Ayalet sprinted into her parents bedroom with excitement oozing out of her. She jumped up and down on their bed as they both got ready for the day. Her mother stuck her head out of the bathroom, her blonde hair pinned back in curlers, “Happy birthday sweetheart. Is my nine year old girl excited for today?” Her mother's sea blue eyes sparkled at her with such deep love.
Before she had time to respond, a dark brown scruffy headed monster ran out of his walk-in closet like a panther and tackled her on the bed. His big fingers tickled her sides as they rolled around on the bed. She squealed out, “Dad” between gasps as she tossed her head from side to side. Letting her catch her breath, he got up and ruffled her hair with a grin lighting up his face and his olive green eyes.
Straightening her hair back in place, she stuck out her tongue at her father before responding, “I am so excited!”
Her mother turned to her father and asked, “Shayn Sanderson, you didn’t tell her, did you?”
Her father grabbed his chest as if he were in pain and crumpled onto the bed, half falling on top of her, “DAAadddd! Get off me!” She squealed as she attempted to push his heavy body off of her.
Next thing she knew, her dad popped his head up, “Holly, I am HURT! How could you think I would tell such an important secret?”
Her mother laughed softly from the bathroom, “Because you couldn’t keep a secret if your life depended on it.”
Her father reached under the bed. “Close your eyes Ayalet. Don’t open them till I say when.”
She heard some rustling. “Okay, open them!”
In front of her was a beautiful hiking pack. It was lime green with blue and black accents and zippers. There were tons of pockets, a navy blue sleeping bag was attached at the bottom and the inside was filled with a bunch of other outdoorsy camping gear: a new three person tent, a sleeping pad, a few dry bags, a head lamp, a cooking stove and pot set, and a first aid kit.
“These are all quite a bit big for you but we figured you could grow into them and it’s good practice to carry more than you think you can handle… builds character,” he said with a smirk. “Your mom and I thought we could go for a half day hike to the top of one of the mountains; I could show you how to use all the gear we got you. Afterwards, we could go shopping then make whatever you want for dinner and dessert. How does that sound?”
“Really?! Let’s go now!” Ayalet could barely contain her excitement as she jumped up and down on the bed.
“Well, we can’t go in our PJs and on an empty stomach. Your mom wanted to make chocolate chip waffles for breakfast and we still have to pack a lunch silly girl. Why don’t you go get dressed while we start breakfast?”
Nodding Ayalet leapt off the bed before sprinting down the hall to her room, throwing her PJs to the floor and changing. She made it a point to put on a few layers of clothes like her father taught her whenever they were spending time outside.
As she was putting her hair up, the sweet smell of waffles drifted into her room. Her stomach gurgled and she grabbed a pair of socks before sprinting to the kitchen.
“Slow down sweetie, there is no need to rush, enjoy the day.” Her mom laughed as she flopped two huge fluffy waffles onto a plate.
After breakfast, her excitement for the day was hard to contain as her parents chased her around while preparing for their hike.
As they walked out the door together Ayelet felt her heart fill with joy, it was a beautiful day, and they were going on an adventure… together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Her birthday was by far the most memorable she had in awhile. They hiked along the nearby mountain range until noon where they enjoyed lunch together staring off across the mountain peaks out toward the ocean. Along the way, they picked various edible mushrooms, random berries and enjoyed the wondrous sounds of nearby wildlife.
When they arrived back in town, they made a quick stop at the grocery store which turned into a surprise visit to the ice cream parlor. Her stomach was so full after eating an enormous bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with sprinkles on top. When they arrived back home, her mother and Ayalet went out to pick garden veggies. After feeling they had enough for the dish, the two of them played cards while her father cooked dinner in the kitchen. Of course, it was her favorite; Venison stew with garden veggies and forest mushrooms.
The rest of the evening was relaxing as they continued to play board games together. When she yawned, her parents smiled before saying, “Time for bed love bug.”
Ayalet got ready for bed before crawling under the covers. Her parents kissed her goodnight before getting up to leave the room. Suddenly, Ayalet felt unexplainable fear wash over her. She reached out her hand and caught the end of her mother's shirt. She turned around and swept Ayalet up in a hug, “Oh sweetheart, it’s okay. I’m here.”
Tears fell from her mothers’ eyes, “Mommy, are you okay?”
Her mother nodded her head softly, “Yes sweetheart, mommy is just happy you had such a wonderful birthday.” Her father sat down on the bed next to them and pulled her and her mother into a big bear hug that washed away the last of the shadows of worry from her mind.
Breaking apart, they both kissed her on her head, got up and walked to the doorway, “Happy birthday. Sweet dreams my love and know that we will always love you.”
Laying back down, she curled up into a ball, closed her eyes and whispered, “Goodnight” before drifting off.
Quickly falling asleep, she could sense she was becoming entangled within a strange dream. Ayalet was completely surrounded by strange figures, darkness and light battling for supremacy. Time flowed past her ears in the form of whispers of moments lost. In this lullaby of darkness and twilight, she roamed the earth.
All around Ayalet, time passed by; forward or backward, she couldn’t tell. Wars waged, children were born, the elderly died but it all moved so fast it was indistinguishable the direction she was going. Suddenly, time slowed down to a snail's crawl and she saw winged creatures flying all around. The clouds were pure white as the sun shone through to the earth. As she got a closer look, she saw that the creatures were actually humans with wings. Was she in heaven?
Just as heaven crossed her mind the sky darkened and lightning shot from its depths. Darker versions of the winged creatures flew down and war broke out. Shots of light streaked between bodies and sparked all around. It got so bright she shielded her eyes but the sound stopped.
Opening her eyes, the scenery was clear of activity. It seemed like the world was silent and unmoving, wiped clean of humans, those creatures and their noise. The sky was a brilliant shade of pink, the valley all around her a golden sea of wheat, everything glowed with pure happiness.
In front of her stood a beautiful woman with bright silvery blue wings shimmering in the light. Her eyes were brilliant, they shone like emeralds speckled with tints of blue. Her hair, trailing down to her feet was a magnificent silvery blonde drifting in the wind. She seemed like a royal figure with her slender body and high cheekbones. She reminded Ayalet of the elves from fairytales her parents read to her. Entranced, she could not focus on the words the angel was saying until she heard, “I’m sorry, the seal will be restored soon.” Ayalet did not understand what the lady had to be sorry for and she couldn’t understand the rest of what she had said. Before Ayalet had the chance to ask, the lady vanished as if she were the mist itself. The bright happiness faded from the earth with her disappearance.
Feeling a presence, she turned to find her parents standing perfectly still, the wind ruffling their clothes around them. Getting up, she ran to them; as she shortened the distance between them, she noticed their facial expressions were full of ache and heart wrenching sorrow. Stopping in her tracks she stared up at them in confusion. Tears trailed down their cheeks as their faces traveled from Ayalet to each others' and back to Ayalet’s. In unison, they approached her, got onto their knees and enveloped her with warmth as they said, “We love you sweetheart.” Like the spark of a match, the darkness all around didn't seem to matter with them holding her.
Their hug felt the same it always had; full of love and safety. Pulling back, Ayalet wiped tears streaming from her eyes. After her face felt dry again, Ayalet looked back up at her parents just as they turned around and lifted off into the air. As they grew further away, the last thing she saw of her parents were what looked to be six glistening white wings protruding from each of their backs. Why were there six?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ayalet sat straight up and curled into a ball. Had it all been a dream? Her skin was covered in sweat as she shivered from the cool breeze whistling in through the cracked window. Leaning over, she closed the window and layed back down to fall back to sleep. Images flashed through her mind of war and her parent’s leaving her behind.
Frightened of slipping back into her dream, she threw her covers off and dashed up the stairs to her parents’ room. Not wanting to wake her parents, she kept silent; upon arrival she found a neatly made bed, cold. Her parents were always in bed at this time of night. She needed them, she needed their warmth to wash away the shadows of her dreams. Tears started to well in her eyes as she turned around and frantically searched the rest of the house. With each room she visited, her vision grew more blurry with the buildup of tears. Could they just be playing hide and seek? Turning the corner into the living room she bumped into the glass lamp. Falling, the lamp shattered into what seemed to be an endless number of pieces.
Her body froze, what would her parents think when they saw the mess. Would they ground her for breaking the lamp? Bending down she picked up the bigger chunks then started scooping the smaller pieces. Maybe if she cleaned it up they wouldn’t be as mad at her. The ache in her heart lingered from her dream and overwhelmed her senses; she could see the cuts beginning to drip crystalized blood on her fingers but she didn’t feel any pain. As small droplets of blood gathered on her fingers, she stared mesmerized. Her blood looked as if it had tiny tendrils of iridescent veins running through it. Who would help her clean up her hands when she finished? Where did her mom keep all the band-aids?
Thinking of nothing else to do, she called out, “Mommy? Please stop hiding, this isn’t fun. Where are you? My fingers are bleeding.”
Her parent’s had to be somewhere. Sniffling as tears continued to pour from her eyes, she lifted her chin to try again, “Daddy? Tell mommy to stop it. Please come out, please come back.”
After the shards were gathered together, she walked into the kitchen to throw them away, trailing behind her drops of crystalized blood. As she walked back into the living room, her legs gave out from under her. Hunched over on the cold floor, she looked at her hands which were now only covered in mere scratches from the lamp. She had always healed significantly faster than all the other kids at school. The blood had practically stopped by now but she wished her mom could kiss the cuts better. Or that her dad would distract her with some goofy stunt.
Gathering her hands to her chest, a hiccup escaped as she fought to suppress the sobs flooding out of her chest like water out of a dam. Her sorrow and panic escalating with their continued absence, she wailed out in pain and loneliness. Her breathing became ragged and uneven as she struggled to find the ability to bring air into her lungs. Bending over her legs, she fought to conceal the agony inside. As the sobs continued, a piercing sting shot from her chest to her back. Gasping, she sat up only to be confronted with the pain drastically spreading throughout her back and centering on her shoulder blades.
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She moved in every way possible, trying to reduce the pain in her body. When nothing seemed to help, she whimpered as her fingers stretched around her body, in an attempt to reach her back. She jumped, startled by what she felt. Her fingertips just barely brushed a lump on her right shoulder blade. What had she done to herself to bruise her back? Maybe that was why she was hurting?
Ayalet’s mind and body felt so numb, she was confused why her parents were gone and why she was hurting so badly. Who was left to help her? As her back continued to hurt, her distress over her parents changed to feelings of concern and curiosity for the lump on her back. She then moved her right hand closer to her left shoulder blade only to find an identical lump. As she adjusted her body to get a better feel of the unknown lumps, her back started to burn.
Letting out a groan, she stumbled into the bathroom to get a better look at her back. Looking in the mirror, her eyes stared straight forward at her unusual features. Her golden brown hair reached down to her mid-back and had always grown faster than usual. Her eyes were ice blue with an iridescent shine. When a ray of light hit them just right, her eyes glistened like cats in the dark. Whenever she looked into a mirror, she could never stare into her own eyes for longer than a few seconds, she grew too uncomfortable. It always surprised her how little she looked like her parents' pictures, there were very few characteristics she shared with them.
Mum was beautiful with curly blonde hair the color of the sun on a bright summer day, falling like streams of light upon her shoulders. The blue in her eyes were as deep as the sea and as bright as the sky, yet you could find so much love hidden in them. She was kind, caring, shy, and intelligent, probably about the same height as Ayalet was now. Her mom spent most of her time drawing or writing. In fact, Ayalet remembered some of the paintings consisted of the landscape all around the town, or of what she dreamed about at night. One of her favorites was a watercolor of a city in the clouds where the people had wings that only a god could have given. While her stories were fantasies of what may be lurking in the unseen; places right in front of your eyes, yet never noticed. Other stories were of creatures that once existed on this planet, yet now were only told in fairy tales. Her mother would tell her stories every night before she went to bed; although, most of her stories now lay dormant in her memories.
Dad was a tall man with dark brown hair that rarely was allowed to grow past his ears; except those few months in the middle of winter. His eyes were olive green with a mischievous twinkle to them. He always made you wonder what was running through his head. She remembered how tall he was, he seemed like a skyscraper to her childhood mind. Her daily goal was to climb onto his back, or to cling to his leg as he walked around the house. He was kind just like her mother, playful, straightforward, and quite athletic. Dad loved his job as a Wildlife Biologist; he would tell her stories about what he would do at work. Her favorite story was when he had to tranquilize a cougar too close to town and move to another location. She remembered how much it bothered her at first but her dad told her why he had to. He compared it to Ayalet getting lost and someone helping her get home; how he just had to tranquilize it so it wouldn’t be as scared or hurt anyone.
Her mother used to play with his hair when they laid down together on the sofa in their living room as Ayalet played on the floor in front of them. After she was through playing she used to run up and jump in between them. They would look down at her with a smile as they hugged her before mum would start playing with her hair. On occasions, dad would tickle her, mum joining seconds after. There were several times when mum would look at her, wink and she’d know what her mom was planning; seconds later they would both tackle dad and attempt to tickle him. It never lasted long for his strength greatly overpowered them. Afterwards they would be huddled together laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
Looking down at her now unscarred hands, she was reminded of every other time she had been injured. For as long as she could remember, she’d rarely ever been sick and whenever she got hurt, she healed extremely quickly.
The mirror revealed incredibly inflamed flesh, purple veins popping out and large almost swollen looking shoulder blades, similar to what a broken bone might look like. As she sat there staring at them, the discomfort centered around the swollen flesh again; turning around, she froze as she realized that they were moving and growing bigger. Suddenly, a searing white pain blurred her vision causing her to see stars dance behind her eyes before she lost consciousness.
The next thing she knew she was sprawled on the floor. As she lay against the cool bathroom tile, she realized the pain seemed to be mostly gone and instead was replaced by a small itch, like a mosquito bite. Sitting up, she stretched her back a little; suddenly the slight irritation evolved into an incredibly unbearable itch like a newly formed rash.
Reaching her hands as far back as possible she started scratching desperately. By the time the itch subsided, she reached her hands back only to see them covered in what she assumed to be small pieces of flesh and blood. Sitting up, she looked into the mirror to find that in place of skin there were bones jutting out of two small holes. The skin surrounding her protruding bones was red and puffy like an infected cut.
Had she done that? Her mother would have to set up a visit to the doctor. How she disliked the doctor. But how could it be that bad? She’d scratched at bug bites before, why was this one so bad? As she stared at what she’d done; the throbbing returned, worse than ever. Now the newly released bone started growing out of her skin. Centimeters at a time, the bones kept expanding past her back. As if she had clicked fast forward on a movie, the bones grew outward stretching the skin on her back further than seemed possible. As her skin and bones stretched outward, the skin around the holes aged in minutes before drying up and falling to the floor. She could feel them, her bones ached as they grew. It felt as if she was grinding her back against sandpaper; it itched so very much.
Feeling sick, Ayalet jumped to the toilet and released what was in her stomach. She remembered eating a delicious meal the day before. Her parent’s and her had all gone grocery shopping after a day hike, preparing the ingredients then letting Ayalet taste test everything as it finished. They made venison stew with garden vegetables, mushrooms from the forest and fresh peach cobbler with ice cream.
As she leaned over the toilet, she felt like her back was sprouting outward, expanding. Looking down at her motionless hands, she was perplexed that her bones felt as if they were vibrating. She was disturbed and freaked out by how her body felt until it grew to hurt. The growth was less awkward and had started to feel more as if her bones were being rubbed against a cheese grater. The immense pain was driving her deep into the folds of insanity.
After what felt like hours of dry heaving she laid her head on the toilet seat, only to be welcomed by blood dripping onto her cheek. All over the ground, she could see layers of dry skin. Where had it all come from? Out of the corner of her eye she could see not just bone protruding a couple feet out of her back but feathers attached to what looked like very small wings. Mesmerized, she reached her hand up and over her shoulder to touch one. The feathers were soft and wet with her blood.
Tired and weary, she laid down on the small patch of carpet in the bathroom. Glancing at the clock, the big hand was on the 3. She would just lay there for a few moments before she. . . what? Before she could finish the thought, she was out. The next time she opened her eyes, the sun was shining through the window. Again, glancing up at the clock she found the big hand had moved to the 2.
As she stared at the clock, something brushed up against her cheek. Looking over she found the feather covered bones were now three times the size they were before and fully feathered. Reaching up, she grazed her fingers against the tips of the feathers when she noticed these strange sheaths randomly placed along her wing. She grabbed hold of one and pulled.
Ayalet gasped in response to the pain. She then tried again but instead lightly spun the sheath in between her fingers to find it slid off a hidden feather. When she looked at the ground, it was covered with a mixture of blood and what looked like dead skin. In her hand, the once sheath looked exactly like the dead skin on the ground. The feathers were coming in at a rapid rate. Curious, Ayalet wondered if she could move them like her own limbs. As the thought crossed her mind her wings raised and bumped into the ceiling.
Continuing to flex her wings, she got up and walked to the front door as if captivated before opening it. Maybe her parents had gone on a walk or were at work. In hopes of finding them and showing them her new wings she stepped outside. Once outside, a strong wind pushed her back, making her stumble as she called out to her parents. When no response was heard she jumped into the air, intending to take off but fell back onto the ground instead.
After the embarrassing fall, she flapped her wings, basking in the feel of the air flowing through her new feathery limbs. Stubbornly, she got back up and tried again; after countless attempts she felt the muscles in her wings strengthening. Feeling quite hungry, she figured she would go inside and eat something before she kept trying.
Once in a while, when her parents would go to work on a weekend, she would fend for herself. The rule was to stay inside and behave. If she got into trouble, the next time she would stay with her Aunt Krista. And that she didn’t want to do; so she behaved. Walking into the kitchen, she made herself a sandwich then proceeded to plop down on the couch as the sandwich dangled from her teeth. When her belly was full and happy, she laid her head down again only to doze off.
Hours later, her stomach full and her body well rested, she returned to her stoop as the sun set over her head. This time, she would try a different method. Getting into a running stance, she took off as fast as she could, hoping that speed would help her attempt at flight.
Right, left, right, left; faster and faster she ran, flapping her wings in sync with her feet movements. Ayalet could feel the pebbles under her feet and the dew on the grass beneath her. The faster she ran the stronger her flapping grew, until she could barely register her feet on the ground at all. Finally, she looked down, expecting to find the ground close and was surprised to see that her house looked to be the size of a small fairy house. At first, the thought of being so high scared her but as she soared above the treetops, wonder filled her heart where fear of falling used to be.
For most of the dark night she called for her parents from the skies, in hope and agony that they would respond, but there was no such luck. Feeling dead, lost, and lonely, she glided back to her empty house. Tears streaming down her face, it became hard to see. She wiped repeatedly with her arm, but to no avail. Heading downward she realized she was gaining too much speed and rammed into the top of the tree. Branches cracked and broke as her weight took its toll on the tree.
After painfully landing on the ground, she dragged herself to her feet and stumbled inside to her bed, where she cried herself to sleep. As the last of the dreadful night drifted away, she was back in the world of angels. Her parents' forms drifted into the distance before she heard the flutter of wings above her. A flash of glistening silvery blue wings flashed before she was blinded by light. As her mind began to stir, she felt feathery lips trace a kiss upon her forehead. Opening her eyes, she found herself alone. Outside, the sun was shining with soft morning light while on the floor, she noticed feathers strewn about her room and suddenly, she remembered.
Everything came rushing back, the dream, her wings and all the pain. The pain of losing her parents overwhelmed her heart that the flight through the sky seemed meaningless in comparison. For days she waited for her parents to return, hoping it wasn’t real. One morning she awoke to knocking on the door, running she opened the door to find a coworker of her father’s. What hope had been in her heart sizzled out as the strength in her legs collapsed.
The police were notified of her parents' disappearance. When they arrived, they kindly asked her what happened. It was all a blur in her mind as the police officers walked around her house. She told them everything and when she was done, they looked down at her with pity before thanking her for her help. The man walked away and whispered to another officer, “I think she’s confusing dreams with reality. Angels, wings. I think she’s in shock.”
It was then that an older woman she vaguely remembered came running over to her. As the lady frantically looked her over for injuries that she remembered this woman was her aunt on her mother's side. After seeming satisfied, her aunt walked over to talk with the police and introduced herself as Krista. Oh yeah, that’d been her name. It had probably been two years since she last saw her.
As Aunt Krista walked away from the policemen, saying she would do everything she could for her niece. Some of the worry evaporated with the knowledge she wouldn’t have to be alone tonight.
The drive to her aunt's house was short and quiet. As they walked through the door, Ayalet tried to take everything in. The house itself was bright yellow with dark gray tiles on the roof; the garden was shriveled and sad in comparison to her parents. As she walked Ayalet around the house, she showed off 3 bedrooms; one for Ayalet, the master being hers, and an extra one that she used as a study/workplace. Then there was the bathroom, kitchen, living room, basement, and attic. There was a room that could have been a dining room, but was filled to the brim with bookcases and little knick knacks that her aunt collected.
Ayalets first impression of her furniture was old and ugly. Her couch was a disgusting puke yellow with stains all over it. In the corner of the room was this weird tuba looking thing that she put huge disks on. The music that came out was nothing like the warm, fun music her parents listened to with her. Without meaning to, Ayalet grumbled about turning it off. Krista gave her this long speech about respecting old things.
As her aunt raved on about music and some other boring topic, she looked around the living room. Anyone would get sick with all the yellow things that she had. Her carpet was white in some areas but was yellowed with age closer to the wall. The walls seemed to be covered in yellow wallpaper, even the coffee table cloth was yellow.
“Ayalet, are you listening to me?” Her aunt's voice shocked her from her thoughts and she nodded her head.“Child, I understand your parents are gone and I will put up with this behavior for today ONLY. But from tomorrow onward, I will not allow anymore of this childish behavior. You will need to learn proper etiquette. I never agreed with how your parents decided to raise a child; honestly, so much free reign... you were practically feral last time I saw you. It seems you have at least calmed a bit. Regardless, there will be rules in my household.. Above all else, it is of the utmost importance that you work on your behavior in front of guests.”
Weeks passed, despite her attempts to tell her aunt and the other adults what happened, no one believed her. As the years passed and she grew older, she began to believe her own story less and less; until she grew to believe that her parents had grown wings and left to go watch over her from above. To this day, that is what she believes; although, she remains oblivious to the marks that were left on her back from the last night before loneliness entombed her.