The Remains

XXI - Lionel

The ghost of our mother opened her eyes, and smiled at me. I took a step back. Samuel made a choking noise. Mother frowned. "My boys... I didn't think... Are you just another...? Too much waiting to be true..."

Samuel took a small step forward. "Mother?"

She glowed brighter, illuminating the corners of the passage. "Yes... My son.... My two beautiful boys..."

Samuel turned to me. "Her lips are moving, but I can't hear anything."

Her head snapped towards him. "Wicked boy... Another illusion... Not my son... Only one is my son..."

I rubbed my forehead. "Mother, it's Samuel and Lionel. What's wrong with you?"

She swung gently on the chain. "The world... Is sideways... No one can hear... Except you... You can... You can, can't you..?"

"Of course I can hear you Mother."

Samuel tapped me on the shoulder, and whispered into my ear. "What's she asking?"

I twisted to look at him. "I don't know. She's kind of hard to-"

Mother erupted in light. Samuel shied away. She glowed even brighter. "You can't even hear your own Mother talking to you! You're worse... Worse than my sister... She visited long ago... Long before my own children could be bothered to find me!"

I shielded my eyes from the glare. "Your sister?"

Samuel shook his head. "Aunt Rosia? She visited us once. Her and Mother barely left the sitting room. What does she have to do with any of this?"

The light from Mother pulsed. "She... She knows... About Father..."

My hair prickled. "He didn't stop, after you were gone. We don't know exactly how many more he killed."

Her head lolled. "He told me what he was going to do... That night... Let me come in and say goodbye. To all of you." Her body swayed. "He even let me walk down here... Into the secret passage... Wrapped this chain around my throat... Then he pulled.... And pulled... And pulled me up... We both knew there was nowhere for me to run. He promised he'd look after you. All of you... Did he?"

I painted my face into a smile. "Yes, Mother. He was very nice."

Her glow became softer. "Good... Good... Good... Good..."

On the other side of the wall, a door creaked. I froze. A man tapped the wall from the other side. "One of these tiles here opens it." Another tap. I snuck over to my bag, and eased it onto my shoulders. The man shuffled around outside. "No, not that one." A click. "Ah hah!"

I turned to Mother. "Goodbye and goodnight Mother. I love you."

She shone for a second, before fading.

We ran down the passage to the end. We climbed out of the tunnel, and back into the shed. Then we kept on running.