Coraline (The Story Continues...)

Back To Normal

I awake to the sound of Mom's voice traveling through the hallway. "Coraline! Breakfast is ready!" I snap my eyes open feeling startled and gasp. I'm alive... Was it all just a dream? I think hopefully to myself. I force my heartbeat to adjust back to normal and take deep breaths. My hyperventilation soon turns into a yawn and I stretch under my covers. I accidentally nudge the cat with my foot and he meows quietly. "Oh, sorry, Kitty." He crawls out from under the covers and up to my chest. He paws at my face and sits in my chest. I laugh playfully and sigh afterwards. "Are you trying to tell me it's time to wake up?" He meows again and nods once. I chuckle and pick him up setting him back on the bed. I sit up and stretch once more. Then, I crawl out of the covers and make my way downstairs. I stopped all the way to the bottom of the stairs and then jump off landing on that boring ol' rug in the hallway. I sniff the air trying to predict what Dad made for breakfast. It smells like biscuits. I walk down the hall and to the kitchen. I see Dad sitting at the table and Mom putting a plate of biscuits and gravy in front of him. "Thank you, Darling." It's rather odd because Dad always did the cooking. He sees me from around the corner and says, "Well, look who's up!" I smile at them and make myself comfortable at the table beside Dad. "Good morning, Coraline." I smile and reply, "Good morning, Mom. How is your morning?"
"Wonderful. Did you sleep well?" I look down for a moment resisting the urge to pour all of my emotions out and reply, "Y-yes... I slept great... actually."
"Aw, such a good thing," Dad replies. Mom sets my plate in front of me and says, "Breakfast is served." I sniff the air and take my first bite. "Mm hmm..."

We're in the garden picking out all the weeds and putting them in a pile. We're celebrating the success of the garden catalog that Mom and Dad spent hours a day on these past few weeks. I'm digging up all the weeds while Dad sprays the ground with herbicide. As I shovel out the weeds my mind keeps going back to the other world. I feel like I'm stuck there, even though Wybie and I threw they key down the well. I keep seeing pictures of the beldam. I can feel her needle fingers scrap across my face... the rotting smell of flesh creeps up my nose, and the poor ghost children's faces consume me. I feel all the bugs she eats crawling in my skin and it's taking everything I have to keep it concealed from my parents. I want someone to express it to, but I have no one... or so it seems.

The next thing I know is hearing the sound of Wybie's voice. I used to hate it but now it's the music to my ears. "It's this way, Grandma."

"Wyborne I know where I'm going! I grew up here!" shouts Ms. Lovat. I forgot they were coming, I think to myself. I run towards the gate and greet them both. "Come on in! We're having a celebration!"

"Oh, my, what for?" Ms. Lovat asks.

"My parents finished their garden catalog. It's taken them weeks and they finally published it."

"Sounds lovely, and thank you for the invitation." I see Wybie try and gesture me to explain about last night. I know I need to tell her, but I'm scared she won't believe me... or worse... she'll tell my parents! I can't have that. I don't know how it will end up. But I face my fear and bring her to the front porch to discuss it. We walk around the tainted apartment until we reach the porch. We all sit at the table and I start the conversation.

"When we moved here, I did some exploring. I found the old well, and there is where I met Wybie. He scared the daylights out of me. He told me I was a... Michigan Water Witch." Wybie chuckles to himself then goes back to staring at the ground. "Then he left me a present on my doorstep. I was shocked when I saw it because it looked just like me!"

"Oooh no!" Ms. Lovat interrupts. "Coraline, that's how she gets you! She spies on young children through the copy she makes of you."

"I know!" I exclaim. I'm shocked she knows what I'm talking about, for I was afraid of disbelief. "I didn't know that until I met the ghost children. One of them was your missing sister!"

"She was caught by that evil witch?"

"Yes. Along with two others as well. I had to find their eyes in order to free them. She hid them. I had to find them, so when I did, I set them free that night."

"And I feel bad for saying you were crazy... it was unbelievable I couldn't imagine the hell you went through trying to escape," Wybie adds.

"No worries, Wyborne." I chuckle to myself. The wind was starting to pick up and blew my hair in my face. "Do you want to come inside? It's rather chilly out here." We moved into the front door and I lead them to the living room. Wybie and his grandma sat across from me. "Just when I thought I had escaped, Her hand came through the door and chased me as I sought to get rid of the one and only key. Her hand followed me to the well, then out of nowhere, Wybie-"

"Don't tell me you threw the key in the well," Ms. Lovat interrupts.

I turn my head slightly and say, "Why?"

"Coraline, Sweetheart..." She stands up and shouts, "You've put yourself in danger again!" I panic at her sudden yelling.

Wybie lifts his head up, his face full of concerned. "Wait, Grandma... how?" Wybie starts to panic as much as I do. "How, Ms. Lovat?" I try to stay calm but I'm freaking out inside.

"The well is a portal back to the other world. You throwing it down there, you might as well have just handed it to her! When you went to the other world, it was always night, wasn't it?"

I nod. "They say if you fall to the bottom and look up..."

"You'll see a sky full of stars in the middle of the day..." Wybie finishes. I Remember him saying that to me my first day in the apartments. "Well, what do we do?"

"No we, Darling... You... Only you can stop this..." Ms. Lovat finishes and stands up to leave.

"Wait!" I holler. She walks away like she didn't hear me but I know she did. Wybie follows her and mouths, I'm sorry.

I guess it's just me now... I think to myself fearfully. All on my own...