Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER FOUR

Frank smiled behind the rim of his delicate cup. "Thank you," he said, "my aunt taught me." He turned to his brother. "Can I go get her? She would love to meet Giselle."

"Don't pester her, she's upstairs helping the kids with homework," Will replied, "and you better have these dishes cleaned by the time she comes down." Frank bobbed his head in understanding, taking another sip of his tea.

Giselle finished up her tea before Frank, a glance at the clock telling her that she needed to get back.

If she even could.

"Um, Will," she began, setting her teacup down and pushing it away, "I need help getting back to my house. Do you mind showing me the way back? I kind of got lost in the woods."

"Not at all," Will said, rising from his chair. "Stay here, Frankie." He started towards the back door that Frank and Giselle had entered through.

Giselle quickly stood, smiling down at Frank. "Thanks for the tea, Frank. It was delicious!"

"You're welcome, come back anytime!" The boy called after her as she followed Will's long strides.

He was out of the door and halfway towards the forest before she finally caught up to him.

"Where exactly do you live? The closest house is nearly a quarter of an hour on foot."

"Well I don't really live there. It's my Aunt Hester's house, I'm just visiting. It's on Newberry Road, and it's only a short walk from here—like five minutes."

Will paused, glancing at her. "I've never heard of Newberry Road, and if there was a house that close to mine, I would know about it. Gentilly is a small town, I know everyone who lives here. And I've never met anyone named Hester."

"Well she and her house exist," Giselle informed him, though her confidence was waning. She wasn't even sure if Hester existed anymore. "But . . ." She looked to him, her steps slowing as she thought about telling him her strange predicament. "Um, so, something happened," she told him. "Something tree-related, I believe."

He matched her pace, looking over to her curiously. "What happened?"

"Okay, um, where do I begin?" She bit at her lip in thought before speaking. "So I was with my dad like twenty minutes ago—we were going to the cherry trees and then we came across the tree. A bunch of birds were in the branches, and the snails and bugs that I told you about were on crawling along the trunk." She sighed, shaking her head. "My dad told me not to go near it—seemed really freaked out by it, actually—but I didn't listen."

She met his eyes. "I touched the tree. Blacked out, then woke up. Now, I can't find my dad anywhere and my aunt's house is completely gone." She laughed suddenly. "Oh, gosh, I'm going to look like a complete lunatic if we go back to where it's supposed to be and it's there this time."

Will looked at her bizarrely. "You already sound like a lunatic."

She sent him a glare. "This is serious. I'm really freaked out here."

"Look," Will stopped, turning to her. "It was a trick wasn't it? Like a magic trick. That's how you disappeared, right? And all of this vanishing house nonsense is a joke, correct?"

"What? No!" Giselle nearly yelled. "I know I sound crazy, but I'm being serious! I think this is all just as insane as you do, but that doesn't make it any less true!"

They were past the tree now, coming up to the broken angel statue—no—the fully intact angel statue. In perfect condition. Pristine.

"What?" Giselle breathed out, stopping in her tracks. "But . . . her wing is supposed to be missing. And-and there was dirt and stuff all over her . . ." She looked over to Will, who was eyeing her cautiously. "Something is really wrong here."

"I'm starting to think that that something is your mind," Will commented, earning a scowl from Giselle.

"I'm not crazy!" she practically screeched. "There is something very, very wrong here, and it has something to do with that stupid tree!" She pointed an accusatory finger towards the large tree. "It's like I'm in another realm or something!" She covered her face with her hands, letting out a haggard breath of frustration.

"Look, I think it would be best for you to get some proper help—"

"I said I'm NOT CRAZY!" Giselle yelled in his face, her blue eyes wild enough to contradict her exclamation.

The sound of twigs snapping and leaves crunching nearby caused the pair to swivel their heads towards the noise. There was a tall, middle-aged woman coming to a stop before them. Her graying blond hair was short and curly, and her eyes were as blue as the periwinkle dress she wore.

Her breathing was shallow, her chest rising and falling at a pace that was faster than what was considered normal. It seemed like she had run there.

"Are you Giselle Saunders?" she questioned, sounding breathless.

"Um, yes ma'am," Giselle answered. "How do you know my name?"

The woman brushed Giselle's question aside with one of her own. "And your father is George Saunders?"

"Yes ma'am . . ."

"Is-is Hester Chapman still alive?"

Giselle nodded. "My family and I are staying with her."

The woman seemed to relax slightly, taking several seconds to just breathe. "And, did you happen to touch that tree?" She jabbed a thumb at the tree.

"Yeah."

"Why do you know her?" Will asked. "Is she a relative of yours?"

The woman nodded. "I'm her second cousin."

Giselle's eyes went wide. "Selene?"

Selene smiled, looking at the young adults in front of her, shaking her head as if she knew something they didn't. "Come inside. We've got lots to discuss."

• • • • • • • • • • •

Word count: 2,199 words.

Question: Where is the worst-smelling place you have been?

New Orleans smells nasty. Not all of New Orleans smells bad, just certain streets. Some smell like sewage water, which is the main smell, others smell like bodily fluids—no joke I saw a man literally pee on a wall right in front of me in Jackson Square in broad daylight and everything, then he went and shook a tourist's hand.

I guess the moral of the story is that when you go to New Orleans, don't shake anyone's hand and watch where you walk.

PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT TO MAKE ME SMILE!!!