The Reaper

Chapter Ten

Meanwhile, in the bowels of what mortals called Hell, Melissa was chained to a wall inside a cell whose bars were constructed from earth and dark magick. She struggled against the chains that bound her, but to no avail. She sighed and slumped against the wall. She’d been down here for over four hours now, and the Rangorun still hadn’t returned. She wondered what diabolical plans they had for the world. Her mind turned to Tobias and Harvey, and her heart ached. She missed them so much it was crazy – she’d never met them before in her life! Yet. . .every time she looked at them, something in her memory started nagging her, like she already knew them, but that was impossible. Sure she’d seen Tobias as Death before when widow Crabapple died that time, but apart from that, she’d never met him, or Harvey! So why, why did they seem so familiar to her?

She sighed.

“How long are they going to keep me down here for anyway?” she wondered aloud. 

“Not for long now Melissa.” 

The voice came from behind her and she spun round as far as the chains would allow. There, stood behind her was Brad from school, and a man who she recognised, yet had never seen before in her life.

“Brad? Did they capture you too?”

He shook his head, and she noticed that his body seemed to be one with the rock. As he moved, she realised that his body was rock. As he snapped her chains with his bare hands, her arms fell, catching his arms. The rock was warm. . .like skin. It suddenly hit her that Brad was part golem.

Just then, the man spoke and she jumped, having momentarily forgotten he was there.

“Melissa. Do you remember yet?”

Melissa shook her head. 

“No Uriel. I wish I could remember why Tobias and Harvey are so familiar to me but I can’t.”

She gasped as she realised what she’d said. Uriel walked over to her and took her face gently in his hands.

“It’s time to remember Melissa.” he said. With those words, he gently kissed her forehead and her mind exploded. Hundreds of memories flooded her mind, so many she felt her mind would stop working from the amount of memories flooding it. Finally, after so many years, Melissa remembered everything, and it felt good.

“I remember now Uriel! I’m an earthbound Angel! I died when I was burnt at the stake. . .and. . .oh my God! Tobias! My husband! Harvey! He’s my son! My little boy!” 

Tears coursed down her face at the memories of the day Harvey was born, the day Tobias asked her to be his wife. . .and the day Harvey was cruelly taken from her and thrown into the Dunking Pond. She remembered the day she died, and how after centuries of watching Tobias in so much pain, pain that only showed when he was alone, she begged God to send her to earth, as an earthbound Angel, so she could find him again. She found herself subconsciously reliving the memory in her mind. 

“Please! I can’t bear seeing him in such pain! You have to send me down there! Send me back to him! Please!” she had begged, on her knees, pleading with God to send her back, to let her be with her family once more.

“If I send you back to be with him as an earthbound one, you will lose all your memories. You do realise this.” 

“Yes! But I don’t care! I know as long as I am able to be with him that I will be happy! I can make new memories! Please!”

After what seemed like an age, God nodded.

“I will send you back. But not just as an earthbound one. I am sending you back with all the powers you possessed when you were mortal. Added to that, you will have the powers of an Angel. Is this acceptable?”