章 24: Chapter 17: Red Full Moon
"Bianca Dearest,
First of all, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for taking good care of me.
My apologies for not being man enough to say these words in person.
An unfortunate and unexplainable mystery is happening to me. You are right. Something in me isn't well. And I wish to not involve you and Antoine with this anymore. Allow me to manage this on my own.
Last night, while I washed the dishes, I heard your heartbeat.
I looked at you and Antoine. While you were busy writing in a journal, he secretly glanced at you with so much care. It seemed like he knew you a long time ago.
Your heartbeat sounded so calm with him.
How I wish I can make you feel the same way with me.
Now, I thought.
What if we met years before?
Will you still remember me?
Could I have made you feel loved and safe?
Impossible.
I made a very bad impression on you since Day One.
I am not worthy to be a part of your memory.
Antoine is a good man.
He may be a little silly but expect him to be faithful, thoughtful and responsible.
I am confident that he will take good care of you.
Until we meet again.
Sincerely yours,
Mariano
P.S.
Oh, well.
If Antoine makes you cry, I'd be very glad to simply snatch you away from him.
Call my name and I will come to you.
Summon me, my love."
I folded the letter back. Tears brimmed from my eyes and grief struck my heart. I do not know why but I felt really sad upon learning that he left me.
Early in the morning, I found this piece of paper in my room. Mariano simply slipped it below my door.
He did not want to say "goodbye" to me personally.
Admittedly, I might not be able to take it he did say it in front of me. His cheerful presence made my stay in this fiction world more bearable and it may be selfish to say but I want him by my side.
Antoine is doing his best to please me but for some reason, he seemed to restrain revealing so much information to me. He would listen a lot to me but when it is my turn to ask him about his life, he would answer in just a few words.
Most of the time, I could not understand him. He would not open up his thoughts to me.
Night time came.
As I was about to close the window, the moon caught my attention. It was red and had the illusion of looking larger than its normal size.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Antoine spoke from behind me.
"Yaiiks!" I blurted out. "Have you been watching it too? Since when?"
"Yes. I've been here ten minutes ago."
This man had a bad habit of popping out unexpectedly and unnoticeably. I should add that as one of his exceptional talents.
"Are you familiar with photography? It is like an exact portrait of the subject you want using a box-like apparatus." I inquired as I knew that taking pictures was not yet rampant during his time.
"It sounds like...daguerreotype..." he answered.
"You got it right!" I praised his knowledge about this great invention that paved the way for the modern cameras. "In my world we could easily take a snap of that moon so quickly and have the image with us forever."
"That looks nice." his eyes widened in awe.
"Yes. If you only knew about social media. We have lots of pictures out there. People are so vain! I must say that when they get their selfies, all angles is a must!" I narrated with a laugh. "By the way, do you know that cat images are bestsellers?"
"I can tell. Cats are beautiful animals."
"You bet!" I highly agreed.
"Do you miss your world?" he began to ask.
"Of course." I mindlessly replied.
"Would you like to go back?"
"If I could, why not?"
He nodded and looked away. From the way he reacted, he seemed to be displeased yet still managed to inquire me so calmly.
"When you do, would you still write about me?"
I held both of his shoulders and made him face me. He kept his head bowed, as if he hid not want me to see his emotion.
But his eyes could not lie.
He feels really sad.
"Yes. But I would have to edit out the humiliating parts, like that scene when a young female servant stalked you in the bathroom. If I were there, I would have drowned her in the tub.." I told him candidly with a giggle to make his mood shift into a more jovial one.
"How? How did you also know that?" he uttered anxiously. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and tried to regain his composure.
"I dreamed about it. Everything I've written about you is from my dreams." I admitted to him.
"Dreams." he whispered. "What else do you remember from your dreams that you are planning to write?" He was curious to know.
"Ah. Do I have to tell you? Seriously?"
"Yes, please."
"I think..." I started.
"You think..." his lips remained parted as he waited for my narration.
"I think..." I blushed. "Don't be mad."
"Go on, tell me." he encouraged more.
"I would have to write the part when you emerged out from the bathtub! Holy cow! That scene would be a lot of money and I will be a very rich girl! I'm really thinking about the illustrated version of your story. A lot of the female readers are asking for it anyway! As soon as I come back I will tell the publishing..."
"That's not the part I'm expecting, Bianca." he interrupted with so much embarrassment visible in his face. "Please don't do that to me."
I laughed so hard that I could barely continue.
"I...I...pfft...hee...hee...uhmm...hahaha! I love my readers so...much, Antoine. It is my duty to give to them every detail!"
"Miss Author, you're so cruel. What did I do wrong?"
"Oh! Just kidding. Come on. I was just cheering you up! You were so gloomy a while ago!" I gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Of course, I will always remember that you're a good man. That is why I am so proud of you."
"For real?"
"Yes!" I assured him.
He looked at me in such a way that he had never done before. He moved closer to me and stroked my hair.
"What am I going to do without you?" he told me so sweetly.
"Eh...would you like me to write about Brunette instead?" I inquired as I was already sensing awkwardness building up between us.
He gave me the most charming smile.
"That would be very embarrassing."
"Your smile is one of your wonderful assets, Antoine. How I wish I could see you like that all the time. Sometimes you would look so sad but I do not know why. You're a bit hard to read..."
I felt his intense stare on me. He seemed to be the one trying to read my words and actions.
"You give me the shivers whenever you look at me like that. It's like you are reading my mind. OH MY GOD!" I shrieked. "Can you read minds? I didn't know you can do that?"
I did not want anyone to know what was inside my mind!
Heavens forbid!
My heart started to palpitate so badly that I was ready to faint if Antoine confirms that he could really read my thoughts.
"Not at all. I know, I'm weird. Don't mind me. I'm sorry." he assured me.
"You always say "I'm sorry" to me."
"I'm sorry about that, Miss Author."
"See? That's what I'm talking about."
"Bianca, tell me, honestly...what could have been...if I were real to you?"
"I would boss you around like my best friend Anthony." I replied in a whim.
"Anthony." he whispered. There was a hint of recognition in his voice. "Who is he to you?"
"He's my best buddy. But he's gone. I must say that 80% of him is the basis for your character."
"Did he treat you right?"
"Yes. He's really nice. Never failed to make me laugh because of his silliness and clueless remarks. He's a bit gullible as he would do anything I say. Such a pretty boy, what a waste!"
"He sounds like a silly boy to me." he agreed with a laugh.
"He is!"
Then, a cool breeze passed us by, making me shudder and hold on to my shawl.
"I think it's a bit late. Let's continue this pleasant conversation tomorrow, alright?" I closed the window and took another glimpse of the moon.
It was bloody red.
As I was about to leave him, he held my hand so quickly. I was surprised by his sudden and unusual action. He was about to say something more yet hesitated.
"Goodnight." he said softly as he let me go.
"Same to you." I answered. I proceeded to my room and tried to sleep.
At about twelve o'clock, the clock from the living room made an eerie alarm that annoys me everytime I hear it. Antoine's family have a penchant for antique clocks that give bone-chilling sounds comparable to a zombie's moan.
Then, I heard a knock.
I grudgingly stood up and peered through the door.
"Yes?" I responded with a yawn
"Dress up, I'm going to show you something."
"This late?"
"Yes." he said in a very serious tone.
"Just a minute. Let me dress up."
As soon as I opened the door, he took my hand and ran, taking me along with me.
"Hey, slow down." I complained. "I'm stepping on my skirt!"
"It's now or never."
We stood in the backyard. He lighted about a dozen of candles.
"Stand there, don't move." he firmly instructed me while surrounding me with black candles.
"What are you doing? I do hope you'll not offer me like a sacrifice or something like that. That moon creeps me out, by the way." I pointed at the dark sky, illuminated by a crimson orb.
He recited in Latin.
Red light emanated from where I stood. It felt like it was about to burn me whole.
"Antoine? What are you doing?"
"Lumen de lumine, restitui egressus*..."
(Light of Light, return to where you came from.)
I tried to escape but fire emerged from the circle, trapping me.
"You're hurting me!" I screamed in pain as the heat seared through my flesh. "Stop it! Why are you doing this to me?"
Instead of answering, he turned his back and continued with the ritual.
I curled up on the ground and cried silently. Delirious with the pain, I found myself calling for a name.
I was summoning for him to come.
"Anthony, come to me." I whispered helplessly.
Antoine stopped. He was quick to face me. He winced in pain and held his chest as if it was pierced it with a dagger. Instead of shock, I saw so much relief and bliss in his eyes.
The red light that burned my skin turned to white. A strong wind extinguished the fire from the candles. Soon, my skin returned to its normal state. I tried to stand up but failed to do so as I was too weak.
Antoine rushed to assist me.
"I am so sorry."
"Stay away!" I pushed his hand away and screamed. "You hurt me! I hate you so!"
He kneeled beside me and even though I struggled to be freed, he embraced me tightly.
"I'm really sorry. Please understand. The truth is, I was just about to return you to your world and time. This red moon phenomenon is your only chance. I'm very sad to let you know that you just blew it away with a summon."
I sobbed and hit his chest with my fist.
"Why didn't you tell me that was your plan?"
"I...I want you to have a normal life without me. I thought that it is better for you to remember me this way, just like one of the characters in your story. You don't deserve this kind of life with me. It will be better if you just forget about me."
"What else do I have to know? I do not understand. Stop keeping secrets from me."
"Bianca, I am not a fictional character."
He took my hand and placed it on his chest.
I felt his heartbeat.
"Do you still remember the time when you first summoned me? I fervently hope you have not forgotten. We were about eight then. As you cannot pronounce my French name rightly, you preferred to call me Anthony instead."
I could not believe his words. My mind was a mess and I can remember nothing from what he is telling me.
"One early morning, at sunrise, you summoned me by saying, "Anthony, come to me."
He smiled wistfully.
"So I came to you."
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