Chapter 3: A Dark Secret
Suddenly, the atmosphere had changed. There was no more mist or gloom in sight. The room was filled with bright sunlight with hints of pink here and there. Kira lowered the golf club as she questioned the woman, "Mom?! But how? You died last year."
The woman's expression changed to one of sadness and loss as she spoke solemnly, "Yes, I died around this time last year." She looked up stricken with grief and tears began to gather in her eyes.
"But how are you here then? Why are you here?" asked Kira in confusion.
The woman sighed and looked distraught. "I don't know whether I should tell you or not my sweet daughter. I fear it may be too much for you to bear..." she said obviously struggling with this decision.
"Tell me," said Kira, "I need to know. You've already appeared before me, so you might as well tell me why."
The woman sighed again and spoke, "You have a fair point. I'm just worried about you, but I imagine you will not rest until you know the truth. You've always been that way..."
Kira nodded and her face softened as she asked her gently, "Mother why are you here? Why are you not at peace?"
The woman looked at Kira with a pained expression and then buried her face in her hands as she answered, "Oh daughter! I don't wish to burden you with this, but if you must know, I was... I was murdered, and my body was desecrated..." At this point, the woman began to sob.
Kira looked at her perplexed and questioned the woman, "But mother... you were sick... You became very ill and passed away... I don't understand." Kira was starting to become suspicious. If this was her mother, why was the house giving off such a horrible aura, and what was with the creatures outside? Why was she claiming to have been murdered and her body desecrated?
"Oh my sweet child! Do you not believe me?" wailed the woman, "The murderer only wanted it to appear that way! I was poisoned! I'm telling you, I was murdered and my body horribly desecrated!"
Kira stepped back slightly at the woman's sudden outburst. "Okay you were poisoned, but what do you mean your body was desecrated? I was at the funeral, when Papa buried you. How could you have been desecrated?" questioned Kira.
The woman attempt to collect herself, but she shook as she spoke, "The murderer dug up my body, after the funeral. Then..." The woman began to hyperventilate and sob. "Oh my loving daughter! I can't dare to say the terrible things they did to my remains! It is too awful to speak of, and I couldn't bear to tell you of such horrors..."
Kira frowned as she whispered softly, "Alright, if it's really that terrible, I won't make you say, but how can I know you're telling the truth about any of this? How do I even know your my mother?"
The woman sighed as she frowned and looked at the floor. "I see... I knew it would come down to proof. You've always been such a smart girl..." she said as she looked back at Kira, "You can check my grave yourself. All I have told you can be uncovered through simply investigation. The proof is all around you. As for being your mother, what has made you think that I may not be? I am here right in front of you as real as flesh and blood."
"Okay... fair enough. I will investigate the matter myself," said Kira, "However, if you're my mother, what is with the mist trap and creatures outside?"
"Oh my sweet child. Have you not realized that you have entered into the spirit realm? The horrors that happened here have created a portal to this realm. You simply walked through it. The creatures outside are simply other spirits, and they sense you are not among the dead," she answered patiently.
"Well, that seems logical," Kira thought to herself. However, Kira decided to inquire further, "Okay. Then, what was that beast outside the bounds of the house?"
"Oh that..." said the woman as she looked down again. She was quiet for a minute, before she continued, "That was... The Devourer. It is a demon that feasts on flesh and souls alike. Whatever you do Kira, you should never go beyond the bounds of the house in the spirit realm. The souls of the dead are dangerous enough, but the Devourer is much worse."
"Okay that explains why the spirits didn't follow me out there..." said Kira as she thought through it, "However, that still doesn't prove that you are my mother. Let's see... What was the last thing you said to me, before you died?
The woman smiled and said, "I told you the poem of the dying rose:
'The Dying Rose
The rose once elegant and sweet
now forced by winter to retreat.
Its petals fall and reveal a treat.
The sweet and sour meat
of a Rosehip nourished by heat.
For even though life and beauty fade.
It does not erase what we have made.'
Then, I told you that you were the Rosehip that I had made for the world, and I would always live on through you. That we could never truly be apart, because I was part of you."
Kira grinned and rushed forward. She hugged her mother as she spoke, "It is you! It really is you!" She held onto her mother for dear life afraid that she might disappear at any moment. Suddenly, she became very upset and ask "Oh mom! What happened?! Who did this to you?!"
Kira's mother frowned and started to speak, "I..." but there was a noise from downstairs. "Oh no! I have to go!" she said frantically, "He's here! Quickly! Go downstairs! Don't mention any of this to your father!" Then suddenly, she was gone in a cloud of mist as if she had never been there at all. Kira searched about her room, but there was no evidence of her mother. She looked out the window and the fog had completely vanished as well.
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