Mary-go-round (Chapter six)

Mary-go-round

by: Carla L. Sierra Arzuffi

Chapter six: Darkness and Light. 

Peters story didn't make sense, it was confusing, everything was confusing, but at the same time, there was something familiar in what he was saying. And then I remembered, the book, "The fair of the deceased" they were also trapped, doing the same thing over and over again. Old Tom wrote the book, he knew!

"Peter" I said "all those people in town, that once in a while disappeared, like you, and everyone forgets, they go through the same thing as you right?"
Peter nodded.
"But why? how? who is doing this? how did you get away? how did you came back?"
"Well, I was getting to this part of the story"
I listened carefully.
"So when I realized something was wrong, I started thinking, and like you just said, I realized all the people in town that disappear somehow end up there, where I was, in this weird dimension, and then I started wondering why us?, why my family? and then it hit me. My dad, he worked for the elders, he knew things, things that are not supposed to be known. Im guessing he discovered something and they had to get rid of us, so we wouldn't interfere with the peace and happiness of people. So there I was, I knew, but I was still stuck. I pondered and thought how could I get away."
"The front door" I said.
Peter looked surprised "How did you know?"
"The book" I said as I took the book out. "One of the characters stuck in the fair realizes that in order to get away, to get away from the endless cycle, he has to do the simplest of things."
"Leave" Peter says.
"Yes, leave"


"Well thats what I did" Peter continued "I walked into my front door, I don't know why I didn't do it before. I opened it and stepped out. Then this weird thing happened, I was sucked by this sort of energy and I was floating through darkness, my body felt like it was going to explode and then, and then I opened my eyes. And I saw everything, I saw everyone, I saw light"
"What do you mean" I asked.
"Mary, I dont know how to explain this, this, now, is not real. This is not the real world, its all fake, fake"
"Fake" I repeated his words.
"Yes fake, when I woke up and opened my eyes I was in a white room, and I had cables and things stuck in my arms, legs, chest, everywhere. I unplugged them. I remember feeling dizzy, but at the same time I felt alive, like never before, like I had just woken up from the longest of dreams, not even when I was supposed to be living my real life here with you felt so real. I saw a door I clumsily walked to it and opened it. Oh Marie the things I saw, the world, the real world, it was out there, for me, within my reach."
"Did you go out?" I asked him.
"No" he answered "Because I remembered about my parents and about you. I don't know how I was going to do it, but I had to come back for them, and for you, I went back into the bed full of cables and started to connect them back again into my body, when I was finished I thought of home, where I last had been. I don't know how it happened but suddenly I was being sucked into darkness all over again. And I was home. I told my parents everything, and they believed me. So the three of us went out the front door, I found myself yet again the white room, my parents where not there, so I imagined they had their own white rooms."

My brain was racing trying to maintain and understand all the information and things Peter was talking about.
"I didn't disconnect myself and then I thought of you and while I was being sucked back into the dream world old Tom appeared right in-front of me, floating in the darkness, and without speaking he told me everything, the truth, what was happening, and about you"
"What about me?" I asked.
"Marie, you are meant to save us, to save everyone, we have to stop this, we have to make everyone wake up, it is time, its time to wake up the deceased."

To be continued....

I hope you all are enjoying and understanding this story.
Badadim-badadum.
C.LS.A

Mary-go-round (Chapter four)

Mary-go-round

By: Carla Sierra Arzuffi

Chapter four: Peter

The last time I saw Peter was four years ago, at prom night. Peter and I grew up together, we were always in the same classroom and he lived just a few houses from mine. His mom and mine were good friends so we had a lot of play dates together. As we grew older the uncomfortable feeling of growing up and actually becoming a girl and a boy put a strain on our friendship for a while, but we managed to save it, he was my rock.

After he and his family moved away (disappeared) the day after prom night I had a hard time copping. People in our town don’t just move away, it is a very weird thing to happen, but every 10 years or something, it happens, and when it does, they never come back. At first it always shocks the community, but then they start talking less and less about them until they are just a forgotten memory, like they never existed.

Me on the other hand, I couldn’t just let go. The space that Peter had left was hard to fill, when someone is that crucial to your life and routine you cant just simply cut the cords and move on. At first, I didn’t understand how everyone else could do it, I would watch my mom for hours trying to catch a glimpse of her missing Peters’ mom, it never happened.

Every time I tried to talk about it, talk about him, the people around me would just smile and say “He is gone Mary, you just have to move on”. And I tried. I really tried. The truth was that I had been in love with Peter, actual-real-love, every fiber of my body and mind was attached to him, when I was with him I felt like I could continue this fake life is Peter was by my side.

The only person I could talk to about Peter was, of course, old Tom. He always listened, he would let me rant, cry and sometimes laugh hysterically. He just sat there, waiting patiently until I poured out everything I was feeling. I knew he could understand me, because when he was younger, much younger, something similar had happened to him.

Peter never talked about moving, or going anywhere, I knew things where tense inside his family; Peter talked about his dad and mom fighting, which is very unusual in this town. His dad was a researcher for the elders, I never knew exactly what he did, but Peter said it was something important.

So, I couldn’t understand how it was possible that Peter was here right now, and that I was actually seeing him. Peter no longer looked like a boy, he was better built now, and he had a hint of a beard, but his face looked the same. Peter moved his arm, motioning me to go down to the patio. I was wearing a thin nightgown and nothing else, my feet were bare, my hair was a mess after the bath and I again was sweating like a baby pig. But none of that mattered. My body moved like a magnet being pulled into his opposite and before I could notice I was outside.

The night was dark, I searched for Peter, who was just a few minutes, or seconds ago, standing right here, but I could not see him. A thought crossed my mind, maybe I was finally going crazy and with everything that had happened today I could not deny that it was a possibility, and now I was imagining people. But then I heard a “Psstt, Mary, over here”

I turned right and I saw something moving in the bushes, I moved quickly, when I reached the place were I was sure I had heard Peter voice I felt something, someone put his arms around me. At first I flinched, it scared me, but even though I could not see him, I could smell him. It was Peter. Defeated I put my arms around him.

“Its so good to see you Mary” Peter whispered in my ear. I don’t know why, but hearing this made something inside me burn, I pulled away and I slapped him right in the face.

I could now make out his features. He touched his cheek and smiled.

“I guess I deserved that, in some way”.

“What are you doing here” I said, my voice was breaking “Where did you go? Why? Why didn’t you told me? You were gone, and you never called or send me a letter or a smoke signal that your were okay”

Peter looked right into my eyes as I let myself say some of the things I had been holding for years. I couldn’t help it, I started crying, the warm tears fell into my cheeks reminding me what it felt to feel something.

“Well, that’s a lot of questions” Peter said with just a hint of pain in his eyes “I know I would have the same ones, I want to explain, I will explain, but not now, not here” he whispered.

I stared at him in shock “What is happening, I don’t understand anything”.

“I know you don’t, at first I didn’t too, but you will soon. You have to be strong, I know you can”.

I swallowed and whipped the tears with my hands “Okay” was all I said.

Peter smiled, it was his same beautiful smile, that smile that use to make everything okay, and just for a second I felt like everything could be okay.

“Meet me tomorrow at the cliff, be there around noon, and I will explain, bring the book” with that said he moved and gave my cheek a sweet kiss, I felt the warmth of his lips touch my tears, and then he was gone.

I knew now that old Tom, Peter and the book were connected, but I still didn’t know why. I walked back to my house and room; I picked the book from the floor. I crumbled into my bed holding it, and even though I thought I was not tired, I instantly fell asleep.

 To be continued ......

C.LS.A

Mary-go-round (Chapter one)

Mary-go-round. 

By: Carla Sierra Arzuffi

Chapter one: Tea and letters. 

I am at my favorite cliff, I love the breeze at this time of the day. When everything is calm, and I feel like its just me in this world. I take a deep breath. I know I have to go back soon, they will be expecting me, I cant hide, even though I have tried, I am bound to this place.
Many times I wished that I could run away, disappear into the mountains and never look back, I would if I could, but I know I cant, its not that simple. Nothing in life is that simple. No one here can disappear that easily, actually, no one can disappear, at all.

We all know each other, its a small town. The "perfect, clean, mowed, everything-in-its-place, joyful, lovely town". Everyone smiles and says pleasantries to one-another . We all have tasks to do inside the community, a special role to perform, and you are expected to do it with a smile in your face and a cheerful attitude. I often think and wonder if Im the only one that wants more, that this constant routine of creepy continuity of cheerful men and woman is all there is.

When I was in junior high I had to do an assignment for my "Politics 002" class. I compared our town with the smurf village. Like the smurfs we were also always joyful (actually I think we are on the edge of starting to sing while we work, that la-la-laralala song) we all have a role, and we have the elders, like the smurfs have Papa smurf, to really on, on "difficult" times. There were so many other details, I thought that my assignment was well researched, interesting and kind of funny. The school board didn't like it, at all. They didn't think it was funny to compare ourselves with mythical cartoons, blue creatures, and I quote them "Thats disgusting", oh but they said that with a smile.  Always with a smile.

I was scolded by them, my parents, and my sister was very unhappy ( in a weird have- to- keep- the smile) with me, "You are running my status" she said. My sister is perfect at being perfect. Everyone likes her, everyone wants to be her friend. It is very annoying, but in the end, she is my sister, and I love her despite our huge (very evident) differences.

The problem with happy people is that I don't trust them, and that´s a problem because I am surrounded by them. Something in my gut is telling me "run Mary, run, get away".
There is only one person in town that I truly, honestly 100% like. And that is old Tom. He is considered weird, that is probably why I like him this much, and why he likes me, because I am also considered weird. Whenever I can, I visit old Tom, he doesn't come out that much. His house is perfect, as it should (MUST) be on the outside, but on the inside it is kind-off messy, it makes me feel strangely comfortable. When I visit him we sit in his dusty sofa and drink black tea. We talk about  almost everything, except, oddly enough, we don't talk that much about our town and the people in it.

Old Tom has never been married, he works at the library, he loves music, books and tea. He told me once that he felt genuinely happy and relaxed reading a book while he listens to music and drinks tea. He is so, not complicated, in a good way, thats why I really enjoy spending time with him.

As I head back home I think of the things I have to for the day, which are trivial things, I am no longer in school, and I wont be starting my job until the end of August, having almost nothing to do freaks me out. I like to keep busy, thats why I keep making this "To-do lists" in my head.
Its probable thats this is because reality is not good enough for me, so I have to continue doing things to distract myself of my distaste for my life. Since I have been thinking of old Tom I decide to go buy a couple of bagels at the "Happy bagel palace" (Im not kidding, this is the name of the store) so we can eat them while we drink tea.

Half and hour later I am standing in front of old Tom´s house with a bag of onion bageles with cream cheese. I ring the bell. Nothing happens,. No one answers. I ring the bell again, and after a couple of minutes waiting I start to get worried. Old Tom is almost always at his house, specially at this time of the day. I try ringing a third time. Again, silence. I walk around the house and to my surpirse the back door has no lock, so I let myself in.
"Tom, are you here?" 
The silence chills my bones.
"Tom, its Mary. I have bagels" 
The only sound I can hear is the one my boots make on the carpet.
 Everything looks messy and dusty, as always.
I climb the stairs and look inside old Tom´s room. He is not there.
I go downstairs again and enter the living room where we have our usual soirees.
Its empty. My breathing is loud in my ears, I cant explain why, but I know something is wrong, it just does not feel right. As I approach the coach where old Tom sits I notice there is a sheet of paper on it. And it has my name. I pick it up.

My dearest Mary: 
I know you are the first one thats going to notice that I am gone. I expect you to find this. First I have to apologize because I haven't always been honest with you, there are some heavy secrets I have been keeping, I couldn't tell you before because I was afraid of getting you involved. I cant write everything here because its dangerous, and as soon as they find out you know something they will come find you. I know you must be confused, but the answers can be find in the most obvious of places. I wish I didn't have to put this on your shoulders, but there is no one else I can trust, you are smart and different, and I know you are meant to know this. Maybe you will be able to do something, because I couldn't, I failed. I expect you to find the answers,
 Im sorry, 
Be smart, be safe. 
Your friend, 
Tom. 
p.s.: Destroy this letter. 

To be continued.....

C.LS.A
Im happy to be writing again, I have been so busy, I hope I can write as often as I used to.