Eternity and a day. Maria Spotlight

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СКАЧАТЬ to keep calm.

      "So what?', I asked him, a slightly biting undertone lay on my voice; if only I had let it remain.

      "SO WHAT?! Who do you think you're talking to, you harlot. I am your father and I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. You're a disgrace to this family and I should..."

      "I'm a disgrace?", I asked, "no, you are. You beat your own wife and child even though you know we keep the farm alive."

      He stood there, speechless, my heart was pounding. From where did this newly acquired power suddenly come to rebel against my father? A moment of silence, which was abruptly interrupted by his frantic attack on me. He grabbed my throat, squeezed, I became dizzy.

      "You will not raise your voice against me again, you understand! I will teach you respect."

      His rough hands now brutally clasped my neck, he pressed my face against the fireplace with force. In a panic I drilled my fingers into his body and tried to somehow withstand his violent act. The flames came closer and closer to me, I screamed out , they would burn my flesh off my face.

      "Now you will learn what your defiance costs you", father raged, but suddenly he cried out and let go of me. I gasped for breath and at the same time saw the unthinkable. The flames had spread to him, but how was that possible? Screaming in pain, he held the right side of his face, the embers burned into his flesh.

      "NO!", I screamed and saw the embers go out again. Big blisters appeared. Father lay on the ground moaning and panting. The door flew open again, mother and my brothers rushed in. Mother was there at once, Thomas and Gabriel looked down on father bluntly. Their faces darkened when they realized what had happened. Their punishing looks whipped me. I left the room fleeing, not suspecting what horrors I had just conjured up.

      Unleash

      What had just happened there? Was I walking on the edge of insanity? But no, I hadn't dreamed it. The flames had spared me and attacked father instead. Agitated, I had hidden in my room and sent hurried prayers to heaven. My hands were shaking, I felt even worse than after the scene in the pigsty. Downstairs the door flew open, a heavy gasp followed on the stairs.

      "WHERE ARE YOU?" It was father! He came to take me and punish me for what I had done. With an enormous bang he kicked open the door to my room and found me crouching in the corner.

      "Father, please...", I begged, in vain. Like a chain his fingers clasped my wrist and he dragged me behind him, down the stairs. It happened so quickly that I flew down the stairs more than my feet really touched the steps. Out of the corner of my eye I kept catching a glimpse of the burned half of my father's face. The smell of charred flesh rose unpleasantly into my nose. Dragging me along behind him, I walked across the yard towards the pigsty. He tore open the wooden door, freed me from his captivating grip and pushed me inside. Still I stumbled on the dirty floor, the pigs grunted excitedly. Father did not make another sound, he locked the door from outside and stomped away. I would have to spend the night between the dirt and rubbish. At least I had a better companionship than my family. I withdrew to the farthest corner, cowered on the floor. It was cold in the stable, so I put my legs on, my stomach had tied up in a tight knot. I was hungry, but I would get very little to eat for a long time. In one of the troughs next to me lay a piece of a rotten apple. But my hunger was too great, resistance was useless, so I fished the dirty apple out of the bucket and bit into the still good part. It tasted horrible and I immediately spat it out again. Outside it was raining like cats and dogs, lightning flashed through the night every second and illuminated it, a blowing wind swept over the land. My hands were dirty, my dress was dirty, I felt so shabby. When, when would this nightmare finally end? Burying my face between my legs, I finally allowed myself to cry.

      I did not know how long my grief for my pitiful fate had lasted, but suddenly I felt a presence. Cold surrounded me as well as warmth. I looked up and could not believe my eyes. Was this a dream, did my lecherous heart long for him so much that my spirit now played tricks on me? He smiled at me, that was no dream, the mysterious stranger from the market was here.

      "How did you get in?", I asked him in surprise.

      "Don't worry about that, the important thing is that I am here."

      No one had opened the door during the time I was locked up here, otherwise, I would have noticed.

      The man crouched down in front of me, his black eyes met mine.

      "You have done great things today, Emily", a shiver ran down my spine, how did he know my name?

      "And you can do more than that."

      "No, I'm just a poor farm kid born into a violent family."

      "Tell me, how did it feel when your father pressed your face against the flames? Was it hot?"

      My breath was staggering. "Who are you, how can you know all these things?"

      He tilted his head slightly to the side and grinned at me again. "You didn't answer my question, Emily. Examine your inner self."

      I listened inside myself, not knowing why I followed his instructions so willingly.

      "The flames weren't hot, they wouldn't have hurt me. It was as if the fire obeyed me. I don't know what I felt at that moment, maybe some unknown force bowing to me."

      "What if I told you that this power has always been there and always will be. You are chosen, my dear. Aren't you tired of being your family's slave day in, day out? You deserve much better", he gently wiped a strand of hair out of my face, I looked into his eyes, a red shadow flashing behind them.

      "What do I have to do?", I asked obediently.

      The corner of his left mouth rose smugly. "You must trust me." He rose and reached out his hand to me. The feeling of acceptance and security spread in my heart, it clearly came from this man. I put my hand in his and he pulled me up from the floor. He clasped my waist and pressed me close to him. I felt no fear, I wanted to be with him.

      "Emily, the time of your revenge has come. It has always lain dormant in you. Now allow me to awaken it."

      He touched my sternum. Warmth and cold flooded my body equally, day and night said goodbye to each other in rhythmic intervals in front of my minds eye. An uncanny power had taken possession of me and ruled my world. I had never felt anything like it before; a lightness surrounded me, gentle waves surged on the cliffs of my subconscious until they finally roared into a raging storm and brought this tiny core within me to awakening. Now I could see it, the perfect extent of myself. The storm subsided, the waves withdrew into the unknown from which they had crawled. I was awakened!

      "Are you ready?", he asked me.

      "Yes", I returned without hesitation.

      The door to the pigsty blew open, we went outside. A violent storm continued to rage over our heads. But by now it felt more like a gentle breeze to me; I felt the wind in my hair, it tickled me gently. The man had put his hand on my shoulder, he whispered in my ear.

      "And now, Emily, you may play. Take your time for your vengeance and always remember that THEY had shown you no mercy either."

      Then I let my newly acquired powers run free. The anger I had built up over the years was the guideline I followed. Thomas opened the door to our house, he ran towards me. A wiping movement of my hand and he was in my clutches. I made his body bounce up and down СКАЧАТЬ