“Daniel! Come here darling!” She called… I recall it crystal clear the day I lost my love. My name is, Daniel of Brennenberg. That damned, Alexander… He took her from me all for a bitter and cruel experiment. “What is it, Alice?” I asked as I stared down the stub of a stone built hallway. “I feel alone.” She replied. My expression turned dark. “Are you okay down there darling?” I asked with sympathy. She just stood there holding our baby child, Elizabeth in her arms facing the wall at the end of the hallway. “Honey… What are you doing with our child?” Her night gown blew in the wind that seeped through the walls. She turned around slowly as she pulled out a large hunting knife. “Don’t do it!” I begged. I shut my eyes tight with fear and waited for my little babies short sweet life to end right in front of me, but it never did. I cracked open my eyelids to realize that, Alice was looking at me dumbfounded look and giggled a little before cutting of a strand of my daughters hair. “She got a leaf stuck in her hair.”
I had a sigh of relief while, Alice plopped down little, Elizabeth on the ground and watched her crawl away. Alice started to giggle with such a cute expression on her face. At first I was surprised that she would be laughing at such a thing, but then a distant smile grew over my face which turned into a large grin as I started to rouse up a jolly laugh. When all the laughing finally stopped I yawned and told, Alice that I was headed for bed and it would be a good idea for her and, Elizabeth too.
I woke up beside my beauty of a wife and wrapped my arms around her body. “I have to head to town today my love.” I whispered into her ear. All that came back was a loud snort. I covered my mouth trying to hold in a giggle. I couldn’t stay long though because I needed to get bread on the table for tonight’s dinner. I hopped out of bed and got dressed in my usual clothes, a vest a dress shirt and some khakis. I brushed my deep black hair back with my fingers. The first thing I saw was the newspaper saying “1836 Post!” I simply brushed the paper aside and walked out into the sunshine towards the bread shop.
The sky seemed to grow darker as I walked towards the shop though. Suddenly rain started to fall and splash on my head. I took a deep sigh and started sprinting for the shop. The rain seemed to become harder and harder the closer I got to the shop. Once I finally made it there I was stopped by an old man just sitting there in the pouring rain. I stopped by him and told him “A man of your age shouldn’t be out here in this weather.” No reply. I reached into my vest pocket and pulled out a shining silver coin which glimmered in the drenching rain. “Here… Find a place to sleep okay?” This time he reached out a long narrow paled arm looked up at me with his stretched skin face and said “You’re different aren’t you?” A large grim smile grew on his pale old face. I tried to hide my disgust as I ignored him and walked inside the shop. Once I was done inside I walked out only to realize that the old man was no longer there. I thought he may have took my advice until I saw the dim light from the candles of the castle high up on the mountain were lit.
I returned home that night to find my wife at the dinner table waiting for me to come home. She sat there all alone, but when I entered the door I could see a large smile become a part of her face, but I just walked in and waved swiftly dragging water all over the wood floor. The next thing I knew, Alice suddenly jumped out of her chair stood about three inches from my face and… Well she smiled. I just let out a large sigh and tried to sidestep my way past her, but she wouldn’t let me. “Please not now, Alice.” I said. “She just kept smiling as she told me “I want you to smile.” I stopped trying to get past and replied saying “Why would I… I mean I did just get drenched.” She kept giving me that same happy expression as she continued on with “You should smile because… Well because why live if you don’t smile?” I froze in place. “I… I don’t know.” I replied. “Right!” She responded as I started to smile like I did the night before.
Alice and I sat down at the dinner table. “Where’s, Elizabeth… And where’s supper shouldn’t it be ready by now?” Alice’s facial expression suddenly changed from happy to sad… Almost depressed expression. “Elizabeth… Elizabeth is ill with a fever.” My face suddenly grew pale as a sad expression killed my joyful one… Until I realized that, Alice looked happy when I walked through the door even though, Elizabeth was ill. I grew angry, infuriated even as I stood up stiff and tall. “Alice.” Her name sounded bitter that night to me. “Y-yes dear?” She asked in an almost scared tone of voice. I took no hesitation in slapping her back and forth at least four times before running towards, Elizabeth’s room. There she lay. My sweet little daughter just lying there dying a slow painful death.
“My dear, Elizabeth… Were going to leave for a while okay honey.” I told her empathetically. “Why daddy? Is mommy okay? I heard a cracking noise from down the hallway.” I suddenly realized how hard I must have hit, Alice… But I didn’t care. “You’re mother… you’re mother may as well be dead to you okay?” She looked at me with a confused face. “O-okay daddy.” I picked up, Elizabeth tight and hugged her as tears rolled down my cold cheeks. I started to find my way to the door. I reached the kitchen and took one last look at, Alice’s face. She was just frozen there with her neck cracked to one side as she sobbed. I shut my eyes and turned for the door.
I walked out into the pouring rain without looking back… Until I heard a loud scream come from inside the house. “Alice!?” I yelled. I turned back on one heel and started to run. Without thinking I dropped little, Elizabeth on the cold hard wet brick walkway. “Alice!” I yelled over and over until I reached the inside of the house and made one final attempt at calling her name, but no respond came. I ran to the kitchen where she had been sitting. I noticed a knife had been stolen off of the kitchen counter and there were small traces of blood covering the floor leading to a broken window. I sprinted towards the window and screamed at the top of my lungs “Alice!” I must have screamed for hours before I finally calmed down and realized I had dropped, Elizabeth on the hard ground.
I dashed for the door outside only to find my poor little, Elizabeth lying there cold and lifeless. I covered my mouth with both hands to hold the contents of my stomach inside my body. I bent down and picked up little, Elizabeth’s wet cold body and rocked it back and forth singing her a lullaby. I sat there together with my adorable little, Elizabeth in the pouring heavy rain. I sat there for only minutes before I snapped back to reality, dropped, Elizabeth’s cold dead body, and looked up into the foggy cloud covered sky and screamed “Why… Why couldn’t it have been me!? I am not innocent! She was innocent… Take… Take me too!” And so… He did.
I’m so sorry, Alice… I’m so sorry I didn’t remember until now.