The Rapunzels ONC 2024

7: The Devil has Come

 I put my hands to my ears and make moose antlers.

I'm looking at Lexi and she's glaring back at me. I convinced my sisters to come up into the attic with me to explore. It took me forever to persuade my eldest sister yet Lulu bounded up before I finished my sentence.

"Did you lose your mind in the cottage?" Lexi asks.

"A few remaining brain cells, yah," I admit. She already knows there's little to do up there except find ways to stop from going nuts. I did not mention to either of them I nearly broke Lulu's record because nearly is not good enough.

Beside me sits the book I'd been looking through not too long ago. In its tangerine glory, the cover is the only shard of colour in this sea of grey and black.

Lexi is sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor of the attic. She's looking at me like she wants to punch me or hang herself from the rafters alongside the spiders. She's even more angsty and less pleasant than she usually is but won't tell us why. I could ignore her or try to cheer her up. I chose the cheering up and hope I won't regret it.

"I have a funny for you. What sits at the bottom of the sea and twitches? A nervous wreck."

My eldest sister furrows her brows. There's no reply, so I try for another funny.

"Did you know why ants are the only animals that don't get sick? Because they have little antibodies."

Lexi opens her mouth. Her eyes close and open in slow motion before she speaks. "What in the heck are you saying, Fia?" Her reception is as cold as the air up here. Our parents have ventured to the Outside and mother forgot the key so here we are.

"It's a funny, sister of mine." I walk closer and tap her leg with my toe. "You need to lighten up."

Lulu was excited to see what the attic held but Lexi rarely found joy anywhere. She was scared dear ol' mother and father would find out we trespassed on their private part of the house. Their bedroom and the attic were the only places we were never allowed in. Though I had zero interest in ever going into their room, the attic was always desirable.

When I first came up here a decade ago, I fell in love with the books I found. Sometimes they were the only things that mattered. I run my hand over the cover of the tangerine book. A name vaguely pokes out of the scribbles. I see the author's name begins with an M.

Lexi huffs and crosses her arms sulkily over her chest. "I'd feel better had I never joined you here in this web-infested box."

"Then go back downstairs," I huff. "Your Lord and Master King Boredom-Fear awaits."

Lexi snarls at me. She leans toward me and pushes me away. "If they find out we were up here, father will use us for target practice."

I cringe at the thought. Father owns a BB gun. Each one of us has been pelleted with bullets. But I have not seen the gun in at least two years. I'm hoping the Devil got it and decides to one day shove it down Tyrone's throat.

"Lex, Fi! I found something." Lulu's back is to us. Her ass is in the air as she digs through a huge box. I can hear her scratching the bottom. Some of the boxes have locks, some are plain old cardboard ones.

"Look at this!" She bolts up like she's on a spring and then tosses two small containers to us.

The items fall at my feet. Picking them up, I see they are full of skinny, silver candles made of metal – or at least I think they're candles.

"Sparklers!" Lulu is bouncing up and down. "I think there are more."

Before I can say anything, her ass is back in the air.

"Sparklers?" I utter. There's something familiar about the word. It's not until Lexi grabs it from me and reminds me it's one of those things that lights up and gives off little fiery sprinkles do I remember having these on our birthday cakes as very young children.

"These are awesome," I coo and pluck one of the boxes from Lexi's hand.

Lulu dashes to us with a smile. In her hand are two more bigger boxes. "Miniature firecrackers," she says proudly as if she's the one who invented them.

Lexi groans as Lulu produces a pack of matches. "Just in time for your birthday. We should celebrate."

My birthday. I'm a day away from turning eighteen. Officially an adult like everyone else in the house. I nod to my sister and muster a smile but all I can think of is if I am no longer a child, then why do my parents still make me feel this way? If I am an adult why can't I escape?

I look around the attic. I suddenly don't feel well. Lexi is right. The room is a box. I forget about the books. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm suffocating. Inside, my lungs stop working and everything begins to spin. "Let's get out of here," I whisper.

My sisters take my words as an interest to light the sparkles and firecrackers and we hastily descend the stairs.

But all I want is out. Out of the attic out of this goddamn house.

"Do you think mother and father will return with a cake?" Lulu pushes open the door and we all step outside.

I gulp in fresh air and begin to feel like myself again.

"Fia, do you?" Lulu is twirling around me. "Your favourite is strawberry and vanilla. Maybe they'll get that." She smiles and envelops me in her arms. The strawberry and vanilla are her favourite.

"Maybe," I say softly. I'm crushed in her arms. She's too excited about lighting things up so I have to ask her twice to let go.

"I'm squishing up my baaaby bumblebeeeee," Lulu sings as she lets go and offers sparklers to Lexi and me. "Won't my mummy be so proud of meee."

We take the sparklers. The sky is magnetic. I can't help but look at the vast darkness. There are no stars out tonight, only a pale sliver of the moon which lights our way.

When Lulu touches the match to the tips the skinny rods explode in light. We wave the sticks around. I catch sight of Lexi smiling as she creates zig-zags in the air.

"Come on!" Lulu's hem ruffles around her legs as she dashes off.

I nod to Lexi and we chase after her. We follow the sparkles falling to the ground, soon she drops those and begins tossing the mini firecrackers. They are diamonds leading us as crumbs led Hansel through the woods.

We laugh - all three of us. Happiness dances around us in this rare moment.

"Come and catch me if you can!" Lulu taunts us before she ducks behind a cluster of trees.

"If we catch you, we win." I'm surprised at Lexi's sudden enthusiasm, but I do not question the way she flips from doom and gloom to sudden giddiness. Maybe it's a disease.

My sparklers are starting to die out. I flick them to the ground and Lexi offers me one of hers. Hand in hand we run through the veil of darkness toward our sister.

We dash through the trees, certain we'll find her. "Ready or not here we — " But it's not Lulu we find.

It's not just Lulu we find.

As we come to an abrupt halt, Lexi utters, "My dear God above."

Still and silent with her new sparklers by her sides, Lulu is standing over a body — a body that's not moving.

We inch closer. I cautiously reach for Lulu's hand and pull her back.

"Who is that?" Lexi's voice is trembling, the words barely find their way out.

Lulu begins to cry. Silent tears fall in rivers.

I look at the trespasser. Through the sparkles illuminating his features faintly, I can see his face. It's a man and he is stunning, like those pieces of art Botticelli created. My heart falls into my stomach and explodes like the sparklers did. I am on fire.

"It's the Devil," Lulu finds her voice beyond her tears. "The Devil has come for us."