Supernatural Fairy Tales |
| Posted: 29 Oct 2010 06:30 AM PDT  A Supernatural Fairy Tale Webseries by Dorlana Vann Once Upon a Time Aiden and Lucy turned when they heard a loud knock coming from above. A railing supported by carved wooden balusters edged the open landing. "Gran," Diesel said loudly. "Aunt Lucy and Aiden are here. Finally." The bedroom door creaked open. After he heard the door shut, Aiden leaned over to his mom and whispered, "Man, he sure did get weird." "Well, he's been through a lot. He just lost his mom." "Sorry." Aiden felt bad for a second. But still… "What was with the rug and bad luck stuff, and you making me look like such a dweeb?" "I didn't mean to. I was trying to make him feel better. It's so strange. I had no idea Augustus believed in all that stuff, too." "Diesel," Aiden corrected with a smirk. She nodded. "I mean Diesel. They're all a little different… a little superstitious, old-fashioned." "How do you mean, superstitious? Black cats and stuff?" She nodded. "It seems like every little thing. You see, the reason Diesel got upset earlier is because stumbling is suppose to be bad luck in general." "How do you know that?" "I grew up with all of it." "But you're not superstitious." She leaned in closer to Aiden and whispered, "Because I knew all the old wives' tales, omens, and folklore Mom told me and Rose were only make-believe, like fairy tales. Now Rose, she soaked it all in and actually believed. But she didn't go all," she waved her hands, "you know until…" Aiden shook his head because he didn't know. His mom rarely brought up her sister in conversation. "Well, when she was pregnant, her boyfriend, Harley, ran off and left her. I think something completely snapped. Even though I had already moved out by then, I heard she took it hard. At least that S.O.B. left money for Diesel when he died." "She's not feeling very well," Diesel said from directly behind them. They both jumped. "She wants to know if you guys can go up there." "Sure, sure," Lucy said, her face bright red. They followed Diesel into the foyer and up the stairs. After a few steps up, the stairs turned to the right. Aiden could see over the banister, down into the living room. When they arrived at Granny's door, Aiden's heart thumped in his chest. He hadn't seen her in ten years. His own grandma, a stranger. He could also sense his mom's anxiety; she took her time walking inside the room. Granny sat in a recliner covered by a worn quilt. Her grey, bushy eyebrows went all the way across and met in the middle of her brow. Her cheekbones sank in, and her long, silver hair draped over both of her shoulders. "Lucille, you came," Granny said, her voice ungrateful. "Mom," Lucy said. "How are you?" "I'm hanging in there." "I'm so sorry about Rose." Lucy leaned over and gave her mom a distant hug. "I can't believe she had a heart attack." "I don't believe it, either. Doctors. All of them, money hungry. Hmph, it doesn't matter, anymore. She's gone. Rose is gone." Aiden heard the door close behind him. Diesel had left the room. "She was a good daughter," Granny said. "I could count on her. Always here for me." She looked at Aiden. "My, my look at you. Come give Granny a hug." Aiden walked over to Granny's stretched out arms and hugged her, smelling the scent of grassy earth. He pulled away, and she smiled warmly. "It's so good to see you in person," she said. "I've been sent pictures, but it's not the same. Look at you. You remind me of your grandpa; he was tall and thin." She looked around Aiden. "Where's my new grandson? How old is he now, two? Seems a shame, a grandmother never even getting to meet her own grandson." "He's three and… he has a cough, and I thought it would be easier." Lucy cleared her throat. "Mike stayed home with him." Granny eased her attention over to Lucy. "I see. So when are you running off? I guess it's just as well, anyway." Lucy straightened and smiled curtly. "There's something I need to talk—" "You can stay in your old room if you want," Granny interrupted. "It's the same. We haven't changed a thing in case you ever decided to come home. Aiden, honey, you can take the guestroom downstairs. I'm feeling quite weak. Please ask Diesel if there's some leftovers from Rose's friends that I can have for my supper tonight. Rose always made supper..." "I'd be happy to cook," Lucy said. "I suppose that will do. Turn the light out when you leave." Lucy stood for a second, wringing her hands, and then took a couple of steps to the bedside table and snapped off the lamp. The room went dim but not dark because of the daylight sneaking in from the window. Lucy turned abruptly and left the room. Aiden smiled at Granny, feeling awkward. "See ya," he said before following his mom's exit and shutting the door behind him. Aiden caught up with Lucy on the stairs, mid-ramble. "She chose to live with Rose, and now she's acting like I abandoned her or something. She wouldn't even give me a chance to ask her. What makes me even think she would want to move in with me?" "It was a little soon to ask, don't you think? Hi. Condolences. Want to pack up and move across the country?" Shhh. Why don't we go to the car," she said as they reached the foyer, "and we can talk." Once in the car, Lucy placed her hand on her cheek as she stared out the front windshield. "I hope you can understand why I need to do this." "I know, you and Dad explained it all at home. I mean, she's old, and you don't think a college kid like Diesel can take care of her." Ever since his mom had brought up her plan, he had been apprehensive, especially since his mom suggested she extend the invitation to Diesel, too, at least until after the holidays. However, after seeing Diesel, he didn't think he had to worry about him wanting to bunk together. He didn't seem the type. And, since Diesel was legally an adult, he could have the entire house to himself. Aiden knew what he would pick if he was given the choice. "I didn't realize it would be so hard," his mom said, speaking more to herself than to Aiden. "I can't believe she's saying I ran off. I didn't run off. I got married… I couldn't bring myself to come back very often because every time I did, Rose acted and looked so strange, like a witch or gypsy or something. I couldn't stand to see her like that. She used to be so pretty. The last time we came here, I swear she was in the kitchen making some kind of potion." "Cool, magic potions." Aiden imagined his aunt standing over a black cauldron, stirring it with a long wooden spoon. "She wasn't normal," she whispered and wiped her eyes. "I tried to tell Mom that I wasn't sure Rose should be taking care of anyone and to come live with us. Of course she wouldn't hear anything bad about her Rose. She chose her over me… So it's not my fault. But I really didn't mean for ten years to pass. Now I feel like a terrible daughter and sister." Lucy inhaled a long breath and let it out quickly. "I'll never see Rose again, you know." "I'm sorry." Aiden pulled a t-shirt out of his duffle bag from the backseat and handed it to his mom to wipe her tears. "I know it's too late to make it up to Rose, but maybe I can help Mom and be there for my nephew. He doesn't have a mom or a dad now. We'll sit down and have a nice dinner and discuss everything with them, as a family. I'm sure they'll see that it's the best solution. Right?" "Right…" "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to get all into that." She nodded and patted him on the leg. "I'm so glad you decided to come with me. I can't believe you chose to spend your holiday with me. It means a lot to me." "Sure, Mom." "Let's just get the bags—" "Wait a minute," he said. "You're not suggesting we sleep here, are you?" "We don't have a choice. After dinner it'll be too late to drive very far. You saw downtown. Did you see a Holiday Inn?" They had driven straight through Kingwood, Indiana. Surrounded by worn-down shops sat an old, two-story courthouse, complete with bell tower and soaring front steps that led to a columned porch. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen anything that even resembled a modern hotel. Lucy said, "Anyway, aren't you the one who told me I should take my time?" "Yeah, but I meant during the day and after we checked into a hotel that had room service." "It's only for the one night." Lucy sighed and stared at the house. "How bad could it be?" He didn't look forward to being in the house at night; it already had a creepy Poe atmosphere during the day. He imagined Diesel looming over his bed with a butcher knife chanting, "You're bad luck. You're bad luck..." Aiden shuddered. "Right," he said. "How bad?" To be continued... Chapter 2 Part 1 will be posted November 12, 2010 Thanks for visiting Supernatural Fairy Tales!
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