The Crystal Chronicles: Cursed

Memories...

My brain burns as the memories start...

The day the ghosted showed up was like any other...

Grabbing my color crans I ran to the table and climb up onto the sturdy chair. Peering out the window I see momma and daddy outside doing chores. Smiling, I settled into the chair. Slowly I begin bouncing on the pillow under my bum. Looking at the rickety old table I dump my color crans on the worn wood and grab my coloring book. Humming the lullaby momma sings to me at night, I flip through the pages trying to find an empty one. This is my favorite coloring book. It's full of Disney princesses, the ones from the movies we used to watch when we were back home. What am I talking about? This is home. Momma and daddy are my home.

Looking at the picture of them sitting across from me on the kitchen table I set my coloring book down and reached longingly for the old frame. Peering at the old photo, I gently run my fingertips over the glass. They look so happy. Not worried like they have been lately. I wish they stayed this happy, but after the lady Ravenna took over the happiness in their eyes faded some. Now, instead of looking at me like they used to. They look at me like I'm gonna shatter.

Gripping the picture frame, I quickly flip it over and move the little metal clasps holding the cardboard to the back. Shaking the frame, the black material, and the picture flops onto my mess on the table. Grabbing the picture as quickly as I can, I peer at it closely. Momma and daddy look young. Well, a lot younger than now that is. Holding the picture close to my chest for a minute, my imagination takes me back to when they used to smile like that... Momma making cookies... Daddy teaching me to ride a bike... a loud clatter brings me back. My eyes dart to the door as I quickly hide the frozen moment in my pocket. I don't ever want to be separated from my momma and daddy. I don't ever want to be far from their happiness.

Humming my lullaby, I pick up my temporarily forgotten coloring book and return to flipping through the pages. Beaming when I finally find an uncolored Cinderella, yay! She's, my favorite. She has all these animal friends who help her and love her. Yes, she's treated badly at first, but eventually she finds her Prince and is saved from her cruel fate. In this picture she's still trapped with the mean old stepmother, but she's smiling at her animal friends. Happy as can be. I can't understand why she's happy all the time, but her ending is great. Picking up a crayon I decided to change her dress from a sad brown to a happy color: purple.

Momma has always told me I don't need to make the characters the same as the book or movie and I like that. I like being able to change their stories in my own head. Make them better. As I was finishing her dress momma suddenly burst through the door. The loud smack of the door hitting the wall halts my happy mood and humming. Freezing, I stare at momma as she runs to me. Gasping as momma grabs me tightly, I pull against her hand and lean back in surprise. Momma's eyes burn as she rips me from the chair. Completely unphased by my reluctance to follow her.

"Alexandra, I need you to listen to me very carefully..." Momma warned at lightning speed. I know she's still talking to me, but I can't focus on the words coming out of her mouth. She's squeezing my arm too tightly. All I can focus on right now are the tears streaming down her face and my brain screaming, she's hurting me. Looking down at my arm I try to figure out what I've done to make momma so upset... to make her hurt me. Peering over at the table I look at the empty picture frame abandoned on its surface. Shrinking back in fear, I know why momma is so mad. She knows I took the picture and I'm in trouble for it... I wish I could explain I'm not going to hurt the picture; I just wanted it so I can always be with them. Even when they are out doing chores. I want...

But then momma takes me by surprise. She places her shaking hands on my face, cupping it gently. She is crying freely. Tears and snot stream down her face faster than I have ever seen before. There is fear and pain hidden behind her eyes. She quickly kisses my forehead and grabs my hand. Pulling me over to the "secret" wall momma and daddy built when we got here. At this point I started crying too. I'm so confused. I thought momma was mad at me... I thought I was in trouble, but now I'm not so sure... I wonder if taking the picture was so bad? I wonder what's so wrong with me wanting to keep a piece of them forever. But deep down I feel like there's more to the story. Momma seems scared. Should I be scared too?