{Lost: Sarah} Meetings
Confused, hurt and tired, still terrified from being dragged through the thorns and her mind spinning with all that was happening, trying to hold on to some piece of sense, she curled up on the ground. The pale man stood impassively and looked over at her, just as he always had in her dreams before all this had happened. He walked over, slowly, and knelt beside her, wiping away her tears and brushing her hair out of her face that he could get a better look at her.
He rested his hand on her head in a strangely fatherly manner for a moment, an image ruined by the coldness in his face, and as he drew his hand away he took something with him. It was like the warmth was being drained from her, but it was more than that, in his hand she glimpsed the strangest thing; dancing lights, flickering images, happy dreams she only just remembered and then they were gone as they melted into his skin. Everything was cold and somehow empty, she couldn’t remember what was taken, what was gone, but it tore at her and she hated him for it.
And then he smiled and it was beautiful, it was warm and perfect and nothing was missing anymore.
He stood up and walked away, leaving her alone in the dark for the cold emptiness to come back and she hated him again. She screamed after him, yelling into the dark, crying to be taken home. But there were things in the darkness with her; scrabbling beasts with claws and sharp teeth, things that bit and scratched when you tried to sleep, things that attacked for the applause of some unseen crowd. Sometimes the ground would just stop being there and she’d be falling. Or there’d be a forest and she’d be running from the creatures. But always it was like it was all just a stage, or a bad dream, or both.
For a long time she was ignored, but slowly he started taking more and more notice of her, started coming to watch her more often. The more she fought back against the things in the darkness the more attention he paid, the more she adapted to everything and rose in the ranks the more he smiled. And she remembered that it was his fault she was here, every time he left she thought about how she would hurt him next time he was there, and every time he came she couldn’t help but adore him and try to get his attention, and he loved to see new terrors.
And then he visited her again, he came right up to her instead of watching from a distance and she could see the dreams dancing in his dark eyes. She smiled and leapt over to him, springing nimbly down from a ledge, showing off the wings she’d made that she knew he prized, a small bit of her mind hating how she pandered for his attention like a child for their parent.
He laughed gently, happy to see her, “I’m going to a party, little dancer, do you want to come with me?”
She couldn’t believe it, tears came to her eyes, it was overwhelming and she quickly accepted.
“I’m glad, I’ve even made you something for it,” and he produced a shining silver collar with a fine chain attached, perhaps more for show than for function but with these things it was hard to say, you could see the light of stars in it and his most cunning trick; a single dream woven into its metal.
“Do you like it?” she managed to shake her head but just barely and he looked so sad that it hurt her.
“Please put it on, I thought you were a merry one, I thought you liked it here.”
I could go if you don’t want to. Who’s that? I could be the merry one who likes it here, you wouldn’t have to. Did he put you here? Does it matter? … No. You know what will happen at the party. He’ll show me off, a pet on a leash. Yes, and he’ll probably want you to perform. You mean hurt someone. If that’s how you want to see it, yes. So do you want me to go? I know you hate doing this kind of thing. We need to answer him quickly. Okay. You go. Thank you, Sarah.
“I do, thank you, I’m sorry I was rude before,” and she laced the collar around her neck, letting the joy from the dream in it wash over her. No more struggle or pain from it, no guilt for doing as he ordered, just happiness as she walked after her master on the way to the party.
He rested his hand on her head in a strangely fatherly manner for a moment, an image ruined by the coldness in his face, and as he drew his hand away he took something with him. It was like the warmth was being drained from her, but it was more than that, in his hand she glimpsed the strangest thing; dancing lights, flickering images, happy dreams she only just remembered and then they were gone as they melted into his skin. Everything was cold and somehow empty, she couldn’t remember what was taken, what was gone, but it tore at her and she hated him for it.
And then he smiled and it was beautiful, it was warm and perfect and nothing was missing anymore.
He stood up and walked away, leaving her alone in the dark for the cold emptiness to come back and she hated him again. She screamed after him, yelling into the dark, crying to be taken home. But there were things in the darkness with her; scrabbling beasts with claws and sharp teeth, things that bit and scratched when you tried to sleep, things that attacked for the applause of some unseen crowd. Sometimes the ground would just stop being there and she’d be falling. Or there’d be a forest and she’d be running from the creatures. But always it was like it was all just a stage, or a bad dream, or both.
For a long time she was ignored, but slowly he started taking more and more notice of her, started coming to watch her more often. The more she fought back against the things in the darkness the more attention he paid, the more she adapted to everything and rose in the ranks the more he smiled. And she remembered that it was his fault she was here, every time he left she thought about how she would hurt him next time he was there, and every time he came she couldn’t help but adore him and try to get his attention, and he loved to see new terrors.
And then he visited her again, he came right up to her instead of watching from a distance and she could see the dreams dancing in his dark eyes. She smiled and leapt over to him, springing nimbly down from a ledge, showing off the wings she’d made that she knew he prized, a small bit of her mind hating how she pandered for his attention like a child for their parent.
He laughed gently, happy to see her, “I’m going to a party, little dancer, do you want to come with me?”
She couldn’t believe it, tears came to her eyes, it was overwhelming and she quickly accepted.
“I’m glad, I’ve even made you something for it,” and he produced a shining silver collar with a fine chain attached, perhaps more for show than for function but with these things it was hard to say, you could see the light of stars in it and his most cunning trick; a single dream woven into its metal.
“Do you like it?” she managed to shake her head but just barely and he looked so sad that it hurt her.
“Please put it on, I thought you were a merry one, I thought you liked it here.”
I could go if you don’t want to. Who’s that? I could be the merry one who likes it here, you wouldn’t have to. Did he put you here? Does it matter? … No. You know what will happen at the party. He’ll show me off, a pet on a leash. Yes, and he’ll probably want you to perform. You mean hurt someone. If that’s how you want to see it, yes. So do you want me to go? I know you hate doing this kind of thing. We need to answer him quickly. Okay. You go. Thank you, Sarah.
“I do, thank you, I’m sorry I was rude before,” and she laced the collar around her neck, letting the joy from the dream in it wash over her. No more struggle or pain from it, no guilt for doing as he ordered, just happiness as she walked after her master on the way to the party.