Bella

A dark twisted tale of a young woman who takes over her fathers toy shop and practices the dark art of puppetry. When she breaks a code set in place by all puppeteers she finds herself in cast out by forces from her past.

A heavy rain fell hard against the store front windows. People ran quickly to there cars as to avoid the heavy winds and hail.  A little girl sat alone beside the window and watched as everyone ran past. She held a Raggedy Anne doll in her right arm and a brush in the other. Her long black hair sat tangled and natty to one side. Her clothes were torn and a once solid white follower that hung in the center of her yellow dress now was covered in a dark red liquid. Behind the girl was the toy store her father owned. He was in the back working on a new project. He was talking with a man who went by the name Henry.  He watch as the little girl’s father read aloud from a black book that had been delivered just the night before. The book was always kept out of reach from the little girl. But never the less she tried with all her might to get to it. It called to her, visited her in her dreams. Henry tried to talk her father into getting rid of the book but it drove him mad. One day a man came and asked for the girl’s father. When her father came to the door the man placed a silver tablet in his hands and whispered into his ear. When the man left the little girl’s father became violent and started tearing down the shelves in the toy store. He turned then to the girl and grabbed her by the arms.

            “You listen to me and you listen good. Never break the code Bella, never break the code. We only pray on the weak and the evil you understand me Bella. A great man was doomed today Bella because he got greedy. He let his thirst drive him mad. He killed a child. A child Bella do you hear me. You must never kill a child and perform the acts upon them.” And with that he returned to the back and continued working on his new project.  A few years later Bella was left to the world alone when her father was taken away from her by a group called the council. She looked for him all over but all she ever found was disserted ritual tombs and grave yards. Her father was taken for violating one of the biggest codes. He had attempted to perform the acts on his own daughter after spending weeks reading from the black book. Henry had arrived just in time to prevent her father from cutting her throat. Her father was crazed and claimed that his daughter would one day grow to be a monster and destroy all that they knew. After the council disposed of Bella’s father and convinced her that she would never find him she became Henry’s apprentice and learned the art of Puppeteering. She vowed that one day she too would lay her hands on the book and figure out why her father had tried to kill her and what power could be gained from the life of a child.

                Her heart shaped lips pressed against the dark red apple. Juice ran down her chin as she chewed. Glancing down at her book, she laughed. The bell tower behind her rang, twelve times. The park bench beneath her was a dark brown with rusted black bars as its legs. The bench was placed here as a remembrance of Todd Wheeler. She closed her book and turned to the plaque hanging behind her. Her fingers traced the letters of Todd Wheelers name, “So sad that a man who made such a beautiful park could go missing,” she whispered.

            She took her attention back to the book and opened it to where she left off. As she turned the page, a wind came, knocking the apple from her hands. As it rolled towards the sewer drain she shouted, “S**t that was my last one”. After staring in the direction the apple had rolled for awhile, she went back to staring at her book. Her hair was black. It clung to her face as the wind moved through. She had dark green eyes and bright red lips. The sun glared off her newly tanned skin making it hard to look upon her.

The bell tower rang out again announcing it was half past noon. She closed the book and headed into town. She stopped outside of a bookstore not far from the park. The building was built in 1866 just after the Civil War. It was the first place she had visited when coming to Virginia. Its light blue shutters, hung from the red bricks. Everyday when coming upon these shutters she would stop and place a hand on them. She moved her hand up and down every part of their surface.  When she was finished she would kiss the outer edge of the shutters and walk into the store.

            “Bella it is so good to see you again. How did you like the book?” The man asked standing behind the counter. He wore an olive green turtle neck that had torn at the sleeves, a dark brown leather jacket with royal blue lines going down the shoulders, and a pair of jeans that faded near the knees. Beneath the jacket he wore a large name tag that read. Welcome To Willies. My name is Henry. Bella smiled and placed her copy of Catcher in the Rye on the counter.

            “I loved it Henry. The boy in this story makes me very sad. It would be horrible to be stuck between childhood and adulthood. But I enjoyed it. What else do you have for me?” Henry nodded and walked into the backroom. After five minutes Bella started to tap her fingers against her forearm. Another five minutes passed. She tried looking into the backroom but the counter kept her from it. Looking up at the clock, she let out a slight sigh. The door then came open and Henry approached the counter holding out a book.

            “Sorry it took me so long Bella, but it has been years since I last saw this book. I forgot where I had put it.” He placed the book on the counter and moved back.

The cover had cob webs on it from being in storage and the pages dulled from the lack of light. She opened it glancing at the pages beneath her fingers. A grin met her face as she turned to a page with large black letters. Placing a ten dollar bill in Henry’s hand she turned and left the store.

            “Don’t be so sure that you fully understand the contents of this book Bella.” She stopped at the door and turn to face Henry.

             “What do you mean? It was you who taught me the secrets. As I remember it Henry you were the one who found me and took me in as your apprentice.”

              He froze for nearly a minute before speaking. “Yes Bella, I was the one who taught you everything you know. But I no longer practice what I taught you. And besides that book is no toy. Its contents have more meaning than either you or I could possibly hope to understand.”

            Bella started to dig her nails into her hand. When the warmth of her began running down her finger she stopped. “Henry I fully understand the dangers of this book. I have been doing this for along time and if I can recall I’m much better at it than you ever were.” She hissed. Henry’s face grew a light red as he leaped over the counter and rushed Bella. He stopped inches from her face and took her by the arms.

            “You listen and you listen good Bella. If the council finds out that you are practicing the arts of this book and that I gave it to you, then you can forget about all your talent and glory. Because when the council’s done with you, you will be nothing more than another book on my shelf.”  She wiggled herself free and marched out of the store.

              When she arrived home there was a stack of mail sitting outside of her apartment. She picked it up and placed her keys in the lock. Entering the room, she walked over a large red stain that covered most the carpet. Lying on the carpet was a box filled with needles and screws. Beside it there were hand saws, plastic sheets, a hammer, and a stack of folded towels.  She threw down the mail on her kitchen table and went into the room that connected to it. Putting her hair up in a pony tail, she took her legs out of her pants and kicked them into the corner. Her hands went over her head as she took off her white tank top and light brown bra. Large breasts sat firmly beneath her shoulders. The lining of her stomach was ripped from hours of crunches. As she knelt slightly to remove her silky black thong a noise came from her closet.

            “Jesus!” she shouted as she opened the closet door. “Why must the little one squeal so? Like a little piggy begging for its mommy to save it. Silence you filthy disgusting b***h.” As she yelled she drove her hands violently into the far corner of the closet. As her blows slowed and her yelling quieted the soft squealing stopped.   She pulled a young child from the closet and dragged it into the living room leaving a long line of smeared blood behind her. When she reached the large red stain she released the child and recovered her book.

            “Why most I fear that which I was made to do? I deserve to practice the talents god has bestowed upon me. But what if Henry is right and I mess up. The council surely couldn’t know of such things. No one has seen or heard from them in over fifty years. No, I was made to do this and so I shall.”  Turning the pages quickly she stopped on the page with the large black letters. She read from it and grabbed the hammer. When it fell upon the child’s face it made a cracking sound. Blood rushed down the cheeks of the child as Bella’s fingers dug into her skull. Her bare back arched and her spine appeared slightly. Reaching into the box, she grabbed a needle and worked on the child’s eyes. She laughed aloud as she gnawed at the girls fingers, taking the flesh from it. When the fingers were bare and her face was sunk Bella took up the hand saw and removed the child’s left arm. She worked for hours before retreating to her room where she climbed into bed. A man sat there wide eyed and still. A name was carved into his chest. She placed her hand over the letters on his chest and grinned.

            “Hello Todd. I visited your park today. What’s that? I’m sorry Todd I can’t understand you” He did not move as her hand fell upon his lap groping the entirety of his manhood. Still nothing, when she climbed on his lab and moved slowly up and down. Her long legs wrapped around the man tightly. Her lips curled as her hips swayed back and fourth. He remained still. She touched her breasts squeezing them and rubbing her hardened n*****s. A single strand of sweat ran down her back. She clung onto him as the movement became more violent. Fast powerful thrusts made the bed shake as her hair moved freely on her back. She moved like this for sometime before digging her nails into his eyes and letting out a scream. “YESSSS!” she fell silent then and rolled over beneath the sheets and went to sleep. A noise came from the living room awaking Bella from her sleep. She froze, listening for the noise to come again. A child’s laughter came from the other room. Bella began to sweat and she calmly crawled out of bed. The lights were all out and the moon’s light only slightly brightened the apartment. Her chest began to rise and fall quickly as she stepped into the kitchen. Her knifes had gone missing and the floor was coated in a thick red liquid. Again the laughter came only this time from behind her. She turned slowly to see that the child’s body had moved. Small hand prints followed by a long smear led into the bathroom on the far side of the living room.

            “Ok Henry not funny! Come on out I get your point now” she cried aloud. There was no response, just the sound of the bathtub filling. She took a hammer from the counter and crept quietly towards the bathroom. The light turned on suddenly as the door was forced open. Bella stopped and fell backwards over the tool box. Her head hit hard against the floor. She fought to get to her feet but paused when she saw a hand grab the side of the tub. It boney fingers slid to the floor as a mutated body followed. Its dark hollow eyes glared at Bella. She tried to get to her feet but collapsed when the body began crawling towards her.

            “What the hell do you want? I followed the codes, this shouldn’t be happening” she cried. Her hands shook violently as she got to her feet and ran to the bed room. There was a hard knocking against the floor as the body advanced after her. As she reached her room, she was hit by a powerful force that sent her backwards on the floor. Todd’s body had been hung by the arms from her doorway blocking her entrance. His head cocked from one side to the other. A grin met his face and he began to laugh. She panicked and backed up far into the corner of the room. She closed her eyes and began to pray, even when the bony fingers worked their way up her arms.            

            “You think you’re so pretty. Henry warned you about the book, and yet you chose to ignore him. A law you have broken Bella, one that can not be undone. Your selfish acts have left a hole in the code. Now we all must suffer your fate. From this day forth Bella you are no longer one of us. Your creations shall grant you no joy, nor shall they continue under your control. You are alone now.” The child’s body spoke and became lifeless again before her.  Bella cried herself to sleep that night, alone and in darkness.    

            She awoke the next day to Henry tapping her on the shoulder. “Bella what happened here?” She rose quickly and ran past him into the living room.  The stains had disappeared and the body of the little girl was no longer there. She then turned and ran into the bedroom but Todd was no where in sight. She dropped to the floor holding her head and screamed.

            “Bella answer me! What happened here? Where’s the book?” Henry demanded. She took her hands from her head and looked up at him.

            “Henry I broke a code. The council visited me last night. Only they weren’t them. They had taken over my creations and cast me from the circle. I feel so cold Henry, so, so cold.” He placed a hand around Bella and knelt down beside her. His ageing hands held her close until she stopped crying.

            “Bella, I need to know where the book is. Can you think where you last put it? Did the council take the book?” he asked. She grew silent and got up. She dressed herself and took Henry by the arm. They walked for hours before arriving at a cemetery. The old Iron gates still stood. A No Trespassing sign hung over the entrance of the gate. Graffiti had cover most of it. When Bella went to enter Henry pulled her back.

            “Are you mad Bella? We can’t enter here, the council has forbidden it!” She glared deep into his eyes and whispered in a deep scratchy voice. “It is what I makes it” she said and pulled herself free. As they entered the cemetery the wind began to pick up. The graves moved beneath them as the approached a grave marked “Keu`no”.

            “I can’t believe it. How did you know Keu1no’s grave was here? The council has been looking for this for over a thousand years.” Henry shouted. But Bella did not answer; she simply dropped to her knees and began digging with her hands. Henry joined her shortly after and together they dug until they reached the tomb. The wooden crate was moldy and had begun to rot. The iron bars that held the tomb together had rusted so much a simple flick would shatter them. Bella grinned widely and opened the crate. As the crate door came past her head a loud screech came from the tomb. Inside keu`no’s body was whole. His long stiff chin stood erect displaying his strong figure. The scars from the years still fresh and moist from when he first passed. Henry sat glaring at the body of the first. When he went to touch Keu`no’s arm, the corpse sprang from its tomb and Bella with it. Henry was left alone and blinded.

            “You dare disturb me Bella. Why have you come to this forbidden place” Keu`no asked. She kissed his cheek and placed both hands atop his heart. “The council has banned me. They say I can no longer create what it was I was made to create. I need your forgiveness Keu`no so that I may continue my work.” He smiled at Bella and lowered back to the ground. “You know what you ask Bella. Forgiveness from me will only end in despair.” She looked away from him for a moment and then nodded. He drew from his belt a blade with ancient markings on it. With the blade he cut out his heart and fed it to Bella. When she was done consuming the heart her eyes turned pitched black and her blood ran cold.

            The next day Bella entered her toy shop at fifty second and Charleston with a new item she had just made the night before. She placed the doll near the window so that passerby’s could see her new invention.  Moving to the back of the store she returned with a FOR SALE sign written in large black letters and hung it up near the front window. She smiled and moved her hands through the dolls hair. “It is what I makes it” she said and opened the front door where a women stood with her daughter and greeted them.

Pointing at the newly made doll the child jumped and tugged on her mother’s coat. “Mommy, mommy, I want her. Isn’t she beautiful?” the little girl said. Her mother smiled and told her daughter to bring it to the counter. As the girl approached the doll she stopped and with a loud cry she ran to it and hugged it. “Doesn’t it look like Emily mother, maybe we can give this to her parents until they find her” The mother took a closer look at the doll and turned to Bella.

 “Her friend Emily went missing two days ago. We’ve been placing posters up all over town.” Bella smiled and took the doll to wrap it. Placing the doll into the bright yellow wrapping paper and finishing it with a bow she looked up at the mother. “Well then I guess I’ll give you a discount since it’s for a good cause”. The mothered thanked her and left the store with her daughter and the doll. Bella watched the two walk down the street until they turned the corner. “It is what I makes it” she said and welcomed the next customer.                                       

 

 

Author's Note

Grammar may be an issue. I want to know how the story flows and if anyone may have some suggestions.

Reviews

[deeps]

I like it the way it is I wouldn't change anything.It has wonderful detail in it and vivid imagery as well.
I like it alot. I just didn't get this part here "grave marked "Keu`no". I guess it's the words. I don't know what they say that is all. I thought this was an enjoyable read the way it is. I wouldn't change anything.

[WriterSki7]

Hahaha, there's a dark tale and no mistake. Well written and well thought of, though you've yet to master how to refine the story so it flows. Interesting how you keep moving between characters with each new chapter . . .

Sometimes we all need a little darkness
To help us see the light.

[Jujubee_:]]

It definitely makes you wanna read more. I love it! don't you dare change anything. Though i thought it was sickening how she could do that to a poor child. I have been there. But other than that I absolutely think its a great write!

[Hello, Goodbye]

I love dark tales.. this was solid.. and Keu'no = name? or did I miss something (im ref. kitkat..)



But really it was great.. ill continue reading..