A Day in A Life of Death

FOUR

“WAAAAAH!”

“Light!!!!”

Someone or something dragged Mara! I just looked at the picture frame here for just a few seconds and when I turned around and went back, outside this room, she is gone already while I heard her screaming.

I’m still figuring things out on what is happening right now. The lights are out and all I feel is the cold breeze of the wind. This picture frame, Mara doesn’t even know about this old frame. But why is it here?

“Dark!!!!”

I heard her again, but I do not know where it came from. I walked through this house and searched everywhere. I can’t see where she is! I don’t feel good about this. I need to find her!

“Where are you?!”

“HELP!!!DARK! WAAAH!!!”

She is screaming and she seems very scared by the tone of her voice. Where is she? I hate this, I do not know what I am dealing with or what she is dealing with. What is happening in this place? Why do I have this feeling that this place is haunted?

“Light? Mara?! Where are you!!! I can’t see you”

I stopped by the back door of this house. I am trying to sense what entity lives in here right now. I looked around and all I see is darkness, darkness everywhere. Only the beam that is coming from the moon outside gives me some sort of light here.

There’s a huge minute of silence and I cannot hear Mara anymore.

“Mara? Mara where are you? Mara!!!!!!”

--A Few Hours Before--

Sally…

Sally, Sally, Sally…

I’m familiar with that name…

I think I heard about her somewhere but I cannot remember where or when.

I am feeling odd about this, I really have this feeling that she is not just an imaginary friend or something.

“Dark? Dark? Hello? Are you even listening to me?”

I went back again to reality when I heard Mara called my name. I haven’t notice that I’m thinking too deeply that I even forgot that I have someone beside me.

“Yes, what? What are you saying again?” then I start to scratch the back of my head. It is not itchy but… why did I do that?

“Okay so you seemed to be thinking about something, what is it?” She went close to me again and looked me in the eye. I really hate it when she does that.

“Nothing, nothing, don’t worry about it. Just tell me what you were saying earlier” I turned around to get rid of her stares.

“I am not worried. I am just curious. I am your wife now, you can tell me everything”

“It is nothing, okay? Really, it is nothing. So as you were saying?”

I slowly walk far from her pretending that I am examining the place or something. I have no choice! I have to do this to avoid her eyes looking at me as if she’s looking at my whole existence.

“Ugh… okay. So as I was saying, we rent this house back then. And this is the place where my mom met my stepfather. My stepfather is the landlord.” It seems like there’s no one living here at the moment. This house is empty but clean. I guess no one rented this house yet.

“Hmmm… okay so Mara, do you want to show me your memories here?”

I turn around to face her, but I can’t look directly into her eyes. What is happening to you Thanatos? Are you alright? You seemed a bit different. You need to get a grip of yourself.

“Hey, why are you calling me Mara? I noticed that you are not using our call sign even before we went here. It makes me feel sad”

She showed me her cute sad face. So she’s making a huge act now huh? Does she think that I will fall on her trap?

WELL...

“Oh… Uhm… sorry, I forgot. Light… hehe”

OKAY, WHAT THANATOS? YOU ARE HAVING YOUR SOFT PART THERE? YOU FALL INTO HER TRAP JUST LIKE THAT? YOU KNOW THAT SHE’S JUST ACTING THAT SHE IS SAD BUT SHE IS NOT ACTUALLY SAD RIGHT?

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? I EVEN TALK TO MYSELF RIGHT NOW?!

“I hate you”

So she hates me now huh? After everything?

“What?”

“Hmmph”

My forehead wrinkled. I don’t know why is she acting like that. She cross folds her arms in front of me showing that she is sulky right now. Really? Do I really have to deal with this drama?

“Wait, I am sorry okay? I am sorry, Light. I won’t do that again. I… I promise”

I grabbed her arm.

After that, she showed me her cheek and she pointed it out. What is she doing? Why does she have to do that? I have no idea.

“Kiss me first”

“What?!”

“Why? You are my husband and I feel mad about you right now. So kiss me, here on my cheek”

What the? She is really good at this huh, in pretending… and doing such stuff like that. She looks innocent and cute when she is like that.

WAIT, WHAT? INNOCENT? CUTE? WHAT AM I SAYING RIGHT NOW? REALLY THANATOS? REALLY?

“Fine, if that’s what makes you happy,” I said before I lean on to kiss her on her cheeks. But even before my lips touched her, she turned around and face me. So I have kissed her lips instead.

I HAVE KISSED HER LIPS? AGAIN?

I looked shocked in front of her and I cannot hide it. What is she doing to me?! Why? Just why?!

“Okay I accept your apology now *smiles* So what were you asking again? What did you say before?”

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME. I CANNOT EXPLAIN WHAT I FEEL. I FEEL LIKE MY CHEST IS GOING TO BURST ANYTIME NOW. BUT WHY IS SHE SO CALM?!

WE JUST KISSED.

AGAIN!

“Hello? Dark? Are you daydreaming or something?”

“Huh? No, w-what?”

“I said, what were you asking to me before. Before I kissed you *wink*”

Okay now, what? Is she teasing me? Do I have the right to kick her out of my sight as of this moment? I feel like I want to do it but I just can’t. I hate this.

I just took a few deep breaths before I talk to her. I need to calm myself down.

“Ugh… oh yeah ugh… I say… ughmm wait let me recall” WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME? IT IS TOO OBVIOUS THAT I FEEL AWKWARD!

“You say?” She is getting too close to me again and I should not let her kiss me! NOT AGAIN. So I slowly moved backward.

“Oh yeah ugh, I say… I mean, I ask you if you want to show me your memories in this house”

“No”

“Then what are we doing here?”

“I want to replace it”

“What?”

“I want to replace my bad memories here and turn them into good memories, with you”

She is staring at me again and I feel uncomfortable so I turned around once more.

“What do you mean? Good memories with me? What are we going to do?”

“Let’s make love”

“WHAT?! HEY YOU KNOW WHAT, I AM DONE, I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMO--”

“*laugh* You are so funny. So you actually believed that? I am just kidding, silly”

IS SHE PLAYING WITH ME? IT IS NOT FUNNY! I REALLY THOUGHT THAT SHE IS SERIOUS!

“You know what? I am getting out of here” I said walking across the living room, to the front door.

“Hey Dark, I’m just kidding. Don’t be mad. Do you want me to kiss you?”

“No! Stop”

“Then let’s stay here, let me tour you around. Just… don’t go”

She grabbed my hand and she pulled me close to her. I feel like I must do whatever she says so I have no choice but to stay. I am literally hating my job right now.

We just started to stroll this house while Mara is still holding my hands. Should I detach my hands from hers?

“I had a lot of painful memories inside this room”

“What?”

“This small room, under the stairs” she pointed to the small door and I saw her expression became very sorrowful. I guess she had a lot of painful memories in this house that she even doesn’t want to share with me.

I also feel sad about her. Why does she have to experience a lot of these excruciating things? She doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.

I want to replace my bad memories here and turn them into good memories, with you

But how?

How can I do that? How can I change it, how can I make her happy?

She seems like she is about to cry right now and I need to do something.

I walk towards her, and…

I hugged her. I hugged her tight.

“I am here, Mara. Everything is already fine. No pain, only peace and happiness okay?” as I said that, she hugged me back and I can feel that she burst into tears already. I just let her cry. I never imagined that I am going to do this but… I already did. I comforted her.

“Thank you, Dark” after that she stopped hugging me and we moved away from each other.

“Do you mind if I open this door and take a look at the room?”

“Y-yeah, but… I will just stay here outside”

I just nod as an answer. I won’t force her. Maybe it is still fresh in her memories and she’s not ready to face it.

I just opened the door and slowly went inside. I need to crouch because this room is too small. It is dusty inside and I only see a small old drawer with a picture frame on top of it.

Wait, why is there a picture frame here? Wait…

It is her mother, it is Mara’s mother… with a child…

The part of the picture where the child’s face is… I can’t see it because the part of that picture is ripped off. I can’t see who it is. Maybe it’s Mara?

“Light… do you know this?”

I went out again and showed it to her but she looked surprised.

“I… I don’t know that. It is my first time seeing that picture”

“You mean…this child here is not you?”

“Yes… but that woman beside her is my mom”

That’s a bit confusing. So who is this child? I looked at it very carefully and she’s wearing a dress. By the looks of it, the child has very long hair.

I went back inside the small room and put the frame again to where I found it. I stare at it for a little while before I remember something…

That long… hair…

Long straight hair.

It matches the description of…

Sally

--Present--

“Mara? Please say something where are you?”

I still can’t hear anything. Mara already stopped screaming and it is not a good sign. How can I be able to see her and get her?

I have this gut feeling…

That the one who dragged her away is the child in the picture…

It is not yet confirmed but… I think that child is Sally, Mara’s imaginary friend.

Well, I guess she is not just an imaginary friend if I am correct.

“Mara is mine”

I heard a whisper, but when I turned around I see no one. This is not good. I guess I am not dealing with just a lost soul here, but a vengeance soul.

“She is not yours,” I said looking around to see if that soul is going to show up.

“Mara is mine!”

“No, I won’t let you take her”

I am thinking why she wanted her soul. And as I do that, something came up with my mind. I guess she wanted to take her to have someone to be with her in this void. She wanted Mara to be like her, lost, full of vengeance.

Although I don’t know why she’s like that…but I have a strong gut that I am right.

“She’s mine!”

“I know who you are. Bring Mara back to me, or I’ll take you instead. I will drag you to the afterlife”

“NO!!!!!!!!” She screamed so loud that it causes the ground to shake a bit. This soul is powerful. I guess she’s been here for a very long time. I want to see what she looks like but she is hiding somewhere.

“You know who I am right? I know, you are afraid of me. If you won’t bring back Mara now, I am going to do whatever it takes to hunt you down and drag you to your end” I said with an authority. I walk slowly to the stairs as I heard some creaking sound.

It became silent again.

I walk few steps upstairs before I see something in the corner. I can’t see it clearly because it is very dark but it looks like a figure of a girl… wearing a white dress.

“Bring her back to me...Sally”

“How did you know me”

“So it is really you, Sally” I went closer and closer to her slowly and I could say that she’s really afraid of me

“NO!!!!!!”

I heard another very loud scream before that soul vanishes. Then suddenly, out of the dark, Mara falls right into my arms.

She is unconscious.

“Light...” I said as I touched her face. She then moved as she opened her eyes. She seemed drained.

“Dark… what happened?”

“You’re fine now. I won’t let her come to you again. Ever”