Endless Devotion

Chapter 12-Snowfall Madness

Mary POV

I can feel myself falling. This time, instead of falling straight down, I am floating downwards to the ground, like Sarah, in the 'Labyrinth' when she woke from her dream with Jareth. I land in the middle of a snowy lane, with street lamps and flocked trees. I can see my breath, and I feel at ease when I see the snow. I start walking forward, where I can someone standing there. I stop in my tracks when I see that the figure has disappeared. "Mr. Manx? Is that you?" I shout. No answer. My breathing begins to shudder, and I stop walking. I can hear tree branches snapping and the wind whistling. I don't feel cold at all. Maybe I've turned into Elsa. I then turn around and see the Rolls Royce Wraith in front of me, and I jump back. Charlie gets out of the car with a red and black blanket draped over his arm. 

"Hello, my dear. Have you been here long?" Charlie asks me. 

I don't respond because I now feel the cold engulf me, and I start shivering. Charlie walks over and drapes the blanket around me, and holds me close to him. My shivering subsides, and I feel warm and safe. 

"How are you feeling, my dear?" Charlie asks me. 

I finally say, "I feel safe with you, but I did want to ask you something." 

"Let us get in the car, my love. There are prying ears, even in your Inscape." 

We get in the car, and I say nothing. Charlie starts the car, and he drives forward. I feel scared and excited at the same time. I look at Charlie and ask, 

"Was that you were standing in the snow when I arrived?" 

Charlie says, 

"I can't go anywhere without my vehicle because I am tied to this car, but no, I didn't see anyone. Why do you ask, darling?" 

I say to Charlie, 

"I saw someone standing in the snow, and who or whatever it was, kept staring at me. I could see that it was a man, but I couldn't see who it was. Can anyone follow you to this Inscape?" 

Charlie was thinking, and he says, 

"Your Inscape is yours alone. No one, unless they are mighty Creatives, can draw your Inscape for their use. Your Inscape is yours alone. Now, aside from me, there are other Strong Creatives."

As I am about to ask him more questions, Charlie says to me, 

"I will answer two questions. The reason being is soon, you'll have to wake up and continue your mundane life. That way, I can see you tomorrow and continue to visit you." 

Charlie grabs my face softly and brings his hand under my chin to lift my face upward. My breath halted, thinking that this man could hurt me. That went away when Charlie tells me, 

"I bet you wanted to know what an Inscape was. Well, Inscapes are imaginary worlds that are dreamed up by Strong Creatives and brought into the real world with help from their Knives. Everybody has them, but only Strong Creatives can pull theirs into the real world." 

I again try to ask a question, but Charlie interrupts me, 

"A Knife is an object that allows Strong Creatives use to cut the fabric between the real world and the world of thought, which allows them access to their Inscape. However, my dear, the use of these gifts come at a cost. My cost is my soul. Anytime my vehicle sustains damage, I age faster. You look at me, and how old do you think I am?"

I pause and think carefully, 

"29?" 

Charlie chuckles and says, 

"Darling, I am way older than 29. But I will tell you that story another time. The sun is already rising in Sugarcomb."

I turn to look, and I can see the black hole I entered starting to open again. 

The car door opens by itself. As I get ready to leave, I feel my hand being pulled. I turn around and see that Charlie grabbed my left hand and kissed it. 

"You're so beautiful, Mary. So young and innocent. You don't know the horrors of the world yet, but you will." 

It was then that Charlie lets my hand go, and I am vacuumed back into the black hole. As I feel myself landing back in my room, I hear a voice. It was a man's voice, but I know it wasn't Charlie. 

"Mary Victoria Davis, you will not succeed in beating me. One way or another, I will break you."

As I landed back in my bed, I can still hear the voice echo in my head and something else. A pair of red eyes were staring at me as I left my Inscape. Once I was fully awake, I knew that I need to document and draw the eyes to let Charlie know. Who did I see in the snow? And who was the voice that called to me? If it wasn't Charlie, then who was it?