| THE HAUNTING PAST |
| Maine in January is no place for a young woman who was used to the blazing temperatures of southern Texas. Yet, Harmony braved the cutting, frigid gusts of wind to visit a place she had not seen in twenty-two years. Shoving her gloved hands beneath the underarms of her winter coat, she persevered down a gravel road toward a giant clearing. The gravel road was hidden under three feet of snow, however. That is why she had parked her car along the main road and continued by foot. The snowfall had been this heavy the last time she was here, in a violent on-and-off-again blizzard. For now, it was just lying on the frozen ground. The termagant wind that knifed through the air carried no precipitation. Struggling through nearly waist-deep snow drifts, Harmony recalled conversations held with some townspeople in the nearest town of Bigsby, which was 18 miles away. In the other direction, there was Williamsborough, but that was even farther away, at 26 miles. Where she was could surely be considered as being in the middle of nowhere. One particular conversation stuck out more than most: in Bigsby, Harmony had stopped at a gas station, not only to refill the tank of her car, but also to get directions for where she was going - Vagrant�s Hideaway. That town appeared on no recent map for the simple reason that it no longer existed. The gas station clerk was kind enough to tell her how to get there, but only after informing Harmony of the ghost story that entailed it, which Harmony was already overly familiar with. �Vagrant�s Hideaway!?� the clerk asked, astonished, in response to Harmony�s question for directions. �Ain�t much to visit, y� know. Whole town disappeared some 20 odd years ago.� Normally, that would be the tourist�s cue to question what she meant by disappearing, yet Harmony simply responded by telling her she already knew of the town�s mysterious past. �No one ever figured out what happened there, but they say there were many strange deaths around the time before it vanished. And there was also one survivor, they say. A little girl who couldn�t remember anything that happened. Went into the unsolved mysteries book, I guess.� Harmony pondered the idea of commenting further on the subject, but after careful consideration, she decided against outing herself. Bigsby was a town that prided itself over �owning� the famous Vagrant�s Hideaway tale. And, letting her secret out to them would�ve caused her more headache than fame. ~~~~~ Pushing through even deeper snow now, she kept heading toward her destination. She saw a brown shape in the distance at the edge of the forest. Beyond the line of trees was a vast open space. Her legs were beginning to sting a little from the intense coldness. She only had a single pair of jeans on and the snow had soaked them completely, leaving her defenses weakened. It was just a few more feet away. The visibility of the shape was becoming clearer now. Off to the side of what should�ve been the road to town, was an old, decayed wooden sign. "W lco e to ag nt�s Hid wa Po lat on 481" And written slanted across the bottom of the sign was some graffiti left by a couple of young birds in love that had no respect for all the souls that were lost in the tragic event. "Stephen and Amy forever" The paint on the sign was partially worn off from the years of weather abuse. The graffiti, however, was not worn. It was indeed rather fresh. Finally reaching her goal, Harmony stumbled over to the sign and stopped to put the visual to memory. With one hand, she reached out and caressed the rough wooden surface. Her wool glove snagged a little in the recesses of the sign where the letters were imprinted. Many splinters stuck out and latched onto her glove, so she pulled them out. After being satisfied enough from seeing the town�s entrance mark, she began more forceful steps toward the big clearing before her. Reaching the edge of the clearing, she could see that the ground dipped slightly in a big circle pattern, almost like an impact crater. Yet, the degree of the slant wasn�t very extreme. No meteorite had caused this, though.. Scientists had pondered over this mystery for many years before giving up on the matter. And not only was the town that once existed gone, but so was any form of vegetation. Whatever occurred here had poisoned the soil and prohibited future growth of any plant life. The space where the town once stood wasn't utterly desolate. In the direct center, an enormous snow castle had been erected. The figure was obviously not designed by true architects but merely by an inspired group of high school friends. And it wasn�t much of a castle neither, more of just a series of vertical rectangles stacked on top of each other that decreased in size on the way up. The rectangles themselves were very uneven in shape and clearly constructed with no more utensils than just human hands. The size of the tower, however, was most impressive. There were no signs of vehicles or people going back that way. The last snow storm was over a couple weeks ago in that area. The tower, it appeared, was finished. Trudging through more snow, Harmony made her way to the center to get a better appreciation of the sculpted spectacle up close. She could see a big moat around the tower where the people had plowed an entire area to the dirt. They needed an area and flat ground to work with for the ladders. The path wasn�t bare anymore though; a slight covering of snow concealed it, but in portions, the soil was still visible. The tower stood about three stories high. It was indeed a true testament to snow castles everywhere. On one side of the tower, a big sign was placed near the top. In bold red letters it read, �Wanderer�s Retreat.� Harmony didn�t know the meaning behind the words, but that was the name of the inn that used to exist in Vagrant�s Hideaway. The tower was raised as an honor for the people who disappeared along with the town. Reaching into her coat, she pulled out an elongated object wrapped in tissue paper. Unrolling the paper, she uncovered two red roses. Moving around to the front of the tower where the sign was hanging, she bent down and brushed away the loose snow at the base of the tower. Creating a small niche, Harmony placed the roses upright against the snow brick. These were in memory of her parents; who were rent from her life before due time. Tears softly rolled down her cheek, first warm, but rapidly turning cold, just like this place. This place, this tribute and honor, brought nothing but sadness to her. The harsh coldness worked its magic on her tears and began freezing them to her cheek. With her gloved hand, she wiped away the frozen emotion and stood back up. Turning her head to the side, away from the white wall of snow, she saw a glimmer of something disappear around the corner of the tower. �Hello?� She called out, suddenly feeling ill at ease. A new chill ran through her, knowing that someone had been watching her all this time. �Is someone there?� Bringing back her own composure, Harmony straightened her posture and began taking tiny steps toward the edge of the tower. Slowly but surely, she peeked around the edge and saw a woman walk around the next corner of the tower. It was only a quick glimpse, but it was indeed a woman with long, black hair, wearing some sort of a dress and no shoes. �Hello?� Harmony called out again. Picking up her pace, she walked along the side of the tower and rounded the next turn. She was expecting that the woman would be going around the next corner, but instead Harmony found her standing in the middle, facing her. Harmony stopped abruptly, not wanting to walk any more towards her. The thought of coming into contact with this stranger frightened her. But even more frightening was who this woman resembled. The image was blurry in her mind and she didn�t quite comprehend it at first, but this woman looked like her mother. �Mom.....?� Harmony whispered. It can't be her, she thought. But she looked so much like how she remembered her and also from photographs. The woman didn�t speak for many moments. She just stood there and stared at Harmony with an emotionless face. Her skin was sickly pale. Without shoes and proper attire, the woman should�ve been tremulous and completely submissive to the weather, yet she wasn�t. Harmony opened her mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by the other woman. �Who are y...� The woman did not speak in a normal tongue. Her words were vocalized in a gentle manner. �Angel, my child, you�re young and desperate. Seeking some truth, you are. Gathering strength,you bid this weather. A wandering soul, gone so far.� That was the end of her passage. Speaking no more, she turned and began walking away to the corner of the tower. Harmony stood frozen by her ghostly presence. But upon realizing that the woman was disappearing, she darted off in the direction she went, calling out, �Wait! Don�t go. Not yet!� Continuing laps around the snow memorial, Harmony saw the woman walking around the corner. As she made her way around the bend, the woman had her hand on the wall, palming an item. Just as her hand was disappearing around the edge, she dropped the item and it landed and buried itself in the snow drift below. Harmony ignored the mysterious object for now. She continued to pursue her evasive guest. But when Harmony made the turn, the lady was gone. Gazing across the clearing while running around the entire tower, she searched for her but to no avail. And yet again around the tower, she searched for footprints, but the only prints in the snow were those of her own coming to the tower and also those generated by their little tango. None other were headed away from the center. It was as if the lady just vanished. Coming to a stop, Harmony rested a moment to catch her breath, which was escaping as a vapor into the brisk air. Bending over, she placed her hands on her knees. The truck through the deep and packed snow to the tower combined with a light sprint really wore her body down. Adding an emotional trigger, as well, did not help the situation. Panting, Harmony questioned what had just occurred. �Wha... what... just happened? Am I... losing my mind?� Standing back up, she brushed her long, dark hair out of her face, which was cold and on the verge of going numb from the intense chill. Turning around, she faced the snow monument and searched the ground with interrogating eyes, hoping to find the object that was dropped by the lady - the only proof she could grasp that would bring absolution to what she witnessed. She traced her steps around the tower. Rounding a turn, a noise sounded from behind her. With her alertness piqued, Harmony quickly whipped around to catch the source of the disturbance. But as she turned, her foot caught the edge of something buried in the snow, and she tumbled forwards until her face was resting on the frosty blanket. The impact had left her skin stinging but she forced herself to rise up quickly to spot what it was that had made her turn around in the first place. She heard fluttering and as her eyes reached the level of the sky, she noticed that it was merely a bird. Feeling ludicrous, she stood up, brushed her clothes off, and put the incident behind her. Despite the strange occurrence with the ghostly figure of her mother that left her doubting the logic she gained over her many years, she still felt she had completely lost her composure. Harmony was not one to show her weak side often. She looked down at the ground to see what it was that had made her trip. There was something wooden peeking out from the snow. She didn�t even have to pick it up to realize what it was - a broken handle from a snow shovel. One of the members building the tower must have left it behind; how fortunate for her. Going back to the task at hand, she continued to search for the snow drift that had been punctured by the item. Upon finding it, she squatted down and thrust her hand into the pile and fished around until she felt something solid brushing against her fingers. She then opened her hand wide and clasped downwards and pulled her arm out. There was a rattling sound and Harmony realized that she had pulled out a golden locket on a chain. Carefully opening the trinket, she revealed a faded, black-and-white photograph of two infant girls lying in a crib. They were identical twins wearing the exact same outfits. They couldn�t have been much older than a few weeks. Harmony had no idea who they were, but flipping the locket over, she noticed that there was an engraving on it in elegant, cursive writing. The print was extremely diminutive but she was able to read it. "Elizabeth & Alyst" Harmony gasped when she read that, putting a hand to her mouth to suppress building emotion. Elizabeth was her mother�s name. That had to have been her, she thought; possibly trying to tell her something. She did not know who the other girl was. Alyst. As far as she knew, her mother didn�t have a twin sister. Surely Elizabeth would have spoken of her. Harmony was young back then , but throughout all the interactions with family members, she should have heard something about it. ~~~~~ Holding her hand to the town sign, she gave one last fixation to the �Wanderer�s Retreat.� She sighed and gripped the locket in her other hand tighter. �What happened here?� She asked herself. Her mind was doubting all logic and reason that she ever believed in. Harmony was raised as a very scientific kind of person. Losing her parents at such a young age forced her to heed no special attention to faith and religion. She refused to believe that a god would be so merciless as to bereave her of the only true guidance and affection that she needed in that period of her life. Growing up, she took to the field of science, in particular, that of dinosaurs. All her hobbies and interests included something about the extinct creatures. It was no surprise to her Uncle Michael that raised her that she would eventually land a career in paleontology. Her profession only boosted her urgency to place all her trust in verifiable data. Those aspects molded Harmony into a tough individual who at times could be quite the stubborn and closed-minded woman. So, the incident that occurred over at the snow tower really tossed her hardened world into a dissolving position. She did not feel that this was over yet. There was some force compelling her to want to investigate further. Her parents disappeared along with this town for a reason. Also, it looked like the apparition of Harmony�s mother was trying to help her. She would not flee back to Texas now. There was too much of importance here in Maine. ~~~~~ �Just tell �em I got to cancel, Ron. It�s no big deal. I think they can handle a little compy excavation without the efforts of Harmony Urbanic... Look, I know Monsieur D'aubigne is personally coming to supervise the dig, but it�s just one dig. And a small one at that. Parcher can easily handle things without me there whispering things in his ear. You know he�s a know-it-all anyway and tries to take all the credit, so he might as well have this one... Well, fine. Just tell �em it�s a no-show. Tell �em I�m sick. Tell �em I�m dead for all I care. I�m not leaving yet... Yeah I know I was only supposed to be up here for only a day, but something�s come up... It�s personal, just... do me this favor okay?... Okay, thanks. I promise, I�ll make it up to the team somehow... Take care yourself, Ron, and see ya in a few days... mm-mmm, bye.� Harmony snapped her cell phone shut and pushed the antennae in with her chin. She had been pacing back and forth in her hotel room during her conversation with Ron, a fellow paleontologist. She was supposed to be in Montana by the following day to assist with an excavation of a Compsognathus longipes skeleton. She was going to have to cancel those plans because she was determined to get to the bottom of the Vagrant�s Hideaway mystery, even if it meant not being there when M. D'aubigne was scheduled to oversee the project. M. D'aubigne was the primary party who funded the expeditions of Harmony�s team. He was a collector of dinosaur bones, and all the skeletons that the team excavated were taken under his direct care at Mus�e des Pr�dateurs �teints (Museum of Extinct Predators), located in Marseilles, France. He owned the museum. And when M. D�aubigne goes through the trouble of observing a dig, the entire expedition team is expected to be there. Harmony walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge. She sighed, expressing her own remorse for having canceled on the excavation. Her career was her life and she really wished she could be there for the compy dig. There was another reason she wanted to be there even more so, though. It was Ron. Her relationship with Ron was a complex one. Not only were they trusting peers in the paleontology world, but each secretly held an interest in the other, yet each was oblivious of the other�s thoughts. Also, falling into relations with a fellow peer was highly discouraged, much like that between a college professor and a student. Had they been aware that their emotions were mutual, they still probably would�ve risked the taboo for Love�s sake, but since they were not, they acted rather professional and statute around one another. She opened her coat and slid the phone into an inside breast pocket. Again she sighed, but not over having missed out on a chance to be around Ron but because her mind was stressed over having seen her mother�s ghost. Remembering the locket she had put in her right coat pocket, Harmony reached in and retrieved it. She traced her finger over the engraving on the back. �What were you trying to tell me, Mom?� She whispered to herself. Harmony opened the locket and checked the photograph again. Two infants. She wondered if her mother was ever put up for adoption when she was young. That could be one explanation if Elizabeth really did have a twin sister. But, if Alyst is her sister, then where is she now? What if that apparition was actually Alyst instead of Mom? New doubts plagued Harmony�s mind. She would just have to sort through her growing disbeliefs and revisit the snow memorial tomorrow, in search of clues. But, first, she would go to grab something to eat; she hadn�t eaten since she arrived at the airport in Caribou, which was hours ago. The car ride alone from Caribou to Bigsby was horrendously long. ~~~~~ Crossing her arms to bear through the cold weather, she made her way down the sidewalk. Building after building was aligned against one another, sharing walls. This was the �downtown� part of Bigsby. The sun had long since passed over the horizon, casting an eerie shadow over the quaint town. Lamp posts were the main source of light to help a passer-by navigate through the roads and alleys. They were few and far between but enough to let Harmony manage. Nary a vehicle passed over the covered roads, which had been recently blanketed by a gentle snow. It was still coming down now, slowly and in fluffy flakes. Bigsby�s residents sought shelter in their comfy homes after sunset, enjoying an evening in front of the fireplace. They were much too used to long winters to continually be amused by the white kingdom outside their doors. Harmony wondered if Vagrant�s Hideaway was like this back then: a wandering soul passing through a desolate town with not a single person from town to converse with. She couldn�t even recall a single memory from those days. Normal childhood memories still remained, vague, but very much intact, as could be expected from any adult. It was as if those thoughts of the time she spent in Vagrant's Hideaway were magically erased from her mind. Up ahead was a hanging sign that swung noisily from the wind. Snow had encrusted the edges, blocking some of the letters. "irley�s Dine" Harmony studied the sign. She couldn�t translate the first word but she was rather sure the second one was �Diner.� She did not care where she ate, just as long as they had food. Approaching the brick building, she went up to the entrance door. The wooden door had another sign posted on it. �Open,� it read. She twisted the knob and pushed the heavy door inward. A warm gust of air, filled with wonderful aromas, greeted her. Also, a soft light baptized her eyes. The atmosphere was most inviting. Stepping up from the sidewalk and into the diner, her foot caught the edge and she tumbled forward, slamming the door into the wall. She fell all the way to the floor and caught herself with her hands. The abrupt noise alerted all the guests and workers inside. All eyes were on her. Slowly, she stood up; she was highly embarrassed. She could feel their stares. It was worse because she knew none of these people. Her friends would have given her Hell for a minute but then the embarrassment would pass, but not with these people. She turned and shut the door and brushed her clothes to straighten them out. The guests looked for a few more seconds, but then a few went back to their meals. The rest kept their eyes fixed on this stranger in town. A hostess walked up to Harmony. �You okay, miss?� Harmony�s cheeks were rosy. She brushed her hand through her hair to remove it from out of her face and then replied to the young lady. �Yeah. I�m fine. Embarrassed, but fine.� �Oh, no worry. It was an accident,� the waitress assured her, �Could happen to anyone. May I take your coat?� Harmony smiled, glad that at least there was a good sense of hospitality in this town. She removed her gloves and shoved them in her coat pockets then proceeded in taking it off and handing it to the young lady. �Thanks.� �I�ll be back in just a sec to get you a seat. Welcome to Shirley�s Diner.� The lady walked around the corner and down a hallway where the coat rack was. She placed the coat on a hook and returned. �Smoking or non-smoking?� �Non.� �Okay. This way. Follow me.� The hostess walked Harmony down the center aisle. All the faces turned once again to gaze at her. Harmony felt uncomfortable, not sure if deciding to eat here was a good idea or not. Perhaps she should�ve run out as quickly as possible and found another place. But, she shrugged it off. She was in too far to run out now. She�d feel even more ridiculous. The hostess took her around the corner and into the back of the diner to the non-smoking section. Harmony wondered why the smoking area got to be in the front instead of being separated by being in the back. She strongly opposed the idea of cigarettes and felt it degrading to be the one separated from the rest of the restaurant because she did not choose to inhale herself to death. But, to counter the shame, the room was at least more elegant than its predecessor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, creating a beautiful luminescence over the tables. It seemed a tad much for a diner, but Bigsby was somewhat of a resort town and has many tourists throughout the year. Over the years, the diner was able to afford better ornaments and furniture, yet it still retained its original name. Shirley Lancaster, who founded the business, had long since passed away, but family members kept her dream alive. �Here you go, miss.� The hostess gestured with her hand to take a seat at a table that was tucked away in the corner of the room. A giant window stood next to the table, offering a great view of the quiet street outside, and a lamp post across the street gave good light to demonstrate the beauty of a peaceful street in a light snow at night. Harmony took a seat on the side of the table so that the window was to her right, enabling her to look out during her meal. �Thanks.� The young lady took the menu from the holder on the center of the table and handed it to Harmony. �There you go. I�ll just let you browse the menu. And I�ll have Theresa come right over. She�ll be your waitress this evening.� �Okay. Thanks,� Harmony responded, feeling a bit repetitious, repeating the word �thanks� over and over. But, there was nothing much else to say. She still felt a little out of place from falling into the diner like she did. The hostess walked away back to the entrance. Harmony looked around the room; eyes were no longer on her. She felt extremely relieved. Turning her attention to the window, she peeked out to see if there was anything happening out on the streets. There was nothing. The snow was coming down more heavily now. The lamp post light flittered. There wasn�t much to see. Only a garbage can was visible through the darkness. It was a few feet from the post and the lid was halfway off from being over-stuffed. �Excuse me, miss,� a soothing voice beckoned to her. Harmony looked back over to the room. Another young lady was standing by her table, wearing an apron and holding a pencil and pad. �Hi. My name is Theresa. And I�ll be serving you tonight. Can I start you off with a drink or salad, perhaps?� Harmony thought to herself how rehearsed the waitress sounded. That was the typical greeting repeated by most waitresses and waiters across the country. But at least her tone of voice was nice. �I�ll take a water. And how big is the salad?� �Oh, it�s not that big. A nice starter for any meal.� �Okay. I�ll take a salad.� �What dressing do you want?� Harmony thought for a moment, deciding what dressing she was in the mood for. She liked almost any kind, but depending on the moment, she might go for one more than another. �You got honey mustard?� �Sure do.� �Okay.� �All right. I�ll go get your water and salad. And I�ll give you a minute to decide what you want, okay?� �Sounds good.� The waitress walked away and Harmony began flipping through the menu, her mouth watering, anxious to begin her meal. ~~~~~ It was rather boring in the late hours in Bigsby. Not only was she unfamiliar with what she could do for entertainment, but there truly wasn�t much to do. Bigsby was a day-time town. All the major shops were closed by 9:00 and their respective owners safely home by 10:00. Harmony, however, was not used to being cooped up indoors this early in the night. She had returned to the hotel after dinner to warm up and call a couple people. But afterward, she was eager to get out again for fresh air. Bundling up, she left the hotel to take a walk. She steered away from the downtown area, hoping to catch a more scenic view. The last cars had passed by quite a while ago, so with the continual snowfall, the roads were so covered that one could barely distinguish the line between the sidewalk and the street. There weren�t as many lamp posts; Harmony had to be cautious of where she trod, lest she wander off the sidewalk and into someone�s yard. She was also starting to get used to the cold weather. Trudging around the town did not take any toll on her. In fact, she was beginning to enjoy the atmosphere; a significant change from the way things were back in Texas. Rarely did she have an opportunity to experience such weather conditions. Plus, she liked being alone and nothing could fulfill her wishes better than these solitary streets. But, walking did get boring eventually. There weren�t any special places to visit. There was not a single park or scenic area in Bigsby. The town consisted of a couple residential neighborhoods and a small section of businesses that resided on just one street. It was nearly the same size that Vagrant�s Hideaway was. Bigsby was slightly smaller though, not having any schools or parks. After about an hour of roaming past dozens of silent and resigned houses, Harmony returned to the hotel to end her exhausting day. Her respite would not be long and complete; a familiar voice would beckon to her in the early hours, to question again her mind and heart. She would come a step closer to the truth. ~~~~~ The precipitation came down in torrents now, so vehement that it narrowed visibility nearly to zero; a magnificent example of a blizzard. Harmony was pushing through the white wall but to where she did not know. She held her arms in front of herself and turned her head inward to try to barricade the termagant debris from attacking her face. But no matter how much she tried to block it, her face was still stinging harshly from the intensity of it. Her fingers, too, were falling prey to the wind. They ached inside her wool gloves. She hoped to find some sanctuary but it seemed an endless void. Harmony didn�t know panic. Always with a tenacity of iron, she�d persevere to the end. But this... This was new to her. She was frightened for her own existence; she was lost and her iron will was eroding. Deep into the abyss of the white kingdom, there was a presence. Faint at first, but gaining wind, it reached out to touch Harmony�s soul. The Hell subdued slightly, its fury lightening in tone. Harmony released her guard and lowered her arms. Her eyes sought to know what it was calling to her. Her eyes straining, she searched the void for that sign. There was no image before her; still the mist lingered. But as she focused, a tender voice could be heard. The voice grew louder and then she could finally understand - her mother�s voice; at least she hoped it was her mother. Again with gentle song, the mystery returned, desperately trying to tell Harmony something. �A nameless face of who, Controls all around you. Desperate and eager, In horror he finds grandeur. A disregard for mercy, To quench a lust for thirst, he, Abandons morals and lets his dream come true. Dare you know the truth, he�ll come for you.� As the song came to an end, the woman�s voice trailed off. Harmony ran toward the direction of the sound, hoping to find the lady. There were still so many unanswered questions. That song - it did not solve a thing. What did it mean? Was that her mother speaking beyond life to protect her only child or was it the words of a stranger that shouldn�t even know she existed? Suddenly, all aura of the tender voice faded into the distance. The blizzard began again, even more furious than before. Helpless to protect herself, Harmony fell to the ground, submissive to the horror around her. Her face was buried in the freezing ground. A perpetual sleep seemed inevitable; her strength was dissipating along with hope. Then, another presence stepped into the void. It was not the same tenderness. Harmony could sense an evil lurking. It was raw, intense, and merciless. Forcing herself to look up despite the fear of knowing what was there, she saw a shadow. Her vision was blurred and she could barely comprehend what it was she was gazing upon. The shadow streaked through the mist. Its eyes glared rouge and emanated a terror like nothing witnessed before. As it drew nearer to her, Harmony tried to scream but her voice was suppressed and would not sound. And, she couldn�t move, her body frozen from fear. Those ominous eyes moved closer. Its mouth opened wide, voracious and determined. She would be swallowed whole. All the while, her silent screams were going nowhere. And then, instead of a white wall, all she could see was black. �Aaaahhhh!!!� Harmony bolted straight up from her reclined position in bed, her previously suppressed screams now soaring through the air. Her heart raced faster than a lightning strike. The sweat poured from her brow and her skin was deathly pale. She quickly looked around the room, making sure there was nothing there with her. Paranoia was an understatement. But as the moments passed, her heart rate began to return to normal and her breathing became less labored. Looking off to her right to view the bedside clock, she saw a figure standing across the room. It was her again. �Come to me.� Then, she disappeared in the next instant. �Holy shi...� Harmony�s heart began raging once again. In a second, she sat even more upright, pushing herself back to the head of the bed, startled beyond comprehension. The surprises just kept coming at her. �Oh my god, what the....� She could barely get words out; her lungs were ventilating rapidly. She put her face into the palms of her hands and tried to calm herself down. Goose-bumps covered her arms, hairs all over her body had been aroused, and a sharp tingling ran throughout her spine. Finally bringing herself to some point of rational thought, she raised her head slowly and peeked around the room. No one was there anymore. She gazed over at the clock. The red digital display glared back at her through the darkness, reminding her of the demon in her nightmare. It was only a bit after 4:00 A.M. Feeling too alert, she knew she wouldn�t be able to go back to sleep. Plus, she knew what she had to do. It was time. These ghosts would not restrain her desire to know the truth. They seemed to wish to indulge her, anyway. ~~~~~ �Shit,� Harmony swore under her breath as she slammed her car door shut. She circled around to the front. Vapor was leaking out from underneath the hood. She reached under the lip carefully and felt around for the release latch. When she found it, she pulled on it and lifted up the hood. A barrage of smoke came out and into her face. Quickly, she turned, to protect herself. Once the bulk of the steam cleared, Harmony looked back at the engine. She was not good at solving mechanical problems, so she wouldn�t even begin to guess what was wrong with the car, but she knew something was severely wrong indeed. �Fuckin� rental cars.� She slammed the hood shut, furious that her rental car broke down. She probably wouldn�t have to pay the repairs because it wasn�t her fault. The car was clearly a piece of junk. Harmony would definitely bark up a storm with the rental center if they tried to claim that she was responsible for the vehicle�s breakdown. Instinctively, she looked down both sides of the road, hoping against hope that someone would be driving by that could help her. There was no one. Then, she thought of her cell phone. But, who would she call? She didn�t know the numbers of any towing agencies around this area, and it wasn�t exactly a situation for 9-1-1. Yet, she took her phone out of her coat pocket anyway. And upon doing so, she discovered that it wasn�t working properly. All she got was static. She thought, perhaps, that it was due to the jungle of pine trees surrounding the area, blocking her signal. She went back to sit inside the car for a moment. Thinking of where she was, she realized that Vagrant�s Hideaway was just around the bend in the road. That gave her a creepy feeling suddenly. It was true that she had been here twenty-two years ago, but she couldn�t remember much of what happened. After the town disappeared, she was found by police, just lying in the center of the snow field. They took her to Bigsby, being the nearest town. She needed medical attention, and although Bigsby didn�t have a hospital, they did have a rather nice medical center. Upon further investigation, the police found an abandoned car on the side of the road near the vanished town. It belonged to the Urbanics, Harmony�s parents, and it, too, was broken down due to engine problems. Harmony�s stomach began to churn. Was it just a coincidence? Or did some other force make this happen? She didn�t want to think about it. Deciding that she might as well walk to the snow memorial since she was headed that way anyway, she left her rental car and headed off. Again, she looked down the street to see if anyone was coming. She saw nobody. The sky was black; it was too early for the sun to rise. A light snow began to fall while she was walking along the street. Many thoughts whirled through her head. What was she doing out here in the middle of Maine? She should�ve been in Montana with Ron. But, how could she ignore everything that she witnessed? She couldn�t. ~~~~~ Despite the fact that the horizon was much darker than before, the snow memorial didn�t appear much different. It still stood with both innocence and mystery. There was no sign of spiritual activity; all was silent nearby. The only sounds that could be heard were the ominous tones of the wind whistling slightly and the small sound of her own ragged breathing. The snow came down more heavily now, setting a bit more atmosphere. The weather seemed to reflect the moments that she experienced. So, with a deep inhale and a curiosity rooted deeper than any emotion that ever existed, Harmony left the sanctuary provided by that of the old, wooden entrance sign. This was the point of no return, yet she was not aware of that. There was no turning back. The things she was about to learn could not be unlearned. Making her way across the snow field, Harmony noticed that there was a shape on top of the tower. At first, she couldn�t tell what it was, but as she drew closer, she noticed that it was a person. She assumed that it was the lady. She was right. Taking her last few steps toward the tower, the lady called out to her. �You have come, child, To know more truth of the past. But you will see far more. Your answers come at last.� Her song ended. Then, she took a couple steps away from the tower; she was floating in the air. Slowly, she descended. As she came down, Harmony backed up a couple steps, her senses heightened and her defenses on alert. When the lady touched the blanketed ground, she took a couple steps towards Harmony. Harmony kept backing up, not sure what to make of her. �Regard evil to me not, Harmony. Of enemy and friend you shall discern. Do not recoil, my words will help. You are not here to fear, but to learn.� Harmony refrained from taking any more steps back. She had to trust this woman. There was no other way to find out what really happened if she did not accept her guidance. So, with a desire to begin the understanding, she spoke to her. �Who are you?� For the first time, the woman spoke regularly instead of in song. �My name is Alyst. You don�t know me. I am your mother�s sister.� Harmony whispered under her breath, but still loud enough for Alyst to hear. �So, you�re not...?� �I�m afraid not, child. We were both given up for adoption about a month after being born. And, that locket. That was given to me by my parents before I was sent to the orphanage, tucked inside my pajamas pocket.� Harmony took the locket out as Alyst started her story. She held it in her hands as she listened to her aunt�s words. �They kept it for me. But, as fate would have it, Elizabeth and I were separated. There was a couple who wished to have a little girl, but only wanted one child. Being the only girls that fit their wishes, the orphanage decided to break us up. So, they took Elizabeth away. I remained at the orphanage for a couple more years. Eventually, a family took me and brought me here to Vagrant�s Hideaway. This is where I grew up. And the locket, it was still with me then. Years passed and then my parents finally told me of my sister. My searches turned up in failure, for my orphanage was burned to the ground just a year after I left. No records of Elizabeth�s foster family existed. Yet, it is true what they say about identical twins. We share a bond. And that bond drew her to me that fateful night 22 years ago.� Without respect to let Alyst tell the story at her own pace, Harmony demanded, �What happened back then? Where did the town go? Where did my family go? Tell me!� �Easy now, child. I will explain everything to you. More knowledge came in death. I have learnt quite a lot since then. But some of the things I�m about to tell you, you must never repeat. I am here to warn you. You may know the story, but you must not share it with anyone. Your parents did not have such a choice. But you do. Do you understand?� Harmony was confused. Why couldn�t she tell anyone? �So you will tell me all that happened but I can�t share what I learn?� �Indeed. You must not.� �But why?� The woman responded, �He watches everything. If he knows that I tell you, you will certainly be doomed. But he is not watching now. So we must be quick.� �What? I don�t get it. He who? What are you talking about?� �Question not, child. Here.� Alyst walked over to Harmony and reached her hand out toward her face. Harmony recoiled at first, but Alyst prevailed. She placed her hand on Harmony�s cheek. �Let me show you.� As Alyst�s hand caressed her face, she felt the world closing in around her. All grew intensely white. The aura was very warm. Harmony succumbed to Alyst�s power and slowly she slipped into a trance state. All the truths she had searched for her entire life were now going to be revealed. No going back now. |