‘In this world you can’t die. You can be punished to the point where you feel like you’re dead but the soul can never be destroyed,’ he said, and as if to emphasis his point, the crumpled remains of the thin wretched man began to turn to dust which slowly turned into a swirling mass before being carried away by the wind.
Halon turned to look at the little girl and was taken by surprise when she offered him a sweet smile and blew him a kiss. It had been centuries since anyone had shown any kind of affection towards him and the simple truth was it scared him.
He wasn’t in the position where he could receive the same love and kindness that the good souls such as Maria’s where expected to receive for their eternity. Thankfully though this was a rare situation and it would probably be centuries more before he had to make the same journey as he was doing now.
‘Maria, I know that this maybe scary for you, but time is running out for us. If I don’t get you back to your mother soon you will be stuck here with me for eternity,’ said Halon, trying hard to mask the sadness in his voice.
Maria continued to smile, she would have no problem staying by the Demons side as long as she knew every day she woke up he would be there to talk to her, even if she couldn’t talk back.
‘I know you wouldn’t mind staying here with me, but this is no place for a good soul. You must go back to where you belong,’ said Halon, reaching out and grasping Maria as gently as he could with both claws.
The smile faded quickly from the little girls face as she tried to understand what Halon was about to do. She could hear the sound of his wings flapping, slowly at first, but then gradually growing faster and faster.
Soon the awe returned to her heart as she looked down and saw they were rising upwards from the cracked and horrible streets. In her heart she hoped she wasn’t dreaming. She hoped she wasn’t going to wake up again to find herself locked in a cupboard, waiting patiently for the next round of abuse that her father would deal out to her.
The streets and buildings below grew smaller and smaller as Halon continued to rhythmically flap his wings. They were flying and it didn’t take long before those horrible streets gave way to a dark and forbidding forest that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see.
Although she felt a little scared at being so high up, Maria couldn’t help but look down at the forest. Between the trees she could see strange, exotic creatures with leathery black skin, just like Halon’s, chase wretched souls like her fathers and his friend. She should have felt horrified at the sight of seeing one creature rip the arms and legs off one soul, but she remembered what Halon had said; no soul can be destroyed.
She now understood that once the creature was finished devouring it, that wretched black soul would turn to dust and be moved on to somewhere else. Would it be someplace safe, or would they have to repeat the same fate every day? Maria did not know and she was happy to leave it at that.
‘Almost there,’ said Halon, raising his voice enough so that Maria could hear him over the sound of his wings.
Maria drew her attention away from the forest below and its inhabitants and looked to the horizon where her eyes widened in amazement. Although they were still shrouded in darkness, the forest seemed to have been cut in half. In the distance she could see a bright blue sky with the sun shining and birds flocking to their nests.
On that side she could see more trees, but they looked healthy, not twisted and burnt like the ones below her. It was an amazing site to witness, and she couldn’t help but hope that was where she was going.
As they approached the barrier between night and day, Halon began to descend into the forest. It took just a few minutes before Maria could feel his feet hit the forest floor with a thud, and then the sound of trees breaking under his sheer weight.
When Halon eventually released her from his grasp, Maria noticed that they had stopped just a short distance away from the barrier of night and day. She cautiously stepped forward, to take a better look.
Beyond the night barrier she could see a small stream with clear running water. The forest floor on that side was a lush green rather than the dead and lifeless grass on the night side.
As she continued to look beyond the barrier she noticed a woman, beautiful in her appearance with long pink hair and giant white wings folded neatly behind her. She wore a long white robe with gold gilding around the seams.
Both child and demon watched as the lady approached the barrier that split the forest in such a startling way it was hard to imagine.
‘Thank you for coming, Lady Hope,’ said Halon, startling Maria as he suddenly broke the silence.
The beautiful woman who Halon called Lady Hope, offered them both a loving smile. But her eye’s seemed to dance with happiness as they fell on Maria.
‘My beautiful baby girl,’ said Lady Hope, dropping to her knees and beckoning for Maria to come to her.
Halon looked down at the little girl as she too looked up at him. He could tell she was unsure what to do next, and although he would be sad to see her go, he knew what he had to do next.
‘It’s time for you to go home Maria,’ said Halon, using one of his giant claws to push her forward just enough so that she would stumble beyond the barrier of eternal night and into a world where the sun always shone.
Tears welled in Maria’s eyes as the warmth of the sun took the chill from her bones. She turned to face Halon who stood like a statue on the other side, alone and in darkness just like she had done many times in her father’s cupboard.
‘Come to me my baby. How I’ve missed you,’ said Lady Hope, her arms wide.
Maria slowly walked towards her mother, unsure how she should feel or act. Once she was close enough she could feel her mother’s arms wrap around her and hold her tight. There was no way for her to describe how she felt inside. All the pain and hurt and loneliness seemed to melt from her body and she began to sob uncontrollably.
‘Mummy,’ she said, her little voice hoarse from crying. Lady Hope released her enough so that she could look her daughter in the eyes; a broad smile on her face.
It took a few seconds for Maria to realise she had just spoken her first word in over a year, but when she felt for the scar across her throat.
It was gone.
She looked at her mother in amazement. So beautiful and perfect in every way and now she could actually say what she was thinking.
‘I missed you mummy, why did you go away?’ Said Maria, the sound of her own voice a little foreign to her.
‘Baby, your father was a very cruel man not only to you but also to me. He did something to mummy that brought me back here where all I could do was think of you and weight for the day you would return to me,’ said Lady Hope, tears forming in her own eyes at the joyous occasion.
Lady Hope was glad to see that Maria seemed to accept her answer without any further questions. She did not want to have to explain the horrible death her father had forced her to endure.
‘It’s time to go home now,’ Said Lady Hope, rising to her feet.
‘What about him?’ Said Maria pointing to Halon who stood alone in the darkness. ‘He saved me.’
Lady Hope moved forward until the tips of her toes where just touching the barrier between the two worlds. Slowly she put the palms of her hands against the barrier and Maria watched in wonder as Halon put his giant claws in the same position so that both their palms where touching.
‘Thank you for bringing my baby back to me Halon. There are no amount of words I can say that will show you just how grateful I am for what you did,’ said Lady Hope, as she looked up at the huge demon.
‘You’re welcome Lady Hope. Just make sure she gets all the happiness and love she deserves,’ Said the demon, as he slowly stepped away from the boundary and back into the darkness of the forest.
Maria could feel a flesh onslaught of tears as she watched her friend disappear into the night. His kindness would be forever with her, no matter what the future brought.
‘I will,’ said Lady Hope, her voice dropping to a whisper as she and her daughter watched the demon vanish back into his own realm.
Lady Hope turned away from the barrier separating night from day; good from evil, and focused on her daughter. She dreamed for so long to see her again and now thanks to the kindness of a demon, she was now back where she belonged.
Wrapping Maria in her arms once again, Lady Hope said: ‘Maria, I have wished for nothing more than to have back in my arms. I love you my baby.’
Maria pushed herself closer to her mother, enjoying the warmth and the love that seemed to emanate from her body in waves.
‘Maria,’ Said Lady Hope, with a pained look in her eyes.
‘Yes, mummy?’ Maria could see the look of anguish on her mother’s face and she began to feel that something was wrong.
‘Although I have always wanted you to come home to me, you must know that in time, and only if you choose, you can go back to that world you came from.’
Maria looked at her mother, feeling confused.
‘The demon said I couldn’t go back once I choose to go with him.’
‘He was right. You can’t go back in to your old body, but you’re spirit can be re-born into a new one.’ Although it would pain her greatly to lose her daughter again, Lady Hope knew that she had to be honest with her.
Maria thought about what her mother had said, and at that point all she wanted was to be with the woman she had missed so much for most of her life.
‘I’d like to stay with you mummy,’ She said eventually, hoping that her mother would not force her to go back.
Lady Hope got to her feet with a broad smile on her face and took her daughter by the hand. They began walking along the stream and in the distance Maria could see a stunning white castle that looked like it was made out of crystal.
‘Then you best come with me. There is someone who would like to meet you,’ said Lady Hope as they continued towards the castle that God called home.If you enjoy this story and would like me to write more, please consider buying the ebook from Amazon using the link below. Thank you =)
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