Short Passages

Mystery of Evalyn Hills

Gusts of wind weaved through the field of shimmying emerald grass. The sky a sheet of the most pure azure hue, and the sun scintillating effortlessly as it peered at the world below it. Sat behind a small desk amid a myriad others and gazing out the window with jaded eyes was a girl. Her fingers drumming a constant rhythm idly on the surface of the desk, her ginger red hair highlighted by the rays of golden sun. Her stormy grey eyes averted to the clock hung at the front of the room, discontented to find that only five minutes had passed since she had last checked it. Time seemed to pass in an excruciatingly slow pace in the suffocating small classroom, to the point that the thought of the clock being malfunctioned had crossed her mind more than once. She dropped her weary gaze to the man who monotonously droned on to the class, not missing how his own eyes flickered down to his Rolex watch during frequent intervals, the words tumbling effortlessly from his mouth almost seeming to bore even himself. It wasn't a surprise to see many of the students either staring into space, or talking discreetly to one another. With nothing better to do, she picked up one conversation behind her.

"Evalyn Hills! You don't know her?"

"I felt like I've heard that name somewhere before..."

"Of course you have! She's like the best singer out there! Her songs are played throughout hundreds of countries, she's been on the newspaper more than a couple of times, andshe's even been featured on the front cover of several magazines! There isn't a living soul who hasn't heard of her name before."

"Woah, that big?"

"Yea, and she's really beautiful."

"How come I haven't heard of her that much then?"

"Oh, that's because she just suddenly disappeared from the face of Earth. Some say she was kidnapped to a faraway country, others say she lost her voice forever. All groundless claims, really. But one thing for sure, was that she wouldn't be singing any longer. Not for the media, at least."

"Why do they think that?"

"Because there's evidence that she sent a text message to her recording studio that she quit. It was all sudden. Not through a phone call, not face-to-face, and that was the last of her. They tried desperately getting into contact with her, but by then she'd already changed phone numbers and moved out of her apartment. She truly vanished, Evalyn Hills. That was sixteen years ago, and until today it is still an unsolved mystery."

Evalyn Hills. She'd heard of that name as well. Hushed whispers from here and there, though no more than that.

The sound of chairs screeching from the adjacent classroom disrupted her thoughts. Her eyes refocused on the man, who let out a not-so-inconspicuous sigh of relief.

"Class dismissed."

A canopy of luscious green leaves rustled overhead, blinding rays of sun streaming through the shifting gaps. She could hear the dulcet chirps of birds as they sang and soared through the clear blue sky, and she could feel the warm breezes caress her skin as she made her way down the narrow pebbled path. Everything seemed perfect, not a thing out of place, and that was when the girl had the epiphany. Today, the 12th of March, was the anniversary of her parents. Her heart dropped as she remembered what had happened five years ago on this same day.

"Done!" The small girl joyfully held up the small card with two hands splattered with colourful paint. A smile stretched across her face, displaying her perfect rows of pearly white teeth. Her heart jumped as she visualised what her mother's expression would be. How happy and proud she would be when she saw the masterpiece she had just created with her own two hands! Leaving the table now covered in a mess of paint bottles with missing lids, colour pencils rolling across the surface and bits of cut-out paper mixed in like fallen confetti, the girl skipped down the hallway and towards where she knew was her mother's bedroom. "Mo-"