Bloodstone Page 8

  ‘Esme, you just cried a fricking crystal!’

  Esme forgot all about her anger. She stared at the gem in my hand with wide-eyed astonishment. ‘What the heck? That’s spectacular. How on earth did I do that? I wish you could give it back to me, Amelina.’

  ‘Me too.’

  ‘I wonder what it means?’ she said, wrinkling her nose while a perplexed frown creased her forehead.

  ‘I don’t know, Esme. But it appears that when you get upset, you produce crystal tears.’

  I scowled a guilty frown, remembering my recent unkindness. ‘I’m sorry about being so mean. I shouldn’t have said what I just did; it sucks. I’m so stressed. Nothing makes sense. It feels like I live in a glass house of unhappiness,’ I said, wishing I could reshuffle all my selfishness and rearrange it somehow.

  ‘Me too,’ replied Esme sadly.

  We weren’t biological sisters, but we shared a sisterly condition, and that said it all. I tried to cheer Esme up by sticking my tongue out at her sad face, wiggling it around. The house answered us and echoed with trapped laughter. Esme laughed a hollow laugh. I wanted to hug her, but I couldn’t, so I offered her a reassuring grin instead.

  Puzzle Piece 15:

  The Painting - The Creature

  Sometimes it happens,

  That art and life intertwine,

  Together in time,

  The result a dead creature,

  Dead, earthy, not of this earth.

  I put the quartz crystal, which had been one of Esme’s tears, away in my camphor-wood chest. That mystery would have to wait. While the chest remained open, I rummaged around searching for my art equipment. I felt guilty abandoning Esme to her solitary prison, but I had to finish my most recent painting.

  Grabbing the paint set, I descended the stairs and entered the kitchen. I set out the pots of various colours and placed the paintbrushes on the kitchen table.

  I opened my art book to survey the page where my teacher had written a comment on a post-it-note, ‘Great atmosphere, maybe you could add people to the painting.’

  I paused, wondering whether to chance using the gift of my aunt’s paints again. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me. Mum’s advice could stew. I grabbed the first brush, and as before, an unusual sensation transmitted from the brush to each of my fingers. This time the sensation felt stronger, and my hands shook as the room spun around in a woozy circle. I experienced uncontrollable dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me. Regretting my decision to use the paints again, I tried to pry the brush from my right hand. My panic level arose when I couldn’t get the brush to budge. Now what?

  The paintbrushes were silent and so involved in creating they didn’t have the energy to talk. My hand moved of its own accord. Breathing deeply, I calmed down a little. The brush continued to make progress. Before I knew it, the black splodges of paint I’d painted during my last session had moved together to form a dark, ominous creature dominating the centre of my painting. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was the creature from my dream. The face scowled at me, and I noticed a suggested movement as if the creature contemplated leaping out of the canvas in my direction at any moment.

  This terrifying being deserved the term: hideous. No other word would do it justice. Lumps of earth were matted around its skull, convincing me that it wore dreadlocks. Worms fed on the rotting skin that hung from its skeletal frame. Many insects collected in the recesses of the creature’s decaying body.

  Surprised at the painting’s transformation, I knocked over my paint pots in shock. Paint spattered across the kitchen table. My mind raced. I questioned how I could have painted such a revolting thing? Am I hallucinating?

  Without warning, the floorboards beneath my feet rattled. I tried to throw the paint brush away, but it clung to my hand like extra strength super glue. After several attempts, I succeeded; my fingers released the paint brush. I ran into the lounge in a panic, leaving my art stuff scattered all over the table. This calmed me down a bit, and I slowed my pacing. The thudding of my heart grew so loud I heard it pounding like an overzealous gong in my ears.

  With the continuous sound of the beating of my heart, it wasn’t long before I heard the house joining in with a chorus of shouts and yells. The rattling floorboards continued moaning out their sorrowful tune.

  When the doorbell rang, I sprung up to answer it thinking it could be my dad. Just in time, I remembered what he had always said: ‘Make sure you check who’s at the door before you open it.’

  I turned on my heel and sprinted upstairs to the first-floor landing, where I could observe the transparent window above the doorway. This window allowed an excellent view of the front of the house.

  To begin with, I saw nothing. I considered the doorbell ringing must have been kids playing a prank. I was ready to turn away when there followed a flicker of movement. My eyes darted left and right, and I couldn’t believe what I saw standing on the doorstep. There in all its glory stood scary dreadlock dude, the creature I’d just painted, the same creature I had met in my dream, standing on my front doorstep like a visitor at Halloween.

  A family of rats sat perched on its head, biting at the last remnants of meaty flesh from around its eye sockets. Closing my eyes, I hoped that he was just some wild figment of my imagination. However, when I re-opened them, I saw that my fears were justified. The being resembled a horrible hellish beast transported from a Halloween Underworld Party who had paid me a trick or treat visit! Except, I saw no sweets, instead a bunch of worms and rats were making a mega meal out of him.

  I heard distressed sounds coming from the house as it registered this unwelcome visitor at the door. Weird noises echoed from within the walls, and the floorboards creaked like they would crack wide open. The central heating pounded a protest like an agitated heartbeat.

  Beneath my feet, Shadow’s black fur stood on edge. He hissed and bared his sharp fangs at the sound of the unwelcome visitor at the door. The strange being continued knocking. I freaked out. I feared the door threatened to tumble down. The sound of splintering wood shattering filled my ears. I imagined the creature racing up to get me; the rats tucking into my painted toenails, and the worms feasting on my mascaraed eyes.

  Terrified by the mental pictures I had created in my head, I dashed toward my bedroom. Within her captive mirror, Esme stood on tiptoes, wide-eyed and curious at all the commotion. Shadow had vanished into thin air. Some rat catcher! I knew one minute he’d been hissing, and now he had gone.

  My breathing wheezed in my chest as I squeezed myself as flat as possible to crawl underneath my bed. I remained hidden for ages until finally, my ragged breath slowed, and I forced my body to slip from my refuge. I tiptoed down the hallway. Shadow miraculously reappeared, following me, winding around my ankles. ‘Shadow, stop that,’ I whispered in a trembling voice, my legs shaking with anxiety. The cat stormed off in an almighty huff, his tail swishing in irritation.

  When I reached the window, I peered outside to see if the weird creature still occupied the same position. I noticed that the creepy thing remained poised like a street performer still standing on the step. He stood motionless, not moving an inch. Yet I remained convinced that he was about to do something. I could feel it in my bones.

  Sure enough, it reached forward with a bony hand to knock on the door again. An expectant hush continued. The silence hung in the air, sounding abnormal to my ears. The hideous creature’s hands moved forward, and parts of his body unravelled as its mouth gaped wide. The creature’s fists crumbled into dust before he made contact with the door.

  Unable to batter the door anymore, the heinous being bellowed with fury. ‘You must open the door, Amelina. Come with me!’ Each syllable it uttered sent little parts of its decaying body flying in a multitude of different directions. Its chin jutted forward until piece by piece the creature disintegrated before my eyes, tumbling into a mess of leaves, debris, and mud. The rats fled in terror. The noises ceased. The house sighed, and a deafening silence
followed.

  I stood silent, unable to take in what I’d just seen and heard. The roof of my mouth felt dry, and my pulse raced. My stress levels had hit the top of the crazy scale. I shook, and my heart rate continued to speed out of control.

  I drew in slow, deep breaths, struggling to get back to normality. With trembling limbs, I made my way downstairs to check the damage to the door. There was none. Not a single splinter, not one broken panel, nothing. I glanced over at Esme, expecting her to appear as shocked as I felt, but she seemed unperturbed. She smiled at me, that crazy mirror girl.

  ‘What are you smiling for? Didn’t you see that rat-infested thing that looked like a demon? What about its door battering magic trick? Don’t tell me you didn’t hear or see that.’

  Esme shrugged. ‘The wood didn’t mind. That thing could do no harm.’

  ‘Huh… Are you for real? I can’t believe what you said! Who says the wood didn’t mind?’

  ‘Me.’ Esme stood proudly, a smug grin on her face.

  ‘This is the weirdest conversation. Esme, forget about the fricking wood for a moment; let’s talk about that infestation that just dropped by.’

  Esme shook her head in defiance. ‘You have zero sense. Sometimes scary beings aren’t half as scary as you think. Talk to the wood, it’ll tell you I’m right.’

  My mouth gaped open at this exchange. I flipped my hair over my shoulder in annoyance. ‘Geez. Now you’re telling me to ask the wood whether that thing’s a nice guy!’

  ‘While you’re at it you could ask him what he knows about the crystal cottage. I bet he is Mr Knowledgeable. I bet he knows just how magical the cottage is.’ Esme didn’t have time to elaborate further because Shadow slunk back into view.

  ‘Where’ve you been, Shadow?’ I asked the cat as if expecting an answer. ‘You’re no use at all. You didn’t even protect me from those rats. I need a guard dog, a Rottweiler or something.’ Shadow meowed and for once let me pick him up, but this weakness in his armour only lasted a moment. Then he protested and squirmed out of my arms.

  For some strange reason, my thoughts returned to Ryder, and I remembered that it seemed like an age since I’d last seen him. So much had happened since our first meeting. It appeared life had crawled by until I met him, and now it speeded up.

  I walked into the kitchen and mulled over the happenings of the afternoon. Could the weird creature be conjured up from my art set? Is that even possible? Or could its presence be a punishment for never doing as anyone told me?

  Guilt pricked at my heart. My mother had told me not to use the art set again, and to tidy up my room. I had chosen to do neither. With a heavy heart, I picked a few mouldy items up from the kitchen counter and popped them on top of the bulging trash bin.

  Nobody would believe me if I told them what had just happened, least of all my mum. She’d insist on taking me to the GP and then moan about it interfering with her busy schedule. I had no choice but to keep the weird creature a secret for now. My only hope was that it wouldn’t make a return trip again with all those bugs, rats, and worms in tow. Even if Esme defended him, proclaiming him to be a harmless, wood loving batterer.

  Puzzle Piece 16:

  The Crystal Cottage

  Beauty has to hide,

  From the shadows to survive,

  Light and dark, yin, yang,

  Sweet heaven which is hidden,

  Deep within the earth itself.

  I struggled to understand what the weird creature had meant by saying, ‘Come with me.’ He’d risen out of the earth to ask me to follow him, but why? After painting the creature, I felt compelled once again to find the Crystal Cottage, even though the desire to do so now mixed with anxiety at what I might find. I reasoned that the answers to all these strange happenings lay hidden within the cottage’s walls. There was no other answer. Even though I didn’t know where to look, I sensed that perhaps now would be the time to find out.

  I slipped out of my house and followed the deserted pathway to the trail I had taken before. It appeared eerily quiet, and not a soul was about. With each step I took, I had a mounting sense of unease and fear. I glanced at the view to the right towards the train tracks and saw nothing to reassure me. The patch of land stretched into the weary landscape. I noticed abandoned and distressed old buildings which seemed to cling to the ground with broken, jagged windows pierced and pointed, peering outward on the world. Nearby in a field, agricultural vehicles lay silent in their death throes. The sad and lonely atmosphere whispered a fearful disquiet in its breathless warning.

  The pathway to the left unfolded before me like a delicious puzzle, full of mystery and hope. I admired a large grassy field; a light and breezy place where horses roamed and lingered near well-kept fences as if waiting for a chance visitor to pass.

  My supercharged hearing detected the silent whispers in the breeze, which echoed as did the sound of trickling water, and the vibrations of the earth below my feet. The sounds propelled me forward down the road. In no time, I had stumbled upon the same spot where I’d discovered the cottage of my dream. I shrieked in excitement, shocked when the sound echoed, forcing its way beyond the tranquil horses to the far reaches of the empty field.

  A series of moss-covered steps led below the ground to a gaping hole. The cracks and loosened stones surrounding the hole resembled a brain teaser, almost like a challenge, waiting for me to solve the mystery. Curious, I stared into the inky darkness. The silence held me enrapt in a motionless grip. I hesitated, not sure what to do next. Until the earth beneath my feet moved a fraction of a centimetre. I heard a loud cracking noise and jumped in fright.

  The sound reverberated, and a large zigzag crack formed in front of the steps. Startled, I moved away from the edge of the steps, fearful of falling in. In a brilliant flash, the cottage appeared before my eyes. My first thought was that it resembled a treasure entombed, rising out of the earth, shaking off its muddy cloak of slumber with a high-pitched wailing sound reminiscent of a banshee who’d just been awakened from an endless sleep.

  My mouth gaped open in surprise. I had waited so long, and here it finally was. I couldn’t contain my excitement, and my hands shook in anticipation of my visit. I breathed in, saturating my lungs until they felt they were about to burst with the deliciousness of this moment. I pondered the realisation that since it revealed itself to me; I sensed that the cottage had made me wait. But why?

  I shook off my questions and marvelled instead at the beauty of the quaint old cottage. It had a gated door leading into the garden where many varieties of roses and a fragrant patch of herbs grew. The smells were heavenly. In the front, I spotted a large courtyard filled with bird tables and bird feeders hanging from the trees. Breathless at the beauty, I stood, marvelling in the sights.

  I revelled in the sight before me. The cottage sported a round, arched front door. The tiny, shuttered windows and door were a pastel green colour which blended into the landscape, and the stone cottage’s brilliant white exterior colour gleamed. An ornate plaque with angels clustering around the edges like a halo hung next to the door frame. To the right of the door hung another plaque, engraved with gold lettering displaying the name: Crystal Cottage.

  I swung round when I heard a sound. The doorstep mat lifted from the ground and spun towards me like a magic carpet. When it reached my side, its coarse bristles formed a mouth that spoke. ‘Open your eyes and you will see.’

  I couldn’t believe what I saw. This whole extraordinary experience had me brimming with excitement. I reached out to touch the mat, but it frowned. ‘No touching!’ it said, stiffening. Seeing my confused expression, its bristles softened. ‘Come in! Come in!’ it urged.

  I blinked. I struggled to comprehend that I had arrived at the Crystal Cottage of my dreams. I followed the mat’s advice and stepped through the door. Everywhere I looked, a reward of beauty met my eyes. Light reflected off the surfaces of the many crystals and bounced around the room in a kaleidoscope of colour. A myriad of gemston
es twinkled at me, winking in a musical symphony of colour, brightness, and warmth. The walls of the cottage twinkled with crystal faceted gems. Their names leaped out at me in quick succession. There were Amethysts, Black Obsidian, Bloodstone, Merlinite, Red Jade, and Honey Calcite, to name a few. Skylights in the ceiling let in rays of sunlight that reflected on the crystals, creating a dazzling display.

  The remarkable sight made me feel like crying. I turned in circles, delighted with the sights and sounds. The deceptively large inside of the cottage hid an array of bird cages, housing doves who were bathing in cups filled with rose water. I peered further into the cottage and locked eyes with the owner. She appeared as a delicate, almost bird-like wisp of a person I wouldn’t have noticed if it hadn’t been for her colourful streaked hair. She stood amongst the bird cages, whispering to the doves in a gentle, chirpy sing-song voice.

  The tiny woman caught my eye and smiled. ‘I am Leanne, the owner of this dear cottage. Welcome, Amelina. It’s so wonderful to meet you at last! You have been a welcome visitor in my dreams.’ The woman bowed, and smiled wider, adding, ‘No longer a stranger, for here you are before me.’

  ‘Thank you, Leanne. It’s wonderful to be here at last. I struggled to imagine that I would ever find the cottage. Now I’m here, I have so many questions I want to ask you…’ I stopped talking when Leanne raised her hand to silence me.

  ‘Before you say another word, show me the crystal you carry.’ Leanne reached forward with cupped hands.

  I didn’t know how she knew my name or how she knew I carried Esme’s tear, which had turned into a Quartz crystal, but she did. Not sure what to think, I wished I could read her mind before I handed the crystal to her. Filled with curiosity, I popped the gem into her waiting hands.