“
Please no more. I can’t take it. No more pain, please. Let
the pain go away.”
She
heard a movement, a slight movement as if
someone else was in the room. She lifted her head and saw the
butterfly.
“
Oh beautiful butterfly, where is Clayton? Please, take me to
Clayton.”
It
flapped its wings and she noticed it still had the missing
patch
of color. It gently glided out of the room and Rebecca
rushed onto her feet and followed it furiously. She was blinded by
the darkness. There were no more doors, but she heard it move ahead
of her and she followed the butterfly blindly. Suddenly, she was
floating, and there was a faint light. She was flying like the
butterfly. She looked down and there was Clayton, lying on the
ground, clutching his belly.
“
Clayton, Clayton, what are you doing? Clayton?”
He
did not answer, or seem to hear her. He lay still
on the
ground. She looked around and saw her body, lying helplessly on the
car seat. What had happened? Why was she floating above him? He was
so still.
“Oh butterfly, take me to the place he has gone to, please.
He is dead, isn’t he? Take me to him. I w
ill not live
without him.”
The
butterfly went down to the car and inside and then she heard his
cell phone ringing. Clayton did not move, but it rang and
rang.
“Clayton!” She screamed. He started to move, feeling around
for his cell phone. Rebecca smiled. He
always kept it near
him.
Where does he think he was, in bed?
Clayton was moving out of the darkness. He could hear the
sound of something familiar. He listened carefully and
reali
zed that it was his
cell phone. It was ringing.
Oh, go away
, he thought.
I am sleeping. The world must realize that I also
need to sleep. It is probably some anxious client. Go
away
. But the ringing
was insistent and he thought he had better answer it or switch it
off, or he would get no peace to sleep. He felt around for it, but
it was not there. He realized that he was not in his bed,
because
he could feel the grass and the soft moisture of the
dew that was settling.
“
Where am I...?”
Then he saw her, his beautiful Rebecca, floating above him,
smiling. He suddenly remembered what had happened and tried to get
to his feet.
What is Rebecca doing
up there,
anyway?
“Rebecca! What are you doing? Come
here, help me. Rebecca, stop smiling. This is not funny. It hurts
like hell and I need you. Come, Princess, help me.”
He
heard a flapping sound coming from his car and was horrified to see
her body
, lying exactly as he had left it.
“
Rebecca, what is going on?”
Oh God, is she dead?
Then he rose suddenly to his feet.
Oh God, Rebecca is
dying or dead. No, she is still here.