Blood Bride

Chapter 15 (1st Draft) 3462

Turning from the window she looked around her parent's room. There were a few trinkets here and there that she had bought for her mother over the years. Seeing traces of herself in her parent's bedroom - in their personal sanctuary - was a comfort to Meadow. But, not enough to change the course of her actions. No, Meadow was determined to wipe the house clean of every sign or indication that she had ever been a part of the Rask household.  Everything had to go. Nothing could be left behind. It all had to burn. And burn that very afternoon.

Meadow ransacked her parent's bedroom first because she was standing there when this idea took hold and rooted itself in her mind. She pulled open every drawer, rummaged through the shared closet, opened every box and tote until she got her hands on every gift she'd ever given the two of them. She filled a garbage bag with jewellery, clothes, shoes, accessories, hand crafted items, art, and knickknacks. And then she ran that bag down to the burn barrel where she wasted no time throwing it in and setting it ablaze. This was her strategy for her entire purge session - fill a bag, burn a bag.

After her parent's room was picked clean of any trace of her, she hit up her old bedroom, which was filled with childhood memories and mementos. Amazingly, she plowed right through her closet, bookshelves and dresser drawers, which had been filled with all kinds of tokens from her childhood. But, nothing was sacred. Everything had to go. It all had to burn. This was her mantra. So, she worked quickly and steadily until there wasn't a thing left in the 10 X 12 foot room that had anything to do with Meadow then or now. When she was finished with it, the room looked like a poorly decorated and sparse spare room.

Meadow felt nothing. At least, nothing bad as she watched her childhood memories be consumed by blue and orange flames.  It was as if burning these precious items that had once held so much value for her was the most natural and normal thing to do. Was this insanity? Was she taking a tour through Crazyville?  The thought worried her but not enough to change course. Everything had to go. Nothing could be left behind. It all had to burn. And burn that very afternoon. She kept reminding herself.

Time ticked away as she tackled the kitchen and dinning area. Like the two rooms before, she opened every drawer and cupboard and bagged everything she'd ever given her mother or father over the years from a turkey carving knife set, to a slow cooker, and an entire set of Christmas dishes, plus numerous decorations and knickknacks. None of those items were safe from this impromptu cleanse. Nothing was sacred no matter how much her mother had loved it or used it. Everything had to go.  Meadow couldn't let go of this idea - of shaking the place free of any trace she'd ever lived there and been a part of the the family.

And like the rooms before, once she had a garbage bag full, she trotted it out to the burn barrel and tossed it in. Some of the kitchen and dinning room gifts were large and bulky, but they would still break and burn. So, she wasted no time and threw everything in that would go. The kitchen and dinning area couldn't have taken twenty minutes. Meadow was pleased to see she was still on schedule.

When she turned to the living room, with the sprawling sofas, matching side chairs, lamps, end tables, fire place, coffee table, book shelves, wall art, and countless framed family photos, she still had about an hour and a half before her mother was expected to come home. That was plenty of time to riffle through the cabinets, bookshelves, and the cupboards and drawers of the built-in TV wall unit looking for loose photos and photo albums. Photos were the only evidence in the entire family room, which was full of family pictures, that she had once been a valued member of the Rask family.   But, she reminded her self that everything had to go. Nothing could be left behind. It all had to burn. And burn that very afternoon.