“It’s a door Cilla.”
“Well, I know that! How did it get here? Am I supposed to go in? No way am I going in!”
“I think you made it…”
Remy ran down to the wooded floor and inched his way close to the door jamb. His nose twitched, sniffing for any sign of the door’s origin. He looked back at Cilla then back at the door. Nothing made sense.
“It smells like you Cilla. Hints of your scent are all over it.”
“How did I make it?”
Remy ran back to his perch on Cilla’s shoulder.
“I don’t understand it, but I think we have a way out.”
Remy was right, there was something about the door, something familiar. When she drew closer it felt as if she were walking into a warm kitchen during happier times at home.
There wasn’t much time before Ray picked up trail.
“Come on Cilla, make up your mind. We can’t hang out here for long. You feel it. I know you do. What are you waiting for? Let’s get out of here…it can’t be worse than back there.”
Cilla stared into the mouth of the doorway, behind she saw slivers of colour, tiny pixels of life. What can the harm be? It felt right.
Move yourself Cilla!, she chided herself, What are you waiting for?
Cilla closed her eyes and took one step forward. Then another.
“Let’s do it. Let’s do it. Come on! GO!”
“Okay, stop nagging me!”
She threw herself forward and she was out.
***
You’ve missed the chance Ray, again!
“What are you talking about now?”
The Girl…she’s slipping away from you.
Ray wasn’t enjoying this new aspect of the crystals, didn’t like this abuse. The pain in his chest, it ran up his arms and legs…it was alive. Cilla could fall off the face of the world for all Ray cared at that point. He just wanted to lie down and get himself so drunk the fire in his limbs would be drowned to submission.
“I don’t care, “ he said. He got up from the ground and began to pull himself back up t the house. His body creaked along, slow and labored. Ray felt aged thirty years.
You have to go after her.
“No. I. Don’t. You’re starting to piss me off. I just wanna go home and relax with a drink or four.”
So, you’re going to let her win? That brat is going to make you look foolish. She will be laughing at you all the way.
“I don’t care, I truly don’t. So leave me alone for awhile, huh?”
Ray was really getting the gears. Why was she so important?
What?
“Christ! I can’t even have a thought on my own anymore?”
Ray stopped short in his tracks. His legs wouldn’t move.
He pushed and struggled but Ray wasn’t able to move any further from that spot. His body was gripped by an invisible hand, crushing him slowly between its fingers. His chest grew heavy and breathing slowed.
Ray? I need you to listen to me. Listen closely ok?
Ray choked and sputtered.
I will take that as a “yes”. Ray, you will go after Cilla now, you will find her and you will bring back what she’s stolen. Those crystals are important. We made a deal Ray, and you promised to help us get home. Don’t forget you promised us …
The grip tightened and Ray blacked out. For a second it was dark then his sight came back with light flitting across his eyes. He gagged and sucked in great mouthfuls as air as the grip released him. He awoke on the forest floor, not where he last stood but further into the trees, a good deal further. He could hear Cilla off to the right…he was brought right to her.
Through the trees he saw her standing in front of a red door, half opened with light streaming out from it. A door in the middle of the forest?
Yes Ray a door, we’ve established that all ready.
Cilla was talking…that rat of hers in front of the door…it looked like it was talking back. This is nuts. The rat ran back up Cilla’s arm and they talked a bit more.
She certainly talks a lot, when is she going to make a move?
Ray slowly crept his way around the clearing, trying hard not to make a sound. He had to get closer to her, to stop her and get those crystals from her. She looked like she was going to go through the door, but there was nowhere to go. From his position the doorway facing Cilla was lighted brightly, he couldn’t see anything beyond the glowing. As he crept slightly behind the door, he could see through at Cilla standing behind it. He could hear the Rat, hear the rat, chiding Cilla to enter the door.
“…Let’s get out of here…it can’t be worse than back there.”
He drew closer, circling around her. He was close, she was close to making her break…she was inching closer to the doorway.
You have to stop her Ray!
I know!
“Let’s do it,” the rat prodded. ”Let’s do it. Come on! GO!”
“Okay, stop nagging me!”
Ray watched Cilla take a deep breath and take a long step forward just across the threshold. He ran from the trees and grabbed her before she could escape. He grabbed her by the arm as she jumped through.
“Not. So. Fast!”
Cilla hitched back on her heel and fell backward out of the doorway.
“We have a lot to talk about kiddo. Come on let’s sit down before you go off in a huff.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Remy ran from his safe spot on her neck.
“Leave her alone!”
“Remy, don’t! Don’t get near him!”
Cilla spun around on the ground and faced Ray. She stood up and stared into his eyes. She saw fear in them. She saw a twinkle of doubt behind his pupils, he wasn’t as sure as he appeared.
“Please let me go.”
He smiled at her with yellow, dirty teeth.
“where you gonna go Cilla? Through that door? Where does it go? Looks pretty sketchy to me. It looks like it leads somewhere, but from behind it’s nothing but an empty hole. You really want to take a chance?”
“It’s better than what I have here. What is there to stay for?”
“Well, you wouldn’t be staying here…we have issues to deal with here. When I’m done, you won’t have t worry about being anywhere.”
Ray punched her across the face, then wrapped his callused had around her throat.
“I will choke those crystals out of you child.”
Cilla was passing out, she saw in Ray a change. She saw the fear disappear and be replaced by cold rage. That wasn’t him. It wasn’t Ray any longer. She watched his forearms as they started to glow, felt the heat pulsing off his skin. She was losing feeling in her legs and her eyesight was going dim. This was it.
“Let her GO!”
Remy sank his front teeth in the meaty flesh of Ray’s thumb. He screamed and dropped Cilla…a momentary distraction but enough for her to stagger to the doorway. Ray recovered and lashed out, trying to grab her from behind. He caught the material of her clothes, pulling back. Cilla squirmed and fought him, edging closer and closer though the passage. He pushed forward to get a better grip on the child but in that second she slipped out of his grip and disappeared into the light.
“NO!”
Get in there Ray! Get her back!
Ray felt a tingle in his legs a burst of new strength, he surged forward and reached into the brightness. He fished around blindly, but grabbed hold of a solid form within. He pulled and tugged. He had her, but she fought back, fought hard. His arms glowed brighter and he channeled the power into his arms and yanked her home. Ray stood dumbly. The person he pulled through looked like CIlla but this girl had to be 5 years older.
“Cilla?”
The girl jumped to her feet and hurled a burst of light from her arms, Ray was hit square in his chest and thrown 50 yards into the woods. He slammed into a tree and crumpled into a heap on the rough ground.
Cilla stood and turned to the doorway, before heading back into the light she walked to where Ray had landed. She knelt down and got close to his ear.
“Time for you to learn I’m not little girl anymore.”
Cilla stood up and ran through the doorway and out of this world.
