may 15th, 2025 - MAUDE.v1 (short story)

“Dear heavenly father, please save me. I am so scared. Please God. Come down and take me away from here. Please God. I’m so sorry if I’ve been bad. I just don’t want to be scared anymore. I’m so scared. Please Lord, I beg of you. Please…”

Her sobs grew up from her throat and ended her prayer. She wept over her bed sheets as the night sky crept around her with its cold grasp. She buried her tears in her hands, sinking her face into her pillow. She only wanted God to hear her whimpers.

Above her tiny bed, sat a four pane window, divided by a framing cross. It looked out to those pine-ridged mountains. They stretched out endlessly, lurking in the background of everything. Some nights, the girl would look out to those mountains. She would dream about getting lost in its woods. Dream about letting it consume her, letting it swallow her up.

She tugged at her hair, brushing it with her fingers. She blew and gasped, trying to calm herself. Her palms were wet from snot and spit. She heaved up more tears, breathing heavier and heavier. Her face felt fuzzy and weak, as a static buzz grew within her. Her expression went blank as she stared down at her ratty stuffed bunny. It stared back at her with its black, shiney button eyes. She bore holes into those eyes until suddenly, the smallest flicker emerged. The toy reflected the faintest light, glowing from the girl’s bedside window.

Out in the distance, over those cliff sides and mountain peaks, a small star was climbing up over that jagged horizon. Moving softly, like taking a long winding road. The girl’s face shimmered a sense of awe. She crawled up onto her bed and woke up the window. Her arms propped her body as she nearly leapt out the side of the house. She held her eyes on this miracle.

The star walked itself down the mountain and into the valley. It shined through the trees, shooting out rays of light, casting out long skinny shadows in every direction. It moved through the pines, making its way closer and closer to the little girl’s room. The star grew as it flew up and out of the forest. It now showed itself before the child, letting its glow devour. It feasted on her, blinding her. Her wonder quickly turned to panic. She covered her eyes. The blaze still poured through her fingers, seeping into her eyelids. She turned away, let out a small shriek, and then everything went black.

“Fear not child,” softly spoke a soothing voice. The girl slowly opened her eyes to see a glowing woman sitting on the edge of her bed. She looked at the girl with a calm smile. Her skin radiated a warm glare, and her hair had a golden shine. The woman bore nothing but her light and a pair of white feathered wings that grew out from her back and filled the girl’s small bedroom. They bent at the ceiling, covered the walls, and ended at the floorboards. The girl stared at her in shock. “Did God send you?”

The woman reached out her hand to the girl. The girl placed her tiny mitt in her palm. She tenderly pulled her close. The child crawled into her naked lap, and rested her head against her warm soft belly. She began to run her fingers through the girl’s hair. Small beams of light pitched from her fingertips and danced through each strand with every brush stroke.

The girl looked up at the lady and said, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” She smiled kindly as she continued brushing. She twirled her baby hairs as her eyes grew heavy and her face began to dry. “My mother brushes my hair like this before bed.”

With her head in her lap, the child looked out at the wall across from them. Between labored blinks, and sleepy sighs, she gazed upon its cracks. She traced those cracks, following them from the floor to the wall’s center. There she stared at its fist-shaped cave. Her eyes wandered into the wall, letting its darkness creep between the insulation and drywall chips. 

The lump in her throat started to swell again. Tears began to flood her eyes. She turned towards the glowing woman, wrapping her little arms around her waist. She grasped at her fire, holding her tightly. She embraced the girl, letting her warmth guide her back to comfort. She continued brushing her hair, sweeping away the fear. Pushing it back into that violent, dark hole in the wall.

Like a dimming candle, the girl whispered, “Can you take us away from here?” The lady smiled at her and softly closed her eyes with her gleaming fingers. She drew a blanket over her sleepy body and placed a gingerly kiss on her forehead. The child let out a yawn, and let herself fall deep into that slumber. Her white feathered wings floated back into a small ball of luster and then faded out through the window. All the light crept out of the room, leaving the girl alone in that house.