FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

'Kara'

by Harun

Synopsis: When she finds that her children are gone and her dead lover may be responsible, Jenna embarks on a quest for redemption.

Note: First Story. Enjoy.

PART ONE

It was the same place she'd found herself in for the past few months. The same green fields, the same blue river, the same bright sun, glinting down on her. "Don't you like it?" A voice asked her. The voice was all too familiar, as they had gone to school together. She tried to remember where she had first met this girl, where she had first talked and established the bond that would change their lives. A cold sweat broke out on her face as she looked at the girl. She was so close, she could smell the shampoo the girl used. The same type that she had bought last week.

She put her hand on the girl's cheek. The serenity of the moment faded, as it always did, and she was awake. The pure happiness of knowing love now replaced by the agony of life and the brutal knowledge that she was dead. She felt her bedclothes. They were soaked, as they always were. This dream had always brought out the worst in her.

Jenna put a hand on her forehead to check for a fever. Perhaps something had triggered this dream; something she was eating or something she was doing before she went to bed. She felt her heart trying to reach a smooth steady pace from its excited murmur. Jenna turned her head to the door where she heard talking. They were supposed to be asleep, she thought. Were the children hurt? Why would they be up at this hour? Fear of her precious children, and worry that only she felt came to her.

Was this noise also a dream? Was it a hallucination? The last time that her hand had twitched, she was with her dearest love, hearing the worst words imaginable. The two had always gotten along, they seemed the best of mates and they were made for each other. Such thoughts, she knew, were lies. The best memories soon faded, as the next day passed and replaced them with something else.

The door came open. A small girl stood in the doorway. She held a sippie-cup, and was dressed in her pajamas. This was not the end of the dream. It came back to her; this girl always brought her the same tea, and she would drink it, and she would wake up screaming and crying. Jenna blinked a few times to make sure she was actually in control of her body. She saw the girl coming towards her and wanted to find a weapon with which to keep her at bay. This monster who always ruined her nights.

Why would it now not end? Her left hand grasped the lamp by the bed. She swung it at the girl. Such a stupid move. As she fell to the floor and the lamp disappeared through the girl's fur, she thought of why it had come to this. So many nights of torment, so many nights she would never be alone. If she could ever describe torture, it would be in a mental state, a place that one could never escape. Physical wounds always healed in time, but scars in the mind, if even treated by the most renowned psychiatrists, would never be totally eradicated.

Jenna heard whining from the playpen. Laying on the ground was her second, Kenneth. He was alternating between crying, and sucking his thumb. His usual habit in the afternoon consisted of feeding, changing, and more feeding before his nap. Jenna smiled at him. He looked so cute for his age. The small skunk's fur was coming in well, especially in the tail. Kenneth's eyes were a bright brown, which was what she remembered most about him. Jenna came into the room and he sat up. "What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked him. His blue shirt showed a plane on the front, and a lightning bolt on the back.

Kenneth popped his thumb out of his mouth and began to cry. Jenna laughed as she leaned down to pick him up. He wasn't the most trouble she had dealt with, but he was not the quietest, either. She rubbed the back of his head as he nuzzled up to her shirt. This brought Jenna back to the day that the adoption papers were signed, and he became the second, beside Alicia, to enter her growing family.

There was something soothing about taking care of these children. Not just rewarding for its own sake, but rather she felt a deep sense of pride in knowing that she could help others. It looked as if Kenneth was falling asleep. Jenna walked to the changing table and sat him down. Apple sauce made him the sleepiest of them all.

Tick, tick, tick. Jenna looked up at the clock. It read just after twelve thirty. She went into the kitchen again to check for his bottle. If he awoke, or rather, when he awoke, it would be there for him.

Two thoughts drifted into her head as she came back into his room; what he would be as an adult, and how he would relate to his family. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Kenneth?" She asked the toddler. She knew that he could not yet talk. A slur of babbling escaped his lips. It was adorable. Jenna widened her eyes. "A pilot?" She blew raspberries on him. The child giggled. Jenna laid him in the cradle. He did not have much of a problem once he fell asleep. She would have ten minutes to get the others into bed before he awoke again. The small red blanket covered Kenneth up to his shoulders, and a stuffed bear laid by his side, the protector to all.

Jenna leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Now, silence in the room. The clock even seemed to fade out as her mind set on his small frame. He fell asleep in five minutes. Thud. Thud. Jenna was snapped out of her daydreaming by a sound in the kitchen.

Her beautiful Alicia was pushing a chair from the table, trying to get to one of the cabinets. At four, she was the most resourceful of the bunch, and the most helpful. Her yellow-golden fur shone in the sun. Jenna walked into the kitchen, unnoticed by the young vixen. "And what are you doing, little missy?" Alicia spun around, and hid her hands behind her back. She wore purple pants and a pink shirt. Her ears had patches of brown and white near the top and bottom respectively. Jenna could see that Alicia thought that she was in trouble. The girl's legs were shaking. "You know you can't have any sweets right now, Alicia..." Alicia looked at the floor and twiddled her left ear. This was her sign of embarrassment. From the time she was three years old, she had learned it from somewhere, and it stuck.

Jenna took the chair back to the table. Alicia did not follow her, but stayed in the kitchen still rubbing her ear. Jenna sensed something was amiss, and knelled down to the girl's level. Alicia's cheeks were blushing red. A wet spot was developing. Without a word, Jenna took Alicia's hand and led her into the washroom. She was in training pants, but not in the clear yet.

Jenna's mind wandered as she filled the small tub to clean her daughter. Her eyes began to mist up. Alicia noticed this and assumed she was in more trouble. Jenna held Alicia in her arms. "It's not you, sweetie..." She said. A tear came from Jenna's cheek and fell into the water. The pain of that day. The inability to tell her dearest love of her problems. It tore at her more than their separation.

Glug glug. The water was filling nearly to the brim. She turned off the faucet and set Alicia into the tub. It would not hurt to give her a bath now, since she could concentrate on the others tonight before bed. She took out the soap and shampoo to wash off the dirt Alicia had gotten herself into. Such days in her youth when Jenna had been running in the mud or swimming in filthy slimy waters, her mother would always lecture her on the importance of "A lady's cleanliness" and the "Proper etiquette of a lady." She shook off the thought.

Jenna lifted Alicia out of the tub. Her fur was slightly darker when wet, and Jenna took a pink towel from the rack to dry her off. She looked so strong and adorable. She held the towel in her hands, rubbing her head. Jenna reached for her clothes. She unfolded a pair of green jeans, and she heard a crinkling sound. Nothing was in the pockets when she had washed the jeans, it must have been put in later. Was her daughter sneaking around, hiding goodies for eating after bedtime? Jenna waved a finger at Alicia, who could not see what her mother was doing. She reached into the front pocket. The pain that coursed through her body felt like a scorpion's sting.

Her fingers sent impulses to her brain that she was touching paper. Old paper. Worn paper. She knew which paper this was, for it was folded in a certain fashion. Where did Alicia find it? Did she take it from the box one night? Jenna jerked her hand out, grasping the folded paper.

The last time that she had looked at this paper, she was with Alicia when she was turning two. Alicia did not know what it was, but she knew it was something special. Perhaps she thought that she would feel special if she got hold of it also. Jenna's hand was shaking slightly. Reading the words inside always stung her like poison. Bleeding into her, a constant reminder that life could be over at any minute.

Jenna thought about how her girl could have gotten into her bedroom at night. She did know the house well, perhaps she had sneaked in during breakfast or, when Jenna was away with one of the others. Time was a menace, she thought at that moment. Things would always have their ways of coming back at you to remind you how easily your reality could be destroyed.

Jenna saw that Alicia was grasping for the jeans. Her pink shirt already on, Alicia looked like she was ready for bed. Jenna handed them to Alicia, but kept the paper in her hand. Alicia pointed to the paper, curious. Jenna placed the paper by the sink and lifted her daughter onto her lap. Alicia was reaching for the paper. If she was finding these things now, she would start to ask questions when she could speak. When the day came, Jenna thought, she would tell Alicia what the paper meant, and why there were four certificates hanging above her bed, while Alicia only knew two siblings.

Jenna looked outside. The sun was going down over the hills. She rocked Alicia back and forth slowly in her arms. This girl would make a find mother, if she chose to be. She had all the chances and pathways available to her. All that a child needed to succeed was love, support, and trust, Jenna thought.

The moment Alicia was dressed, she ran out of the washroom toward her mother's bedroom. Alicia's sense of hearing was highly developed, unlike her own at that age.

Finally, she heard it; Holly was crying. Her second daughter had been fighting a cold for the past few days. Jenna entered the bedroom to see Alicia standing by Holly's crib. The infant cougar was on her side, holding a blanket. Alicia noticed her mother and held her palm to her forehead. Some said that Alicia was mute.

Holly's eyes... Those dark, piercing, green eyes... They reminded Jenna of her mother. The wicked witch from whose womb she had fallen.

Jenna did not want any of her dear children to become like that wretch. These three were all born, not hatched like her mother was. The old chipmunk looked down on Jenna from the scrying pools everywhere she went; the bathtub, the sink, the shower, the patch of dirt soaked with rain.

Jenna would teach these children everything she knew. She felt exhausted some days with all her work, but knew it was for the sake of others that she press on. Her studies had taken a hit also. The books of alchemy and runic casting lay on the shelves, gathering dust. Old toys needed to be put away once she had become mature enough to meet Kara. All those games faded when she learned of the wonders that the natural sciences brought, and the joys of the human mind hidden in psychology.

This challenge could easily be helped, if only she would ask someone. However that would put her in grave danger during the long run. The image of the crone chipmunk glided in. She had left Alicia with her mother for a weekend. Disaster could not begin to describe it. "Take this brat home with you, and get a man!" Her mother shouted to her before slamming the door in her face. Jenna's once happy childhood home was not a safe place anymore; it was a den of misery. Her father had passed of natural causes, and 'ma ma' had never been the same. Given her personality, Jenna thought that perhaps he wanted to go first, just to have a few years of respite until their meeting again.

Jenna was not stubborn, she just wanted all the best for those she knew. The neighbors were helpful enough, and they knew some of her past. They did not seem to judge her or threaten her safety. When she had to leave for a family errant, they would take care of the house for her.

Jenna held her daughter, gazing into those eyes. Holly coughed. Not a normal cough, but a raspy cough. Jenna heard a cackle from beyond the grave. The crone was standing beside her, mocking her for her inability to tend to her child. She brought Holly into the kitchen and sat her down by Alicia. Small bags of tea lay inside an earthenware jar. She put on a kettle. Tea always helped her feel better. Alicia smiled at her mother, for she knew that she would get a few sips of the treat she was not allowed to make yet.

After some tea, Jenna brought Alicia into her bed and tucked her in. I was getting time for everyone in the house to rest, and no one more than Jenna needed it.

Jenna awoke that night, feeling someone poking her arm. Her half-awake eyes registered the figure of a girl. A girl in a white shirt. Who was she? Jenna felt her heart pick up as she sat up. Did one of the neighbors fall asleep too early? She wanted to find out. "What's your name, sweetie?" She asked. The girl had a scared look on her face. She quickly ran behind the door.

It was cute to see a toddler running to try to hide. Jenna tried to hide many times from her parents, amazed every time that they were able to find her so easily. Her hand brushed against the doorknob as she turned it.

The girl ran from the door, leaving Jenna to follow. What a strange girl. She was not talkative, neither did she seem cheerful. Had this girl have done something for which she would get in trouble? Was she tattling on another? Jenna followed the girl to the kitchen. Every few feet, the girl would stop, and then start running after seeing the mammoth behind her.

The first thing Jenna noticed on entering the kitchen, was the smell and sound of the tea kettle. Its loud whistle screamed at anyone in the area. Jenna did not put on the kettle before she went to bed. Had someone else done it? "Drink up..." The girl said. That voice, Jenna knew, was the same from her dreams. This small child was talking in the same tones that her nightmares contained. Jenna must not be awake, she thought.

She stepped over to the stove, where the kettle sat. The closer she got, the louder the kettle became. Jenna covered her ears when she was a step from it. She reached down to cut off the burner. It did no good, however. The kettle continued fuming, louder than ever. Jenna closed her eyes, thinking this just another facet of the nightmare she was having.

She heard rustling behind her. The small girl was pushing a chair up to the stove. Jenna held the chair. "You can't go up there, sweetie...." She said.

"What's wrong?" She asked Jenna. "Don't you want to have some tea?"

"Not now" Jenna said.

"They'll help ya with your hallucinations..." Jenna regarded the girl. Where did she hear such a word? How could she pronounce it?

"Give me a minute, and we'll both have some tea." The girl said. She reached for the kettle and grasped it. It did not burn her fur, it did not fume when she touched it.

She was getting on in years, but she did not think that this child could be faster than she was. "Hold on, sweetie..." She said. Jenna took an oven mitt and reached for the kettle again. The mitt melted onto the metal surface. It's brass color fading in with a burning stench. The kettle started steaming again. The small girl at Jenna's side laughed.

She pinched herself. It must be a dream, she kept telling herself. She heard a thud. The girl was holding the kettle. She sat it on the table. "Come on!" She said, in a cheery voice. Something was very strange. The burning was gone. The girl took the chair by the stove and brought it over to the table.

Jenna took a seat by the girl, not saying a word. This was not how her dreams ended. She would drink the tea from a sippie cup, it would burn like fire down her throat, and she would wake up. The girl had two cups ready. "Let me get that, Sweetie." Jenna said. She reached for the kettle, but it started its fuming when her hand came near.

The girl poured the tea into the two cups. Steam came out of its nozzle when it was sat upright. Green liquid, pungent with mint, wafted into the surrounding room.

Jenna looked at the girl. She held her cup with both hands. The sippie cup was nowhere to be seen. "Let me help you w--" She started. The girl's hand jerked away as Jenna touched her. "Maybe you shouldn't be drinking any tea..." The girl said to her. Jenna looked into her glass. It seemed thick like marmalade.

She tipped the glass to her lips. It was sweet as honey going down. The only thing that she remembered after the drinking, was the sudden urge to vomit. What started as a few small coughs soon escalated to wheezing. Jenna wiped her nose and saw thick red blood. It was starting to flow like a faucet. She coughed again, spewing blood on the table. The red menace flowed from her nose and her ears. A rush of dizziness came over her, and she fell to the ground. Jenna reached out to the little girl still sitting in her chair. She wanted to warn her not to drink.

The little girl tilted her head downward to Jenna. She made a 'tsk-tsk' sound and waved a finger.

"Wake up..." Jenna opened her eyes. Who was talking to her? Her eyes tried to focus, but the room was too dark to see anything. The lamp she had was busted. The time must be after midnight, as there was too little light to see anything in the room. Jenna felt around for the table and found, to her surprise, an old candlestick with a match. She felt the wood of the match in her hand and smelled the sulfur burning to unleash the light of the candle.

The first few seconds, she was trying to get adjusted. Nothing was in its usual place. Was this just another part of the dream? A third act? Jenna winced. Candle wax dripped onto her foot. The small candle provided a few feet of light, so she could manager her way around without getting lost. This was her house ,or so she assumed it to be. The bed was in the same room, her table was in its same place...

However the crib where Holly slept was not. Thud. Thud. Holly was not there. Her crib was not there. Where was she? Her breathing quickened and her nerves tensed, fearing the worst.

Where was she? Where were they? Where was this place? Crash. Something rammed itself against the door. Jenna screamed and dropped the candle. Its light dimmed away into oblivion, leaving her. She knelt down to pick it up and restart it. There was no other match she could use. She heard a creaking sound to her right. She turned in the direction of the other door in her room. It was her washroom door.

Before she could stumble along to open it, she heard another strike at her door. Her heart synched with every rattle she heard, every gust in the air, every tremble in her bones. This was not her home. She must be in a dream. Venerable Jenna pinched herself. She pinched so hard, blood was drawn. Her eyes clenched tight, she whispered. Help her to find her children. Make sure that they were alright. Keep them safe. As if in answer to her request, she opened her eyes to see a dim light from the restroom. Her washroom had a small night light near the entrance. Jenna made her way in and surveyed the scene.

Nothing in the washroom was the same. The sink was rusted. The mirror was old and dirty. The towel racks were red with grime and filth. The light illuminated a small area in front of her, near the mirror. A cloth lay on the towel rack. She took it and wiped the mirror off. Jenna jerked back as she saw her reflection.

An old woman was standing beside her. This squirrel had dark gray hair, tangled and knotted. Her eyes were a dark blood red. Somehow, Jenna thought that she recognized this woman. If it were not for the fact that she was sucking on a pacifier, she would have been able to place her face in her own mind. The woman lifted her hand and pointed outside, behind them. Lightning lit up her room now, and Jenna turned around. No one was standing behind her. The room was barren save for the bed and table. Three small objects lay on the table. Jenna turned back to the mirror. The girl still looked at Jenna intently. Her eyes showed a deep compassion. She tried to rest her head on Jenna's shoulders.

Tears came to her eyes. Something saddened her. The inability to express herself? Jenna felt liquid on her shoulder. Frightening sense of a ghost's tears materializing on her shoulder. The woman was wiping her eyes. Jenna was fixated on the mirror, watching every move the woman made. She removed the pacifier from her mouth. Thud. Jenna looked down into the sink to see a yellow pacifier. She reached down to hold it. It was real... She took it and placed it in her pocket.

Another flash of lightning. The woman was pointing outside, jabbing her finger towards the darkness. Was she telling Jenna to go outside? What was the pacifier for? She needed to find her children.

She stepped out of the washroom. She looked at the dim reflection in the mirror one last time. The woman was looking in her direction. She smiled at the woman. The two were glad at that moment of chaos. Jenna's footsteps led her to the table. She bumped into the candlestick at her feet. A match lay on the table, beside three stones. Runes... Jenna lit the match and looked at the table. Three stones, carved with symbols, in a row. Past, present , future. The symbols once held meaning for her, but it was so long ago. She could not remember what they were trying to tell her.

One of the stones shook. Jenna felt a sudden shaking all around her. Was this an earthquake? She looked around . Her four certificates were not on the wall. A large portrait showed an old woman, holding a girl. The girl was, in turn, holding an infant.

Jenna tried the door to her room. It came open after a few attempts on the rusted doorknob. She pulled and the knob came off, opening into the kitchen. No one was in the kitchen. Two lone chairs set with no table. The stove was not on, nor was there a tea kettle burning as before. Had she drank something in that tea? Where was that girl? She went into Alicia's room. No bed, no crib for Kenneth. Her mind raced. Were they kidnapped? Was she drugged?

Jenna had one last room to check; the playpen. She walked over to the shades near the door and opened them. A dim light shone in the room. More than the candle could provide. She looked around. The playpen was open, its small gate had no lock. What kind of monster would do this to her family?

She noticed a book on the ground. It was blue with gold edges. Large capital letters read 'DIARY' on its front. As she picked it up, the gold letters gave a reflection of herself at ten or eleven. This was the same type of diary she had been given for her writings by a friend. She placed her right hand on it, ready to turn the page and see what, if anything, was inside.

"Do you like it?" A voice asked.

Jenna turned from the book. A baby squirrel was standing in the doorway. She had no clothes on, and her hands were on her hips. Such a young girl, and she could already balance herself.

"Why, look at you!" The girl ran toward Jenna and embraced her leg. The surprise of a talking infant, let alone a walking infant, was still processing in her head. Jenna looked at the girl. There was something familiar about her. Was it her face? She put a hand on the girl's cheek and turned her head upwards. The girl's eyes were of a dark blue hue, like an ocean. Jenna blinked a few times, fearing they would become yet another means of scrying from which the witch would attack.

"I can't believe how tall you've gotten, Jenn..." Jenna's mouth dropped slightly. How did she know that name? She was given that nickname by her childhood friends. The girl let go of her leg and looked out the window. She walked to the glass and pressed left hand against it. She turned back to look at Jenna, who was standing by the diary.

"Do you know where my children are?" Jenna finally managed to ask. The girl continued to look out at the landscape. She tapped a finger on the glass. Jenna took this as a hint and stepped nearer to take a look. Outside, a building loomed in the distance. A single road led to it, dotted with a few shacks along the way. Simple dwellings and that massive structure. She could not make out what the large building was.

"You do know, don't you..." She would not get any information from her at this rate. Time for authority.

"Tell me." Jenna said in a stern tone, "Where are my children?" The girl turned around. Her eyes gazed into Jenna's own. She lowered her head and swayed from side to side.

"You're still so full of anger..." She said. "What are you going to do if I don't tell you?" Jenna looked around the room. There was a small chest by the playpen, where she kept clothes and diapers. She could use this as leverage against the naked child.

"If you yo don't tell me, I won't dress you." The girl put her hands on her hips again. She developed a smirk and started toward the chest.

It was larger than she was, but the handle was at head height. She put her right hand on it, and , without effort, opened it. The top seemed loaded by a spring. Jenna was amazed. This girl opened a heavy chest with one hand. The girl leaned into the chest and rummaged around. She brought out a simple white cotton shirt. She slipped it over her body.

"You mean, like this?" She looked at Jenna.

"Fine. If you won't tell me... Then I won't diaper you." Her voice was sounding desperate. The squirrel laughed this time, and motioned for Jenna to come near the chest. She reached in and pulled out a diaper. She laid down on her back and began to put it on herself. Jenna was speechless. A moment later, she stood up, wearing a fresh diaper.

"You mean, like this?" Jenna was worried and confused. This was not a normal child by any means. She seemed gifted or special in some way. Perhaps she should not be the one making the demands.

"What do you want?" Jenna asked. This got the girl's attention.

"Look at my shirt." The girl said. A small patch was sewn into the right breast of the shirt. It bore the logo of the medical center where Jenna had worked as a teenager. The girl pointed out the window once again. This connection was all too obvious.

"I don't get it. What do you want me to do?"

"Give me something I don't already have." Jenna looked around the room. Anything that she could reach, the girl could also reach. She started to think. What did she posses that the girl did not? The pacifier. She had received a pacifier from the sink. Jenna reached into her pocket and produced the pacifier. She knelt down and popped it into the girl's mouth. She started sucking on it, with a content look on her face. Her eyes closed, and she began to relax. Jenna picked her up.

"What am I going to do with you?" She whispered into the girl's ear.

She shook the girl gently. "Tell me... Where are they?" She said. No answer. Jenna poked the girl's cheek. No response came from the girl. The girl was fast asleep. All that arguing, and she had gotten nowhere. She would not wake up to answer Jenna's question.

Jenna started to imagine what the girl had said to her. Her actions were varied, but her message seemed clear; head out in search of your destiny. Her destiny, in this case, was to find her children. She would need to leave this strange remnant of her home and wander to the large hospital in the distance. She thought about the events that had led up to her standing at the window with this girl in her arms. The image in the mirror had pointed outside, but would not follow her. This diary that laid by the chest reminded her of her old teenage years while working in the hospital. Finally, the shirt that the girl was wearing, seemed a clear portent concerning her next move.

Were it not for these events, she would still have chosen to leave in search of them. Perhaps someone in one of the shacks had seen what happened. Perhaps they knew that where she was, and where she needed to go. They might be able to help her get information on the hospital, and what lay in store for her. They would not return, uninvited. Only Alicia could walk well, and the others would never crawl beyond their oldest sister. Did Alicia take them somewhere?

Jenna walked out of the room. An odor hit her nose as she passed the kitchen. The smell of tea wafted through the air. Sensing another trick, she stayed clear of the kettle. If this girl in her arms could talk, the kettle could shoot bullets, or worse. She checked the cabinets. A few bits of food for the journey were packed into a small sandpaper-colored knapsack she had on her hips.

There were other things she needed to check for before leaving; her room needed to be examined again. There may be something she could bring along. No medical kit in her room. No more supplies. Her only consistence was the food, and the girl's insight.

She walked over to her window. The girl fidgeted. She was still deep in sleep. Jenna shook the girl's shoulder. No response. The lone road leading to the hospital would be her best bet. There were no obstacles that she could see along the road. She would be able to find supplies along the way. A few of the shacks had to be inhabited, and the sight of a penniless mother would not harden their hearts to her.

One last look around. The table near the door contained the same three carved stones that she had seen when she awoke. One of the stones was near the edge of the table. She picked it up and examined it. She squeezed it tightly, trying to remember what it may be trying to tell her.

Boom. A light bulb burst in her head. The symbol engraved on the rune meant something like 'disaster' or 'calamity'. She looked down at the remaining two. They were to the left of it. This was a three-stone cast. Past, present, future. This calamity would come in her near future? She leaned down to set the stone back near the others. She was jolted near the table by a tremor. The two other stones fell off the table and clacked against the wooden floor. She dropped the third stone. As it landed , it seemed to set off another tremor. She fell backwards, clutching the girl to protect her.

A sound emerged from the tremors. It was a deep, monotone chanting voice. It kept in a very low register, like that of a monk. It became louder and louder. Jenna put her hands over her ears. The girl resting on her lap awoke and started to wail as loud as she could. The pacifier fell out of her mouth.

Jenna started toward the washroom. There may still be medicine she could use on her way. Her heart raced along with her feet as she neared the open door. Crash. Before she could get into the washroom, the ceiling collapsed in front of her. Her way was blocked.

Two options; out the front door, or out her bedroom window. Jenna wiped sweat from her face as she ran into the living room. The shaking was intensifying. Her front door lay ten feet away, her floors jiggling and rattling as if to give way.

Crash. The ceiling gave in front of the door. Jenna pounded on the door to op get it open. As it opened, thick smoke poured into the room, and Jenna fell to the floor. Her eyes burned, her lungs on fire. There was another window in the living room.

Jenna held the girl close to her to protect her from the smoke. She slowly made her way to the window. "Come on!" Jenna shouted at the glass. She pulled up, but the window was stuck. Crash. Her lights exploded above her, sending glass fragments everywhere, including her head. Jenna screamed , feeling a sharp point dig into her left ear. One last option; her bedroom.

The girl was still wailing, trying to make sense of what was happening. The deafening tones of the chants were like jet engines, trying to suck her into oblivion. Jenna tried the window, but it too stuck. She looked around the room, and saw her shawl on a chair. She grabbed both.

Jenna swung the chair into the window, sending glass out onto the ground. She had no choice but to jump. She landed, falling on her side. She winced as she felt shards of glass cutting into her back.

She checked the girl. The girl was safe. Jenna wrapped the girl in her shawl. Checking the girl's forehead, Jenna felt a burning sensation. Was this girl dying? Crash. She ran forward, feeling the ground continue to tremble beneath her. A very loud gurgling sound came from the house. Jenna looked back to see her home sinking into the ground. It was akin to watching something sink in quicksand.

There was no way to turn back. Her only supplies were in the knapsack; her only companion, this child. A sudden wave of dizziness came over her, and she fell to her knees. She started to weep in uncontrolled sobs. The slightest possibility that her children were still inside the house kept her from regaining control. She screamed at the remains of the house. She screamed at the road ahead. The world was coming down on her, and she had no ideas left.

Jenna felt the girl stirring. She looked to the girl, who was opening her eyes. A look of confusion was on her face. Indeed, it was on both of their faces. There was no point staying here to be sucked into the ground. Jenna started along the desolate road.

Jenna felt her heart sink into her chest, fearing one way might be a trap that she could not escape from. Both seemed to lead to the hospital, and she could not tell what was in on either road. She looked down at the girl, who was still sleeping. Her shirt, more specifically, had an emblem on it. A road was lined in black ink, branching to the left, toward a structure. She decided that this was a sign for her, to take the left road.

Jenna started down the left road, when she noticed a shack in the distance. She could not make out the features of the structure, but a large caravan in the side. A trader, perhaps, or a trader passing by. Either way, she would find someone with whom to get food, and information about the road ahead.

The girl coughed. Jenna felt the girl's forehead. It was burning. The girl was burning up inside. Was it from the fire? Jenna took off her shawl and wrapped the girl tightly in it. The shack ahead would not have now have to contain medicine, or she would lose her chance to find where her children were.

A few paces ahead, a small pool glistened in the dimming light. As Jenna passed it, the urge to look into it came over her. She gasped, and took a step back. Gazing at her, was the reflection of an old woman. This old woman was very decrepit, with a tattered piece of clothing hanging off her frame. Another sign. Was this woman dangerous? Would she have food or medicine? There was one way to find out.

Jenna could hear crows in the distance. The sky was starting to cloud over, giving its own portent of gloomy rain soon. She had to hurry. Rain would only sicken the girl. Furthermore, she could not let her food get wet. The small shack was on the top of a small hill. Jenna was at the bottom, near its frontal side. She did not know if she wanted to make straight for the front, or scope the place out before asking the possible inhabitant for help. IF they were anything like the image in the pool, then she would have to take care and protect herself and the girl. The mirror, the stones, and now the pool. Forces were coming together, seeming to push her into a corner from which logic and reason held little sway.

There was something ahead. Something smelled good. Was it meat? No. It was burnt. Something was burning. Perhaps it was being burnt off to get to its innards. Jenna was hungry. The ordeal has had made her weak. She had not food for herself, or for the girl. The smell was emanating from the first shack she saw. She could ask whomever lived there, for some food. Surely she would not be turned away, her house crushed and an infant in her arms.

She saw a woman looking out of her window. The old house resembled a shack. It was old and worn down. A simple thatched roof and one window. The door was constructed, she guessed, or bark or wood. She took a step back as she recognized some of the features on this old woman. She was around seventy years, with very simple clothing. The woman wore a tattered gray dress, stained with some type of grease. Jenna could tell that the woman was old, by the way she walked. However, she did not appear old, perhaps no older than 40. What was she doing all alone out in a shack?

This was her chance. She had to ask this woman for assistance. Jenna mustered her courage and knocked on the door. Click. The door opened, revealing the aged woman. Her eyes were like two deep pools of water that one could loose themselves in. Gray, like her dress, like the sky, like Jenna's mood.

"What do you want?" The woman asked. Jenna was taken aback at this. Such a kindly-looking woman acting in such an abrupt manner seemed unnatural to her. Surely she would take notice of Jenna's position and be more accepting.

"I need some food..." Jenna said.

"Where's your husband?" Jenna looked into the woman's eyes. Her deep dark eyes were pools which she tried to penetrate. Jenna lowered her head slightly in response to the question. The woman noted this, and blew a whistling sound out of the corner of her mouth in disapproval.

"Get a man!" She shouted at Jenna. The door closed in her face. Was this woman her mother? These same events had happened to her, and indeed, those very words and actions taken against her those few years ago. Jenna, feeling dejected, turned away from the door and walked out onto of the porch.

A cart and buggy were in the yard. This woman must trade for goods, Jenna thought. Would she notice if she stole to protect herself?

"Don't do it..." Jenna turned around to see the woman, standing in the doorway. A look of pity on her face.

"Don't do what?" Jenna tried to feign innocence.

"You were thinking of stealing my wares to feed your child. Have you no shame?"

"You shouldn't be the one talking..." Jenna started. She felt the girl moving. She opened her eyes to look at the scene around her. An old woman was standing beside her house, arguing with the woman in whose arms she was held.

"What're you doing?" The girl asked Jenna. The girl peered over at the woman, who was coming toward them. Jenna wanted to bury her head in her arms. Such a thing she would do for the sake of one she did not know, and the acts of this woman, also one whom she did not know. Humiliation, defeat,disgust, all present within her.

"Come in, dearie..." The woman a said to Jenna. The old woman's bony hand touched the girl's cheek. The girl tried to move away, deeper into Jenna's chest. Jenna took this as a sign, and stepped back away from the woman.

"I said, come in. If you steal from me, I will kill you." Her stern look gave Jenna uneasiness. She could not say no, now. She needed anything in her stomach that anyone could provide.

"Thank you." The girl said to the woman.

"You see? This young one is more polite than you are..." The woman said to Jenna.

The woman did not take her eyes off Jenna. "I meant to--" Jenna started.

"Silence!" The woman shouted. She started to walk back to her door.

The girl looked up at Jenna. "Go ahead." She said to Jenna. Jenna looked down at the girl.

She was starting to squirm. "Would you like to get down?" Jenna asked. The girl nodded, and Jenna set her on the ground. The girl stood and started toward the shack before Jenna could.

"I'm sorry. She's always like this..." The girl said to the woman. The woman smiled as she opened the door wider for Jenna to enter.

Jenna examined the house. It was a shock when the images hit her. Surrounding on the floor, all around on the tables, lay saucers and cups filled with a dark watery substance. Candles burned around a large cauldron in the corner of the shack. Jenna coughed when the smell of burnt fur hit her nostrils. This woman must also be a mystic, she thought.

"Why can't you just ask me?" The woman turned and examined Jenna who was standing near the door by a chair.

"Ask you what?"

"If I am a mystic..." She waved a finger at Jenna. Jenna's eyes widened as the connection hit her. This woman was a master seer, or a mystic, as the others called her.

"Well... Are you a mystic?" Jenna asked.

"No... I am a soothsayer. I tell fortunes to those who stop by. I also trade for supplies when other traders stop on their way to the hospital." The hospital... That was where she needed to go. Jenna took a step forward. The old woman was taking the girl and sitting her on a small chair by the cauldron.

"What are you doing?" Jenna asked. The woman looked from the girl towards the large cauldron.

"I'm finding out what you would like to eat." The girl was fastened in the small chair, so she would not fall down. She looked over to the cauldron. Its large black exterior was shiny, and she thought what it s other uses were.

"You are correct, young one..." She said to the girl.

"My name is--"

"Kara."

Kara. Kara? Kara... Her partner. The one with whom she had spent so much time as a girl. The one with whom she had learned the lessons of kindness and compassion at the hospital. Jenna felt a chill down her back. The name alone seemed to conjure up those dear moments that they had spent together before it happened. Before the world came down on her, and she was thrust into her current life.

"That's not her name, I don't think." Jenna said. The woman walked to Jenna and took her by the arm. Jenna was confused as the woman brought her a chair by the girl.

"Yes, it is. She has told me herself..." Jenna submitted to this woman's assertions of mysticism. She had found out what she was thinking outside, and she knew the name of her dearest companion.

"Do you know anything about that hospital up ahead?" The woman nodded her head. She motioned Jenna over to the window where she had first seen the two. She pointed outside to the large granite building. Its lights shined in the distance, giving the surrounding area a radiant glow.

"Yes. That is the hospital." Not much help...

"I meant, what do you know about it? Have you seen anyone passing near lately?" The woman pondered this for a moment, and walked over to the cabinet to take out a few potatoes.

"Yes. There was a girl who looked five or six, walking with two others in toe, following an older girl. She looked to be a teenager. " They must bye her children, Jenna thought.

"You are looking for your children?" The woman asked. Jenna nodded.

"And then who is this?" The woman looked down to her feet, to see the girl pushing a chair up to the cabinet.

"I'm the one who's hungry. She," The girl pointed to Jenna, "is the one who's supposed to be getting' it for me." The woman lifted the girl up and she reached for a potato. She brought the girl over to the cauldron and whispered into her ear. The girl set the potato into the cauldron. Jenna noticed that the girl was whispering something while she set it in. The woman sat her down and lit another candle.

"Why aren't you helping?" The woman asked.

"I'm sorry..." Jenna took another potato from the cabinet and came to the cauldron. She handed it to the woman.

"Place it in yourself." The woman said. An incense stick's perfume wafted near the three. Jenna dropped the potato into the cauldron. It splashed, producing a hissing noise. The waters, now starting to boil, seemed to give another tone to his ritual.

"I said, set it in, not drop it in!" The woman said. Jenna was not paying attention to the woman, however, She was fixated on the cauldron. She was fixated on what she saw on the surface, in its hazy mixture. An infant squirrel was not resting in the arms of an old raccoon woman. Rather, a very old, decrepit squirrel was gazing into the pool, holding a baby raccoon in her arms. The oddest bit about it, Jenna concluded, was that she did not see her own reflection. She looked up to see the woman still holding the girl in her arms.

"I see that you have many questions..." The woman asked Jenna.

"Who is in that cauldron?" Jenna asked, curious to find the depths of the woman's scrying abilities.

"My cauldron can reveal many things." She said. "But first, you must help me to prepare the food for this child." Jenna went to the cabinets and took a few more potatoes and a carrot to the old woman.

"You are wondering, why you do not see yourself?" Jenna nodded.

"I cannot answer that here..." The woman began, "But you will find the answers you seek at the hospital. I must warn you, that the road ahead is dangerous. You will find many perils." Jenna sat a carrot into the cauldron. Her hand against the water reminded her of the night before, when she was washing Alicia. The water was warming, almost to the same temperature.

"Your child will be safe. That much I can tell you. However, you will need to face an insufferable demon soon..."

END OF PART ONE