Mother and Daughter
It was so bright at first that he thought he might have been knocked in the head from behind.
That just said so much about his expectations at this point.
But soon enough his eyes adjusted to take in the room, the familiar room with the familiar window. It was his room, the guest room that Brennan had put him in. He took a step, then another, and were it not so very bright he might have thought the whole experience was just a daydream.
Were it not so very bright and were the bed not occupied.
There was the little girl again, though different. The strange alien qualities that had unnerved him both in the real world and in this terrible hell-hole were gone. Here, she was just a little girl smiling a soft little smile, her eyes closed in peace. Wrapped around her was a woman, a woman whose voice he thought he knew, a woman whose face he'd seen in countless pictures before.
He'd seen her in person as well, though not for some years. She'd aged gracefully, though, he'd give her that. And Bren. Bren had damn fine taste as she was a beautiful woman, ex-wife or no.
Neither of them moved or shifted for a moment before he cleared his throat, not knowing any other way to get their attention. Both of them startled and turned to him, very much in shock.
"Laurence?" / "Uncle Laurie?"
He looked around, shook his head back and forth, closed his eyes and opened them to the same sight.
"Yeah," he said flatly. Then he realized-- "Yeah, yeah, it's me. Yeah, it's... do either of you know what's going on here?"
He fixed a look on his niece. She moved to shake her head before her mother gave her a look.
"We do," Adelle told him quietly. "But we shouldn't discuss it here. If you're here--"
She looked past him, into the doorway where a mirror image of her daughter stood. The other little girl was different, though. Not just the clothes, but everything. Where Emma seemed to be full of light, the other was darkness, her eyes black. In her hands, the scissors that had so troubled him were being spun like a little baton.
"Ebrille," Adelle named her.
The little girl didn't even attempt to step into the room.
"Ebrille, please," she asked. "I understand now. I understand your pain. I know what he did to you and I know... I know everything, Ebrille. And I'm sorry."
"Sorry isn't good enough," she said in a voice that was part little girl and part... something else. Cooper shivered, realizing only then that the room he stood in had taken the chill and the ache from his bones.
"Please," Emma said finally, pulling away from her mother and standing. She walked right up to her double and stood before her, mirror images of one another almost. "I get it. I get it, and I want to go home."
"You were home."
"I want to go home alone," she said, "I want my body to be just mine. I want to have my mother with me. I know how silly I was."
Emma looked back at Adelle.
"As do I," Adelle added. "I know what I have now. Please, Ebrille. You know this isn't right."
"And what about me?" And now there was much more little girl in the voice, more than there had been any other time.
Adelle didn't answer. She merely opened her arms.
Emma stood aside.
And as the dark little spirit
ran into the
woman's arms,
the world seemed to disappear into
the bright
bright light.
That just said so much about his expectations at this point.
But soon enough his eyes adjusted to take in the room, the familiar room with the familiar window. It was his room, the guest room that Brennan had put him in. He took a step, then another, and were it not so very bright he might have thought the whole experience was just a daydream.
Were it not so very bright and were the bed not occupied.
There was the little girl again, though different. The strange alien qualities that had unnerved him both in the real world and in this terrible hell-hole were gone. Here, she was just a little girl smiling a soft little smile, her eyes closed in peace. Wrapped around her was a woman, a woman whose voice he thought he knew, a woman whose face he'd seen in countless pictures before.
He'd seen her in person as well, though not for some years. She'd aged gracefully, though, he'd give her that. And Bren. Bren had damn fine taste as she was a beautiful woman, ex-wife or no.
Neither of them moved or shifted for a moment before he cleared his throat, not knowing any other way to get their attention. Both of them startled and turned to him, very much in shock.
"Laurence?" / "Uncle Laurie?"
He looked around, shook his head back and forth, closed his eyes and opened them to the same sight.
"Yeah," he said flatly. Then he realized-- "Yeah, yeah, it's me. Yeah, it's... do either of you know what's going on here?"
He fixed a look on his niece. She moved to shake her head before her mother gave her a look.
"We do," Adelle told him quietly. "But we shouldn't discuss it here. If you're here--"
She looked past him, into the doorway where a mirror image of her daughter stood. The other little girl was different, though. Not just the clothes, but everything. Where Emma seemed to be full of light, the other was darkness, her eyes black. In her hands, the scissors that had so troubled him were being spun like a little baton.
"Ebrille," Adelle named her.
The little girl didn't even attempt to step into the room.
"Ebrille, please," she asked. "I understand now. I understand your pain. I know what he did to you and I know... I know everything, Ebrille. And I'm sorry."
"Sorry isn't good enough," she said in a voice that was part little girl and part... something else. Cooper shivered, realizing only then that the room he stood in had taken the chill and the ache from his bones.
"Please," Emma said finally, pulling away from her mother and standing. She walked right up to her double and stood before her, mirror images of one another almost. "I get it. I get it, and I want to go home."
"You were home."
"I want to go home alone," she said, "I want my body to be just mine. I want to have my mother with me. I know how silly I was."
Emma looked back at Adelle.
"As do I," Adelle added. "I know what I have now. Please, Ebrille. You know this isn't right."
"And what about me?" And now there was much more little girl in the voice, more than there had been any other time.
Adelle didn't answer. She merely opened her arms.
Emma stood aside.
And as the dark little spirit
ran into the
woman's arms,
the world seemed to disappear into
the bright
bright light.