December 2nd, 1855
Adolpha did not get much sleep last night, she stares at the ceiling lost in her thoughts as she wonders if that dream was truly real or not.
Knock knock...
Adolpha looks over at her door, "Come in." She beckons, sitting up on her bed.
The door opens, her maid coming in, "Miss, you are to have a picnic with your grandmother in the afternoon." The maid carries in a dark purple dress, adorned with white lace.
"Here is your clothes Madame." The maid says with a raspy voice, doing a curtsy.
Adolpha gives her a small smile, "Thank you."
The maid exits the room, leaving Adolpha in eerie silence. The silence slowly became louder and louder.... Adolpha gets up from her bed, changing into her clothes and tying her hair up with a white ribbon. It was not just any white ribbon though, it was given to her by her late mother before she died.
Adolpha lets out a sigh of silence, looking out at the window, muttering to herself of about her mother and the memories that she carries inside her brain about her mother. One memory was in the winter, it was about them on the ice skating rink. At the time, Adolpha was perhaps around six or seven, and was always falling down on her bum every time she attempted to skate. She and her mother would laugh at her bum falling onto the ice rink. But that joy was soon taken away... after the one incident..
Adolpha closes her eyes as she remembers that night on Christmas eve, when she was playing with one of her dolls when she heard a few thumps coming from upstairs and a loud shriek of terror. She dropped her doll and ran up the stairs, her father and the maid in her mother's room were staring down at the lifeless body of her mother. No bruises or cuts were on her body, but a lot of people in the family presumed it to be because she could not handle the insanity, but after that day... it made Adolpha's supersitions much more deeper in her heart and made her suspicious of anything and everything.
She shakes herself out of her memories, taking a long sigh as she undresses, putting on a few petticoats and layering of fabrics, then finally putting on the dress the maid had given her.
She sits up and goes to her vanity, grabbing some face powder and putting on a soft color of rogue on her lips.
"You look very pretty, Miss Edwards." A voice speaks.
Adolpha looks around, a bit startled and notices are figure somewhat trapped in her mirror.
"What the hell?!" She screams.
"Shhh, I don't think your father would appreciate the language you have." The figure teases as they cackle.
Adolpha yells angrily, "Who are you?!"
"Why? You know who I am!" The voice cackles. "It's me! Abraxas!"
Adolpha stumbles back and grabs her bristle brush, holding it up like a knife as defense towards the mirror.
"Get away from me!" She screams.
"And why would you want me to get away from you∼?" Abraxas smirks.
"Because you tried to kill me multiple times!" She spats, her body stance becoming quite agressive.
"Oh the poor poor Mr. Edwards daughter, too afraid to talk to a simple man like me?!" Abraxas mocked.
Abraxas fades out of the mirror, entering out of it and standing upon her dresser.
"What the hell?!" Adolpha screams but Abraxas puts a finger to her mouth.
"Stop swearing, will ya?!" He scoffs. "It's quite annoying, you know?"
Adolpha growls, "I wouldn't be swearing if you weren't speaking to me in such a manner!"
"Oh come on pretty princess, you like the way I speak to you." Abraxas gives her a smirk, winking at her.
"You look like you're having seizure," Adolpha gives Abraxas a weird look.
"What?!" Abraxas looked like he was taking offense at her comment. "Oh come on, I was trying to flirt with you in some sort of way!"
Adolpha scoffs, "Says the one who continually tries to kill me!"
"Well, am I right now?" Abraxas folds his arms.
"Says the one who has a knife in his belt!" Adolpha bites back as she narrows her eyes.
Abraxas smiles as he takes his knife out, swiftly grabbing her shoulder and putting a knife against her throat, "How did you know pretty princess?"
Adolpha looks at him, giving him a dirty look, "Let go of me this instant!"
"And what if I don't?" He smirks. "You are quite vulnerable anyways. So I say start counting those prayers ∼"
Adolpha looks around, noticing her hair brush and grabs it quickly, swinging it around and trying to bash Abraxas' head with it.
Abraxas dodges in return, avoiding her attempts as he drops the knife onto the floor. He lets out a loud laugh as he smiles.
"You are quite a fierce woman Miss Adolpha∼" He smiles as he grabs her hand and kisses it.
Adolpha pulls away in disgust, "You are a damn bloody ratbag! Get your hands off of me!"
Abraxas lets out a loud cackle, as loud ringing comes out, "Oh well∼ it means it's time for me to go, my dear lady!" He tips his top hat. "I cannot wait to meet you again! Maybe that time I will kill you!" He winks, a cloud of smokes surrounding him and he disappears when it clears.
Adolpha coughs, hair falling into her eyes as she looks around, now finding Abraxas gone, leaving her alone in her bedroom, like nothing ever happened.
After the incident, Adolpha still decides to go to her grandmother's picnic. She did not want to be unkind or rude, so she decide to go, maybe she would get some answers out of her grandmother.
She gets out of the carriage, arriving onto the dirt in front of her grandmother's house, wearing a ruffled petticoat and baby blue dress with white lace trim. She holds a umbrella in her right hand as she enters through the back gate of the house and calls out.
"Grandmother, are you there..?" She calls out, looking around.
"Yes...?" A voice answers back, sounding quite high yet old... like a black cat.
Adolpha looks around the garden, her escort with her as she sees a bundle of groves and vines, trees lining up along the gates that have their leaves falling onto the ground. In the middle of this sacred grove, was a blanket laid out with a basket held in the talons of an old lady, a soft expression on her clouded eyes as she hears the footsteps of her granddaughter.
"Adolpha, is that you?" The raspy voice of the old lady asks, the wrinkles in her face going upwards as a small smile appears. "Come, sit dear one."
Adolpha sits down next to her grandmother, smiling softly at the sight of the old lady's expression.
"How have you been..?" The old asks, gently grabbing her granddaughter's hand in hers as she strokes it, trying to get a sense of sight from the feeling of her hand.
"Oh uh..." Adolpha looks around, having exhausted eyes but smiles effortlessly. "Very well..." Her voice cracks a bit.
"But you don't seem that well, darling. Did something happen?" Her grandmother squeezes her hand.
"No grandmother, I am fine.." Adolpha squeezes her grandmother's hand back. "Just.. quite tired.."
The two sat there in silence... it echoes louder and louder in there ears as they just stay there. The wind blows through their hair gently, the clouds moving slowly in the sky.
"Um," Adolpha sighs, "something did happened... grandmother, are you willing to keep a secret?"
Her grandmother nods, an old sweet smile on her face.
Adolpha heaves a deep sigh as she looks at her grandmother, "So, you believe in... demons and angels, right?"
Her grandmother's eyes widen slightly, "Yes.."
Adolpha heaves another deep sigh, "Well, I think um... a demon follows me around, and he.. hasn't killed me.. yet.. but he has been bothering me for quite some time. It just happened out of nowhere and now.. I am afraid..."
Her grandmother goes silent, not saying a word for a long moment. She starts to fidget with her hands as her head keeps bobbing over and over again, chewing down on her lower lip. A few more moments pass by and she finally breaks the silence...
"Is his name by chance... starts with an 'A'..?"
Adolpha nods eagerly, "Yes, is there something to do with that?!"
Her grandmother lets out a long breathy sigh, "Adolpha... do you remember the family curse I told you about a long time ago..?"
Adolpha nods slightly, "But I thought that curse was not real, father said so himself!"
Her grandmother bites her lower lip again, her eyebrows furrowing, "He said what?!"
Adolpha nods, "Yes, he said that those demons were not real! Claiming it was just fiction!"
Her grandmother lets out a sigh, "That foolish... foolish... little boy.."
Adolpha looks at her grandmother, "So... what does that mean..?"
Her grandmother crosses her arms, "I'm afraid Adolpha... you are suffering the curse in our family that is currently being passed down generation by generation."
Adolpha's eyes widen, "But how is that possible?! I thought the priest had rid of it after the death... of my mother..." She looks around the garden she is in.
"My dear granddaughter, I knew this would still happen..." Her grandmother sighs. "The priest did not really... truly at least, got the curse rid of fully. He only rid of it for only a long period of time, approximately around twenty-one years. And it is now, have been twenty-one years and the devil has sent a servant to drag more of us down to the pits of hell for something we did not do..."
Adolpha frowns as she looks at her grandmother silently, "What was the thing we did not do...?"
The grandmother looks down into nothingness in the sky, "Your great great great great great grandfather, dear little one, went against his wife with his infidelity. Causing her to be angry, but we all did not know was that his wife was a..." she looks around, her voice turning into a soft whisper, "a witch.. a hard cold blooded witch!"
Adolpha jumps back her grandmother's words, "You can't be serious?!"
Her grandmother sighs as she scolds her, "I am serious dear one, what your father has said was absolute lies that shall burn in the blazes!"
Adolpha slowly nods at what she has said, understanding the words of the wise elder. It was not every day she could speak to her grandmother, it was quite rare actually due to the fact her father had forbidden daily interactions with extended family members for some odd reason.
"Do you understand my child?"
Adolpha nods slightly in response at the question, hesitantly picking up a piece of bread and dressing it with a slice of cheese.
"But why did the priest only temporaily get rid of the demons?" Adolpha asks curiously, tilting her head slightly as she takes a bite of her bread.
Her grandma serves herself some tea into a cup, putting a few spoons of sugar in it and stirs it up, taking a sip before speaking.
"That's just how it is, that is just how the world goes my dear granddaughter."
"But why does that have to be that way?" Adolpha inquires, finishing her bread and starts to make herself some tea.
Her grandma sighs as she sets her teacup down, "I wish I could tell you... but even I, myself do not know."
"What am I supposed to do now?" Adolpha frowns in worry.
"Perhaps cover the mirrors with some cloth, or burn some sage?" Her grandmother suggests.
Adolpha shakes her head in sorry, "My father would never allow such things to be done."
"Well, do it when no one is looking and blame it on your servant, what's his name...? Oh! Daniel, wasn't it?"
"What?!" Adolpha seems distraught. "And get him sacked?! In no way will I allow such a thing to ever happen to him! He has been our servant for three years, grandmother! Three years! And you say to just 'blame him'?! I will not!"
Her grandmother chuckles softly, "You know i was not serious dear little one..?"
Adolpha heaves as sigh out, "It would be nice to burn some sage, but I do not want to have ill willed anyone into blame."
Her grandmother nods in respect as she pats Adolpha's shoulder, "Then don't do it!"
Adolpha puffs her cheeks out, "But I want to get rid of this evil spirit so badly!" She wines in anger.
Her grandmother chuckles, "Not with that attitude you are getting rid of such a spirit."
Adolpha rolls her eyes in response, finish making her tea and begins to sip it as she lets a sigh of frustration come from her rose pale lips.
"How about we do our bible studies, may perhaps we shall find god's guidance in thee pages." Her grandmother suggests, the wrinkles in her eyes relaxing as she sips her tea again.
Adolpha nods sligthly, taking a sip when suddenly it feels unbearably bitter. She quickly grabs her handkerchief and spitting in it, coughing a little bit.
"Are you alright dear one?" Her grandmother asks.
"Oh! Yes! Yes, I am quite fine!" Adolpha stammers, smiling as she does so.
She could have sworn that tea was sweet, sweet as honey! How could it turn so bitter like her father a on winter day, waking at the break of dawn early in the morning. She slowly pours the liquid into the grass, doing her best for her grandmother to not hear and be suspicious.
Adolpha fills a new cup of tea with an extra teacup, not wanting any of the excess from the other to enter her mouth. She puts extra sugar in it and stirs it a small silver spoon, taking a sip and it seems quite normal now.
"Dear, do you have your bible?" Her grandmother asks.
Adolpha's face drops in embarrassment, "Oh, um.. I may have forgotten it..?" Her face a bit red, flushing in awkwardness.
Her grandmother shakes her head in disappointment, "My, my, aren't you a forgetful granddaughter, maybe that is why that demon is around, maybe it is because you do not pray or study often enough."
Adolpha rolls her eyes, "Hey! That is serious, thank you very much!"
Her grandmother lets out a tsking noise, sounding quite much like a rabbit, "You should not have such a rough rogue tongue like that saying those things to your elders, you are a young lady after all." She lets out a sigh, "But ode, I was once like you, young and ambitious. I understand your struggles of why you would do that."
Adolpha rolls her eyes at her grandmother's remarks, "Oh really? Am I like you that much?"
Her grandmother nods as a smile slowly creeps onto her face, "Don't be discourage young one."
Adolpha takes another sip of her tea, looking around the garden in peace as the clouds pass by in the sky. The wind blows through the grass, the leaves of the trees, and through her hair. She takes another look one more time, taking as much scenery as she can take in. But as she looked around she noticed something quite peculiar, a dark wolf shaped shadow hiding behind the trunk of one of the trees.
"I'll be right back..." Adolpha slowly takes out a butter knife from the picnic basket, walking towards the mysterious shadow.
"Where are you going?!" Her grandmother called out.
Adolpha ignores her grandmother's questions, venturing closer to the shadow, "Here here... come here.." She says in a whisper, waving the butter knife around.
The shadow snarls slightly, but the snarls slowly start to become snickers, and the snickers slowly became a familiar laughter...
"Abraxas?!" Adolpha gasped, swinging around the butter knife violently but it passes right through the shadow.
The shadow lets out a fit of shrill laughter, "You got that right pretty princess!"
The shadow slowly becomes bigger, enlarging itself into a humanoid shape, and taking it's original form of the body of Abraxas.
Abraxas tips his tophat, bowing before Adolpha, "My my, what did the wolf drop in? Oh?! It's me, darling!" He laughs as he towers Adolpha, letting out a smirk.
He grabs her hand, kissing the back of it gently. His lips felt ice cold, let alone that but his hand felt much more colder, feeling like a blizzard holding Adolpha's hand. Adolpha pulls out violently.
"Get away from me you bastard!" She screams in anger. "This is how you do not treat a lady!"
"And this is how you do not treat a man!" Abraxas lets out another laugh.
"Adolpha, who is that?" A voice calls out.
"Nothing grandmother!" Adolpha calls back. "It's just Daniel!"
"It does not sound like Daniel!" Her grandmother gasps, "Is a man finally courting you?!"
Adolpha gasps in embarrassment, "That is not the case!"
Her grandma starts walking over to Adolpha and Abraxas, stumbling in excitement for the special visitor.
Abraxas smiles as he puts a knife at the back of Adolpha's throat, "This would make you look pretty, stabbed into your neck." He whispers in her ear. "But because your grandma is here... I will let you live, for her sake and not yours pretty little princess, for now." He winks as he puts the knife back in it's sheathe, connected to his brown belt.
Adolpha's grandmother walks over as she curtsies, stumbling a little bit. Abraxas smiles as he helps her up.
"Oh! Your hands are a bit cold! Are you sick? Come, I have some tea and you can sit with me and my granddaughter!" Adolpha's grandmother smiles, not being able to see the true Abraxas because of her clouded eyes.
"Grandma, uh he is just the robins, delivering letters-" Adolpha was interrupted by her grandmother.
"Oh don't be silly! We all know this man is courting you!" She smiles as she does a clumsy curtsy in front of Abraxas.
"But, but-"
"Yeah, don't be silly darling!" Abraxas grabs Adolpha's hand and kisses her hand. "Your grandmother is right after all!"
Adolpha gives Abraxas a dirty look, frowning at him as she bites her lower lip.
Abraxas pulls Adolpha's hand and leans into her ear, "I suggest you keep your mouth shut darling, or I will use my knife..." Abraxas lets go of Adolpha's hand, and he smiles at her.
"Oh! You guys sound so adorable together!" Her grandmother chuckles. "Come! Come, let's continue our picnic with your new man, Adolpha!"
Adolpha and Abraxas follow the clumsy old lady to the area they once were, as the old lady sits down and relaxes. Adolpha and Abraxas find a comfortable spot, Adolpha tries to scoot away from Abraxas but he pulls her back with his hand, keeping her next to him.
"So how long have you been since you have started courting her?!" Her grandmother asks Abraxas.
Abraxas smirks and gives Adolpha a wink. Adolpha returns with a look of 'don't you dare do what I think you are about to do!'.
Abraxas speaks, "At least for about about two months madame." He tilts his hat.
"Then how come you are not married yet?! Usually members of our family once they are courted, only last about two weeks or so!" She smiles.
Adolpha turns strawberry red as she puffs her cheeks out in embarrassment. She whispers in Abraxas ear.
"You are such a slick bastard, I would murder you if I could.."
Abraxas whispers back, "But you can't!"
ns 15.158.61.51da2
