Captive of the Light - Lily Ramsay (ereader iphone txt) 📗

shaft of light passing through one of the beams above. I felt a glimmer of hope rise within me. This was not just a ray of light; it was a ray of life to me.
I pulled myself up and moved towards the direction of the light beam. I reached out, almost trying to grasp it with my hand, and closed my fist tightly around its glow. As if by magic, warmth and strength was instantly generated through my weary body. I did not want to take my hand away from this source of shining light, but I knew that empowered by its strength, I could find a way out of this nightmarish enclosure.
Suddenly, while considering my next move, new light shafts began illuminating the gloomy space, infiltrating the threatening blackness. One, two, three.... then six! I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders. I could now move effortlessly, as if walking on air. I was drawn to the light, I could not turn away. My insides were floating. Only a sense of peace and good prevailed. The feeling was glorious and I didn’t want it to end.
I remained still, basking in the light – my whole body felt reawakened and alive. The golden beams widened and glowed before me. Multiple shafts of light emerged towards the corner of the room and I was spellbound.
Before I could restrain myself, or consider my actions, I was taking giant leaps towards the golden glow. Approaching it I could feel the heat rush into me. It was pleasantly nurturing and secure, and I noticed that it was focused directly towards the small chest I had stumbled across earlier.
Realising this I reached towards the trunk, and at this very moment the light and heat became so intense that if felt as though I was suddenly being suffocated. How could this joyous feeling become so threatening? Before I knew it, I felt drawn into a vacuum, hauled into the light, pulled into the unknown. My fight to stay grounded was useless; the power was greater than me.
The light had been extinguished....... The warmth had disappeared.........
******
I felt the surface beneath me, cold and dewy. My body had melted into the earthy smell of ground below me. I slowly became aware of my surroundings. They seemed somehow familiar, but yet quite different.
Rain began to fall, and this awakened me further. I tried to focus my vision. I knew this garden, it was my own. I knew this house, it was my home. Looking through the windows I recognised this family – were these my parents? They looked so much older. Was this my little brother he looked older than me and what about Grace, was she this you lady that stood before me?
Huddled on my front lawn, I slowly and shockingly came to the realisation that I had been a captive of the light for longer than I could imagine...Caro, had been right...


The end...


Captive of the light
Part 2


1.
(2012)
Caro


She glanced over at Pembrooke, as she did every other morning, glowing in the sunlight of daybreak, hiding the secret that no-one ever spoke of. She had known it was going to happen. It was bound to. That manor was cursed.
She’d never forget what it felt like, the heat of it. Like you can’t breathe and you’re trapped. There’s no way out. Only the chest is there and the closer you get to it the more it hurts but you can’t help it. You have to go, you have to give in, and you have no choice. You become captive of the light.
****
Going through her morning rituals she thought long and hard about Lauren. She had been her best and only friend. It had been six years and a week ago since she ‘disappeared’, the same time that she herself had been captive. But Caro had to face it, she wasn’t coming back. Lauren was gone forever and there was nothing that she could do to change it.
****
Staring at herself in the mirror she saw a stranger she didn’t recognise. This was the 14 year old version of herself and she had specifically stayed that way just in case Lauren returned. So she would recognise her. She still had long dark tangled locks and immortal green eyes. She kept fresh scars on her wrist so that Lauren couldn’t mistake her with anyone else, it was only Caro who did that and Lauren knew it.
Holding up one piece of her unruly ash black tresses she looked disdainfully at it. It had never been cut since she was born and it was nearing her ankles. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and without a second though pulled out her penknife and hacked it at her skull.
Long tumbling locks fell around her, cascading to the floor. Well she couldn’t stop now could she? She madly hacked away at the rest of her head watching her curls fall to the floor around her.
Half an hour later she was finished. The girl staring back at her looked foreign. She still had the eyes but her head was full of uneven chunks of hair. She shrugged to her reflection and left the mane of hair in the bathroom.
She ran down the stairs enjoying the feeling of air running through her hair, like she could fly. She felt light and released. She figured since Lauren wasn’t coming back there was no reason to remain the same for fear she wouldn’t be recognised.
Sitting down at her breakfast table she felt a need to get out of the house. Like something was calling her. She thought that it was just claustrophobia but nevertheless she got her bag, penknife and notebook and headed out.
Just stepping out the door alone cause all sorts of up rage. It was no secret that she was known as the town loony. The abandoned girl who grew up alone, always had gaping wrists, cuts on her neck and who didn’t speak. Oh the reputations you earn in small villages...
By the time she made it down her driveway she had more people notice her than she had since she’d lived in Willowcombe. The postman, gardener, the weird man who rides his horses around her property all gave her huge stares with their mouths hanging open before she silenced them with one of her famous glares. She had lived by herself for more than half her life and she wasn’t used to people giving her attention.
Although just getting out of the house made her feel better she still felt the urge to go further. Once she was in the heart of the village there was no stopping the wide eyes and hidden whispers that were surrounding her. She held her head high and didn’t answer anyone who asked her anything.

Up until a few months ago she hadn’t uttered a word since her mother died but for some reason when she last ran into Laurens little sister Grace at the shops she had felt the urge to apologise. Of course all she got from Grace was a stony glower but she had come to expect that. Ever since Lauren ‘disappeared’ the Middleton’s had always treated her like she was responsible. Even though Grace was a baby when it happened, she had obviously watched her mother and learnt her spiteful ways.
Although Caro continued walking down the cobblestone streets she really didn’t know where she was going to end up. Her father had always said to trust your head and ignore her body. There were a lot of thing her father used to say. But then he never came back after one business trip. He was always away from long stints of time but he had been gone for seven years now and she had given up hope. Sometimes he wondered if he was alive.
She had become so caught up in her own messed up mind that she didn’t even realise where her legs had taken her. There in front of her stood Pembrooke manor looking as grand as ever. She thought back to the last time she had been here. It was the day that she had taken Lauren up to the attic and shown her where it was. That was her first mistake she made. She should never have shown Lauren, if she hadn’t maybe she wouldn’t have found it and would be here now. She didn’t blame the Middleton’s; it was her fault that Lauren wasn’t here. She shouldn’t have even told Lauren about the attic, she should never have brought it up.
But, there no use dwelling on the past as her auntie June used to say. And she was right it only made it worse. Quickly she wiped a tear away; she couldn’t remember the last time she wept. Probably when her mother died but crying was for babies... and Lauren, Lauren could get away with anything. All of a sudden, out of the blue came a yell; “Hey! You! Don’t move!”
With a sigh Caro stood, knowing that Mrs. Middleton had seen her. This was not going to be pleasant.
One hour later Caro was still at Pembrooke manor being reprimanded by Mrs. Middleton.
“You have no right to come and trespass on this land after what you’ve done to this family” were her last words before she stalked off with a defiant turn of her head, disappearing through entrance and leaving Caro standing outside in the grounds.
Since in the no one was left garden to yell at her, she decided to have a look around. Caro had not been here since she was fourteen yet there were no visible changes. She wandered round to the side of the house. There above her stood Laurens tower. How many times had she climbed up there? Sometimes when she was asleep, just to watch her and then those times when Caro didn’t feel like facing Laurens mother and she’d clamber up just to talk or write to her. Tears welled in her eyes and threatened to spill over to her cheeks. She wiped them quickly, wondering why she was crying so much.
There seemed like only one solution. Caro whipped her penknife out of her pocket and slashed it over her wrist. Blood seeped over the edges and she watched in wonder thinking about how messed up she was to be cutting herself at twenty years old when a voice interrupted her.
“That was always interesting habit...don’t you think you could have thought up another one other than slicing yourself to shreds?
She whirled around and found herself face to face with young man, Laurens brother.


2.
Lauren
I felt the surface beneath me, cold and dewy. My body had melted into the earthy smell of ground below me. I slowly became aware of my surroundings. They seemed somehow familiar, but yet quite different.
Rain began to fall, and this awakened me further. I tried to focus my vision. I knew this garden, it was my own. I knew this house, it was my home. Looking through the windows I recognised this family – were these my parents? They looked so much older. Was this my little brother he looked more grown up than me and what about Grace, was she this young lady that stood before me?
Huddled on my front lawn, I slowly and shockingly came to the realisation that I had been a captive of the light for longer than I could imagine...Caro, had been right...


****

Caro
There in front of her stood the young boy she had seen all those years ago, roaming the fields