Chapter 5: An Imperceptible Cry

FABULOUS FREEWRITE IN THE ART OF STEPHEN KING: CHAPTER 5

"...I would search the guts of the earth for your remains and never come back until I found you.” Her mother thought Adele was just talking to the doll. Sarah, on the other hand, knew she was not.

With all the other “deads,” there was usually some kind of encouraging message she was able to pass onto a loved one. And the loved one was always right there, nearby--so the connection was easy to make.

This time, there was no loved one nearby. And the message was foggy. The best Adele could do was continue to speak to the doll.

“Sasha, I will find you. I will search the earth….”

For days, she combed the doll’s hair, dressed her, bathed her, played with her. She stayed indoors mostly, right near the curio.

Then one day, she decided to take the doll outside. She had primped a little pink bassinet with laced pillows and satin blankets. She wandered around the patio in the back yard, pushing the bassinet on its tiny wheels, singing softly to the doll.

“Shhhh. Stop crying, Sasha. Shhhh. It will be OK.”

Adele’s voice grew from a soft whisper to gruff one.

“Shhhhh! Sasha! You need to stop crying! Now!”

Adele gripped her hand over the doll’s mouth and squeezed until her whole arm shook. The doll stopped crying instantly. Adele thought she heard a sharp whimper from inside the house. She whipped her head around and fixed her attention toward the house.

Was it mother? Did she cut herself?

Adele left the bassinet and fled inside to see where the whimper had come from. Mother was sitting on the rocking chair in the living room embroidering a pillow with a pleasant, relaxed look on her face. She had been so pleased to see her daughter playing outside for a change.

Mother glanced up from her work, “Having a nice time outside, Adele? Would you like me to bring you some snacks out to you on a blanket so you can have a picnic on the grass?”

Adele had a very blank look on her face. It was as if all of the muscles in it had been frozen by a liquid tranquilizer. Her eyes had a look of steel. Her hair bounced delicately as she turned away slowly and softly marched into the dining room as she sorted out the orders she received from within the twisted roots of her mind.

She glanced carefully into the corner by the curio, and she heard the yelp again. This time it was almost imperceptible. She thought she saw the carpet bulge up in one spot for a brief moment.

“I have found you, Sasha! You are very close…...You are inside me! I have eaten you every day. I can feel you boiling inside my stomach as the acid eats away at your flesh.”

Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1