Status: still in progress
The Ebony Secret
Mr. Simmons
She lay there, recollecting the fragments of her vivid dream. It was dawn, and she remembered the beautiful dawn she had seen in her beautiful dream. She got out of bed. She looked out the window, and saw the woods. They went on for as long as she could see. She had never been in them, apart from in her dream. Her parents had never allowed her to, and they never encouraged imagination or daydreaming. She had scholars visit her every day to teach her, because there was not a school for miles. They traveled all night and were paid an awful lot of money for the amount of knowledge, boredom, and criticism they gave to Alexis. She looked at her jewelry box on the windowsill beside her. Its mahogany leather was faded and old. Inside, were a gold locket and chain, and her Gran's ring. It had a big lavender amethyst in it.
She walked down the creaky stairs to get ready for her homeschooling. She remembered the woods, and felt a strong curiosity to somehow sneak off into them without her parents catching her. Her mother was awake, and they ate a breakfast of bread, fruit, and eggs together as she told Alexis about the day.
"Alexis, today there will be a new scholar to teach you. It is an experiment from the school to see if you will get along better with him."
Alexis nodded, and started to poke around in her scrambled egg, envisioning the forest and a way to trick the new scholar into walking away into its mysticism.
"His name is Mr. Simmons, and he is new to the program. I want you to accept him. Your Father and I know you will. Now, will you go get ready? He'll be here any minute."
Alexis ran upstairs to get dressed. She slipped on her short brown skirt and a green blouse. She heard the front door open and her mother and father's voices. She also heard an unfamiliar voice, one that must have been her new teacher. She suspiciously listened to their inaudible voices before going down to meet him.
Her mother was wearing her best dress, of a fiery emerald color. Her father was wearing one of his suits. They seemed overdressed for the occasion of meeting their daughters new and arrogant looking schoolteacher. Mr. Simmons was a short, round man with a beard and a striped suit. He had a cruel smirk on his face that reminded Alexis of the one fairytale she had ever read. It was about an innocent little girl wandering off into the woods, only to meet a nasty wolf who tries to eat her. She imagined his face in the story would have looked like that. Alexis had read the story at an old book sale her parents had brought her to one day. They had taken the book away as soon as they saw her reading it. Outside the door, Alexis noticed a shiny black Mercedes; a car much to expensive for a scholar of this area. He greeted her with a warm smile; but his eyes told her other.
"Good Morning, Miss Daly." he said. Alexis' parents looked at her, so she replied anxiously.
"Good Morning, Mr. Simmons, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you." She shook his hand.
"Now, if you'd take my dear to the study room to teach, that would be great." her mother said.
Mr. Simmons beckoned her to follow him; and she wondered suspiciously how he appeared to know the way around the house. He then stopped, trying to cover something up, and asked Mrs. Daly which way it was. She looked at him, and then lead them to the proper room. She sat down at her usual oak chair that she used almost every day. Mr. Simmons began to teach her, about things like geography, animals, and algebra.
~
After a while, she began to think she dedided that it was boring, and uncomfortable being with Mr. Simmons. She wanted to be in the cool, clean forest, where there weren't any teachers or scholars to boss her around.
"Mr. Simmons? Would you go with me to the greenhouse. I'm think I may have forgotten to water my flowers."
"Well, of course, Alexis, dear."
They walked out of the house, and onto on of the twisting stone paths that led along the property to the greenhouse. The walk was short, and when they got there, Alexis began her second step.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Simmons, I forgot my watering can back in the yard."
"That's fine with me, go get it. But be a good girl and be quick. Don't disturb your parents either, they wouldn't like that."
Alexis skipped along, to the place she kept her watering can around the other side of the house. Then she slipped inside the house. She went through the living room; only to become very startled and frightened.
There were two men she had never seen before, in her living room. They had her parents tied up and gagged. She screamed, and her heart leapt as she ran back out another door. Her parents screamed something in her direction.
"Dnt trst msstr smns!"
She saw the face of Mr. Simmons, fuming, in front of her. He tried to grab her. He had a rope in his hand, as if he wanted to tie her up and kidnap her. She froze for a split second.
"Alexis, I don't want to hurt you", was all he said before he pulled a handgun out of his pocket. She ran, like a panicked bird being chased like a cat, into the woods. The man followed her, until she fell down in the grass; paralyzed with fatigue, and out of breath. By then, she had been running for several minutes, and was deep in the forest, just like in her dream.
He ran past her; sweat dripping down his twisted face. She rolled over and tried to be as quiet as she possibly could. She was worried for her parents, and cried a little. The sun was beginning to set by the time she got up. She tried to walk, but she collapsed immediately, dead tired. She had no choice but to spend the night in the woods; with a psycho man who wanted to either kidnap, or kill her.
She walked down the creaky stairs to get ready for her homeschooling. She remembered the woods, and felt a strong curiosity to somehow sneak off into them without her parents catching her. Her mother was awake, and they ate a breakfast of bread, fruit, and eggs together as she told Alexis about the day.
"Alexis, today there will be a new scholar to teach you. It is an experiment from the school to see if you will get along better with him."
Alexis nodded, and started to poke around in her scrambled egg, envisioning the forest and a way to trick the new scholar into walking away into its mysticism.
"His name is Mr. Simmons, and he is new to the program. I want you to accept him. Your Father and I know you will. Now, will you go get ready? He'll be here any minute."
Alexis ran upstairs to get dressed. She slipped on her short brown skirt and a green blouse. She heard the front door open and her mother and father's voices. She also heard an unfamiliar voice, one that must have been her new teacher. She suspiciously listened to their inaudible voices before going down to meet him.
Her mother was wearing her best dress, of a fiery emerald color. Her father was wearing one of his suits. They seemed overdressed for the occasion of meeting their daughters new and arrogant looking schoolteacher. Mr. Simmons was a short, round man with a beard and a striped suit. He had a cruel smirk on his face that reminded Alexis of the one fairytale she had ever read. It was about an innocent little girl wandering off into the woods, only to meet a nasty wolf who tries to eat her. She imagined his face in the story would have looked like that. Alexis had read the story at an old book sale her parents had brought her to one day. They had taken the book away as soon as they saw her reading it. Outside the door, Alexis noticed a shiny black Mercedes; a car much to expensive for a scholar of this area. He greeted her with a warm smile; but his eyes told her other.
"Good Morning, Miss Daly." he said. Alexis' parents looked at her, so she replied anxiously.
"Good Morning, Mr. Simmons, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you." She shook his hand.
"Now, if you'd take my dear to the study room to teach, that would be great." her mother said.
Mr. Simmons beckoned her to follow him; and she wondered suspiciously how he appeared to know the way around the house. He then stopped, trying to cover something up, and asked Mrs. Daly which way it was. She looked at him, and then lead them to the proper room. She sat down at her usual oak chair that she used almost every day. Mr. Simmons began to teach her, about things like geography, animals, and algebra.
~
After a while, she began to think she dedided that it was boring, and uncomfortable being with Mr. Simmons. She wanted to be in the cool, clean forest, where there weren't any teachers or scholars to boss her around.
"Mr. Simmons? Would you go with me to the greenhouse. I'm think I may have forgotten to water my flowers."
"Well, of course, Alexis, dear."
They walked out of the house, and onto on of the twisting stone paths that led along the property to the greenhouse. The walk was short, and when they got there, Alexis began her second step.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Simmons, I forgot my watering can back in the yard."
"That's fine with me, go get it. But be a good girl and be quick. Don't disturb your parents either, they wouldn't like that."
Alexis skipped along, to the place she kept her watering can around the other side of the house. Then she slipped inside the house. She went through the living room; only to become very startled and frightened.
There were two men she had never seen before, in her living room. They had her parents tied up and gagged. She screamed, and her heart leapt as she ran back out another door. Her parents screamed something in her direction.
"Dnt trst msstr smns!"
She saw the face of Mr. Simmons, fuming, in front of her. He tried to grab her. He had a rope in his hand, as if he wanted to tie her up and kidnap her. She froze for a split second.
"Alexis, I don't want to hurt you", was all he said before he pulled a handgun out of his pocket. She ran, like a panicked bird being chased like a cat, into the woods. The man followed her, until she fell down in the grass; paralyzed with fatigue, and out of breath. By then, she had been running for several minutes, and was deep in the forest, just like in her dream.
He ran past her; sweat dripping down his twisted face. She rolled over and tried to be as quiet as she possibly could. She was worried for her parents, and cried a little. The sun was beginning to set by the time she got up. She tried to walk, but she collapsed immediately, dead tired. She had no choice but to spend the night in the woods; with a psycho man who wanted to either kidnap, or kill her.