The Other Side Intro

The Other Side


Introduction

The sky was clear, the sun shone brightly through the window to where Jessabel Strength and her son, Mechal, were baking a peach pie. The day had started beautifully and Jessabel could not understand why she felt a dark cloud hanging over her. This day was no different from other days when her husband, Braydon was out with the exception that it was that much darker. And with each passing moment Jessabel’s heart grew heavier.

Mechal sensing the approach of his father coming toward the house; turned to race over and open the door. Suddenly Jessabel turned towards Mechal and lifted a slender knife no wider than the pinkie finger of her three-year-old son. As Mechal started to open the door, Jessabel lunged cutting Mechal’s face from the corner of his right eye down to just below the jaw line.

As Jessabel raised her hand to bring down the knife upon Mechal again, Braydon pushed the door wide and caught her wrist with a large powerful hand while scooping Mechal up and out of harms way. As Braydon set Mechal down and turned to grab hold of Jessabel, the cloud that had seemed to shroud Jessabel’s sight faded. Shaking, realization dawned upon her as to the awful deed she had just committed. Braydon guided Jessabel to a chair as she stared dumbfounded at him.

“I will take Mechal over to Riva’s until we get this sorted out. Please just sit and wait for me here. I shall not be long.”

The moment Braydon closed the door behind him Jessabel broke down into tears.

“I nearly killed my son! Please, oh please forgive me! I cannot allow this to ever happen again! Please my darling husband, make our son understand that this is for the best!”

With the realization and guilt of what she had done Jessabel lifted the knife that she had used on Mechal, Jessabel drove it into her heart.

When Braydon returned home and found Jessabel, he swore to discover the cause behind Jessabel’s pain. Never had the thought crossed his mind as to anyone taking his or her own life, for it had never happened in the history of Earline.

As night set in and Braydon prepared the funeral tier, Riva returned with Mechal to say farewell to his mother. Carefully lighting the tier, Braydon lifted Mechal to him. Raising his right hand Braydon pointed to an empty spot in the night sky.

“Your mother’s soul will rest there, Mechal. Every night you may look upon it and know that she loved you and that I shall not rest until this evil deed has been uncovered. Every year when this day comes the star will burn brighter for three days, the day before, the day of and the day after as a reminder to all that we love your mother and she loved us. The star is to give hope that there is something better and that who is behind this shall not prevail.”