Peripheral Vision: A Supernatural Thriller(49)

Joan and Elizabeth remained friends over the years as Sarah grew up in California. The two would exchange letters, and Joan would continually send pictures and updates of Lizzy's niece. In many of the early letters, Joan would try repeatedly to convince Elizabeth to come and visit, but it was to no avail, and eventually she stopped. Lizzy had made up her mind about the curse. To her, it was as true as the sun rising in the morning sky, and she didn't want to risk the wellbeing of her little niece all for the selfish needs of an old woman. This, she tried to explain once in a letter to Joan, but Sarah's Godmother just thought it silly and never took the time to understand. Elizabeth still kept and updated her photograph timeline, however, and never took down the one of little Sarah on the red trike. In fact, at some point she had it framed and hung it in her bedroom hallway. It was nice to see the smiling face and the twinkling eye when she got out of bed in the morning.

In 1990, the thirst returned. In the shadowed years immediately following the fatal car wreck, Elizabeth became more and more of a shut-in. She sold the last of the family's remaining cattle and her beloved horses were the next to go. She just no longer had the funds to keep them fed. It broke her heart to say goodbye, but the choices at that point were very limited.

It was the day Lizzy was saying her last goodbyes to Misty, her favorite horse, that a sharp pain arose from her belly. The pain was distantly familiar and so was the feeling that followed. A feeling of being pulled towards the twisting river. Chills ran up and down her spine as she made her way from the old barn, past the chicken coop, and machine shed, to the edge of the Iktomi. The grass and weeds grew tall along the riverbank, some stood even as tall as Elizabeth herself. She felt a strong need to get in the water. To let it run through her hair and over her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd swam or even waded into the cool river. As she pushed through the tall grass, shooing the annoying gnats away from her face, she heard something and stopped. There was someone out there. Two some ones, from the sound of it and much to her dismay, they were laughing. They sound happy, she thought. She continued to move through the grass, but now she found herself moving slowly, softly, and deliberately. She crouched, which reminded her of the many games of hide-and-go-seek, she and the twins had played along the river so many years ago.

Elizabeth was still well hidden in the tall weeds when she was finally close enough to see the intruders. Yes, intruders is the right word. She peered out from behind the grass, only one eye clearly visible, as a shirtless young man with shoulder length curly hair splashed backwards into the river. A half naked, young blond woman giggled as she watched the young man. Her eyes were smiling. She loves him, Lizzy thought. From her hiding place she watched as the two embraced under the afternoon's warm sun. The cool waters slipped between the wet bodies as they pressed closer and closer together. All at once Lizzy's head began to spin. She was too warm. The pain in her belly had now moved up her body to her temples. It was a throbbing, incessant pain. She brought her left hand up to her head to try and ease some of the pressure and was shocked at what she saw when her hand passed in front of her eyes. There in her hand, beneath her early arthritis suffering fingers and gnarled knuckles was a knife. It sparkled in the sunlight. Looking at the sharp pointed tip made her head throb even harder, but she couldn't look away. She turned the sharp knife in her hand. It flashed as it caught the sunlight....it’s beautiful, she thought.

It was the laughing that finally brought her back. The damn laughing. The half naked couple was making their way out of the river and onto the grassy bank. The grass seemed to be shorter there or maybe it was just already pushed down, as Elizabeth noticed the two large backpacks and towels that marked the area. Carpetbaggers, she thought. The man lowered the young woman down onto half of one of the towels and positioned himself on top of her. Her arms wrapped around the back of his head and pulled him closer, as their lips passionately locked and they practiced inhaling and exhaling for each other. What happened next seemed more like a dream to Lizzy than anything else. She pushed her way through the grass and slowly, softly walked towards the entangled, naked bodies. The knife again sparkled in the bright afternoon sun. She was surprised at how quick and quiet she was. It was almost as if she was floating. They never saw her coming.

“It's okay,” Elizabeth said as she seamlessly moved the blade across the young man's bare throat. The blood seemed to pour everywhere and he kept making a gasping, gurgling sound that sounded to Lizzy like Donald Duck. The thought made her smile. The young naked woman screamed as the blood poured over her face. Elizabeth was quick to put an end to that noise as well. The sharp point of the knife leapt out and pierced the woman in the side of her neck. Blood erupted from the wound, soaking the towel beneath her. At this point, the man had stopped gasping and gurgling. He lay still on the flattened green grass. The woman, however gasped for quite some time. Elizabeth sat down behind the girl and wrapped her arms around her. It was comforting for them both. A smile was forming on Lizzy's face. A huge, teeth showing smile… it made her laugh out loud.

“Why am I smiling?” she asked the afternoon air, and then her lips were pressed against the woman's neck. The wound continued to pump out the blood, but now it was no longer saturating the towel beneath her, but instead quenching a thirst. Elizabeth drank and drank. The feeling of power was indescribable. The warmth inside of her grew with each drink, each swallow of her medicine. Yes, “medicine,” that's the right word for it, she thought.