Last Testaments

I was surrounded by a field of darkness, is this the afterlife? I wandered around the darkness, unable to feel anything or hear anything. After walking around, a light appeared out of nowhere and illuminated my surroundings. I found myself standing in a humble manor, I was in a room that seemed oddly familiar. There was a small bookshelf, filled with academics meant for children. On the desk in the room was a dairy, and a familiar looking pen.

“Wait, I know this room. This is-No, it can’t be.”

The closet was assorted the way it was last time, there were stuffed toys hanging out the toy box, and in the bed was someone I knew too well. She rose up and stretched and she wiped the grim covering her eyes.

“Is it morning already?”

That girl was me, it was me when I was eight years old. This day was the day I hated the most, and it played out the same way it did before. Soon my mother walked into the room and she sighed seeing my appearance.

“Whitney, look at you. You were supposed to wake up gracefully.”

“Mother, it’s not fair to test me when I was just sleeping.”

“You’re going to be a proud lady in the future, my jabs should mean nothing.”

She gave a light chuckle like she always did and got me out of bed. After that she helped me bathe and dressed me, I wore a frilly red sleeved dress. I looked like one of those dolls that collectors loved, but I didn’t care. As a child, I was just happy seeing my mother happy. As for my current self, I was terrified because I knew what was coming next. My mother and I enjoyed a warm breakfast of oatmeal and fresh bread. Soon the door erupted open, I ran out of my chair forgetting to wipe my face. My mother would scold me, but I didn’t care. I was too happy upon seeing that man walk through those doors.

“Father!”

“How are you, my adorable little Whitney.”

My father kneeled down and caressed my head. My mother then scolded us both, me for leaving the table and my father for ruining my perfectly combed hair. We spent the day together after that, father even helped mother and me in the garden. Which meant he was given another job again. I fell asleep that night and wouldn’t see father again until he was leaving the next day, or at least that was supposed to be the case.

“How dangerous is this job?”

“It’s probably going to be my most dangerous inspection yet, but it needs to be done. Nobles have been disappearing alongside the frontier and evidence pointed towards Lord Twigo. There’s also the high taxes, there’s got to be a reason for all this.”

I didn’t hear any of this as a child, or see any of this. Why, why am I seeing something that wasn’t part of my memory? My father embraced my weeping mother and he told her he’d return soon. The next day I ran down the stairs angrily after finding out my father’s plans.

“Whitney-”

“Hmph!”

“Sweetie, you must understand you father has-”

“No mom, I hate Father!”

My mother tried to get me to look my father in the eye, but I refused to meet his gaze. My father stood there defeated, why was I such a brat that day? Why did I have to treat him so coldly? My father approached me and I looked away from him.

“Whitney…”

“Go away.”

“I want you to have this.”

My father handed me a teddy bear, it wore the same hat and mantle he wore.

“Whenever I’m not around, squeeze this teddy bear as hard as you can.”

“...Okay.”

I tried to hide it, but I had a small smile on my face. I think any child would, I received a present from my father after all. My father said he would return and not to worry, as he did he headed out the door. That was what happened originally, but my father stood there for a moment. Then he turned around and looked directly at me.

“You’ve grown so much Whitney.”

“It can’t be, Father you’re-”

“I know it’s been painful, I know you’ve been afraid. However, I need you to keep walking the path towards justice. Only you can find the truth Whitney, only you.”

With that, my father walked away. Not through a door, but into the darkness that surrounded me before. The door shut itself back and I ran through to chase after him, what I found was my younger self sitting in our living room. I was in front of the fireplace holding the stuffed bear dad gave me, everything played out just like it did before. My mother told me to back away before the bear caught fire, so I moved to the couch. Soon a knock resounded from the door, I ran thinking it was dad.

“No, no please. Sit back down, don’t open that door!”

My younger self couldn’t heed my warnings, and opened the door. The younger me stood there puzzled and my mother followed telling me not to speak to strangers. That’s when she saw what I saw, they were members of the town guard, their faces carried a somber look. Behind them was a cart and in that cart was.

“...Father?”

“Gods! Whitney, honey don’t look!”

It was too late, I noticed it after realizing he was in the cart. His face was drained of color, his eyes were gaunt, his mouth was slightly torn, and parts of his body bent at an awkward angle. I dropped my teddy bear and screamed, what I saw was my father’s mangled corpse.

****

A few days later, we held my father’s funeral. The townsfolk gave their condolences, as well as pitying looks. However, there was something I didn’t notice then that I knew now. They knew something, no my mother knew something too, but they kept their mouths closed. I was there and they wanted me to maintain some sense of innocence. My father was put in the ground, and my mother wept. I on the other hand was silent, why did I tell him I hated him? Why was I such a brat? Why didn’t I hug him one last time? I didn’t cry, I felt like I didn’t deserve too. That’s when things got worse.

“It’s terrible, someone come quick! Tattle manor is burning!”

The color drained from our faces, we all rushed over to the manor. A fierce fire raged, my mother fell to her knees. I tried walking towards it, but my mother stopped me.

“Mother, our stuff-”

“Whitney please, don’t go over there.”

“Mother…*sniff* Mother, we need to go home. We need-”

My mother held me tightly and had me face her.

“My sweet child, we don’t have a home anymore.”

I was silent for a moment, and then I let it all out. I cried harder than I ever had, I kicked and screamed and I said it wasn’t fair. I lost my father and then my home, why did I suffer such horrors. After the fire was extinguished, the situation proved worse than expected. Our vaults were raided, all our savings were gone. Every Jewel had vanished, me and my mother had become destitute. We had to find work and fast, we tried to find a place to stay as well but the townsfolk refused. They had looks of grief on their faces as they told us no, they wanted to help but couldn’t. I wanted to hate them, but my mother forbade me. Instead she told me to focus on working, I became a shoe shiner and she tried finding whatever work she could, that when I saw something else I didn’t know.

“*Cough Cough* I see, it must’ve come from that rat that bit me. It’s alright, I was able to protect my child.”

I remembered, me and my mother had no choice but to sleep in the alleys. One night she told me to huddle close to her and wrapped me in our shared blanket. She must’ve seen the rats coming, meaning her demise was-

Next was that fateful day, mom had a high fever and I sat with her in the abandoned shed we called our home.

“Mother, please don’t leave me.”

“My dear Whitney, your kindness and heart are the purest white. Please promise me you’ll never lose that part of yourself.”

My mother’s face held a pain I had never witnessed, I felt the strength draining from her hands. Tears fell from my eyes, I looked at her defiantly and began yelling.

“No, you promised me, you promised you wouldn’t leave me!”

“Whitney…promise me this. Please live strongly and beautifully.”

The light left my mother’s eyes and I cried, but something happened. I was now holding my mother’s hand, and my mother’s body was healthy.

“Why, why did you force me to see that again?”

“I’m sorry Whitney, but you needed to remember why you set out on this journey. For several years that monster’s been torturing the people of this town, if nothing’s done then the town will fall. Whitney, please be brave.”

My mother left my hands, but I’ve had enough.

“Come back here, come back and face me.”

“Whitney…”

“What kind of parents show their child their deaths, who does that!”

Tears fell from my cheeks, my mother came back and held me.

“I tried mom, I tried so hard. Now you and Father want me to try harder, it’s not fair!”

“I’m sorry my little lily, I wish we could be here for you and fight alongside you. All we can do is remind you that you’re still alive, and that you are still capable.”

“...I’m alive?”

My mother nodded, the fall didn’t kill me. I survived, and now I had to face the demons that tried to kill me. I wanted to cry again, but my mother held me close like she always did. She placed her forehead on mine and told me one last thing.

“I need to go sweetie, but know this. I love you from the bottom of my heart, please find someone to love you harder than we did.”

My mother pushed me away softly, her body floated up to meet father. I begged for them to come back, but they didn’t. I was alone again and I cried, I found myself in the same predicament I was in as a child. I was a scared little girl alone in the dark.