Behind the Black Curtains

The black curtain is again hovering above me. My ice-pale skin yearns for a bit of sunshine but I couldn't get outside. The room was ebony dark, like my eyes that’s now staring beyond the thickness of the black curtains.

The customers beyond the glass pane are buzzing on Sun & Shine Boutique. It is a renowned apparel store known for its affordable but quality products. 

The light on the room past the curtains began to sting my teary eyes. I haven’t slept since last night. I’m just laying here on the room’s ice-cold floor, waiting for my own demise.

But, every light cannot shine without the presence of darkness.

Lyannah was already gone last night, much to Aaron's delight.

She was already being displayed as one of the human-looking mannequins by the store's display area. Well, the mannequin is really derived from Lyannah's corpse so there's no question why it looked so much of a real-life mannequin- 'cause it's a human after all.

Lyannah's smell still lingers in my tiny nose. Her lavender and lemon verbena scent still reverberates in this god-forsaken room. I am on the verge of giving up now, to be honest. I didn't do anything to prevent her apparent death- my sister's death.

I didn't know that Aaron was an escaped convicted murderer until last night when he invited the both of us; not knowing it will be the last meal of our life. He served us sparkling chardonnay and shrimp gumbo which is Lyannah’s favorite. He even prepared for both of us his special lemon sorbet and we gobbled it eagerly- not knowing that he had put something in our dessert.

But Aaron was a devil incarnate, a spawn of Satan if you put it that way. Behind those excellent cooking skills is a man that enjoys gore and torture on people.

Nevertheless, I’ll be carrion any minute now. I’ll be probably displayed in the boutique’s foyer because of my physical appearance and essence. Amidst my internal screaming and ranting, I am now ready to greet Death like an ex-boyfriend.

I am a walking deceased since my early years when I was heavily bullied by my fellow companions because of my minuscule size. It was only Aaron who protected and comforted me from them. In fact, he was the one who found me and brought me to the Blackwood manor.

He was a handsome janitor and has a passion for fashion designing and such. Quite odd but I am not judgemental. I believe that anyone can have their own reason why they have that kind of preference despite their gender.

Honestly and painfully, I fell for him. It was the biggest mistake and regret of my seven-year existence.

The door creaked, slowly opening to reveal a wine-red-haired person. It was not Aaron.

The wind seems to stop moving when I realized who’s now standing by the room’s threshold.

It was Lyannah- my very own sister.

"Nice work, Helga. You're such a good German Shepherd dog over the night, you know?"

Lyannah chuckled softly and patted me in the head. She glanced to where the mannequin is now standing and gestured to me to follow her beyond the onyx-colored curtains.

It was Aaron.

It was Aaron's cadaver crafted to be a mannequin, dressed and smelled like Lyannah. I didn’t know what to do at this moment. My body began to shake and tremble as my canine brain realized. I was looking at the wrong side of the table all these years.

I found out from Lyannah that Aaron was an animal advocate, contrary to her previous erroneous claim. He was trying to help me all these years and the boutique actually belonged to Lyannah Blackwood and her bloodlust family.

It wasn’t a mistake falling for him after all. My heart has been a better judge than me holistically.

But I was a Blackwood as well- by name and upbringing. I was adopted and welcomed warmly by the family seven years before this unpleasant incident.

It was ten o’clock in the morning when I gaze at the clock hanging on the azure-painted wall. I am peering from the black curtains and smiling wryly at Lyannah's customers. Lyannah already marked her next victim- the new janitress that replaced Aaron. She was naïve and pretty in her own way. She may not be of considerable beauty but she’s fit to be displayed- publicly and privately.

I wanted to leap to the window and sprint away from this hellhole. Hell is a man-made place after all. But realization flashed in front of me like the northern lights. Even if I run away, I'll still be behind black curtains- either literally or figuratively.

My desire to be a part of a perfect and wealthy family eventually left me to my inevitable misery. I was so happy when I arrived at their doorstep. I thought by that time that I can now eat properly and sleep soundly on my own bed. I no longer have to endure long winter nights on an empty stomach. I no longer have to drink from muddy and filthy waters, courtesy of the previous night’s heavy rain. Euphoria filled my guts the very first year I live with the Blackwoods and they even brought me a customized dog cake for my so-called birthday.

Even then, I kept on looking for the light, not realizing that darkness has its own beacon. Because of Lyannah, I realized that you will find what you're looking for the moment you stop looking for it.

So, I close my eyes and said a silent reminder to myself as I strode beyond the black curtains. The light warmed my frigid soul and mended my shattered conscience.

I know that I’ll be forever leashed in Lyannah’s grip. I’ll be eternally connected to her- soul to soul and blood to blood. I’ll be forever within her, into her, and with her.

Leaving my entire dilemma behind, I now greeted my sister in a curtsy dog bow and embraced all her perfect imperfections as the light within me flickered to nothing but embers in the essence behind the pitch-black curtains.

Lyannah grinned at me with a sweet adder-like smile and pouted to the boutique’s counter.

“Oh Helga, don’t you worry. I'm never going out with you again."