The Book That I Found

21. BATH TUB

It's a fine evening, Luna's sitting on a bench at the graveyard beside the lake holding a hair pin in her hand and looking at the sunset. A lady who's passing by, walked towards her, "It's a peaceful hour to visit our loved ones.", she said and sat beside her. But Luna looked at her, smiled and said nothing.

"Where's your home, dear. You look too young to come here on your own, on an eventide", asked that lady.

This time Luna gestured like she can't hear or speak. And took a notebook from bag and wrote, "Hi! I'm Luna Tartal. Nice to meet you". Seeing that, that lady smiled and wrote back, "me too Luna. I'm Agnes Williams". And they both smiled at each other. "So, whom did you come to meet?", she wrote again.

"My mom. You?" Luna wrote. "My daughters", replied

Agnes.

They continued their chat for a while. After some time, Luna reached back home. Soon Emily, stopped cooking, came to her and gestured asking where she went. Luna held her hand, took her to the sofa, made her sit and showed a page from her note book in which it was written, " You can actually meet your mother. This book will help you.". And Luna took the book out of her bag and kept it in Emily's hands.

EMILY: [Taking a look at it] No, Luna. I don't think it's a good idea.

Luna gestured like pleading.

EMILY: It can be dangerous.

She said and also wrote on the page.

"Please. I truly miss her a lot. Let's try only once.", Luna requested.

EMILY: [Hesitantly] Ok. Only once [She gestured].

After they had dinner, Emily tucked both the twin sisters, Ava and Ella in their beds. When she went back to her room, she saw Luna's been waiting there for her. "Let's meet mom", she gestured holding the book.

EMILY: Now?

"Yeah. This is the right time", she replied.

Emily took a breath, closed the door and sat with her. Luna opened a page and gestured to read the spell written in it. Just like she said, Emily read the whole paragraph and looked around. They waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Luna took the book, turned a few pages and asked Emily to read, showing another spell. Emily exhaled and read it for her. But still there was no sign of her mother. They waited sitting there for an hour. Seeing Luna disappointed, Emily held her, and gestured, "it's time for bed", with the other hand. She took her to her room and made her fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, Emily woke up with a gasp, sweating and scared. When she looked at the watch, it's still 1am. She got off the bed and went towards the kitchen to have some water. Through the window, she saw Luna walking towards the forest. Soon she ran to her, "Hey, where are you going?", she asked. Once she looked at her shoulder she saw a shadow of a hand on it, startled for a bit and she pulled Luna to the other side.

"Why are we here?" Luna came to senses and gestured. "I'm sleepy", she gestured again and went back into the house. From that day, Luna started becoming a different person and her appearance changed like a sick person. One day, when Emily's taking Ava and Ella for a bath, Luna came and asked to let her do it.

EMILY: [Smiled] Okay then. I'll prepare breakfast for you.

Emily went into the kitchen and started chopping vegetables. After a while, when she's passing by the dining table, through the half-opened door she saw something wrong was going on in there. She went forward and saw Luna forcibly trying to drown Ava and Ella in the bathtub with her hands. Astoundingly Emily ran to them, pushed Luna aside and took both the twins who were choking, out of the tub.

EMILY: [with twins] Are you okay? [Looking at Luna she gestured and shouted] Why did you do that? They are your sisters.

Luna said nothing but left the place. Emily went to her room, thought for few seconds and tried to contact Billie but he's not picking the call. So, she texted him " You need to come to home. Something serious is happening. Sooner the better." But he didn't see that message either. So, she kept texting him everything.

....

"It's too late. When I saw that text, immediately I went straight home and saw my two twin daughters hiding in the store room from their own sister, scared and crying. Emily's dead in her room in a very unusual way, with my wife's hair pin was stabbed in her throat. My eldest daughter who doesn't even harm a single creature was craving for the blood of her own people. I locked Luna in a room for a few days, waited for her to become stable. I sent my other two kids to their granny's. Luna calmed down a bit after Grace picked that book from the Cabin on that school trip. But Luna was not like before. So, I admitted her here to see my daughter just like she used to be."

JACOB: Then why did you attack me?

BILLIE: Because I was scared. You were not gonna give that book to anyone. I thought you're not passing that book away was the reason why Luna's condition is worsening. She tried to kill her co-patients. So, I thought throwing that book away by myself can solve it. But I was wrong. I made an awful decision.

JACOB: Tartal, what did you do?

BILLIE: I left it in the central library despite handing it to someone. Cops started searching for me everywhere before someone picked the book.

JACOB: So, you came here to pick your daughter up and run away. [Angrily] You crazy son of a bitch, where did you keep it in the library?

BILLIE: What are you gonna do? Pick it before someone does? [Smiled] No no Rivera. I'm not gonna tell you then.

"You bastard", said Jacob aggressively, holding his collar to punch him. But a cop came in and said, "Your time's over Mr. Rivera." Jacob left the room saying nothing and saw

Jennifer and Stacy discussing seriously about something.

JACOB: What's wrong?

STACY: Luna's dead. Her heart stopped beating.