Strange Beasts || Novella

III

"Why ever not?"

Raina spluttered at the pointed look she received from her grandmother.

"It's all make believe. It's not real," she said in a low voice, painfully aware of the fact that her brother's coping mechanism relied on his overactive imagination. It must be known at this point that as the conversation had continued between Grammy and Rami, Raina had become increasingly irritated. This was no longer retelling a harmless fairy tale, but blurring the line between fantasy and reality.

For someone that Raina credited for having a strong outlook to life, especially when they were abandoned so soon after their mother's death, Grammy had well and truly surprised her.

"How can you know it's not real?"

The conversation had become far too ridiculous for Raina, whose legs had started to tap against the cold wooden floor. Kingdoms and Keepers of Stones? Surely her grandmother should know when the time for playing games was over.

"My dear, whether something is real or not is a decision made by you. In any case, focusing on the question rather than the situation is far too tiresome for a young girl your age," said Grammy kindly when Raina struggled to come up with a reply, covering her restless hands with her soft wrinkly ones.

Raina didn't know why she felt so agitated. It started from the moment they entered this attic. All she knew was that as this unnecessary conversation continued, she couldn't help but feel nauseous, which in itself was ridiculous since they were simply playing make-believe. Yet this was one game that did not sit well with the young child.

"Grammy why do they keep the Kingdom in the book?" Rami asked, his fingers dancing at the edge of the cover desperate to discover the contents. He glanced up, eyes widened hopefully, completely unaware of the discomfort his sister was struggling with.

"No one would look in a book and expect a real Kingdom." Grammy replied, her frail hand resting on the cover protectively. "No one except bright children like yourself," she added with a smile.

"That's enough!" Raina retorted. She didn't know whether it was the fact that she was feeling unwell, or that Rami's eyes had lit up as if Grammy had promised them chocolate cake for dinner, but her patience with the conversation evaporated and was replaced with steaming white hot rage. "You've taken this far enough. It's one thing to play make believe, but to encourage his belief in this is wrong. You're setting him up for disappointment just like father does and it's not fair on him. It's not fair on me."

Rami went very red as his sister's words sank in. It seemed at that moment, Raina realised what she had just said, but before she could apologise, Rami stood up and ran out of the attic. Feeling miserable, Raina reached out wanting to follow him, but her arm fell limply against her body. What would she even say?

On some level, she knew her brother was aware of the behaviour of their father, but she also knew he chose to believe that there was always some other reason behind his busy schedule; that perhaps he did actually have a meeting to attend that was more important than visiting on his birthday.

"Raina my de-"

"Don't." Raina muttered hunching her shoulders as she stared at the crack on the floorboard, unable to face her Grammy. "Don't tell me I'm overreacting, or that he deserves to live his childhood with as many imaginary characters that he wants. I know that. I don't need to hear it, especially from you."

Silence followed Raina's confession, the sound of a broken clock occasionally ticking softly filled the dark room. She could feel Grammy's concerned gaze on her, even picture it, but it did not stop her lip from trembling as she bit against it gently.

All she wanted was to be alone.

It wasn't her fault that she had to be practical all the time. Her brother relied on her emotionally, physically, mentally; she never had a choice on the matter. After the death of their mother, their father drowned in his own sorrow for a long time before suddenly waking up one morning and deciding he no longer cared for it anymore. That was the last time Raina properly saw him, corresponding solely through letters and broken promises after that.

Rami, too young to process the death of his mother, too innocent to understand the abandonment they faced as children, only recognised the actions of his sister, relying on his imagination to fill in the gaps of a trauma that Raina could never bring herself to explain.

She vowed never to be as selfish as their father. Rami depended on her after all.

"I'm sorry Grammy, okay? I just don't like getting Rami's hopes up about all this. One day he believes that he's a Knight or a Keeper of the Stone, but what if the next he believes father is coming back or any of his other lies? I can't let him do that, not to Rami," Raina mumbled, a small shiver running down her spine. The attic felt quiet, symbolic of the silent judgement she was receiving from her grandmother.

Great, Raina thought, now Grammy thinks I'm some sort of monster.

"You can continue your game, I just think it's been enough for one day. We'll help you sort out the attic tomorrow. I'll apologise to Rami too," Raina added feeling more comfortable with the whole plan. But as she received a thick wall of silence as an answer, a cold shiver crept up her spine. She had expected Grammy to respond with some kind reassuring words, instead once again she faced an unnerving quietness. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Raina finally mustered up the courage to turn around.

The attic was empty.

Her initial reaction was not to panic. After all, she was a level-headed sensible girl. A small list formed in her head of where her Grammy could have disappeared to. It was only when ridiculous options such as falling into one of the small boxes were being considered did her heart speed up erratically. Perhaps Grammy had slipped out whilst she was not looking? But Raina dismissed that idea quickly, knowing that she was facing the only exit to the attic having stared at it wanting to follow and comfort her brother.

Her eyes drifted to the floor where the book Grammy had been cradling lay open. Frowning, she leaned down and picked it up. It was still dusty, but the pages crinkled happily under her touch.

What was so special about this book anyway?

There were barely any written words, only a few decorative illustrations. One in particular stood out to her; a large oak door that covered most of the page with a small rusty old fashioned handle that looked like it belonged in one of Rami's make-believe games.

But what was more intriguing about the door was that it smelt of timeworn wood, as if Raina was standing in front of it rather than looking at an illustration. In the corner of the page, partially hidden by the door, she spotted a small creature, seemingly with the face of a lion and body of a small bear. Unlike the door, it was brightly coloured with a luscious mane decorated with blues, greens and vibrant yellow. The glowing eyes stared emptily at her, shoulders drooped as if they had completely given up. The sight of it all unnerved her.

Raina was about to go downstairs to look for Grammy, find out what the obsession with this stupid book was and apologise to Rami. But at that moment, her hands lost all sensation and the book fell once again to the ground. Breathing heavily, Raina staggered to the staircase, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

Blinking rapidly in an attempt to remove the dark spots in her vision, Raina tried to listen to the rational part of her brain. But it was no use; she knew what she saw. That illustrated creature, that strange beast lurking by the door did not act like an ordinary inked character.

It blinked.