𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞

𝟐𝟗. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

After some hours Alice had finished working and we decided to go out. I passed the rest of my day with Alice, we went out to enjoy the snow she loved so much. We wore the warmest clothes we had and started walking until we reached the edge of the hill, we were almost arriving to the Bridge Of Fire.

We watched the beautiful scenery, everything was frozen, as if time itself was frozen as well. The snow was a gift wrapped only spring would open, revealing the engrained beauty that lived safely below, protected by these long winter months. The park was covered in a thick blanket of white, statues peeked out under their new white caps.

The branches hanged low with the weight of the snow. The sky was clear, a perfect uninterrupted blue. It was odd to think that the green grass was still down there, surviving as best as it could, waiting until the time for the ice to melt would come.

The ground was as smooth as a cake and the snow fell like icing powder, perfecting it to its finest point. As the snowflakes were falling they seemed shapeless, only when I caught one perfect snowflake, I saw that it did actually had a shape. It was like a white star, it made me want to make a wish. As we were walking, our prints were quickly covered by a pristine blanket of white.

Glittering snowflakes fell soundlessly, taking their time before they reached their destined place of rest, enveloping everything in a calm, silent coldness that was comforting in its own special way. Alice and I started throwing snowballs to each other, enjoying each moment we had together. On Alice's face a huge smile was formed and every time I threw a snowball at her, she pouted like a little child. We started running and playing until we reached The Bridge Of Fire.

That place made me uncomfortable, I didn't want to be there but Alice wanted to see the frozen lake, the very same lake where I had seen the horrifying face, the shadowy figures emerging from the water, trying to pull me into the abyss.

Alice started running between the tall trees while yelling at me to continue walking. When she finally reached the frozen lake her face shined with excitement. Looking through the cold surface of the lake was like peering though perfect glass, unsmudged by the sticky prints small children tended to make.

I didn't get very close to the lake, I really didn't want to start panicking again, especially not in front of Alice. It would be a nightmare to me, I didn't want to show my fears to her, she didn't have to know about them. I had to be strong for both of us.

Happiness was in the snow, in the moments I spent with my sister. Happiness was enjoying the moment, happiness was in the moment, the more focused the more intense, like a beam of light to the soul and just as with well focused light, it was then we found peace. I was at peace.

On the way back home we talked about when we were going to return back to our actual home but we couldn't leave, not now, not yet. I needed time to figure things out and finally understand what truth our aunt Grace wanted us to uncover. I had to uncover the truth and fulfill out aunt's last wish.

On our way home I turned and looked back at the Bridge. For a brief moment it was as if I saw Jenny. It was her, I was sure. She was hiding behind a tree watching us, following us. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around, I started running towards the place I saw Jenny while ignoring Alice's voice echoing in the silence behind me. I had seen her clearly.

It was indeed Jenny, she started running as soon as she saw me approaching her. I yelled at her "Wait" but she never answered, she just kept running faster and faster. "What do you want from us?" I screamed with all my strength until I felt pain in my lungs, but again she never answered, she just kept running, her figure getting smaller as the minutes passed.

I heard loud footsteps behind me, it was Alice. As soon as she approached me she took a minute to catch her breath. "What happened, why did you run like that?" she asked me breathless, she had a puzzling face.

"I just thought I saw someone I knew," I answered while I looked away, trying to hide my guilty face.

"Who?" she asked me with suspicion while raising her eyebrow.

"Uh..I thought I saw a guy I have met here," I put my hands on my pockets in an attempt to hide my nervousness.

"A guy? How come I am learning about this now?" she pouted like a little child.

"It's nothing, I have seen him only one or two times," I started walking towards the road that leaded to our house without looking at Alice.

She started running behind me and asking all kind of questions about the guy. His name, if he was handsome but how could I tell her that he was a man that spread coldness only with one glare. He was a strange, even creepy man. I couldn't tell her something like that so I just told her "He is okay" and I ended the conversation there. She got the message that I didn't want to talk about it, but not for the reasons she believed. I didn't want to talk about it because of the chills I had while bringing in my memory our last encounter.

When we arrived to our house, we found the front door open. I went in front of Alice, dragging her protectively behind me as I slowly pushed the door. We entered the house, asked if someone was there and after that we searched each room. The library was a mess, all the books were on the floor, all the drawers of the desk were opened and books as well as papers were scattered on the floor.

The diary, thankfully I had it with me. I always took it with me after seeing Jenny's strange behavior. I bet it was her or someone helping her. She was following us so, who had gotten in our house? Who was working with Jenny?