The Land of Shadows and Nightmares

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉ℯ𝓇 𝒪𝓃ℯ

I'd heard the stories. They were all the same. As a witch I was in danger and had to watch out for the shadow people. I had never actually seen a shadow person or met somebody who had, so eventually my Nonna's stories just started coming through one ear and going out the other. That's why when she called me over to her sewing room for another story time, all I felt was dread as I dragged myself from the comfort of my bedroom.

"Come sit my dear," she said, beckoning me over with her thin, bony fingers. The same fingers that had woven themselves through my dirty blonde hair hundreds of times, creating those intricate fishtail braids I was so fond of.

I sat my nine year old self down on the carpet in front of my Nonna's favorite rocking chair in which she was seated.

"I have a new story for you tonight," she said, smiling softly at me before looking down at the thread in front of her and continuing to sew.

"What kind of story?" I asked hopefully, wondering if maybe she'll change things up a bit and tell me one like the kind I hear at school where the handsome prince charming saves the princess in distress. Those ones were my favorite. My dream was to one day become a princess and marry my prince charming. I was just a naive little girl then and had no idea that's not how love really worked.

"This one's a little different, but still a bit familiar," she sighed, a sudden serious expression taking over her face. I hated when she wasn't smiling. It made her look older and sadder, the lines in her face more prominent and the sagging of her chin hung lower.

"Do you remember your parents Estrella?" She asked me softly.

I racked my brain for any kind of memory of them but I couldn't find one. I didn't know anything about my parents. They had never been apart of my life and Nonna had never told me why. I didn't even know their names. All I know is that they had left when I was a baby.

"No," I replied sadly, glaring at the ground. I don't know why, but I hated even thinking about my parents. I didn't know a thing about them yet it still made me sad when I thought about them. What they might have been like, what they looked like, what my mother's voice sounded like. Those were all things I found myself thinking of many times before.

"Well today I'm going to tell you a story about your parents," she told me somberly.

Even though the tone of her voice was anything but excited, I found myself straightening up quickly, eager to hear a little bit about my parents and their life.

"Estrella, your parents were young when they had you. Very young. In fact, your mother was just sixteen years old when you were born," she started, her eyes softening at the memory of my mother. "Oh your mother was a wild child. She was the kind of kid that could not be tamed, no matter what kind of punishments you would threaten her with. She was always unphased."

Nonna's brows suddenly turned down slightly and a frown took over her face as she continued, "Your father though, he was a quiet, mellow boy. He was always very obedient and soft-spoken towards everyone. I honestly liked him a lot and when your mother took him home to me and introduced him as her boyfriend I was giddy with joy. I was sure that if anyone could tame that fire of hers it was him, but I was wrong."

The darkness that overtook her voice at the last word made my stomach turn in fear and I suddenly wasn't sure if I wanted to hear the rest of the story.

Nonna continued though, the dark tone of her voice never leaving. "She had changed him. He slowly started becoming more like her. More crazy and outspoken and disobedient." Nonna sighed sadly and pushed her tiny rectangular glasses back up her nose. "His parents were so distressed and had no idea what was happening to their son. My daughter had completely changed him. And a year later, when she was sixteen and he was seventeen, they came to me to tell me your mother was pregnant, and you can't imagine the shock I felt."