GoT Poems and Stories

11. A heartbroken twenty-something flips through old photos

11. As a heartbroken twenty-something flips through old photos on her phone, she finds herself reliving each one and realizes each image isn't quite as idealistic as she thought. As a matter of fact, some of the photos hides scary details.

Stella pulled out her shoebox of old photos and made herself comfortable on the bed. Drawing a big sigh of here goes nothing, she opened it up. There on top of the photo was her mother holding her as a baby. "I was so cubby!" she giggled. Looking closer, she couldn't believe her eyes. Behind her mother was a shadowy figure that resembled the devil. She squinted, yes, that's what it looked like, but why?

She threw the picture on the bed, and looked at the next one of her brother and her playing with toys, and there is the background was the same shadow. What is going on? Stella was afraid to look at the next picture, knowing in her mind her family was somehow involved with evil doings, so much so that the devil showed up for each happy event. But if it was her parent's doing these deeds, why was he standing behind me and Harold.

Not sure if she wanted to continue, her curiosity got the better of her, and she looked at the next picture in line. Her Grandmother Mary and me, rocking together in her rocking chair, as she told me the happiest tales of her youth. I forced my eyes to look beyond the picture, and there was the same shadow. Stella hand shook with fear, wondering if all their souls were sold to the devil. He sure was watching over us.

We always went to church, I attended Sunday school, loved all the bible storied, Grandpa Benjamin would read us bible passages every Sunday before our meal. I always felt so blessed. Now I find all our pictures has the mark of the devil on them.

I looked down at the next picture and saw our family stand in front of a grave, bowing our heads in prayer as the minister said some beautiful words over Great Grandmother Tia's grave. I never got to know her well, I was only six in this picture. She always scared me, she resembled a witch, right down to the wart on her nose. Her house smelled funny, like something died in there. I looked closer, and there was a man in the background, who seemed to be watching us. He had his hood up, but his eyes looked funny. It must be how the picture was taken, or else he looked more alien than human. At least there wasn't any shadowy devil in the background.

I guess a person never knows who or what nationalities are in their family roots, but let it not be what these pictures are showing me. I looked down at the next picture, it was me and my dog Willow. He was a beautiful black Lab, his coat shone in the sunlight, and he became my best friend throughout my growing up days. I cried a river when he died from old age. Just for curiosity sake, I checked out the background, and there were no shadowy devil standing there. "Good!" I felt better.

The next picture showed me with best friend, Nancy, my friend in kindergarten on. We did everything together, but she had to move where she married Darrin, where his job was. I felt so devastated, but happy for her at the same time. We talk on the phone, but it just isn't the same.

I picked up the next photo showing me and my prom date, Gregg, who was so handsome. We dated for a long while through high school, but when he went off to college in California, we drifted after that, and I heard he found someone else. Such is my sad little life, I go to work, come home and look at photos. "Whoopee!"

I climbed off my bed, taking the shoebox with me, and went into the kitchen to start the coffee. I need coffee to perk me up, "I feel so tired all the time. Why is that?" I mumbled to myself.

I waited for the coffee to perk before I went back to looking at the old photos. I watch my neighbor’s kids at play, and wished I could find someone to marry. I would love to have kids like Mandy and Travis. They were some great kids, so energetic. I needed to bottle some of that up.

I poured my cup of coffee, and sat down at my kitchen table. I reopened the shoebox, and picked up a photo of me playing in the field of wildflowers. I looked so carefree, my black lab running and jumping with me as he caught the Frisbee I threw. He never did like to bring it back though, and I had to chase him down, but he was too fast. I took a closer look, hoping I would see a devilish shadow in the background. "What the ...!"

There it is, in the background watch me, lurking in the shadows. "The shadow lurking in the shadows." I gave a cynical laugh. "It's almost like sell your soul to the devil or something.
Wha..? Could that be it?"

I looked at the other pictures, checking to see if there were shadows in the background. They were always in my younger pictures, and in none of the other with my brother, or my dad. It was just when I'm there. "I know I didn't sell my soul to the devil, so who did? Who sold their soul, or, as a matter of fact, my soul?" I whispered to no one in particular. "I'm alone, maybe on my way to being an old maid."

"Wow, stop thinking on those terms, you're scaring yourself, and worse yet, you're talking to yourself."

I picked up the last picture with shaking hands, and there was that witch-like Great Grandma Tia, holding me as a baby, stirring a black pot. The picture came to life, and I was pulled from my kitchen into that horrible smelling home. All my dead relatives were alive, chanting something horrible that I couldn't understand.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I screamed. "You're supposed to love me, I'm from your blood."

"No, you're not, you were taken from a family in Florida, and brought up as one of us. Your Grandma Tia sold your soul a long time ago, when you were just a few weeks old. It's time for you to pay that due."

"Well, that doesn't sound fair!" I cried. "How can someone else sell my soul if I'm not part of you. I challenged all your souls ... "Take them, devil, take them all to hell, you bunch of ingrates!" I screamed out with all my might.

A whirlwind of dynamic force cleaned the room of evil, and left me standing alone, in my own kitchen. Still dizzy from this experience, I knew I had to find out more on who my mother and father really was. Mom has a lot of explaining to do on why she let this happen to a little baby.

"Hey, I wonder if my name is really Stella." I said, taking out my phone. "Now is just as good a time as any to start my new life." Felling more energetic than ever, I dialed my mom’s number ...


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