“Mom, what’s wrong?” David jumped from the couch where he was sitting with Adria.
Adria leaned forward looking at Marla, “Should I make you some tea?”
Marla shook her head still leaning against the door. “I need to talk to you privately.”
David held his hand out for her; she leaned against him for a second then stood straight and walked to the kitchen with him. She looked over her shoulder. Adria had stayed on the couch. “I saw him,” she whispered. David leaned against the fridge.
“We will work through it mom.” He said crossing his arms over his chest.
“We have to leave, now.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Marla shook her head from side to side. “You don’t understand,” she stood in front of him, “We have to leave now,” she repeated.
“I’m not going to keep running.” He left the room and sat back down next to Adria.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. “Marla, would you like me to help you with anything?”
“No, dear,” her voice trembled as she called back. Marla’s hand shook as she looked for the tea bags. I just need to relax; he couldn’t find me after all of these years, she thought. She made herself a cup of tea, and returned to the living room. She sat in the chair across from Adria and David.
Adria smiled at her, “Do you want to watch something else?”
She shook her head and took another sip of tea. Her foot tapped rapidly against the floor, as she sat looking towards the window. Adria kept looking towards her. Marla was oblivious to Adria.
“Maybe I should leave,” Adria said.
Her head jerked in Adria’s direction, “No!” she inhaled deeply, “No, Adria, you should stay here tonight.”
Adria’s mouth fell open, David patted her kneed and nodded. “Are you sure, Marla?” she asked.
“Yes,” she said as she walked towards the window. She stood there a long moment looking back and forth frantically.
“Is something wrong?” Adria asked.
“No,” David said, “Mom doesn’t feel well, that’s all.”
Marla sat down in her chair again. She began starting at the window again and kept turning and looking at the door. Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turned white. She jumped back up, ran, and looked out the window. Clop, clop, clop. She ducked below the window. Clop, clop, clop. Her heart began to race.
“Did you hear that?” Adria asked.
Marla’s head jerked towards Adria. She ran and dropped herself at Adria’s feet. “What did you hear?”
“It was like a ticking of a clock, but different.” Marla’s eyes were large and glazed over.
“You heard it!”
Adria nodded.
Tonight would be the end of the running, she thought. I will sit at another vigil like that night so many years ago. Please let tomorrow morning find us safe, she pleaded silently.
Clop, clop, clop, it was getting closer. The sound of the hooves froze her heart.
You should have run. She twisted quickly to look towards the door. You knew I would never leave him.
“No!” shrieked Marla.
“Mom, are you alright?” David asked.
Do you remember?
She nodded.
I told you he would be mine.
“No,” she whispered. She crawled to the door, “He never will be yours. I will die before I give him up.”
“Mom!” David kneeled by her. “Mom, it’s okay, I’m here.” He turned to look at Adria. She shrugged her shoulders. “I won’t let anyone hurt you mom.”
Her eyes were unfocused she looked in the direction of the window.
Tell me of that night.
“David slept at my feet. His father had just died and I sat beside his coffin.”
Clop, Clop, Clop. Go on.
“I heard your horse near, but I didn’t think anything strange of it.” She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.
The room felt colder than it had been just minutes before. “When you entered the room, I thought you had come to pay your respects to my husband. You held your hand out to me, and I shook it. I touched your freezing hand.” Chills ran through her body. “You sat down in the chair across from me and smiled at David. Something about you caused my stomach to twist.”
Go on echoed the voice.
“I couldn’t believe what you requested from me, I refused. The next day after putting my husband in the ground I took David and we ran.”
Did you think you would out run me?
She shook her head, “I hoped I would.”
Did he know why you ran?
“He thinks I run from his father.” She whispered.
Her eyes focused on the wall. She saw shadows moved through the hall. Her heart raced. “Please, he’s all I have. Please.”
You shouldn’t have ran, Marla. You shouldn’t have run; I could have worked something out with you. The sounds in the small apartment stopped. The busy city became silent in a second. I’ve come Marla; I will take what I want. He will be mine.
“Please won’t a mother’s love stop you?”
I care not for a mother’s love. I will have what you refused me all those years.
A shadow danced in the moonlight through the window. She turned to look out the window. Nothing was there. Slowly she stood up and looked out the window. A black stallion stood on the sidewalk. She turned back around and stood in front of David who was still kneeling in front of the door. He searched Adria for some answer for some idea of how to calm his mother.
A tall figure appeared in the doorway.
You knew this day would come. He stepped closer, he hadn’t aged in the fifteen years since she saw him last. How much do you love him?
“With all my life.” He stood face to face with her now. The flesh on his face melted away. The cold hand she had remember shaking, wrapped around her neck. “With all of my life,” she gasped. David stood beside her, watching her gasping. Nothing stood in front of them.
Would you give your life for his?
The last beat of her heart answered.
Mari Wells ©