Trapped in Our Hell

“One...two...three…” a little girl counted the taps against the rustic wall. Each tap sounded louder as if someone was moving closer to the girl or well possibly something. Alone in the two story house at the dead of night with both her parents at the hospital working the little girl thought it unlikely it was them returning. Expectually considering the way her parents basically ran out of the house in a rush five hours ago. The little girl laid on the soft baby blue sheets helped her mother put on her tiny bed this morning froze hearing a thundering sound break out in the hall. The source she thought was most likely a vase full of her mother's favorite wild flowers. Who could be out there? The little girl thought to herself. No maids, or staff lived with them. Just the parents and the little girl. Something like a hushed whisper carried through the wind to her. Goosebumps covered her arms, her mouth became parched, and all the color on her chubby chipmunk like cheeks drained. The words hushed sound almost like her name. “Lusie,” the hush muscular whisper was louder beside her open doorway. Ya that was definitely her name but the voice was a stranger to her. Who and what did they want with her? Should she cry or hide under her fuzzy panda blankie Pappa gave her last Christmas? Before she could do anything however the source of the whispers stepped in stumbling through her door. The source was a tall man. With the glow of the hall light the man's features were more visible in her darker room. The man had long blonde hair in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. As his eyes looked down at her on the bed she could see an odd unusual bloody shade of red. The man's clothes were worn down brown and black rags barely something a homeless person would wear on the streets. The clothes were so worn that holes were seen everywhere and parts of his sleeves were torn off while on his chest and stomach area were threads of cloth hanging down. Whoever this man was he did not wear any shoes upon his average feet size. “Lusie, my little girl, I have found you!” The strange and somewhat smelly man broke into a wide grin as he seemed to cheer. He moved a couple steps closer to the girl. Frightened the little girl grabbed her blankie to her chest tightly scutting all the way to the edge of the far side of her bed. “Please child don't be so scared. I have come to save you from this hell hole. Your mother took you away from me when you were just beginning to walk.” He said still moving closer. Holding out his long arms to the girl he asked, “Don't you remember me? I'm your uncle.” Lusie screamed at the top of her lungs. The man truly terrified her. She could not tell if his exterior is why she was so scared or if it was something else about him. Footsteps could be heard from the stairs as the parents rushed to their little girls side. Out of breath the mother ran into Lusie's room in her hospital gown. Lusies Pappa followed suit in his doctor scrubs. The parents had just walked through the threshold to hear their baby girl scream. Her mother held her baby in her arms while running fingers through Lusie's straight hair. Pappa searched the room and out the window looking for what could be wrong. Lusie watched as her Pappa literally walked right through the homeless dressed uncle. She was so shocked that she remained speechless and still in her mother's warm embrace. "Shhh. Lusie it's ok. Honey what has gotten you so scared?" Her mother's voice calmed most of her panicked emotions. Lusie raised her finger at the strange man. The man had walked to her mother and was using words Lusie was sure she should not be hearing at her young age. He seemed very furious with her mother for whatever reason. Her mother however was confused at what Lusie was pointing at when she saw nothing beside her. "You don't see him Mama? The man dressed in really bad ragged clothes and smells like man-manure. He says you took me from him. That he is my uncle." Lusie stumbled through her sentences from fright and vocabulary she was learning in her fourth grade class. Her mother looked down at her with concern shining in her eyes. She did not understand what Lusie was saying. No man was in the room or one that the parents could see. She began to wonder if her daughter was ok. Lusie was past the age for having imaginary friends or at least the parents had thought so. Pappa listened closely to his two hearts. He could feel his brown eyebrows frown in concern and his lips turn downwards displaying his emotion. He hoped his daughter would grow out of this. If she continued to see things that were not there well he would have to send her to get help. There is only one place in town for that kind of help. 8 years later Lusie continued to see people and animals that never were seen by others. Not only in her room like the first experience but during classes in public. At first Lusie didn't know how to act with the strange people crowding her already crowded life. She made the mistake of telling her parents each day of the new people and animals she saw. Well until the concern in their eyes grew every time they looked upon her. Lusie sat at her desk in her room under the window. She loved to draw underneath the glass that gave her light. Most of the times when her mind was wandering off into her curse or stress of life she would stare out of the window at her mother's garden below. The beautiful colors of flowers and earth calmed her. A knock sounded vibrating her closed door. She turned around to find her father was standing in the doorway. She smiled but it did not last when she saw the usual expression cross his face. He looked much older than his thirty seven years. Lusie could not tell if she was the cause or his work on patients lives that did it. " We have to talk Lusie." Her father's tone indicated the subject was very serious. So Lusie turned towards him. She didn't mention that there was a man beside him. Nor that the man, her grandfather that past on two years prior, obviously looked displeased with him. "Your mother and I, " Her father began while taking a seat on her neatly made bed sheets with sky blue and clouds on it. "believe we have found a place to help you." Her father felt like he had no choice but to send her to the only place he could think of to help his precious daughter. Lusie frowned. Her index and middle finger began drumming her right jean covered knee. A habit she grew after the first night of her curse. "We worry over you and this…" he paused finding the right word to use without hurting her feelings , "ability you have suddenly been able to have since that night." Lusie swallowed the knot in her throat. None of them had talked about that night and she had been grateful for it. She had not been wanting to relive that night out loud even if it never was far from her thoughts. "Tomorrow your mother and I will take you to the hospital that I have heard helps people with similar abilities." Her father continued looking down at his palms instead of her. Thoughts filled her head. The one that stood out from the rest was she had became a problem to her parents. That from this curse her parents saw her as a burden nothing less. Lusie tried to open her mouth to speak but her mouth was so dry while her eyes filled with water. Silence filled the space between them. There was a big gap between her father and her. One that this ability had built. Since that night her whole life changed. " You know I did not ask for this. I did not ask to see the dead or to be afraid of the dark. I did not want my parents to see me as a problem they have to fix." Tears ran down Lusie's cheeks as the anger and grief overflowed. Her father ran his left handed fingers through his brunette wavy locks. " Of course you did not. We don't believe that at all. However it is something harming your life experiences." "I have lived like this for 8 years. I am used to how my life has changed. Now you suddenly want to fix this. " Lusie with her tearfilled eyes and clenched fists stood up. She placed herself in front of him and glared daggers into his eyes. He couldn't look away from her if he wanted to. Lusie made sure he wouldn't be able to. No running away. If he is sending me away he will have to face me and see all the emotions his words have on me, Lusie thought to herself. "You must understand Lusie. Your mother and I have never had a situation like this. We thought as the years went by that your ability would leave. We hoped for it. However each day…." He grew silent. As if it hurt him to speak more. "I came home and my ability grew instead. Did you and mom every think about me? I'm the one that has had to live with seeing ghosts and hearing them. I'm the one they don't leave alone every minute of everyday. Not even in my sleep! So you finally realize though I have tried so hard to hide this that it's not disappearing like you hope. No the only solution must be to send me off." Lusie's voice increased in volume until she could feel her ears ringing and see her father flinch back. Her father took her hands in his gently. He looked into her eyes as if willing her to understand his words. As if he thought she was beyond listening to reason. His voice was calm and even the complete opposite of how hers had been. "You are our daughter. You have never been a burden to us. We are just worried for you. This is the only way we can see helping you." Lusie sniffed feeling conflicted. Her parents had always shown her love. Never had they been harsh in anyway. Which in this moment clashed with the action of leaving her somewhere away from them. She wasn't even sure for how long. What if her ability never left? Would they never let her in their lives again? Lusie was in utter despair. Her life once again was being changed completely and there seemed to be nothing she could do from that happening.