Then I heard coughing coming from inside the shack, and my heart just stopped right then. I was not alone. This might not be my doom after all. I strained to see through the darkness shrouding the inside of the shack, trying to figure if anyone was inside because I was honestly too terrified to go in and see for myself. When nothing came out, I was about to give up and declare my insanity. But, a figure emerged from the darkness, and I was awestruck. I stared at him at first, and then a small gasp escaped my lips. He looked so familiar and so strange all at once like I knew him, dreamed of him, and met him everyday, but, ironically, right now was the first time I have ever set an eye on him. Then he smiled, and I just forgot everything. I focused instead on his sapphire eyes that looked like it could launch a war at this moment of time and his thin lips that seemed fragile but could actually shoot shards of glass that could be the end of anyone who crossed them. I stood there, puzzled and confused, and just stared dumbly at him.
Noticing my overwhelmed state, he started to speak, “You’re here at last.”
I frowned at him, “What? What are you talking about? Do you know me?”
His eyes widened for a second and then realization dawned over him, “Oh. No, no, I don’t know you. I’m just glad someone is finally here to save me from this place. It has been so long.” He smiled, and my skin crawled at the sight of his pointy teeth. “Won’t you tell me your name?” He went on, trying desperately to keep the conversation going or to get me to close my gaping mouth, I don’t know for sure.
“Annabeth,” I stuttered, “I’m Annabeth. Just call me Beth.” I smiled nervously at him.
“I’m Gabriel.” He beamed and strode forward till he was practically in my face. “Let’s go!”
“Where?” I asked, thinking he was crazy. Maybe he spent so many years here that they have all caught up to him.
“To find out what happened to those people so we can get out of here.” He cheered as he took hold of my hand and made me walk with him.
“How do you know that as soon as we uncover that mystery, we are getting out?” I inquired as he dragged me forward to the place that everyone in town called “The Heart of the Beach”.
“A gut feeling.” I could feel him smirking even though I wasn’t looking at him, but I chose to let it go and focus on the task ahead. I would rather tolerate the presence of a mad person than to be stuck here till I go extinct.
But, after a while, I grew weary of walking and trying to put up with his motivational speeches about finding the secret to everything in the Heart.
“Ugh! The Heart is miles away, Gabriel! Can’t we start looking here instead? And then work our ways from here to the Heart.”
He spun around, looked me in the eye, and pinned me by the shoulders, and asked, “Do you want to get out of here or no?”
I couldn’t help but feel anger seeping out of his eyes, “Yes,” I started weakly and then stronger this time, “Yes, I do want to get out, but this isn’t the way. How do you know that the answer is in the Heart? It could be anywhere!” I yelled, throwing my arms up in frustration.
“Trust me, okay?” Gabriel said, his voice tinged with irritation. When I didn’t answer, He spun on his heels and continued walking.
“No, not okay, I won’t trust you! I don’t know you!”
He stopped in his tracks for a moment but, a second later, picked up his pace once more.
“Gabriel! Come back here! I’m not going with you!” I insisted.
He huffed, and, sooner than I thought was possible, he was right in front of me. “Fine. What do you want to know? You want to know why I think the answer is in the Heart? Well, guess what? Because it’s always in the Heart, Beth! Always!” He stormed.
“What do you mean by always?” I was truly lost at this point. I had no idea what he was referring to. “Does this happen often? Did anyone else try to help you?”
He looked at his feet for a few seconds and refused to meet my eyes. He looked like he was deeply thinking. But about what, I pondered. Then, he looked up and faced me, “Beth, forgive me, but you made me do this.”
And before I had the chance to register what he just said, I felt something colliding with my skull. It was a thud… then pain… darkness… more darkness… and then nothing at all.
*****
“Beth,” I felt a nudge in my side. “Beth, wake up.” My eyes fluttered, but I couldn’t fully open them. My head was throbbing, the pain unbearable. “Come on, you can do it. Just open your eyes.” I moaned at his voice. It was like his voice was needles poking the sides of my brain. I tried to open my eyes just to make him stop blabbering Beth, Beth, Beth.
His face was clouding my vision, obscuring the grey sky above. “Great, you’re awake.” He grinned down at me then stood up and lent me a helping hand. I took it. I tried to steady myself, trying to overcome the haziness clouding my vision.
“What was that, Gabriel? You don’t smash people’s skulls just because they disagree with you.” I hissed, trying to live with the pain that was residing in my skull.
He stood there, looking extremely uninterested in my words, and when he opened his mouth, his words enraged me, “You know you’re being dramatic, right? Your skull isn’t smashed. It is perfectly intact, am I right?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for my answer. “Am I right?”
“Stop fooling around, would you?” I scowled. “We’re at the Heart; show me what you’ve been so intent on discovering that you have nearly crushed my skull for.”
“Again, your skull is okay.” He said.
“How do you know? You might have given me a migraine!”
“Well, honey, you might not live to endure a migraine,” he mumbled.
“What was that?” I stared at him, my jaw dropping.
“Never mind. Listen, there’s something I want to show you. I found it when I came here; I was looking for something to wake you up, but I found this instead.” He moved to reveal a set of crates behind him. He pushed them aside to make me see what was at the back. It was a heap of limp bodies, and I had no doubt they were dead.
I moved to stand beside him and with my foot; I poked one of them, turning him so I could see his face. And I hope I didn’t. That face was the one I’ve grown up with, the face that told me it was okay several times and hugged my problems away. It was my father’s. I didn’t even realize I was screaming until I heard my loud shriek echoing in my ears, making my head throb more. I kneeled down beside each body, turning them so I could see who they were. And one by one, I turned them. And one by one, I screamed. My father, my mother, my brother, my sister, and even my sister’s husband were lying there in front of me with the life long drained out of them.
“No!” I cried. “This isn’t right.”
I sprinted to my feet and took hold of Gabriel’s arms, the tears in my eyes making me stumble. “This isn’t right! They were traveling! They called me yesterday! You don’t understand, Gabriel, they are not dead.”
As I started shaking him more, I noticed his features changing, his sapphire eyes turning hollow and wrinkles spreading on his face, crow feet growing on the sides of his eyes, and his hair turning grey.
“You’ve done it,” he said and his voice was now scratchy and old. He looked even older than my grandfather. “You’re crying. It’s good. Soon, it will all be over.” He smiled and the crow feet were more visible than before.
I shook my head, “What do you mean?”
“Crying isn’t allowed at the Heart, Beth. And I’ve been trapped here for sixty years because I cried. I was not allowed to age or die till I find a successor. I’ve been cursed, Beth, and you saved me.” He exclaimed. “You cried; your tears are setting me free and trapping you instead. You will be here till you find a successor of your own. Find him, Beth. And be careful, if the Heart doesn’t approve of it, you will still be stuck here. Elude the Heart and it will devour you.” He stopped to cough, and I took the chance to really look at his face. The face that awed me a while ago is the same one who is now old and dying in my arms. “Write the message you found when you come across the right successor and he’ll come to you just as you came to me.”
All of this was escalating too quickly and I wasn’t sure I understood what was going on. I tried to stop crying, but once the first tear flowed, the rest seemed to have followed unceasingly. Gabriel sank to his feet, coughing and sputtering. I sank down beside him and cradled him, tears still overflowing. I tried to think of anything to say, but he cut me off. “Your parents are not dead, Beth; I just needed something to make you cry.” I could feel the tears running more freely now. The silent crying had turned into sobs, and I began shaking uncontrollably. I wasn’t sure why I was crying. Was it because my family is alive, and I won’t be in a couple of minutes? Or was it because Gabriel had a connection with me? I was his successor, and the connection was being tethered. Maybe that was why I could feel this inexplicable heartache at seeing him go.
“Choose a successor, Beth. Choose him and meet me when you are done; I’ll be waiting for you.” And with that he was gone. I kissed his forehead, closed his eyes, and stood up, willing my tears to stop. But they didn’t. Gabriel was dead, but my parents were not. They weren’t!
I started to run with everything I got, with every ounce of energy I had in my body. All I could see was darkness, but I didn’t care. I had to get out of here; I didn’t want to be cursed. Not with them out there. I could see light. Finally! I was out. But it didn’t matter because I was already gone.
So I write to you in hopes you would forgive me for what I am about to do.
I still my hands as I hold the fountain pen and start to write, “To whoever finds this message, they erased us all. Please remember us.” I stare down at my cursive handwriting, waiting for it to dry and then I wrap the leaf and place it under the rock. Then I stay in the shack, waiting for my successor to come save me.
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