A Passion's Scourge

by Sarah S. Collins

  Elena and her daughters’ weekends were monotonic, they didn’t normally went out to the movies or even to play in a square near the house. It was a small city so there weren’t many options for fun. Downtown had only one movie theater that the residents fought over on the weekends. On the small square there was a swing, a seesaw and a climbing fence. Some rides were too old due to time, but even so the square was always full of children on the sunny weekends. Couples stayed cuddled for the night. A circus was spending a small season in town, however Elena didn’t have the money to take her daughters.

  Maggie had to settle for staying by her room’s window looking at the street, or sitting on the floor with her sister playing dolls.

  In front of Maggie’s residence, there was a great wall that gave access to a train station. The station had been shut down for a while. The locomotives were still standing on the tracks waiting for some mechanic to come fix the trains. But while they didn’t show up to take them away, Maggie and Amanda had fun playing on the tracks and entering the trains that had their doors open. They squeezed through a tight gap on the wall of the station. They spent nearly all day playing hide-and-seek or just running through the tracks. Maggie was recently 4 years old and felt a little afraid of staying inside that locomotive. Because of the time the trains were dead, exposed to the sun and the rain, they were rusty on the inside and out. The train made strange creaking noises when Maggie walked through it, making her panic. Sometimes, it was possible to hear a strong noise that there was no way to identify what it could be; on that moment, Maggie let out a scream and ran out of the locomotive calling for Amanda.

  _ What happened, why did you scream and ran away. Amanda asked Maggie.

  _ I think that places is haunted by a ghost.

  _ I’m not going back there anymore.

  _ Maggie stop saying that stuff, there’s no such thing as ghosts.

  Nearly four years older than her sister, Amanda didn’t seem to be afraid of anything and kept running happily and bouncy through the tracks.

  Maggie never had friends or cousins her age to play with. When she wasn’t playing with her sister Amanda, Maggie liked to stay with her imaginary friend named Sarah. Maggie didn’t know that Sarah wasn’t real and certainly was a fantasy of her mind. But to Maggie the only thing that really mattered was that she was happy and considered Sarah her best friend.

  Maggie liked to go to the woods behind her house with Sarah. Before leaving for the woods, Maggie picked empty corn cans from her house. _ Elena liked to gather used corn, pea and tomato sauce cans, after using them Elena washed them a lot with soap and water and used them as cups to drink water and tea _. There were many cans stored in the cupboards for that. Maggie thought her mother wouldn’t mind with the ones she was taking. Even not knowing what would be her mom’s reaction, Maggie thought it was better to take everything in secret. She also picked a cookie jar, a bottle of water, some bread that was on the table and went to her room to grab her ragdoll. She put everything in her backpack and snuck out so that her mother wouldn’t see her. Very cautiously she got out of the house. Elena was sitting in a rocking chair under a tree and didn’t see the daughter sneaking out. Maggie ran and picked up one of the sheets there were drying on the yard’s clothesline, and quickly put it in her backpack. And afterwards she walked towards the woods with Sarah. In the woods there was an oaktree that cast a very good shadow on days of intense heat. Under the shadow, Maggie laid the sheet, had a picnic and played dolls with Sarah. Between bites she had a sip of water to kill her thirst. Sometimes she spent the whole afternoon sitting on the sheet, leaning on the oaktree eating a few cookies while drawing with crayons in a notebook. When she was tired, she just kept looking at the horizon with Sarah beside her. Maggie and Sarah had took an oath to never split up. Maggie sealed the oath craving the initials of their names on the oak, and carved a heart around it. When it was late she want up the tree’s branches and stayed on the tree top just admiring the view from up there. From up above it was possible to see the road below and also ahead, the lake that drained into a river nearby. Some swans swimmed on the lake. Even if setting the sun shone between the mountains and showed its magnifency majestically. All of that was fascinating. Maggie was taken by the set of sensations that involved wonder and a colossal joy. Maggie didn’t know what time it was, but with the sunset she understood that it was about time to head back home. Maggie came down slowly through the oak branches and in that moment she got spooked with the noise made by a bunch of wild birds that flew from the oaktree on the same moment. After coming down she folded the sheet carefully. She put her things inside the backpack and told Sarah to go home. For a long while Maggie kept doing that trajectory, almost every day. Under that oaktree with a cool breeze softly blowing on her face, the rustling of the tree’s leaves, Maggie could feel great peace inside her, as if she was calibrating her energies. Maggie thought that her mother didn’t know she was there, for never having questioned her about it. But truth was that Elena did know where Maggie was and what she was doing. For many times Elena had followed her unnoticed, and as she saw that her daughter was alright she didn’t bother her.

  The path to the woods got dangerous with time, and there were many stories of rapists and punks that kidnapped children of all ages to sell abroad or for organ trafficking. With all those rumors, Elena thought best to forbid Maggie from straying away from the house. Maggie was too young to understand, but ended up agreeing.

  Maggie’s house didn’t feel like a cozy home. It was like an abandoned hovel. The yard full of grass all around. The very old painting was peeling off and there were a few signs of leaks that gave the house a dark look. From the inside it was all very simple. In the kitchen there was an old red stove, red cupboards and a shabby couch by the right corner next to the window. The room had a king sized bed and a wardrobe.

  John worked every night as a security guard for a bank, it was hard for Maggie to see him without him being asleep. After the birth of her daughters Elena didn’t sleep on the bed with him anymore. When John arrived from work he picked up a sheet and a pillow in the room. And sometimes he was so tired that he lied right on the couch without even changing his clothes. In the afternoon he got up put his uniform on and left back to work. Maggie didn’t have a common father and daughter relationship. When it was time to leave for work again, he just kissed Elena on the cheek and waved his hand to Maggie and Amanda saying he’d be back the next day. And then he left. Maggie kept looking at the door, seeing her father vanish in the horizon, hoping that he could turn around and wave his hand again, but that never happened and made Maggie frustrated. She hung her head and came back inside the house.

  Maggie was in love with Marly, a dog that her father had found on the street and was being raised by her mother. Marly was kept chained outside of the house, day and night. When it rained Elena put up a cloth cover to try to protect her from the rain, but even so she ended up getting a little wet when the rain was too strong. The conditions in which Marly were in were impossible for her to survive. Marly lived for a long time with the family. A few months later Marly contracted a serious disease that made her unable to stand. Elena had no idea what disease it might be and how to treat it. And not knowing what to do she had to take Marly away. Elena took her to an animal shelter in the city, where there were veterinarians who could take care of Marly; maybe even save her. The vet examined Marly. He diagnosed several diseases. She needed to be admitted in and go through surgery, if he survived she’d go to the adopting system for animals in need. Elena had gotten too attached to Marly and it’d be hard to be away from her, however she had no financial conditions to take care of Marly’s health. The treatment was too costly, Elena needed to think of what would be best for Marly and she couldn’t see her suffering anymore. Amanda and Maggie didn’t want to leave Maggie in the shelter either and it was hard for Elena to convince them that that was the only way. Maggie and Amanda cried a lot, but ultimately gave in to the mother’s appeal and
understood her.

  5

  All sorts of weird things happened in Elena’s house.

  One day by the morning Elena wakes up and feels sudden dread when she sees that there is a big infestation of ants and termite outside the house. There were several anthills all around. The ants were only around the residence forming a circle, blocking the path, as if the insects didn’t want the family to leave the house anymore.

  Elena and her daughters had to have complete caution when leaving the house. The ants were big and red. If there was any physical contact with one of them, a bite would be inevitable leaving a large swelling followed by intense pain and a terrible irritation that extended throughout all of the area of the bite. The termite came from outside and formed a line, going up the wall all the way to the bedroom window. And they went on towards the wardrobe. They started to eat a piece of the wardrobe and were already advancing towards the clothes and boxes. It all happened very fast overnight. The despair started to take over everyone in the house. Elena had to wait for John to arrive from work to buy poison as fast as possible and try to contain their progress on the house before they ate the rest of the furniture. When John arrived from work, he saw the anthill and didn’t even walk in the house he went straight to the shop to buy some poison. Upon arriving, he quickly spread the poison on all the corners inside and outside the house. Its scent was so strong that it got unbearable to stay in the residence. The family had to leave the house in a hurry and ended up having to sleep over at the house of a neighbor that lived down on Elena’s street.

  On the next morning, the family came back home and saw that the insects were dead throughout all the floor and on the yard too. Elena grabbed the broom and started to clean it all. From inside the room it was possible to see the damage done by the termite.

  In the middle of the night Maggie wakes up to Elena’s screams. When she arrives in the kitchen she sees her mother and Amanda looking up to the ceiling and ask her:

  _ Mommy what’s going on?

  _ Why are you here?

  _ Daughter forgive me for waking you up.

  _ I was here taking my bath peacefully, when I heard a noise on the tiles. I looked up to see what it was. I thought it could be rats, so I climbed on a chair and when I looked; I saw a snake’s tail moving over the rafter.

  _ Judging by the color and the size, I think it could be a rattlesnake nest.

  _ I don’t know how many reptiles there are, I hope that not many. Said Elena in a melancholic tone.

  Elena was frightened of those venomous creatures.

  _ I got so scared that I nearly hurt myself when I felt from the chair. _ There was no bathroom in the house, which is why Elena had to wait for her daughters to sleep so she could take a bath in the kitchen. Amanda woke up with the noise and helped her mother up. Coincidentally, Amanda went through something similar few days earlier and told her mother what happened.

  _ In a sunny afternoon I was playing normally like I did everyday, a few instants later I heard a noise. When I wiggled my body backwards I saw a snake near a bush ready to strike me. _Right then she gets completely stunned and loses control over her lower limbs. _I nearly fainted and was aided by Maggie who helped me regain consciousness, then we returned home.

  _ But daughter, why didn’t you say anything.

  _ I was so confused so I didn’t say anything.

  _ It’s alright, but, please, never do that again.

  _ Well that means, that it’s been a while these venomous animals surround us.

  _ How didn’t I see this before.

  _ Amanda now take your sister to our room and stay in there, I’ve got an idea. And you don’t have to be scared because everything will be alright. Elena shouldn’t have thought of that. The desperation took over her. She picked a broom and hit the ceiling several times, however she had no success; the reptiles didn’t even flinch. Elena thought about it and decided to put a kettle to boil some water. A few minutes later, the water was boiling. She turned off the fire, poured the water in a bucket and threw it with all her strength on the ceiling. The water went up and when it came down, Elena quickly jumped back to avoid a grave accident. But with the sheer force of the water hitting the floor it splashed a little on her hand and her feet. After the shock Elena realized how irrational that was. Her hands and feet burned and, Elena didn’t have any medication to aliviate it. Amanda and Maggie ran to see what had happened.

  _ What happened? Asks Amanda.

  _ I burned my hands with hot water, trying to chase the snakes away.

  _ My hands are burning, please, never try to do what I just did. It was dumb.

  Amanda and Maggie hug their mother.

  Luckily it was a simple burn. Elena remembered her mother spreading toothpaste on a burn that her brother had gotten in school. She then took a little toothpaste and applied it on her hands and feet. Soon after she felt the burn aliviating.

  With all that mess Elena forgot about the snakes. When she went to see if they were still there, they had vanished. They must’ve been scared away, however they left the eggs in the nest. Elena had to climb in the ceiling and break them before the cubs were born.

  Elena was happy, for at last her family could sleep in peace; however she was now prepared she was always alert to the snakes appearing again.

  6

  After living in Monroe for four years, there was a night Elena couldn’t sleep. Elena got up, stopped, looked towards the bed to see if she had awakened her daughters. But not even the noise made by the mattress and the old bed frame were enough to wake them up. Maggie and Amanda slept safe and sound. Elena left the room slowly, tiptoeing so she wouldn’t make any more noise.

  It was so hot during that night that Elena opened the door and left home. A wind was blowing by and it dried the sweat that ran down her forehead.

  At night it was very hot, and Elena didn’t have a ventilator to soften the heat. Besides the heat, it was impossible to bear the mosquitoes that stinged, leaving several red spots through her body and emitted an insufferable and abominable buzz.

  Not able to sleep, Elena grabbed a chair and put it next to the window to sit. Even as the hours went by, she wasn’t afraid to be alone in the dark silence of the night. Elena liked to stargaze and feel the dew freshness of the night. Approximatedely fourty minutes later, Elena saw something extraordinary that looked like it was a woman in a long white dress, and black long hairs. Standing a few meters away from where she was. She considered having hallucinated or stunned by the darkness – the moon only shone a dim light on the dark of the night. Elena rubbed her eyes and looked again, however the woman was still there standing at the same spot. The chilling scene made Elena panic, terrified. Elena suddenly closed her eyes expecting that when she opened them again, she couldn’t see that woman anymore. When she opens her eyes, Elena looks at the same spot where the woman was and curiously she had vanished. A turmoil of thoughts went through Elena’s mind, but she was happy that the woman had disappeared. The fatique and weakness took over her body. Elena decided to go back home. When she got up and was about to hoist the chair she slightly turned her face and suddenly saw the image of the woman, but this time she was lied down, apparently floating over an also white sheet. Upon seeing that dark and haunting figure, Elena was so scared that she dropped the chair right away, letting it fall on the floor. And rushed back into the house shutting the door and locking it with the key. She remained leaned on the door not understanding what had happened and what that vision might mean. A few seconds later a heavy sound made the door squeeze. A feeling of dread, followed by a certain fear invaded the soul of Elena who fell in a rave. A few instants later the sound stopped. Elena got up and prepared some chamomile tea. Her hands were still shaking, and after drinking the tea she would try to get some sleep. Elena finished drinking the tea and went to bed hoping to forget all of that.

  Two weeks later Maggie wakes up in the middle of the night with a loud noise coming from the kitchen. Maggie gets up, it was
dark in her room and therefore she couldn’t find her sandals to slip into. And bare footed, Maggie arrives at the kitchen door and sees her sister crying on the couch hugging her doll. Two strangers were in the house. One of the men had medium height, black skin and dark hairs. He was holding a silver object that looked like a gun. The other guy a little taller was wearing a dark cap and looked very nervous. He kept walking from one side to the other, speaking and gesticulating with his hands. And looked outside the house constantly. Her mother was next to her sister, patting her head trying to calm her down. Maggie couldn’t identify who those men where, but they seemed bad. She didn’t say a single word, and spent a few seconds observing those strange men moving around in her house. Upon seeing Maggie standing by the door, Elena pulled her close.

  _ Mommy what’s going on?

  _ Who are these men? Maggie asks her mother.

  _ I think it’s better, that you make your daughter shut up or I’ll take care of it myself.

  _ And make the other daughter stop crying this crying is annoying me.

  _ The message’s been given. Says the taller guy bracing his hands.

  Every minute that went by the situation got even more out of control. One of the crooks displayed to be even more irritated, while the other guy only held the gun down apparently calm.

  Elena was desperate, however she kept the balance in showing fear.

  _ Be quiet daughter don’t say a word, everything will be over soon. In silence Elena asked for God to protect them. The badguys searched the house trying to find some money and valuable items.

  But Elena’s house had nearly nothing, so what could they take? As they didn’t find anything of value they started to throw death threats at Elena and her daughters. That crook was possessed by rage, if he didn’t manage to take anything valuable he could become violent. On that instant, Elena remembered the watch of pure gold that she had received from John together with a watch she had bought him. It was brand new inside the box, it should be worth some good money. Elena removed the watch from the case and gave it to the robber, _ she hadn’t even had the opportunity to wear it. John’s watch Elena was able to save. The robbers decided to leaving a few domestic items, upon seeing that there was really nothing else for them to steal in Elena’s house.