Darkness Pass
Chapter 1
On the morning of her seventh birthday just after breakfast, Cleo Collins’ curiosity about her Grandpa Chet Campbell’s mysterious disappearances became so strong that Cleo could no longer resist following Grandpa Chet to see for herself exactly where the old man kept disappearing to.
Cleo began following Grandpa Chet shortly after he left the kitchen. She also left the kitchen. It sure was a good thing they were on summer vacation. Otherwise, she would had been very late to school.
Cleo followed Grandpa Chet through the dining room into the living room on into the entryway of her folk’s old three story house to the steep wooden staircase onto the second floor hallway and down the hallway to the steep wooden staircase that lead onto the third floor hallway.
Grandpa Chet sensed he was being followed, but kept walking. Although he did look behind him a time or two to see who was following him. To his relief, it was only his grand-daughter Cleo who was following him.
While he hated the idea of someone finding out his dark secret, Grandpa Chet knew that eventually someone would find out. Unless he himself decide who exactly that person was gonna be, it might just turned out bad for him.
Since Cleo was so young and innocent surely she would not become a victim of his arch enemy. With that in mind, Grandpa Chet allowed Cleo to continue following him. He even slowed down a bit so she won’t lose him.
Cleo followed Grandpa Chet through the third floor hallway to the wall at the very end of the long and narrow hallway and stopped short of him as he slowly touched the wall and a black door appeared in the wall.
Grandpa Chet looked back, sensed Cleo was standing in the hallway shadow but shrugged. He turned back to the door, opened the door and entered the doorway. The door closed behind him and disappeared.
“What is this?” Cleo asked herself. “How did Grandpa get through that wall?”
Cleo approached the wall and touched it. No sign of a door anywhere. It was a wall. Just a wall and nothing else.
She thought long and hard but not coming up with an answer, Cleo gave up and started walked away.
Suddenly she remembered the dream she had a few nights earlier and darted back to the wall. This time, Cleo softly touched the wall in the exact same spot Grandpa Chet had done and slowly closed her eyes. As she did this, Cleo slowly walked through the wall into a world she had never been before. Although the world was dark and menacing looking, Cleo could somehow see a tall man standing in a shadowy place next to what appeared to be a cliff facing her.
Cleo froze in her steps.
The man walked towards her.
Cleo wanted to run, but couldn’t. Her feet were stuck to the ground.
Where was she? What is this place? Who was that man coming towards her? Where did Grandpa Chet go?
Everything began spinning around in her head. Just as the man reached her, Cleo passed out.
Cleo finally came to and looked up. She screamed as she saw the tall man was kneeling beside her.
“Hush!” The man shushed. “It’s me grandpa.”
“Grandpa Chet?” Cleo managed to ask.
“Yes, lass, it’s me.” Grandpa Chet soothed.
Grandpa Chet helped his granddaughter as Cleo got onto her feet.
“Where are we, Grandpa?” Cleo asked.
“My homeland.” Grandpa Chet answered. “Please be quiet, lass. We’re not alone.”
“Who else is here, Grandpa?” Cleo asked in a whisper.
“Until I know who it is, please, lass, be quiet.”
“Yes, grandpa.” Cleo answered.
“Hush!” Grandpa Chet snarled. “Stay close.”
“Yes, Grandpa.” Cleo whispered.
Slowly, Grandpa Chet moved back towards the cliff.
Cleo stayed directly behind him.
Just as they reached the cliff, a large black mass lunged at them.
While Grandpa Chet could clearly see through the mass at the demon’s true grotesque self, Cleo could not.
Grandpa Chet grabbed Cleo and leaped off the cliff.
Cleo screamed in terror and quickly closed her eyes as they fell downward towards a coast of huge rocks and it was a long way down.
Chapter 2
As Grandpa Chet and Cleo neared the coast of the huge rocks below, Grandpa Chet spread opened his large wings and they landed safely on the huge rocks below.
Cleo quickly backed away from Grandpa Chet and stumbled about the huge rocks as she tried her best not to fall.
“Careful, lass,” Grandpa Chet said. “These rocks are huge and it’s still a long ways to the ground below us.”
“Who are you? What are you? What did you do with my grandpa?” Cleo asked.
Grandpa Chet closed his wings and they disappeared into his upper back. The man Cleo knew as her grandpa returned.
Cleo was totally speechless. She just realized the man she knew as her grandpa wasn’t a man at all but rather some kind of beast.
“What are you?” Cleo asked.
“I am a mothian and I am still your grandpa, lass.” Grandpa Chet answered.
“Are you a demon?” Cleo asked.
“No.” Grandpa Chet assured her. “Like I said I am a mothian.”
“But.” Cleo hinted.
“Mothians cannot live in the real world.” Grandpa Chet explained. “Only humans can.”
“How can you be a human and a mothian at the same time?” Cleo asked, returning to her normal self.
“I am a special breed of mothian.” Grandpa Chet said.
They heard an extremely loud growl from above. Cleo and Grandpa Chet looked up and saw the large black mass diving towards them.
Grandpa Chet grabbed Cleo, spread out his large wings and flew off the huge rocks just as the mass reached them.
“Hang on, lass,” Grandpa Chet suggested.
Cleo took hold of his neck and held on as Grandpa Chet flew through the dark sky towards what appeared to be a cliff side cave.
“Where are we going, Grandpa?” Cleo asked.
“I’m taking you home.” Grandpa Chet answered.
Cleo looked behind them and saw the mass flying straight towards them.
“Hurry, Grandpa, he’s gaining on us.” Cleo warned.
“We’re almost there, lass.” Grandpa Chet said. “Almost there.”
Minutes later, Grandpa Chet flew in to the cliff side cave and landed at the back wall. Grandpa Chet put her down.
“Quick, lass, go home.” Grandpa Chet suggested.
“How do I do that?” Cleo asked.
“Go back the same way you got here.” Grandpa Chet suggested.
Cleo turned to the wall, slowly touched it and slowly closed her eyes as she walked through the cave wall back into the third floor hallway of her folk’s house only to find herself lying on the carpeted floor.
Chapter 3
“Where in the hell have you been, young lady?” Papa Hank Collins demanded.
Papa Hank was a very tall man of forty-five with thick brown hair, hard brown eyes and a thick mustache. He was dressed in one of his usual cowboy outfits complete with the cowboy boots and a gun belt around his waist along with his usual black waist belt.
Cleo wasn’t sure exactly what to say. She didn’t want to get Grandpa Chet in trouble for endangering her life but then again Cleo wasn’t convinced what had just happened actually did just happened either.
“Well?” Papa Hank hinted.
Cleo got up from the floor.
“Ease off on her, darling,” Mama Ruth demanded, joining them. “You know how adventuress she is when she’s at play.”
Mama Ruth winked at Cleo. When it came to her youngest daughter, Mama Ruth refused to allow her hot headed husband take away from their daughter was the girl’s love of an imaginary adventure. Although deep down, mama knew it wasn’t really imaginary.
Mama Ruth was much shorter than Papa Hank and quite beautiful with very long black hair she always wore up in a bun, sparkling blue eyes and dressed in one of her long blue dresses and black shoes.
“Yes, dear.” Papa Hank said. “Okay, young lady, you’re off the hook this time. But if I ever catch you up here again, I’ll … ”
“Darling!” Mama Ruth scowled.
Papa Hank knew he had been whipped by the Mrs so he turned on his boot heel and stormed off down the hallway.
“Listen, Cleo, I know you love to have imaginary adventures but you need to be a bit more careful at where you play.” Mama Ruth warned.
“Why was Papa mad, Mama, I was still playing in the house.” Cleo argued.
“I know that, dear, but for some odd reason your papa doesn’t like any of his kids playing up here in this particular hallway.” Mama Ruth explained.
“Even Kayla and Cody had gotten in trouble for playing up here?” Cleo asked.
“Yes, they have.” Mama Ruth confirmed. “Now run along and play.”
“Yes, Mama.” Cleo answered.
Cleo passed by her mother and walked off down the hallway to the stairs while Mama Ruth stayed behind.
At the staircase, Cleo looked back and found her mother gone.
Cleo thought about looking for her mother but thought against it and darted down to the second floor hallway and ran to her bedroom.
Just before she got there, Grandpa Chet walked through the wall at the end of the long hallway and joined Cleo at her bedroom door.
“What happened, Grandpa!” Cleo asked, opening her bedroom door.
“What do you mean, lass?” Grandpa Chet asked, following her into her bedroom and closing the door behind him.
“The mass that was chasing us.” Cleo reminded him.
“He’s gone.” Grandpa Chet answered.
Cleo looked at him questionably.
“He’s been beaten.” Grandpa Chet said.
Cleo crossed to the bed and sat down on it.
“Am I a mothian too?” Cleo asked.
“Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re only half mothian.”
“My other half?”
“Sorceress.”
“What’s a sorceress?”
“Cross between a witch and a goddess.”
“Are all sorceresses like that?”
“Only a slight few.”
Cleo yawned.
“”You’ve had enough adventure for one day.” Grandpa Chet said. “It’s bed time now. We’ll discuss this tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Grandpa.” Cleo smiled, hugging him.
“Goodnight, lass.” Grandpa Chet smiled, gently laying her down on the bed.
Grandpa Chet got up from the bed and left Cleo’s bedroom.
Shortly after grandpa left her bedroom, Cleo got up and changed into her nightgown. Then crawled into bed.
But as she laid down, Cleo saw something outside her window that caught her attention.
Cleo got onto her knees, curled up in front of the opened window. She looked out into the night and saw what appeared to be a tall man walking through the trees towards the house. But as he got closer, the man vanished into the darkness of the night.
Although she found this disturbing, Cleo shrugged it off, laid down and fell asleep.
Chapter 4
During the night, Cleo’s dream became a reality.
Chapter 5
Cleo was awakened at around two-thirty in the morning by the ear piercing sound of thunder. She sat up on the bed, looked out of the bedroom window and saw the severe thunderstorm a brewing in the distance.
She tried to ignore the thunderstorm but for some odd reason she could not.
Cleo looked about the bedroom and soon saw a large brown door with a large silver lock on it. In front of the door was what could be perceived as a wall of suede.
Curious about the door, Cleo got off the bed and crossed the bedroom to the door.
Cleo touched the door lock and felt it. As she did, she felt a slight shock shoot through her fingers forcing her to let go of the door lock.
She felt the lock a second time. This time it didn’t shock her. Cleo was relieved. She ran her fingers over the lock as she tried to unlock it.
Cleo tried pulling on it. That didn’t work. She tried tapping on the key hole. Voila! The lock dropped opened.
She removed the lock and stuck it in her shorts’ pocket. Cleo slowly opened the door and stepped in to the doorway of total darkness. The door closed itself directly behind her. She turned around only to find the door closed. Worse, she was locked inside of whatever it was she was in.
Moon Child
Chapter 6
Although nervous, Cleo turned back around and slowly began walking. Not knowing where she was or where she was headed to.
Cleo adjusted her vision to the darkness as she slowly walked about the area.
As she walked, Cleo tripped over something in her path and fell onto the damp grass. Cleo got up and continued walking.
Suddenly, Cleo fell off what appeared to be a cliff. But as she was falling to who knows where, Cleo felt a strange movement in her upper back as large mothian wings emerged from her back. She flew back up and landed on a distant cliff top.
While totally confused, Cleo was ecstatic at the same time. She just flew like her grandpa for the very first time and by herself.
“That was strange but I’m sure glad it happened.” Cleo smiled.
Cleo turned and continued walking.
After walking for what seemed like an eternity a hint of hope appeared on the horizon. Just off in the distance moonlight pierced through the darkness as it made a trail for her to follow.
Cleo stepped onto the lighted path and followed it directly to what appeared to be an old two story house in the middle of a forest.
As she approached the house’s front porch steps, Cleo felt a bit taller than she was at the beginning of her journey.
What on Earth is happening to her? Why does she suddenly feel taller than before?
Cleo shrugged it off as she approached the front door. She knocked on the door. Nobody answered. She knocked again. Still, no answer.
On an impulse, Cleo tried the doorknob and the door opened up. She stepped into the house and looked about a large living room like room.
Cleo soon spotted what appeared to be a small swimming pool and crossed the hardwood floor to it.
She looked down at the swimming pool like thing and could not believe her eyes. Clearly as day, she could see what was happening in what appeared to be a village.
Minutes later, the image disappeared and she could clearly see herself in a pool of water. Cleo couldn’t believe her eyes for she was no longer a seven year old. Now she was a teenager of sixteen or seventeen or even perhaps eighteen.
“What is going on here?” Cleo asked aloud unaware that she was no longer alone. “Just how long have I been here?”
“A decade.” Answered a familiar female voice from the other side of the room.
Cleo turned and saw her mother Ruth walking towards her.
“Mother, how did you get here?” Cleo asked, straightening up.
“Same way you did, dear.” Mama Ruth answered, approaching her daughter and stopping.
“The door in my bedroom?” Cleo guessed.
“Yep.” Mama Ruth confirmed.
“Does anyone else know?” Cleo asked.
“Just me.” Kayla spoke up, emerging from the darkness.
Cleo looked at her older sister and could had sworn Kayla had also gotten older. But to her surprise, Mama Ruth had not aged at all. This really confused her.
“Mama, tell me, how come Kayla and I have aged but you haven’t?” Cleo asked.
“I’m as old as I’m gonna get, dear.” Mama Ruth explained.
“Why’s that, Mama?” Kayla asked.
“Let’s just say I’ve reached my senior year of existence.” Mama Ruth halfway explained.
“Where are we?” Cleo asked.
“Ancient Earth.” Kayla answered, joining them at the pool.
“During Adam and Eve?” Cleo asked.
“No. You’re in a secret Earth land long before Adam and Eve was ever created.” Mama Ruth said.
Alien Earth
Chapter 7
Suddenly a blinding white light pierced in through the house windows. Within seconds, there was a loud humming noise coming from outside the house.
Cleo, Mama Ruth and Kayla ran to the window, looked outside and was shocked to see a fleet of unique looking starships landing in the yard as they surrounded the house.
They darted away from the window as a group of tall, gold skinned Humanoids emerge from the starships and headed for the house.
Mama Ruth darted into the darkness.
“Quick, girls.” Mama Ruth gestured. “Over here.”
Cleo and Kayla darted over to their mother. Mama Ruth spread opened the cloak that had just appeared from out of nowhere.
“Under here, girls.” Mama Ruth gestured.
Cleo and Kayla ducked under the cloak their mother was holding.
Just as a small group of the Humanoids entered the house, Mama Ruth and the girls disappeared.
The Humanoids searched every single inch of the house and found nobody.
Then they approached the pool and looked down upon it. As they did, a fiery flame shot out of the pool and engulfed all of them in flames.
Mama Ruth and the girls appeared in the second floor hallway of their own house.
Grandpa Chet was there to greet them.
“Welcome home, ladies.” Grandpa Chet smiled.
“Thanks, Grandpa.” Cleo and Kayla smiled.
Cody now a young adult stormed onto the second floor hallway and stormed directly to them.
“My God, Cleo, what have you done?” Cody stammered.
Cleo looked at Cody shocked.
Kayla and Mama Ruth also looked at Cody in shock. They can’t believe what he just said to Cleo.
TBC!
Judy Kaye 2 