The Darkling Childe

We are called the children of the Dark for today is a dark day, darker than most. I look down at Grandpa Grav’s sleeping peaceful face. At any moment I expect him to rise from his coffin and ask for his wheelchair. Grandpa Gravesone or Grav as I called him, had been Wheelchair bound since the second great war when a piece of shrapnel snapped his spine. Grandpa died peacefully in the middle of the night.

My twin brother Griff grabs my hand for support and comfort. I can see the sadness of my heart reflected in my brother’s eyes. Grandpa was always there for us, Showering us with love and affection. Praising us when we did good and encouraging us to try again when we failed. Grandpa was always the loving one, while Grandma Rose was cold and cruel the exact opposite of grandpa.

Everything we did seemed to irritate her, or should I say everything I did. Griff seemed to be her favorite, He never got into any trouble even though he caused a lot of mischief. She was quick to reprimand me or punish me for any slight or assumed slight she saw. And today was no exception. 

“Aeron!” she whispered to me, “People are watching. Stop blubbering, you are not a girl. You need to be strong!” I saw the sharp anger in her eyes as she dug her nails into my hand. I guess that mom and great-auntie Vera seeing the rage in Grandma’s eyes or the pained look in mine decided to come over to save me from her wrath.

“Ari,” as my Auntie Vera lovingly called me “Do me a favor. Can you please find Jake for me and ask him to come here for a second, please!” “Sure, Auntie, we will go find him and bring him over right away.”

“We?” my aunt says as she looks curiously at my mom as Griff and I leave. Auntie Vera turned to speak to Grandma Rose” He is 10 years old now and he should know the truth. Plus, it’s hard for all of us to keep your secret especially on days like this.”

“Shhh….” Grandma says looking in my direction, “He’ll hear you! I don’t think He’s ready yet.”

Aunt Vera looking angrily at Grandma “You mean, YOU’RE not ready.”

After a few minutes of searching for Jake in the dark, crowded funeral parlor, I turn to Griff. "There are too many of Grandpa’s friends and family around who keep stopping us. This place is too big, we will never find Jake this way. Let’s split up and look for Jake. I will go left, and you go right. It’ll be easier and faster.” Griff nodded as he headed right to the lounge and I walked left towards the offices. Not seeing Jake, I head towards the restrooms. The dark wooden shadowy doors offering a few minutes of escape from the stifling sadness of the place.

As soon as I walked in, I see Jake’s lanky reflection of the bathroom mirror sadly washing his hands. “Hey, Jake! Your mom asked me to come get you. She needs to talk to you about something.”

A little irritated he asks, “Did she tell you what it was about?”

“No. She just asked us to go find you,” I respond. 

“Us,” he responds, “I only see you.”

"Oh yeah, Griff is still looking for you as well." Just as we leave the bathroom, Griff spots us and walks behind us.

Mom, Aunt Vera, and Grandma were sitting together talking. Mom seemed grim, and Aunt Vera and Grandma seemed angry. I wonder what happened while I was gone. I know that it has nothing to do with grandpa.

“Hey, Mom what’s going on? Why did you send Ari to hunt me down?” asked Jake.

“Son, you know that after the burial we are staying at Rosie’s for a few days. So, I just wanted you to spend some time with Ari and not to go far.” said Aunt Vera.

“Ok Mom.” said Jake.

The funeral and burial were quick and somber. Everyone was ready to leave the cemetery except Grandma Rose. She placed a bouquet of white roses on the grave next to grandpa’s. Whose was it? Tears came down her face as she said a prayer over the mysterious grave. As I was about to walk over to grandma mom grabbed my hand, “Let’s go Ari,” she said “Let your grandma pray alone.” A deep feeling of sadness set upon us all as we left the cemetery, Mom and Auntie Vera tried to counsel Grandma Rosie as Jake, and I just sat in the back of the car in silence. Tears running down our faces, Griff just sat there looking out the car window crying as he twirled a lone white rose in his hands.

When we got out of the car, I went to Grandma and gave her a loving hug. Grandma recoiled from my touch as Griff gave her the white rose. Grandma broke down crying. 

“How dare you take the rose from the grave,” she yelled at me. “Go!” pushing me away. “Leave me alone!”

“Grandma, I didn’t take it, Griff did. He gave it to you to cheer you up. I did not steal it from the grave, I mean it.”

“Don’t lie to me!”, she yelled raising her hand to hit me.

“Rosie, Stop!” Auntie Vera screamed. “He didn’t take it, we stopped him from going to you at the cemetery. You must have left one fall in the car.”

Mom then said, ”Ari, you and Jake are going to sleep in the basement in Dad’s old office. There should be some blankets and sleeping bags in the storage room downstairs. Aunt Vera will be sleeping in your room.”

“Mom, What about Griff? Where is he staying?” I asked. Everyone looked at me. “Ari, just go downstairs!” Mom yelled.

When grandpa was alive, part of the basement had been converted into an office and the rest was storage.

Ari, finding a couple of sleeping bags in among the boxes started to set up a small sleeping area in grandpa Grav’s office. While Griff and Jake rummaged around some boxes for blankets and games.

“Ari, who is Griff?” Jake asks, pulling out some blankets from a box.

“What do you mean Jake? He is standing next to you. He is my twin brother?”

"Ummm, Ari, there is no one here, just you and me…I thought your brother had died in a shooting accident when you were young.”

"What do you mean? No, he is right there. Look, he has a book in his hands. Griff, bring that book over here."

Jake sees the book floating over to Ari.

“Hey, this is Grandma’s old diary” says Ari.

Jake lets out a little chuckle  “That is a good trick. I almost believed that the book was levitating by itself. Where are the trick wires, huh?”

Ari angrily “I am not lying! Griff is standing right next to you. Stop being silly. Better yet ask him for something and watch him bring it to over to you."

“Ok, bring me that flashlight over there.” No sooner had Jake asked for it, the flashlight begins to fly over to Jake’s hand. Jake feels around it and finds no strings attached to it. “Ok, how did you do it? I saw it fly in the air and come to me but I do not see anyone.”

“I am not joking with you.” says Ari, “Griff gave it to you."

“Ari, stop trying to scare me. Your twin died a long time ago. Next thing you are going to tell me is that grandpa’s ghost is here.”

Ari grabs the journal, and angrily sits down in the corner leaning against the back wall. Rummaging through the diary he decides to read the last couple of pages. "Maybe if I read her diary, I can figure out why grandma Rosie hates me so. Plus, it might also calm me down. Hmm these entries are dated 5 years ago."

Nov 13

Ari and Griff are in the basement playing Cops and Robbers again. Grav is downstairs in his office. I hope that the kids don’t disturb him as he is working….

Nov 24

I….I can’t believe Griff is dead…. Ari killed him. He killed him. It was accidental, I know. He found Grav’s gun in one of the boxes and was playing cops and robbers with Griff when he pulled the trigger and shot him. The bullet went through his head and through the wooden door in Grav’s office, hitting Grav in the back. Doctors say that he will never walk again. The bullet severed his spinal column.

Nov 25

I can’t believe that he is dead. Why God? Why? Why did Griff have to die….

Nov 26

My eldest daughter Trisha has volunteered to take Ari for a couple of days till I can come to grips with this.

That is the last entry in the diary.

“I can’t believe this" he says looking in shock at Griff laying down next to Jake’s sleeping form. As a couple of letters fall out of the book, Ari opens them and begins to read them.

Dec 18th

Dear Mom, I still think that this is a bad idea. Ari is your son. You sent him to St Joseph’s psychiatric clinic for a couple of days cause he is in a catatonic state. He still has not responded to any treatment so far. You and the rest of the family pass me off as his mother because you can’t deal with the tragic event. I think you should also go see a shrink to help you deal with this issue.

Dec 20th

Dear Mom, Ari has come out of his catatonic state. He doesn’t remember anything regarding the accident. He has assumed and believes that I am his mother. The therapist and I have convinced him that he had fallen out of a tree and hit his head. He has been in the hospital all this time healing from the fall. The therapist believes that Ari should not be told until he is old enough to deal with the consequences of his action.

Dec 24

Dear Mom, even though it doesn’t make sense to me as to why you want to do this, I will go ahead with your decision for me to adopt Ari, and as discussed I will give up my apartment and move in with you on January 2 to help you take care of Dad. We will tell Ari that I am your daughter and that he is my son - your grandson - instead of me being his sister. I have spoken to the other family members and they have agreed to keep the lie going as long as you want. Please fill out the attached adoption forms.

Ari begins to cry as he looks on at the sleeping forms of both Griff and Jake. “This can’t be true…this can’t be true.”

In the semi-darkness he notices a dark metallic padlocked door in the back of the basement that he had not seen before. Making sure that he does not wake up Griff and Jake, he quietly grabs a set of old keys that are hanging on a hook in the basement he walks over to the door.

Trying each key in succession, he tries to open the door. "Maybe I can find some more info regarding the accident in that room. It has to be locked for a reason." When he opens the door he find himself staring into his own eyes. He finds a record of his birth certificate, Griff's, and his other brother Nathanial who died when he was younger. He comes to realize that he was not a twin, but a triplet.

Ari looks at Nathan’s darkened image and hugs his brother. Grandma had left him locked in the room with a slit in the bottom to feed him by just like she had done to him when he was younger.

She made it seem as if Nathan had never existed. Waking up Griff, Ari and Nathan go upstairs to pay grandma a visit. She has to answer for what she has done. Jake wakes up as he sees the shadowy image of Ari walking upstairs with two old knives floating behind him.