RISING

-Part two of the story-

ASCENSION

As I was passing through the living room with my stepmother carrying the tool bag, I looked at my father who was lying on the couch. Our eyes met. He seemed absent, disinterested. Totally crushed in spirit, by alcohol. In his hand he held the remote control pointed at the turned-off TV. Had he just started to turn the TV on, or did he think it was already on?

He wasn’t always like that, but after my mother’s death it seems that a major part of his soul and everything good he had died inside him. There were moments when he soberly watched my stepmother beat me and didn’t move a finger to protect me. Did he ever truly love me? Or did he tolerate me because of my mother? The answers to those questions were becoming less and less important to me every day. In any case, I won’t be taking him with me when my saviors arrive. Let him rot freely alongside my stepmother.

A tough day, but I saw the sun, breathed the fresh air. Listened to the sounds of nature and felt some illusion of freedom and happiness. I was already used to physical difficulties. Pain, fatigue, discomfort in every sense. Being outside was food for the soul. I can say a recharging of batteries for what comes next. And that was just a few more days until they come for me. My stepmother wasn’t overly unpleasant today. The reason for that was because I was especially hardworking, knowing that the end of my suffering was coming soon.

The yard around the house wasn’t too big, but not small either. Behind the fence stretched rows of trees that marked the beginning of the forest. I was always afraid of that forest. I never went there, but I know that my stepmother went there from time to time. I don’t know what business she had there, she didn’t take me along, and my question about what she was doing would certainly remain unanswered. I’d probably get a few slaps just for asking that question. And just as we were finishing work for that day, I thought I saw someone passing between the two trees closest to the house. I kept my gaze fixed for a few seconds and saw a hand waving at me. Then another one, then another one. There were several of them and now I was sure those were human hands. Are those them?

“Hey, don’t slack off now. We need to finish up.” – said my stepmother, slapping the crown of my head with her hand.

That evening I just collapsed into what represented my bed and fell asleep in a second. Restless dreams, hands waving at me, running through the forest, reaching a spring of water that bubbled from the earth. Rabbits gathered around a campfire waiting for… me? Their eyes fixed on me as I approached them.

I was woken up by the sound of a dull thud on the basement floor. Sleepy, I rubbed my eyes and saw a fairly large package placed in the corner of the basement. Hurriedly, I rushed over there, still a bit dazed from the sudden awakening. Inside the package was a large knife and a piece of paper with a note.

“Dear Irina, the moment is approaching. Are you ready? Did you see us waving at you yesterday? Yes, that was us. We are impatient to get to you, just as you are surely impatient. Endure today and tomorrow evening before midnight strikes we are coming for you. Why must it be in the dark? Well, it’s clear to you that it’s much easier then when they are asleep. This knife we threw into the box for you is just a precaution. But also a tool for just one more small prerequisite we have for you. Nothing terrible, don’t worry. Choose a spot on your body. Cut it just a little, don’t overdo it. We don’t want you to bleed to death. When you cut it, stop the bleeding with your lips. The blood that drips out must end up inside this box. You will have to eat the box and drink your blood that is inside it. The knife will serve you to cut it into smaller pieces. After that, hide the knife, best inside what represents your mattress. You will have to sleep with it under your back the next night. It is a bit of a strange request. But trust us, none of this is our whim, rather there is a reason for everything. You will understand when the time comes. Have you remembered everything? Read the letter as many times as necessary to remember all the details and eat it. First it, and then all the other steps described in it. Not a single crumb of the box’s existence may remain. A big greeting from,

TDK”

I looked at the clock. There is still an hour before my stepmother wakes up. An hour to perform all the tasks. I got to work. Eating the paper was easy. I was a bit scared of the step where I had to cut a part of my body. I chose my left palm. It seems like it will hurt the least there. I barely held back from screaming in pain. That would be very bad. The whole plan would fall apart. I brought my palm over the box and waited for even the last drop to fall inside. The next part is for every crumb of the box to end up in my stomach. First I drank the blood and almost vomited from disgust. I looked at the clock. Forty-five minutes left.

I struggled a bit with cutting the box. It was quite sturdy, which meant that chewing would also be difficult. After half an hour I was only halfway through the box. Nausea was overwhelming me. The material the box was made of did not agree with my stomach. I’ll have to hurry.

The last bite truly seriously threatened to end up as vomit. I heard my stepmother yelling at my father, realizing that I had only a few seconds left to hide the knife in my bed. I ran, hastily uncovered the blanket, and slipped it underneath. Just as the basement door opened and my stepmother poked her head inside.

“Not sleeping? Good. Drag your ass over here, the weather is nice. Today we’ll do work in the garden again. Show up in the yard in two minutes. We’re staying until dark.”

*****

Lying on the knife was not pleasant. Not to say it was almost impossible to fall asleep that way. I tried to focus on nice thoughts to drive the pain away. It didn’t work. At some point exhaustion took over, although I woke up often during that night.

I greeted the dawn with my eyes open, wondering if all this torment was worth it. What did I do to deserve this? Will I succeed? I won’t wait much longer to see if all this was worth it. There won’t be garden work today. That means I’ll have to kill time in another way.

The problem was that the basement was dark and without any light source. What little light the moonlight cast through the grate in the corner of the basement was certainly nowhere near enough for me to see what time it was. It would be easier for me if I could stare at the clock and wait for midnight.

After an eternity, I first heard sounds coming from afar, outside. That’s them! Soon, rays of light streaked across the basement.

“Hey, Irina.” – someone said in a half-whisper. “Get ready, we’re taking off.”

And then came the moment of no return.

-End of Part 2–