It’s hard for me to forget what happened at the market the other day. For what I think is a figment of my imagination, the whole thing has had physiological effects on me. I’ve been paranoid for weeks, paranoid I’ll see that strange figure again, paranoid I won’t be able to run next time. Every time I turn around I feel as if they’ll be there, waiting to do something terrible to me.  It feels like a dark cloud has been following me since that day at the market. I’m always anxious and uneasy. I can’t sleep knowing someone out there might potentially want to hurt me. I’ve never been so worked up in my life.

I’ve been doing my best to hide it from Mimi, but I feel my act is slowly melting away. At first, it was easy to fake a smile and act like my old self, but after weeks of no sleep and nightmares, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep the ruse up. The big give away is that I won’t go anywhere near the market anymore. The first couple times I refused, Mimi didn’t seem to mind. But after denying wanting to go each time she asked, Mimi started to get suspicious. Casually, she’d ask how I was and if I was feeling alright. Each time I had swallow my feelings and give her a cheeky smile and tell her I was fine. I hated lying, especially to Mimi. The guilt has been building up for weeks. Soon I’m going to burst and confess everything if I have to keep this up much longer.

Today, Mimi is adamant about me going to the market with her. No matter how much I tell her my stomach hurts or how unwell I am, she won’t budge. I’m going and that’s final. Even with her by my side, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to go to town again. What if that dark figure shows up again? What if this time they actually hurt me? What if…

“Roselyn!” Mimi calls, knocking on my door. “Let’s go!”

I sigh and put the Kirah back on my bedside table. I’ve been reading it like a fiend. Well, not really reading it, but I’ve been looking at the pictures to try and find out if there’s anything I can do. There’s a few pictures in the book with dark figures and the like, but none on how to make the darkness go away. If only I could get my hands on a modern version of it; then I’d know what to do.

Begrudgingly, I open my door and help Mimi close up the shop. She locks the house tight, muttering a protection spell under her breathe. My legs wobble as I try to keep up with Mimi’s brisk pace. I’ll be fine as long as I stay close to her. I tell myself that the whole journey there, and as we enter the busy town. I’m surprised Mimi didn’t use our trek to bring up my strange behavior. Though, I’m glad she didn’t. I really didn’t want to stumble all over my words as I tried to come up with a believable lie. Maybe she thinks it’s some sort of phase, that I’ll go back to normal tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I will. I’ll probably be less paranoid if everything goes well at the market; as long as nothing strange happens, I think I’ll be able to move on from the first incident.

While Mimi mans the shop, I stand by her side, keeping watch of the plaza and everything that happens. Nothing appears out of the ordinary. Just everyday people doing everyday things: talking, laughing, shopping. Maybe all these negative feelings really are in my head. I’ve always had an overactive imagination; maybe the figure was a character from a book I read in the past.

“Roselyn? Roselyn?” Mimi nudges me. “You alright?”

I shake my head, pulling myself away from my thoughts. “Yes,” I reply as I flash her a quick smile. “Everything’s fine. Just daydreaming per usual.”

She eyes me skeptically. “You’ve seem distracted for quite a few days. Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes, Mimi. I’m fine. Just thinking about a book I recently read.” Lies, lies lies.

Mimi still doesn’t look convinced. As she’s about to say something, a customer approaches the stand. Phew. I just barely got out of that one. I never thought I’d be so happy to see a stranger in my life. But I know this conversation is over yet. The determined gaze in her eyes tells me we’ll be having a lengthy discussion when we get home later.

As I watch the crowd, a strange feeling overcomes me. It feels almost like…like the feeling I had when the mysterious figure appeared the first time. The air thickens as my heart rate increases. The dark ominous cloud from before surrounds me, speeding time up. I try to reach over to Mimi so she can pull me out of this trance, but my arm won’t budge. None of my other limbs do either. I can’t even cry out for help. Again, I’m frozen in place forced to watch the world around me.

Suddenly, the dark hooded figure appears out of the crowd, the same way they did last time. They make their way over to our booth, the amount of oxygen lessening with each step. I feel dizzy and nauseated, like I’m going to pass out. I can feel my energy draining as they stand in front of Mimi like a normal customer would.

Hey…get…away from…her…

The moment the words appear in my mind, the stranger’s head turns to me. It’s as if they read my mind or something. Out of the darkness of the hood, I can distinguish a smile that’s as bright as day. A low chuckle echoes in my mind.

All I can do is stand here helplessly as they torment me. What does this person want? And why am I the only one who seems to notice their presence?

After a moment of watching my tortured face, the figure reaches toward me.

Stay away…no…get away from me!

I scream a silent scream that only I can hear. I close my eyes and try to focus. Not even all my strength can save me this time. No matter what I do, my body doesn’t budge one bit. I pray a silent prayer to the Queen of Light, pleading her to bring me back to reality. If anyone can save me, it’s her.

“Roselyn?”

Mimi clamps her hand on my shoulder just as the strangers is about to grab it. Instantly, they vanish into black smoke. Just as before, everything goes back to normal once they vanish. I breathe a sigh of relief. I’ll have to express my gratitude to Mimi for saving me later.

“Roselyn? Roselyn, dear?” Mimi’s voice is shaky and worried. Even the customer she’s helping looks concerned.

Sweat drips down my neck as my hands tremble. “M-Mimi.” I can barely squeeze the words out. My body still hasn’t recovered from being immobilized. It still fears the stranger is out there, waiting to strike again.

“Roselyn.” She squeezes me might. “I was so worried about you,” Mimi whispers. “I called your name over and over, but you didn’t respond. It was like you were in some kind of trance.”

        “Mimi,” I whisper back, squeezing her tight.

Once I’m somewhat composed, Mimi closes the shop up and we make our way home. I…I can’t believe it happened again. That person…who are they? And what could they possibly want with me? If this is going to happen every time I go to the market, I don’t know if I can leave the house anymore.

You have to tell Mimi.

I frown. I know I do. I can’t keep hiding it from her, not after she saw firsthand what happened. I promise I will. I can’t keep worrying Mimi like this.

**

You promised you’d tell her

I know, I know. But will she even believe me?

Of course she will; she’s your mother.

She might dismiss it as nothing.

Come on. She’s a sorceress. She’s probably heard of stranger things.

True. I bite my lower lip. I don’t know if I can really do this.

Holding yourself up in your room won’t solve anything…

Fine…

I take a deep breath and open the door to my room, making sure it doesn’t squeak; just in case I chicken out at the last minute. I peer into the living room to find it empty. I tiptoe through the dining room and pop my head into the kitchen. Mimi is at the table. a stack of papers sits in front of her. She sighs and readjusts her glasses; Mimi hates dealing with finances.

My heart slams against my chest as I flatten myself against the wall behind me. I don’t know if I can do it. The whole thing seems so…strange. So strange that most people wouldn’t believe it. I don’t want Mimi to think I’m crazy too…

You got this.

I take a deep breath, gathering all my courage.

I got this.

“Mimi,” I say as I step into the kitchen.

She peers up at my through her lens and smiles. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” I answer, taking a seat across from her. “Mimi…” I can barely hear myself think over the beating of my heart. Thump, thump.

“What is it?” She looks worried again. “Are you feeling sick again.”

“N-no.” I shake my head. “I’m not sick.”

“Then what is it?” Mimi takes her glasses off and places them on the table.

It’s now or never. “I don’t know how to explain it, but…something strange happened at the market today.”

“Tell me about it,” Mimi urges, not taking her eyes off of me.

I describe to her the best I can what happened both times at the market. About how I was frozen and how I couldn’t move or say anything, about how the mysterious stranger seemed to be behind it and I was the only one who noticed. And how it has her who brought me back by touching my shoulder.

“I’m really lucky you were there with me,” I say. “I don’t know what would have happened if I went alone.”

“Roselyn.” Mimi’s expression is solemn. “I had no idea you had to endure such torture. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?

“Well…” I chew my bottom lip. “I guess I thought you wouldn’t believe me. It was all so strange. It felt almost like a dream. I wasn’t even sure it really happened until today.”

“Roselyn.” Mimi reaches over and holds my hands in hers. “Of course I believe you. What kind of mother wouldn’t believe her own child.”

I can’t help but smile. Mimi really is the best mother ever.

“Hold on,” She says as she gets up. “I’ll be right back.”

She goes into the living room and rummages through the shelves behind the counter. A minute later, she returns holding something in her hand.

“For you.” She smiles, placing it into mine.

I look to find a bracelet made of beads and precious gems. In the middle is one of her homemade charms, one that customers come to buy from her on a daily basis.

“A charm?” I inquire as I study it. “But don’t you sell these?”

She waves my anxiety away. “One charm won’t make or break me. Plus, I made this one specifically to drive away evil spirits. I’m confident that with this  you’ll never have to experience the fear you had at the market today again.”

I know others who have benefitted from Mimi’s charms, but will it really work to keep that figure away from me? I suppose there’s only one way to find out. I slip the bracelet on my wrist and examine it again. I don’t feel any different, but then again, I’m sure that’s normal.

“Thank you, Mimi,” I say, getting up to hug her. “You’re the best.”

“You’re welcome,” she replies, returning my hug. “I promise I’ll protect you no matter what, Roselyn. You mean the world to me. I’ll make sure you’re safe, my sweet little princess.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 5