Beware & Behold

What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You

I must admit it was difficult to fall asleep when the entire world seemed to be working against me. I wasn't going to stop using my magic, even if it summoned a whole army of demons and the Butcher himself. It was my only chance to find out what happened to Derek. When I awoke, a crumbled piece of the fortune cookie prophecy still lay inside of my hand. I couldn't let it go. I couldn't forget last night. Fighting had that effect on people. It brought out the bitter parts, memories that drowned in the past and moments we wished to forget. That feeling in the pit of my stomach was what made us feel sick.

A dog was barking outside. On cue, I ran towards my bedroom window and peered into Grandma's backyard. Charlie sat on the grass with his tail wagging. He wasn't supposed to be out this time of the day. Nevertheless, he was, and he was staring at something. At first, I thought there was a chipmunk hiding inside one of the stacked wooden logs, but I quickly realized that there was no animal around. Charlie barked at an empty space. I grabbed my sweater out of the closet and ran down the landing before disappearing into the yard.

I tripped on some rocks and a broken flowerpot before I reached Charlie. I then pulled at his collar to keep him steady and offered him a treat to divert his attention from whatever was going on. While I was preoccupied with the dog, I didn't notice how Grandma's two favorite junipers and our two birch trees disappeared into the fog that came out of nowhere. I picked up Charlie and we began walking. Was it a vision? Was it another flash of the demon world?

The dog became quiet. He hid his wet nose inside my armpit, lowered his ears, and whined. His fur became a silver color, as if this fog shed sparkling dust. I could hear someone walk nearby, and I feared so much it was a demon. The footsteps slowly approached mine. A sudden light shined over my head, and I watched it flicker in front of me. I held my breath.

Without warning, I collided into something... or someone. Charlie jumped out of my hands and ran, frightened. The light behind me at once disintegrated into the fog. Something that was made of glass fell, burst into tiny pieces and spread all over the ground. In the broken glass pieces, I recognized a face. My face, as if I had a twin. A broken lantern rested at mine and the stranger's feet.

Who are you? echoed between us.

Rebecca, echoed back.

I heard Derek's voice call my name, and my heart palpitated, but he wasn't addressing me, he was talking to my shadow. Only then, I noticed that shadow-Rebecca wore a corset, a white blouse and green ribbon in her braided hair. She stood up, straightening the hem of her skirt. Shadow- Derek, shining of youth and with a radiating smile, found her in the fog. He picked her up and squeezed her tight against his chest. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I would have changed places with her in a heartbeat.

Leave the lantern, he said and kissed her on the forehead. They are waiting for us.

I stretched my hand onto the vision of shadow-Derek, but it suddenly cleared, like the smoke. I was left sitting on the grass while Charlie barked at a rabbit that chowed down on the bottom of a birch tree.

"Charlie, come here, buddy," I called the dog, but he didn't pay me much notice. I sighed as my eyes shifted from the rabbit and the tree to my Grandma's garden next to the old barn.

There was something shining notched in the flowerbed by the trees. Ignoring the whining dog, I quickly scurried towards the glistening object. I brought my fingers to my lips and jerked my head back as I recognized its shape.

It was the lantern! I bent down close to the disassembled pieces and traced my hands over the relic's gold frame, burners and bolts while looking over my shoulder in the direction of the house with lavender curtains. I had to make sure no one was watching me. But the longer I studied the lantern, the more I was convinced that it was not some sort of illusory trick. The lantern was a real thing, and now it belonged to me.