IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
JUST A FEW STEPS MORE
By; Speaker Gerald A. Polley
Francine Day was happier than she had been in years, as
she saw her husband, father, and children ride off across the ice on their
new snowmobiles. Finally her family had the things that other families had.
When the people had come to her husband a year ago and suggested he help
them bring their product into the city disguised as ordinary goods being
delivered to his wholesale business, James had resisted, but it was Francine's
pleas that had finally convinced him to cooperate.
Now, they got a healthy share of the profits, and for once her family
was enjoying the pleasures of life.
Her thoughts were broken by her mother's sudden cry. "Oh dear! The wind
got my scarf! it's blowing across the ice. Francine, be a dear and catch
it, will you?
Francine turned around and seeing the blowing scarf headed after it. She
had almost caught it when she heard a faint cracking beneath her and stopped.
"I don't think I'd better go any further, mother!" she cried. "I don't
think the ice will hold me here."
She tried to turn around to go back, but her feet wouldn't move. It was
like they were glued in place. Bewildered, she looked back to her mother
who was standing facing her with her legs spread, her arms held out to her
sides with the palms of her hands towards Francine.
"I know the ice won't hold you, baby," her mother answered, "it's not
intended to. Please don't fight, darlin', this is very hard. I never thought
I'd have to use The Power on one of my own. It's just a few more steps,
baby. They promised me it wouldn't be too unpleasant. The current will suck
you under. You won't have to struggle. It will be over very quickly. Go
on, child. The more you struggle the worse the fear will become. Do it
quickly, and it will all be over very soon."
Francine found herself taking two steps forward, the cracking sound under
her becoming louder. She summoned all her will and stayed put. "Pleaase,
mother!" she cried, "Please! Let me come back! What did I do?"
"We've been trying to tell you what you were doing for months!" her mother
answered. "We've been trying to tell you what the poison your friends are
selling is doing to the children of the city, but you wouldn't listen, darlin',
you didn't care. New cars and pretty clothes and a bigger house were more
important to you. You listened to another voice. Now there's only one way
we can save you, one way we can keep you from destroying yourself."
Francine looked back to her mother one last time. To her horror, as she
did so, a leathery-winged being covered with plush fur and roughly resembling
a man, descended from the sky and landed beside her mother. her mother looked
at it and smiled.
"I'm sorry, Lord," she remarked, with tears running down her cheeks, "I
tried. It's so hard!"
"You would have done it," the Being answered, "but it is too much to ask
a mother to do so I have been sent to help."
"Can't you take her, Lord?" Francine heard her mother asking, "can't you
take charge of her Soul, bring her back to The Light?"
The Being shook his head. "That which she listened to has left nothing
for me to bind to. There is no Light left within her, only Darkness."
The Being took up the same stance her mother was in, and Francine felt
her legs begin to tremble. "Please!" she cried, "Please! I'll be good, I
promise!"
Reluctantly she found herself taking three more steps forward. Suddenly
the ice beneath her gave way. She did not return to the surface even for
a moment, but was sucked under. The water poured through her clothes in
moments and the bitter cold numbed her to the bone. She tried desperately
to hold her breath but finally submitted to the instincts of her body. The
very cold water numbed her lungs. She slipped into a numbing darkness that
slowly swallowed her.
(Continued Next Page)
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