'It's Not What It Seems'
It's Not What It Seems
I felt Ana roll me around until I woke up.
“Alright! Stop. I am awake.”
I pushed her away from me and stood up. Dumitro was standing there, smiling. Vasile and Nicholae were standing on either side, like good little henchmen.
“Clara, are you ready to go?”
He reached out his hand. I hesitated.
“It won’t kill you Clara. I don’t know what they told you but killing you would be a waste. And we are not barbarians. Waste not, want not.”
He reached out again slightly more persistent.
'Do I really have to do this?' I thought to Itna.
A 'Yes' was all I heard back.
I reached out my hand and placed it in his. They felt nothing like Kries’s. They weren’t warm, and soft. They were lifeless. With that Dumitro reopened the entrance to the cave. To all of our surprise, Lawrence was standing there, his jaw wide open, shocked. Dumitro quickly looked at Ana.
“Cousin Ana, Clara, are you in need of assistance?” he asked.
“We are taking Clara on a trip, so that she and he can marry,” she sort of explained.
I could see that Lawrence couldn’t handle that. Everyone could see that Lawrence couldn't handle that.
“Lawrence, this is my fiance, Dumi…” Dumitro bumped me, slightly shaking his head, “Ah… Trudence. We are getting married overseas, near his home.”
He seemed to not want to believe this,
and would not step aside. I knew I had to love on him to get him to let us leave, without Dumitro harming him in the process.
“Lawrence, if you care for me in any form, you will let me make my own decisions, even... if they are mistakes.”
I held his face in my hands,
pleading with my eyes. With that he moved aside as we made our way down the beach to a small rowboat. We climbed into the boat, and even knowing who I was with, I couldn’t help but feel bad for Lawrence, and his naivety, rather then face my own depressing circumstance.
The small boat took us out to a much larger
magnificent looking ship. As I climbed aboard, I couldn’t help but feel lost. The atmosphere of the ship was gray, and dismal. I felt the chills crawl all over my body as I tried to warm myself with my arms. Then I screamed, as I tripped over a body near the door to the cabin. Dumitro's predator-like reflexes grabbed me before I fell.
“No need to scream Clara. You know how it is that we survive, no need to announce it to the world. You happened to have tripped over the ex-captain of this ship, tasty.”
“However, I realize that you have to have food in order to survive, so I prepared for that.”
He opened the captain’s cabin door,
and led me inside. It was nothing like the rest of the ship. There was a warm fire going, and a beautifully made bed. Pictures hung on the walls, and rugs kissed the floor. In the middle of the room was a wooden table covered in many varieties of good food. One thing was missing...Kries. I walked over to the bed, sad to see how big it was. I walked back to Dumitro, who was eagerly awaiting my feedback. I walked around him slowly, giving him a taste of what he does to others.
“Thank you. This is above expectations.”
He reached out for my hand. When I handed it to him he kissed the top.
“We now will take our leave of you for the night. Do not leave this room. I cannot ensure your safety anywhere else.”
I nodded, and with that he left the room.
I could hear him lock the door, which somehow made me feel safer. I walked over to the fire and warmed myself. Having seen a warm wraparound robe by the entrance to the lavatory, I wasn’t as cold as before. As I smelled the food I could not help but sit down at the table and eat. Warm wine, and pork cuts; buttered breads and baked potatoes; sarmale and ratatouille, all of these items covered the table, and many more.
I thought about Kries
as I sat there eating alone. His laugh, I could picture it as I sat there. It was the kind of sound you only prayed every second to hear. As I took a bite of sarmale, I remembered him on the train. His cute perky face trying to explain why he brought enough food for an army, only for the reasoning to have been: I didn’t know what you liked, so I got everything. I looked over at the bed, and I was so overwhelmed by my loss of him, I could hardly breath. I cried as I ate.
That night, I had a dream.
Two little kids playing in the sand. Giggling and running about, one tanner then the other. A little girl and a little boy were harmoniously sharing the sand. I woke up and realized it was the same thing I had seen when I looked into Kries’s eyes. Why did I keep seeing the past? I thought I had visions about the future, not the past… I fell back asleep, mulling over this question in my head.
Hi @frolickinraptors I'm looking forward that some of your writings can have a chance to make a movie. What's your motivation in writing?