Hollow Hill's Tale

Chapter 6 : The Illusionist

Mike looked around. All of his classmates were staring at him.

He closed his eyes, preparing himself.

"Faggot !"

He took a first hit, right on the arm. He felt his other classmates laughs, fusing at him.

"My dad said those were to burn !" More hits came. And from more persons.

"Homosexual !"

"Faggot !" Mike crumbled down to the floor, as his bullies kept hitting. He could here his classmates cheer.

"More, more, more !"

Shawn heard those same exact words, from a more deep pitched, single voice. Both of them yelled.

"Stop ! Please ! Stop"

Andrew, now facing the house, tried to rush into the house, searching for his parents. But he couldn't seem to open the door. That's when he started feeling it. The first tremors.

"Mom ! Dad !" He shouted, banging as hard as he could on the door.

The door opened in front of him. He saw them. Both of his parents.

But not only. He saw his sister, and himself. How could he see himself running ? The tremors became harder and harder. That's when the earthquake hit. In front of him, and next to his own family and himself, he lived it again. His house, that his poor parents worked so hard for, to offer their kids a comfortable living, crumbling upon his eyes. The exact event that pushed him to work so hard academically to help his family when he would be grown up. Nothing of the house was left, except the garden, full of debris. A garden, where the ruins evaporated into white smokes, to let place to Heather and April. That same garden where they would play together. He was there. Standing. "The old Man". He rushed towards them, as fast as he could. His face was scary, used by time, and empty of emotions.

"Come girls, it'll be fun !"

They kept rushing, as hard as they could, back into the house. They got to the door, storming in and shutting the door behind them. April was crying. Heather, was frightened.

"Leave us alone !" The Man smiled, before leaving

"Yeah, go ! Leave me alone !" Yelled April...

"Leave me alone..." "Leave...me..."

Shawn tried as hard as he could to leave from the hands of his Uncle.

"Please, stop ! Leave me alone !" His Uncle, standing upon him, smiled more and more.

"Not a word to ANYONE. You heard me ?! It'll be our little secret...Not a word ! Or I'll kill you !"

He yelled as hard as he could.

"STOP ! STOP." Suddenly, everything around any of the kids evaporated into that same purple smoke, before it shaped itself back into the real world. All of the kids saw eachother again. All of them were laying there, on the ground. The book was still there, untouched. The fire had ceased. Mike got up, crying, just as in the memory he just lived.

"What just happened ?" He mumbled.

Shawn got up, his lips bled. He helped Andrew to get up, then Heather. Andrew himself helped Heather. Shawn walked towards the book, as Andrew looked to all of the kids.

"Did you guys just see the same thing as me ?"

April joined.

"I think, yeah..."

Heather agreed.

"But why my house, though ?!" Asked Andrew.

"What, what house ?!"