Maddie Ann s Playground

by Mackenzie Drew

  “I love Jennifer with all my heart. But you know, Cindy, there are things in this world we're not supposed to mess with and trying to send a soul to Hell is not in your best interest. How do you propose to defeat a demon with a few simple words? Think about it, because if this madness continues, I’m moving us out of here.”

  “For weeks now, I've wanted to move way from Old Creek. Now you want to go. You're pathetic.” Rolling her eyes at him, she didn’t have the strength to argue anymore, and walked out of the kitchen, before the fight worsened.

  ***

  Jennifer, Claire, Lisa, and Kari walked through a storm of horror. The determination to save all of them stirred strongly within their chests. They had to figure out a way to get to Liz and Tina before it was too late. They needed a trap that would work for sure without it backfiring. The six of them came into this together and they were going out together, even if they had to fight to get it done.

  Jennifer got up from the group to leave, but Claire reached out and stopped her. “You have to listen. This will help you understand what it is we’re feeling. You're still alive, but it’s different for us now. Our thoughts and feelings have changed,” she whispered.

  “How so?” Jennifer asked.

  Grasping her hand, Claire pulled her back down next to her. “I don’t expect you to understand right away, but the negative feelings we once held in our hearts are now gone. We do not hold any grudges, nor do we blame anyone for this. We understand this is our destiny, and it's so important we do this so our spirits can soar free like God intended. With your help, there will no longer be anguish or wickedness, but only pure and graceful light shining down on this land.”

  Claire hoped Jennifer understood what she told her and the seriousness of it all.

  “It's hard for me to say good-bye. But I know when the day comes, I'll have to let go.” Jennifer wiped the tears streaming down her cold cheeks. “I know I was to blame for all of this and now I’m having trouble trying to make it up to you. If there were a way to change the past, I’d take your place and give you my life. You're my best friends and I'll never forget you.”

  Claire glanced over at Jennifer, took a deep breath, and began to talk. “There's something I need to tell you. I should have said something before we came here, but I was afraid you'd be mad at me. I feel so ashamed for what I did, but I can’t change it now.”

  As she paused to work up enough courage to tell her, Jennifer smiled and made her feel comfortable enough to continue. “It’s fine Claire. Nothing you could say would make me angry with you.”

  Claire's eyes filled with tears. “None of this is your fault. I made you do this, all over a dumb bet with that creep, Mitch Styles. I’m so sorry and I don’t know how to apologize enough for what I have done to you. To tell you the truth, I was thinking of a way to take you with us forever, so no one could have you but us. I know it’s wrong to think that way, but I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again. I was being selfish until I realized you had to be the one…the one who will live on to remember us. We love you, Jennifer, and we'll do our best to see you through for many years to come. Can you forgive me?”

  “Come on Claire, you didn’t twist my arm to come here. I knew something bad could happen, but I came anyway.”

  “Maybe not, but I pressured you into doing this and look where it got us.”

  “Stop, okay. Let’s not do the blaming game. It’s too late to worry over who did what. The point is, we’re getting out of here, and that’s all that matters. And I do forgive you, maybe just a little bit.” She shook a mock-angry finger in Claire's face, eliciting a small smile.

  The tension broken by Jennifer's humor, they all burst into laughter and had to shush one another. “I’m ready to do this. I know what I have to do,” she said, marching into the stark woods.

  “We'll be right behind you and I promise, I won't let anything happen to you,” Claire said, apprehensive as they awaited Liz and Tina’s arrival.

  ***

  The three dead girls hid high in the branches of the trees. Jennifer stood down below. One by one, they called out to their two remaining friends; hoping one might hear their cries. Minutes passed. As they called out one last time, a rolling blast of thunder assaulted their ears. “Get ready, Jennifer,” Claire whispered.

  She braced herself for the worst. She feared this little arrangement might backfire, but she had no other choice. The closer their demon friends got, the stronger the wind gusted. As Claire watched Jennifer hug the tree to hold on, the violent wind snatched her up and flung her through the air. Jennifer sailed through the sky. Claire witnessed a hand jerk the back of Jennifer’s head pulling her up short.

  “I knew you'd come back and now you’re mine,” Tina growled. “I'm going to gut you like I did Claire.”

  The sight of Tina's horrific face came close to dissolving Claire’s will. Eager to face the beast, she shot in from behind like a rocket. She grabbed Tina around the throat and yanked her back. “You let her go! I will not let you kill her.”

  “Oh, you mean like I did you?” She laughed.

  While Claire wrestled with Tina to release Jennifer, she heard her pitiful cries.

  “Who are you screaming for? No one can save you now.” Tina shook Jennifer like a rag doll.

  Claire tugged at Tina’s neck. “Close your eyes, Jennifer, and hold on,” she shouted.

  “What do you think you're doing, Claire? You think you’re strong enough to defeat me? Give it your best shot; I dare you. I know you’re good at dares, aren’t you?”

  She tried to ignore Tina’s evilness long enough to concentrate. The harder she tried to think, the more Tina spewed her poison. Claire’s mind ran rapid with thoughts she could not control. Something had to work, or this operation would fail in disaster. Remembering what her grandmother told her, she balled up her fists and released a ball of light into the air. It headed straight at Tina. Once it hit, Claire zoomed in and rescued Jennifer before she hit the earth. Like colorful fireworks in the sky, Tina lit up in a radiant glow covering her entire body. Her eyes began to sing. She smiled with happiness and as she drifted down from the sky like a leaf in the breeze, sparkles of redeeming light rained down all over the land.

  Silence enveloped the group. Tears of joy fell from four pairs of eyes. Tina lay there so peacefully, until her spirit lifted from the ground like a beautiful angel. With a graceful smile on her face, she flowed in the wind to the top of the trees. Reaching out, she hesitated before taking hold of Claire’s hand.

  A look of sadness washed over her. “I have to go. Someone's calling my name. There’s nothing left for me to do here. I'll miss you and you will live in my heart forever. Claire, my sweet Claire, thank you.” With tears of happiness at the release of the curse, Tina sailed through the sky toward the heavens.

  While the girls watched her take the journey home, Jennifer placed her hands to her throat, and struggled to breathe.

  Claire panicked. “Jennifer what is it?”

  She mouthed, “I can’t breathe. Help me, Claire, I can’t breathe.”

  ***

  Cindy had her head resting on the bed when Jennifer started to convulse. “Nurse, hurry, something is wrong with Jennifer,” she screamed.

  Dashing for the stairs, Steve bumped into the nurse on the way into the room.

  “Quick, roll the ventilator machine over. She’s not getting enough air,” the nurse yelled. The nurse stuck a tube down Jennifer’s throat, freeing her airway.

  “Is she all right?” Cindy cried.

  The nurse checked Jennifer’s pulse. Steady for now. “You know Mr. and Mrs. Cravens, you’re lucky the doctor approved this ventilator, or she might not have made it. As he told you, there was a chance she’d stop breathing,” she explained. “She needs to be in the hospital.”

  Cindy’s will, refused to budge, even though her energy level was at an all-time low. She grew so tired of dealing with all this. With her hand resting on the back of her neck,
she walked in circles, feeling like she was losing her mind. She lashed out. “Enough is enough! I can’t take this anymore. My daughter has gone through enough. I don’t think she can handle another let down. And the worst part about it is she’d rather be dead than here on earth with us. Steve, you and I can’t keep doing this. All we do is fight, yell, and carry on, but none of it is doing any good. Maybe we should have let her go in peace, instead of being selfish and fighting so hard for her to stay,” she said hysterically.

  “All right, that’s enough, Cindy. What is wrong with you? You act like she's a pet you can just euthanize. She's our daughter! Of course, we're going to do everything in our power to keep her here with us. Why don’t you sit down and shut up,” he shouted. His temper mounted with each word he said.

  Cindy walked over and slapped him hard across the face. Stunned from the slap he received; she jammed her finger in his chest and scolded him with a deep, angry voice. “How dare you to tell me to shut up, you selfish bastard. After everything, I've done for you and Jennifer; I think you owe me some gratitude. This miserable child lying in bed is part of me, and for the last three weeks, all she's seen is sickness. Don’t you think she’s been through enough or hasn't it satisfied you yet? Think of her feelings for a change instead of yours.”

  Steve slumped back on the window seat. He held his feverish head in his hands and sobbed. “I’m so sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I hadn’t realized I wanted to keep her here for my own selfish reasons. I never meant to hurt either of you. I thought I was doing the right thing, but maybe I wasn’t.” He turned to Cindy with a frightened look on his face. “What do we do then? Unplug her and let her go?”

  Cindy saw the sadness in her husband’s eyes and it tore her heart apart. She had babied him and Jennifer for so long; he had no clue how to handle tough family matters on his own. Sitting down beside him, her mind told her to release Jennifer from the ventilator, but her heart told her otherwise. “I don't know. I can’t do it, Steve. There’s no way I can let her go like this. Let's hang on a bit longer and see what happens,” she said as she wept.

  He placed his arm around his wife as they kept watch over their dying daughter.

  ***

  Jennifer took her hand away from her throat. She inhaled a huge breath.

  With a sigh of relief, Claire calmed down. “Oh, thank heavens you're all right!” she said, embracing Jennifer. Claire strained to keep her emotions from showing.

  “Claire, if I die, can I come with you and play in the garden?” Jennifer asked.

  The smile on Claire’s face disappeared. “Why did you ask me that? Please don’t say that again. You're not going to die. I won't allow it.”

  Claire looked away. Jennifer put her hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

  “It's okay, sweetie. You just concentrate on getting better. You'll be home soon enough, doing what normal teenagers do. Come on, we have one more of our friends to set free. We have to do it tonight, before something horrible happens.”

  As she explained the plan to free Liz, Kari interrupted. “Let me handle her, Claire. I know I can do it,” she said.

  “I don’t think so; it’s too dangerous,” she objected.

  “What if I go with you then?”

  Claire took a deep breath, slowly breathed out, and nodded. She feared for Kari, but she had to trust her.

  ***

  Cindy and Steve walked down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. They'd had no time to go grocery shopping, and with not much to choose from, they decided to fix sandwiches and chips. The minute Cindy laid the contents out on the counter; she heard a knock at the door.

  “I’ll get it,” she called out, dashing through the living room.

  She peeked out the side window to see Barb standing there dressed in black from head to toe. “Hey there,” she said stepping out on the front porch and closing the door behind her. “I thought you were going to call me first.”

  Barb handed over a piece of paper for Cindy to read. “This is why I didn’t call. I couldn’t risk telling you over the phone,” she explained.

  Cindy looked puzzled. “What's this?” she asked.

  “This is the layout of the cemetery, and the star there is where we have to go.” Amazed, Cindy shook her head and smiled.

  “This is great, Barb.” She winked. “I’m glad you found this.”

  “Yep. So are you ready to go? It’s getting late,” she replied.

  “Wait, do I have to wear all black? I don’t own such an outfit.” Cindy laughed. “Hang on; I'll go tell Steve.” She walked back into the house making up a story in her head so she could get out for a while.

  “Honey, Barb is here and she wants me to go shopping with her. Can you keep an eye on Jennifer for a little while?”

  “Yeah, but don’t make it too long,” he said.

  She snatched her purse off the couch, and kissed Steve. “You’re a sweetie, thanks.”

  Cindy hated to lie to him, but she did this for Jennifer. But, if he knew what she and Barb had planned, it would infuriate him. As she started to leave, he stopped her at the door.

  “Here, take the cell phone in case I need to get a hold of you. For some reason, I don’t believe you’re going downtown. I know you hate Barb, and the only reason she asked you to go is so you can be her guinea pig for some scheme she's cooked up,” he said peeking out the window. “I don't trust her.”

  “No, no, you’re wrong, Steve. Barb wants me to help her pick out an outfit. Anyway, I’ll call you on the way home.” Cindy kissed him and rushed out the door. She eyed Barb and made a mad dash for the car.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Unloading the supplies from the trunk, Barb and Cindy grabbed a bag and took off up the makeshift path. Weeds as tall as some of the trees blocked their entrance. Of course, Barb , refused to let them stand in her way of climbing this hill. Having come prepared, she had a switchblade in her back pocket. She carefully opened it and sliced the weeds down.

  “See, there’s nothing to it. Follow me, and you’ll be fine,” she whispered.

  The spiraling vines looked like they belonged in a jungle as they hung out of the large oaks. They made perfect rope for them to use to climb with. In a single file line, they stayed close together. The heavy darkness limited visibility and as they moved slowly forward, a heavy musky stench permeated the air. Cindy didn’t utter a sound, nor complain. Barb couldn’t believe it. She smiled.

  As they kept up a grueling pace, they came to a hill leading them to the building where the monument sat.

  “Another hill? Woo…what a work out,” Cindy said. “I should definitely be in shape after this ordeal.”

  “From where I’m standing, I can see a concrete building. Here, shine your lights a little to the left on top of the hill,” Barb told her.

  Cindy flashed the light until she spotted the building. A huge grin painted her face. “Yeah, I see it, but I wish we didn’t have to climb to get to it.”

  Catching their breath before they made the climb, spine tingling laughter surrounded the perimeter. As they listened, it was not just any laughter; it was a child’s laugh. On top of that, whistling winds moved in behind it scaring them even further.

  “Barb, what do you want to do?” Cindy questioned. She grabbed Barbara’s arm and held on tight. “I don’t think we should do this.”

  “Listen, those idiots are trying to scare us away. If we let them get to us, how are we going to save our kids? Ignore them. They’ll eventually tire, and leave us alone,” she said with confidence.

  This was not an easy task and they’d pay like hell to stay alive.

  Barb looked down at her watch. It was nine o’clock. She had hoped to get out to Old Creek a lot sooner, but the shopping for supplies took forever, then the trip from Cindy’s house took a while going through heavy traffic. Instead of pouting about it, she trudged through nature determined to get what she had come for. As she stepped forward, her foot landed on a solid, flat rock. S
he shined the light down by her feet, and sure enough, located the landing.

  “Dang it, I didn’t think we’d ever make it up here. The next time you want me to go on one of your adventures, make sure it doesn’t involve steep hills.”

  “But the point is, we made it and now the fun begins,” Cindy retorted. As she bent over the stitch in her side, the light from the flashlight lit up Maddie Ann’s original headstone. “I’ll be darned. Here is it Barb, I found it. Now, let’s see what it says. Maddie Ann, free your heart of anger, the violence your soul clings to and go to the light, for you can finally put your spirit to rest.” The ground shook with great force, as they shined their lights on the words.