Page 47 of Ashes

Scary.

I wanted to go home.

Please, let me go home.

I couldn’t find my way out.

Seth. Seth. SETH! HELP ME!

“Where are you, Rinny?” his voice grew urgent as my chest tightened. “Come on. You’re right there. Come out.”

I was cold here. So cold.Why wasn’t there any warmth here?

Seth swore softly through the darkness.

All went quiet as I panted.

“Do you remember when we’d save our money, and my mom would take us out? She’d go shopping and let us sit at the ice cream shop. Do you remember that, Rinny? You loved strawberry ice cream. They’d put chocolate syrup on it. Loads of whipped cream. Sprinkles. Do you remember you’d always give me the cherry they put on top?”

He’d open his mouth, and I’d try to toss the cherry in. He always caught it even though I had terrible aim. He’d laugh and tell me I’d get better at throwing someday.

I missed him.

Was this real?

“I’m here,” he called out softly. “Come find me. It’s like that time we played hide and seek at your house. You always hid in the shower. When I asked why you never hid in the closet, you said because there were monsters inside.”

He waited a moment before continuing, “You don’t need to be afraid of the monsters, Rinny. I won’t let any of them ever hurt you.”

My eyes burned. My face was damp. I couldn’t wipe the tears because my arms were too heavy. I was too weak. Too tired. Too. . . gone. Stuck. Broken. Terrified.

“Rinny, the monsters are here, and you’re stuck in the closet. I can see you, but I can’t reach you. I need you to help me this time. I can’t save you if you can’t help me.”

He continued to recant tales of our happier times. Memories popped up and disappeared, each story making me desperate to find him in the darkness and cling to him. To beg him to save me. To tell me I’d just been living in a horrible nightmare.

“Rinny,” he called out in a sing-song voice after a long time of silence.

Seth!

“Rinny, where are you?”

I’m here. I’m right here!

Why can’t I call out to him?

Why am I in this darkness?

“Take my hand,” he called out. “I’m right here. Reach out for me.”

I focused everything I had on my arms. I wanted to leave this place. I wanted to find my best friend. I wanted to find Seth and be safe and have him tell me everything was OK. That none of the things that happened were real.

“Rinny. Right here. Just. . . try. We’re running out of time.”

I wept softly, unable to do anything. I was chained down. The evil wizard had me.

Then there was. . . a light.

Seth’s blue eyes danced back into my vision. His messy, black hair.

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