Parasite Life
Page 26
“Thanks for coming to get me, Renee. I know it’s a long drive.”
She unlocked the door and I loaded my gear in the back. Once inside, she smiled widely at me, her eyes loving but also a little vacant.
“It was no problem. You can phone me any time. I had the night off at the restaurant, and besides, you should thank your dad for paying for the rental. . . . Hey, what’s that painting?”
Looking into the back seat, I smiled. “It’s called States of Being. It’s a self-portrait of my mother. It was her favorite.”
“She’s an amazing painter.”
“Yeah. It was her life.”
We pulled away, speeding down the road in the opposite direction of the screaming, clanging fire truck. I squeezed my eyes shut and thought of what a tinderbox my house was, with its horsehair plaster and ancient insulation. The house took to flame as if it had been waiting for it all along.
I pictured my mother in her bed. I thought of that painting curling up in the basement. I imagined my old canopy bed a brilliant sight, all aflame. It felt like I was closing a chapter. Freeing all the ghosts inside once and for all.
Sabrina inevitably filled my mind, and I touched my lips. She would have a wonderful life; she was too wonderful not to. I understood the nature of love now, and a large part of it was sacrifice. My father only took; my mother only gave.
I could be more than both of them. A new creature entirely, I had to be, I owed it to my mother and her sacrifice. A second fire truck, from the neighboring town, barreled around the corner, and we had to move onto the snowy shoulder to let them pass.
“Gosh. I hope no one’s hurt,” Renee said, watching the truck fishtail, turning down the narrow street in her rearview. I patted her hand, lacing my fingers into hers.
“It’ll be fine. How long will it take us to get back to the city?”
She turned to me and beamed, forgetting the burning house and the small town we’d just left. The car climbed the winding mountain roads up and out of that dark, craggy valley.
I didn’t look back.
finis
Author’s Note
Parasite Life is a work of fiction dealing with suicidal situations and fantasy creatures.
If you or anyone you know is depressed or suicidal, please contact:
US Suicide and Depression Hotline 1-800-273-8255
Kids Help (under 20) in Canada 1-800-668-6868
http://www.spsamerica.org/ (USA)
https://suicideprevention.ca/ (Canada)
https://www.samaritans.org/ (United Kingdom)
https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/ (Australia)
http://samaritans.org.nz/ (New Zealand)
http://www.suicide.org/ (links to global hotlines and information)
Acknowledgements
This book could not have happened without the support of my husband, Phil. You inspire me to take risks and be brave every day, and I love you for it.
Thanks also to Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, Sheridan Le Fanu, Poppy Z. Brite, Nancy A. Collins, Tanya Huff, Charlaine Harris, and all the rest. You’ve made monsters that are real and complicated. This book is the result of countless hours reading vampire books and wanting so badly to jump into the fray. I’d be honored and humbled to share a bookshelf with any of you.
And a huge thank you also to ChiZine for taking a chance on my strange little book and for my early readers whose support and feedback got this project over the finish line.
About the Author
Victoria Dalpe was born in the wilds of New England. She’s an artist and writer whose short stories have appeared in various anthologies. She lives with her husband, writer and filmmaker, Philip Gelatt and their young son in Providence, RI. This is her first novel.