She

The Last Normal Morning

Sharon shot up out of bed, sweating profusely, and gasping for air. Most of her sheets were thrown to the floor by her tossing and turning. The shades were only slightly pulled, so she could see the sun peeking over the trees. “Damn it, it’s too fricken early for this” she brooded. Laying back down she buried her face in the cool pillow. Not long after she felt soft tiny fingers playing in her auburn and black afro puff. She slightly tilted her head peeking up out of the pillow into determined brown eyes

“Don’t move, I’m doing something special,” whined the little girl.

“Okay I won’t move,” Sharon replied. Pushing her troubling night to the back of her mind, she waited patiently for the little girl. After a few moments, the little girl stopped and stared at her work contently. “I’m done now, but you can’t move yet.”

“Well, how am I supposed to see what you have accomplished?”

Staring hard at the wall, the little girl sat and thought. Then she asked, “What’s a-a-ka-calm-pish?”

Smiling into the pillow, Sharon replied “It means something that you have done and considered finished.”

“Is that what Mr. Webster says?” Referring to the kid's dictionary that Sharon often found her reading. She had begged Sharon to get it for her when they were passing through a random gift shop on their last mini vacation.

“Basically”

Deciding to accept the answer she returned to the matter at hand. “Well you don’t have to see it; you have to taste it.” Pausing, “Can you taste…a-comp-lish-ments?”

“Yes, you can taste some of them.”

“Okay, good you can taste this a-comp-lish-ment.”

“What is it?”

“It’s breakfast that I made all by myself!”

“Well look at you, cooking breakfast all on your own, you are all grown up.”

“Nope, not yet, I don’t know how to tie my shoes yet.” Dismissing the topic, she scooped her hand into Sharon’s afro for the imaginary breakfast. Tunneling her soft tiny hand into the pillow she found Sharon’s mouth and fed her the breakfast.

“Oh gosh, that was so good. You did such a good job Ms. Chef.”

“Yay…okay now it's your turn now because I’m really hungry.”

Turning over, she placed the little girl onto her chest. “And what does Ms. Chef, want to eat this morning?”

“I would like to have one order of pancakes and a side of eggs and hash browns please and thank you,” in her most professional voice she could muster up. “Coming right up Ms. Chef” Sharon announced. “I will wait to taste your accomplishments at the table.” Smiling proudly because she used her new word, the little girl walked out of the room. “Well not before you wash up Ms. Chef!” Sharon yelled to the little girl who had already made it down the hallway. “Okay!” she shouted back before making her way to the bathroom.

Shaking her head in disbelief, at the profound miracle that was now in her life, Sharon wondered how she could be so lucky. Pushing herself up, she took only a second to ponder on the dream, which was more like a flashback. Why now out of all times was her subconscious dredging up what felt like a lifetime ago. Opening her eyes, she realized her hands were balled into fists in the sheet that did manage to stay on the bed. Relaxing her hand and her body, she decided she would contact him later today when she was alone.

She heard the water running and the little humming her favorite tune. Sharon had hummed that same tune to her every day since the first time she held her in her arms. The relief that it produced, brought a smile to her face. Sharon made her bed up for the morning and walked towards the bathroom. While passing the little girls’ room she peeked in to see that the little girl had been up early. Some of her toys were on the floor, as well as her favorite stuffed bear Tommy. Frowning at the unusually messy room and unmade bed, she made a mental note to have a talk with her after breakfast. Sharon proceeded to the bathroom where the little girl was using her princess themed face wash in her mini adjustable sink Sharon had installed as soon as she was old enough to do it on her own. Sharon watched as she gently dabbed the soap on her face and rubbed it around. She’s growing up so quickly, Sharon thought and went to brush her teeth in her own sink.

She felt more refreshed when she finished washing her face. Sharon turned to dry her face but suddenly she sensed agitation coming from the little girl. She looked at the little girl who was staring at her with a confused expression and chewing on her bottom lip. Sharon scooped up the little girl who immediately buried her face in Sharon’s shoulder. Humming their favorite tune, Sharon proceeded down the hall to the living room, stopping once in the little girls’ room to scoop Tommy from the floor.

Sharon made her way to the baby blue plush rocking chair they called the calming chair. Sharon rocked and hummed their favorite tune until the little girls’ strained body began to relax against her body. As the agitation in her face began to recede, the little girl took a deep breath and nuzzled into Sharon’s neck another time. She asked Sharon “Are nightmares real?

Attempting to be as honest as possible Sharon replied, “Not really, but most do have a meaning”

“And you can tell me what they mean, right?”

“Many of them I can but for those I cannot I promise you I will help you find out what they mean, ok?” She assured the little girl.

“Okay”

“Do you want to tell me about yours now?” Sharon inquired.

The little girl nodded her head and Sharon continued to rock back and forth. After a few minutes, the little girl lifted her head from Sharon’s chest.

“I woke up in bed and it was dark, and something was in front of my nightlight, so it was really dark. Then I saw a man with a funny shaped head sitting in our chair. I could hear him talking but I don’t know what he was saying but his voice was real scary like the principle at school when he’s angry. So, I hid under the blankets, so he could go away.”

“Why didn’t you call me like any other time you have a bad dream?” Sharon asked. “Because I was trying to wake up, but I couldn’t.” the little girl replied.

“Oh darling, next time you call me and the think of me as hard as you can,” She told the little girl. “Okay I will,” she whispered. “So, what happened after that?” Sharon asked.

“I heard him walk over to my bed and then and then…” Pausing the little girl swallowed hard and pulled Tommy closer. “Then he whispered to me, enjoy your last day with Niecheva she knows she cannot escape. Your life will be mine shortly little girl!” She said before breaking into sobs. “Oh, darling!” Sharon squeezed the little girl tight against her chest in an attempt to quiet the little girls trembling body. “Your name is Niecheva right?” Sharon’s heart pained at the look of fear and anxiety on her little girls’ face. After a few moments, Sharon replied, “yes that was my name a long time ago darling, but do you remember what I told you before?” The little girl nodded her head and whispered: “yes, but can you tell me again though?” “I said that I promise you that no one will ever take you away and if someone or thing manages to break that promise, I will find them and get you back. I will not stop until I give my last breath and they will pay for every moment you are not safe with me. Now, do you remember why?”

“Because you love me, and I deserve to live and be happy.” She replied softly.

“I’m old now, I can’t hear you!”

“Because you love me, and I deserve to live and be happy!” the little girl shouted.

“Much, much better but it still needs a little work or maybe it’s these old people hairs I’ve got stuck in my ear.”

“What old people hair?”

“Right here. But you got to get closer to see”

The little girl climbed up to try to get a closer look into Sharon’s ear when Sharon grabbed her and started to tickle the little girls’ sides. The little girl struggled to free herself through bouts of laughter, “Do you see it now” Sharon asked over the sound of the little girls’ laughter. “Yes, yes I see it. I see it!” She shouted nearly out of breath from laughing. Sharon wrapped the little girl in a hug and asked if she was ready to eat. The little girl shook her head yes and asked, “Do we get playtime after?” Sharon replied, “yes we do but first what will we start with for breakfast?” The little girl hopped down off Sharon’s lap and looked like she was in deep thought. Sharon stored the incident with her thoughts on her more than unusual night. He and I will have a lot more to talk about than my previous visit Sharon thought to herself. While she deliberated on what to do and say, the little girl finally answered. “Waffles first, then the eggs, bacon and juice.” Pleased with herself she started walking to the kitchen and Sharon followed pulling herself back into the present. She smiled as the little girl made her way onto the stepping stool and proceeded to wash her hands. Sharon quickly followed suit and proceeded to the cabinets. The little girl waited and watched as Sharon took the ingredients out and placed them on the countertop neatly. Then she proceeded to turn on the kitchen tv to the music channel. “Alright then you pour the ingredients and I’ll start the mixing,” said Sharon.

One by one, the little girl measured and placed the ingredients in the bowl as carefully as she could. She needed no instructions from Sharon as they worked together effortlessly, flowing from one dish to the next. It did not take long for them to finish making breakfast and settle into their seats at the kitchen island. Sharon shared out their food and they ate in almost silence while watching an episode of Lazytown. It seemed as if both of their minds were elsewhere getting ready for the day ahead. They finished eating and together they put the dishes into the sink. “Are you ready to have some fun and get some work done?” Sharon asked enthusiastically. “Yes ma’am,” she said and jumped up to march over to the bookcase in the living room. “See you in a few,” Sharon said, and the little girl nodded. Turning her attention to the bookcase, the little girl reached for a medium-sized non-descript brown book on the third shelf from the floor. She opened it to the 247th page and ran her hand lightly over the page until she felt a familiar bump in the fifth paragraph. Pushing down on the bump she whispered the word open. The bookcase abruptly came alive. It opened to a dimly lit passageway big enough for the girl to walk through. She slipped her feet out of her slippers and put on the special rubber-soled shoes that sat by the entrance. She glided down the passageway as silently as the door that closed behind her. Suddenly she came to a halt, placing one hand on the wall she listened. Proceeding to close her eyes and take a deep breath, she crouched down real low and got into position. The little girl rolled twice and kicked out to the left aiming high right into Sharon’s waiting hands. The little girl wasted no time, throwing her weight onto Sharon’s hands and swinging her other foot around even higher. She missed Sharon’s by a millimeter, to which Sharon nodded in approval. Sharon turned and walked further into the wide-open space followed by the little girl.

On one side of the room held an assortment of weapons ranging from tasers and staves to swords and rifles. On the other side, the walls and floor are covered with padded mats. On the farthest wall held the most advanced weapons that she had yet to train with.

Sharon walked to the middle of the padded mats and the little girl followed her quietly. Without saying a word Sharon lunged at the little girl, and for the next two hours nothing could be heard but the sound of blows being exchanged.

Sharon looked down at the little girl, who was drenched in sweat and trapped beneath her. She had gotten much better than when they first moved into the house. Sharon shifted her weight, allowing the little girl to climb out.

“Do you want to continue for another hour or are you done for the day?” Sharon asked.

“One more please.” The little girl replied.

“Okay as you wish but for this hour, we will switch it up and you can choose a weapon,” Sharon said as she walked to the other side of the room. The little girls’ eye widened in curiosity as she contemplated what she should choose. The next hour the room echoed with war cries, grunts, and bodies hitting the mat.

The hour passed quicker than either one of them realized and suddenly Sharon’s cell phone alarm went off letting her know that someone had entered the driveway. “Time to get going, we have company. You can go ahead and shower first but make it quick.” They separated and headed back into the tunnels. The little girl quickly made her way to the exit that put her in the upstairs hallway closet. From there she headed to the bathroom still feeling excited about the new technique that she was learning today. She stopped by the stairs noticing that it was unusually quiet and wondered who had come to the door. Her curiosity got the best of her and she crept down the steps just far enough to see but not be seen. She heard a rough voice of a man at the door and Sharon’s surprisingly angry voice. She was able to catch a glimpse of the man before she went back upstairs. Something about him was tugging at her memory but she couldn’t figure it out. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to focus on it either. She hurriedly tidied up her room and ran to take a shower. There she used the time to plan out what she wanted to do today.

By the time Sharon got to the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Walking to the door she thought oh how well their training was progressing. She unlocked the locks and opened the door, only to find herself staring right into the face of her past.