Forever Haunted

~ C H A P T E R 5 ~

 The plane ride was wonderful. I sat next to the window. There was no one else on the plane except Ben and the pilot. Ben didn't sit next to me, which told me he still didn't trust me. I didn't blame him, but it still hurt my heart.

I leaned my head against the window and listened to the rhythmic breathing as I drifted off to a deep slumber.

A whip struck my back as I sat in a cold, metal chair. I screamed in pain as the whip stuck me again. I cried slightly as a voice from behind me spoke loudly and boldly as I did all I could to resist.

"You will do what I tell you, and you will do it now."

"No." I said. Almost immediately, the whip struck me again.

I woke up screaming. I started sobbing uncontrollably as Ben ran in from the other room. He was completely dressed, and looked like he had been having coffee or something.

I didn't acknowledge him, in fact,I had barely noticed him because I was blind because of my tears.

Ben looked down at me with pity, as I sat holding my knees and rocking myself gently.

"It's not real. It's not real. It's not real." I told myself over and over. Except it was real. I had remembered that moment from almost a year ago. I still had scars all over my back from being whipped so many times.

Ben came and sat down on the bed, and wrapped his arms around me. He whispered encouraging words in my ear as I slowly began to calm down.

I eventually stilled, and I just sat in Ben's arms as he continued to whisper in my ear. The warmth of his skin was soothing, and I wanted to stay there forever.

"I made breakfast." He said after a while. "You should eat." I nodded, and followed him into the kitchen.

Later that night, I went outside for some fresh air. What I saw surprised me.

There were children everywhere. They all looked fairly starved, and were all wearing tattered clothing. However, they looked happier than any children I had ever seen. They were all playing happily with a large ball, and wore smiles that looked like they would never fade away.

Their empty bellies and torn up clothes devastated my heart, and I knew immediately that I had to try and do something. I needed to get them food, and clothes, and at the same time let them keep the happiness they have. I wanted to let them experience more physical fulfillment, but allow them to keep their emotional fulfillment. I didn't even know if that was possible.

When I presented the idea to Ben the next day, he was completely on board with it.

"Can I ask you one question?" Ben said after we'd decided to try. I nodded. "Why do you wanna do this?"

I thought to myself for a moment. "Why did I want to do this?" I wanted to say that I wanted to help people. To make sure no one ever had to go through any pain ever again. But if I was being honest with myself, that wasn't the case.

"I guess I wanna do as much good as I can. Try and wipe out the bad. You know?"

Ben smiled. "We should get to bed."

I nodded, and headed off to my room.

The next morning Ben and I met in the small living room to talk about the plan. We had decided to start a website and ask for donations to help the people here get reliable jobs and help provide clothing, food, and decent housing. It wasn't going to be easy getting people to give up their hard earned money to total strangers, but we had to try. If we didn't, I didn't even want to think of what might happen.

As the weeks passed, we slowly began to get to know people. I already knew the language, but Ben had to learn a language he had never even heard of. It took a while, and I still had to translate often, but he got to the point where he could communicate well enough without me there translating.

I became good friends with a lot of the kids, and even some of the parents. The thought of them dying from starvation or exposure made me feel such an intense dread that I thought I might actually die if it did happen.

We could raise a couple hundred a month at least, and even a couple thousand at most, which was fantastic! We were able to get everyone in the village new shoes, some people clothing upgrades, and we had even worked to start building more houses with some basic necessities. The village was extremely grateful, and wanted to offer us gifts and treasures. We declined the offers, telling them that we were not seeking rewards for our deeds. We simply wanted to help people. The people who had now become our friends.

One day, Ben and I were working together to help cook some food with one of the families we had become very close to. It was their son's sixth birthday, and we got to help make a cake for him. It was a wonderful time. Ben and I got to make the frosting. It was the flavor of a fruit I couldn't identify. The family had given us the fruit which they had picked themselves.

Ben put together some of the basic frosting ingredients, as I mashed up the fruit to make what was almost a juice. We mixed everything together until it was the perfect consistency, then spread it all over the cake.

As we brought the cake out, the little boy's face filled with a joy I had never seen, nore experienced before. It was so enlightening to know that we had played a part in making someone feel so happy. He got to eat the cake himself, as everyone else had a second, less tasty desert I couldn't pronounce the name of.

That was one of the happiest moments of my life. The evening was filled with laughter and cheers. The little boy had turned six years old, and couldn't have possibly been any happier that day.

The family had allowed us to sleep at their house for the night, since by the time we were done partying, it was dark, and the house Ben and I were staying in was too far away to return to even when it was slightly dim.

When I woke up the next morning, the little boy's door was left wide open, so I assumed he was awake. I headed over, and checked to see if he was still there. I wanted to give one final happy birthday wish before Ben and I set off.

When I walked through the door, I saw the little boy sprawled across the floor. He was almost ghost white, and his face was expressionless. I bent down, and felt his forehead. He was completely cold. He didn't have a pulse. The moment I put all this together, I screamed louder than I ever thought possible.

He was dead.