°??───??5??───??°
The meeting by the river in which a thoughtful mood turns to curiosity
°??───???───??°
“Kally.”
“Kally.”
“Oh, come on, Kally. Where’ve you gone?”
With this, Kally was brought back from her memories. A strange mood overcame her. Love and guilt and grief for her sister melded into one, with that familiar tinge of bitter hatred. Hot and hard to swallow down. Her eyes were red as she fought back tears. “Kat, I’m here.”
“Of course you’re here, you always are.”
Kally said nothing in response.
“Hey, don’t die on me, okay?”
Kally balked at such a blunt request.
A timid voice penetrated her heart like a bullet. “I don’t know what I’d do if you left me too.”
Kally strained out a cheerful laugh. “I’m not going anywhere, Kat. Not for a long time yet.”
It always happened like this. As soon as Kally reached her limit, any resentment was dispelled by the words of her child-like sister. Innocently or not, only Katoia knows the sincerity of her pleas. As for Kally, she believed in her. It tugged on memories of them from years ago, pulling her back into their childhood, to their sisterly bond. She’s not just a toe, she’s my sister-toe. My toe who has always loved to sing. My deformed singing sister-toe. Kally sighed. It really wasn’t fair. This would test anyone’s relationship.
???
Time passed by in a subdued silence until night fell.
“Shall we go outside?” Kally stood up without waiting for a response. Her toe heaved and sighed.
“Not the bar again… please?”
Kally pushed her foot into her boot.
She picked up the unopened bottles and put them back in the kitchen. Tonight was a clear night. She made a cursory glance in the direction of the window. A clear night. Good.
???
As Kally made her way through the well traversed nooks on the way to the school, she started to hum. It was not a loud hum but the melody was there. Before she knew it, she had taken on the appearance of someone light on their feet - one could almost say skipping - by the time she reached the centre. Katoia’s request was at the forefront of her mind, prompting her to deviate from the norm. She headed in the opposite direction to Karin’s and, instead, she walked to the banks of the river.
???
The river in this town was one of the last remaining pieces of nature that gave off at least the appearance of stability, within the chaos of the magical happenings of this world. It had never moved, for one. Perhaps the flow of water was too much like the trickling of time for magic to have any effect on it. Its flow did seem rhythmic to the second, a metronome, Kally thought as she stared into it. Water had always had such a pull to them both. She smiled as she thought back to Katoia, aged five or so, splashing in this river, making their parents worry as she drifted further and further down. She could still hear their mother’s call.
Kally tugged herself back to the present, shaking off that nostalgic haze she had voluntarily shrouded herself in. Though the night was clear, as ever, magic is changeable. This pale purple hue could darken in an instant and transform into the eye of the storm.
As she sat, focused on the river, she felt like she had never truly looked at the scene before her. Its deep blues of tranquil water were so strange when set against the purple sky. It was like this river was from a bygone time. It was untouched by all that had happened and stayed in its youthful glow. In other words, it didn’t fit in.
Kally sighed and looked again at her boot. She scratched her neck as a prickly itch took hold. It was about that time. Katoia needed to be released.
“Toe… awaken!” Kally proclaimed loudly to the world in a grandiose fashion.
“I thought I’d told you to stop doing that,” a disgruntled Katoia whined, “It wasn’t funny the first time, Kally.”
Kally grinned.
“I’ve got to amuse myself somehow, you know.”
Katoia rolled her eyes and grumbled halfheartedly, “Well, I am not amused…”
“Is that so?” Kally laughed and flicked her toe playfully.
“Hey—!”
Kally laughed again.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” She pursed her lip in a genuine moment of happiness.
???
“Kally…”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Mhm hmmn?” Kally played with the grass absentmindedly as it changed colours upon her touch.
Katoia went quiet again, deep in thought.
“What will happen to me now that Betsy is gone? She… she was… well, you know.”
Kally dropped the grass and froze. Her breath was shallow as she anticipated the rest of the conversation.
“… she was the only one. Hope. My hope.”
Kally stroked her toe gently, narrowly avoiding the eyes, and wiped the tears away. Pensive, in her thoughts, she stayed. How could they carry on without Betsy’s guidance? She was the only one who could help them. She was the one who fused them together, so how could anyone else separate them? Hopeless.
She steadied her frantic heart and intrusive mind, and with an obstinate expression planted on her face, focused her attention on Katoia. “We will find a way.” Her steely determination shone through as a gust of wind blew across her brow and mingled within her hair. Quite a dramatic scene. Rousing some might say.
Katoia smiled in such a way that in normal circumstances would be called sweet. Unfortunately for her, her bulbous state resulted in the calloused dry mounds around the nail cracking and releasing a gentle trickle of blood.
When you stop crying, your body will find another way to betray you.
Kally smiled and flopped on her back, bending her knee and bringing her sister close to her face.
“There must be something we can do,” she whispered in earnest. “I’ll find a way.” They stayed in this position a while, both souls feeling slightly cheered.
As they stayed in this way, Katoia started singing. It was less gaudy than in the bar, more straight from the soul. As if the song was meant only for those close to her. A song full of lament, yet dotted with flourishes of hope. It was a sweet tune and one that Kally felt resonate with her, deep within her bones as if it was from a distant dream. Tears welled inexplicably, without warning, though she did not permit them to fall. Katoia sang and sang, until her voice was slightly raspy and hoarse. She could not bring herself to stop, only to get quieter and quieter until her song was lost in the wind.
???
Kally’s eyes widened, alert. She couldn’t quite place it but she felt a familiar feeling. One she had been feeling over the past few days. The back of her head felt warm and she was conscious of her body in relation to the world. She felt like she was being watched and had been for quite some time.
She sat up abruptly. Her leg flew down to the ground. Too quickly for Katoia’s liking. ”Wha— what’s happening?” Kally hushed her and stayed still. A prickle on the back of the neck, a shudder down her spine, an urgency to check the periphery of her vision; she was certain she was being watched.
“Quiet, now. You need to hide.” Kally furtively grabbed her foot and stored it away in her boot.
Cautious of the situation, she stood up and turned around to survey her surroundings.
The expanse in front of her, dark and sparse, looked the same as always. Deserted and a tad lonely. Discarded pieces of wood were placed askew and chunks of stone from the buildings had crumbled to the ground. Some had formed meat chunks as they fused with magic, pulsing and throbbing until they pulse and throb no more. She scanned around, glancing throughout the trees to the back, by the path towards the bar. Her eyes darted within the trees and seemed to be drawn to the same spot time and time again.
The tree was situated at the end of the cluster. It stood not so much tall as proud. Its arms flailed out in the wind, waving to her. It was deep in shadow but she could still make out a potential form of a figure leaning against it. She squeezed her eyes tight in an attempt to see more clearly. Fixated on that spot she stared for a while longer, unsure of how to proceed. Was this a trick of magic; or was that a figure she saw before her? Shrouded both in mystery and in threat. She shook her head - her thoughts wild - but she stayed planted firmly to the ground.
Her toe throbbed. It seemed to propel her forwards as if drawn to the figure in front of them.
Quite a comical sight really.
As she moved forward in this awkward manner, she could make out the figure more clearly. She was now certain it was somebody rather than a trick of her imagination. As if to confirm this thought for her, the figure strode towards her.
As they drew closer, Kally’s head throbbed and she dropped. A flash of a kingdom penetrated her mind.
°??───???───??°
A striking place, so beautiful that the nightingales cannot sing as they have forgotten how. Ringed gatherings of autumnal leaves sing a tune so soft, so enchanting, tears stream down the bark of even the most callous of trees, and the inhabitants - old and young - dance in delight.
Tall and slender, willowy and flowing like a river, with pointy ears and deep blue eyes, accompanied by platinum blond hair. Perfect faces and mismatched faces; some awkward and gangly, some with over-exaggerated bone structure, some with a complexion too pallid, to the point of looking ill. For some, their large watery eyes just do not suit the rest of their face.
These faces dance and pulse in her mind, ever shifting and frantic, each fighting for their turn in her spotlight.
°??───???───??°
Kally jolted back into the world as quickly as she had left. Her headache was dull and her head thick.
She blinked and looked for the shadowy figure. He was closer now but must have stopped his approach when she dropped. At least she could surmise from this that his intent was not to harm. His stature was tall and his aura aloof, perhaps aided by the hood that was permanently lowered. Covered in darkness and shadow, she could only make out his chin and the underside of a mask covering his cheeks.
She could easily be mistaken though. She had only caught a glimpse of it.
A complicated feeling swelled within her and her toe; she could no longer distinguish whether her feelings were hers alone. With a puzzled look on her face, she rose and reached out.
“Who…?”
He turned and lowered his hood further, shifting his feet.
“You were not at the bar tonight.”
With that he left, leaving Kally with a simple question.
Who the purple was that?
°??───? Author’s Note ?───??°
Ah, the calm before the storm. A moment of quiet introspection, nostalgia, and some sibling bonding. But as always, the calm doesn’t last long. Kally’s strange connection with her toe continues to throw curveballs, and I’m sure that mysterious figure at the end isn’t going to make things easier….
(≧?≦)
What’s his deal? Who knows, but we’re in for some revelations ahead!
As always, feedback is welcome - whether it’s about Kally’s somewhat questionable life choices, her very vocal sister-toe, or that shadowy stranger who’s clearly up to something.
Don’t forget to leave a comment if you're feeling curious (or suspicious!).
(⊙_☉)
?? ! ~ I’m going to add a section below tracking the visions we encounter - check it out throughout the story to piece things together, or just remind yourself of what has happened so far! ~ ! ??
? Coming up - Chapter 6 title ?
°??───??The tragic day in which the sad doctor does not live up to his reputation ??───??°
?? Vision Watch ??
? A faraway land, with blue eyes and pale faces vying for attention (Chapter 5)
~ SK Payde
? ? ?
