“Missing?” Anon asked in disbelief
“Yes.” the officer replied “We’re currently looking for her as we speak but have yet to turn up anything.”
Just then Anon caught a glimpse of his two little ones.
“Come here girls.” he ordered
Aria and Adagio both ran up by his side
“How did you find this out, sir?”
“We got an anonymous tip from someone saying that they saw a girl walking away from the school that matched your daughter’s description. We checked the security feeds and sure enough it was Sonata Mouse.”
“What did the feed show?”
“From what I saw, it seemed that Sonata was being called to the edge by someone who was in the camera’s blind spot. Nobody that was there during the time seemed to have gotten a look at the perpetrator either.”
Anon felt sick to his stomach. You didn’t need to be a genius to figure out what would be calling a seven year-old girl to the edge of a schoolyard out of view of the cameras. It took everything he had to keep his composure.
“Well if you find anything let me know.” he said “Should we be looking for her too?”
“No, that won’t be necessary. And when we find something you will be the first to know. Good day to you.”
Anon and the officer shake hands and he leaves. Anon is speechless and on the verge of tears. Adagio is just as worried. Her thoughts drifted and she felt sick to her stomach thinking that the last words to her little sister were screams. Aria slinks to the floor and grabs her hair.
“We’re going to find her right, Dad?” Adagio says
She’s shaking now, the poor thing.
“Of course we are, Dagi. You all are sisters. You’re inseparable.”
But this time Anon wasn’t so sure. He couldn’t believe he let this happen. Truly he had the worst of luck and maybe it was only now that it was catching up to him. Was this the moment when everything fell apart? Was all he worked for about to come crashing down?
Was he going to be alone yet again?
Earlier that day…
Sonata had just gotten out of her class for a quick fifteen-minute recess. Being an elementary school student really was the best. It was too bad she didn’t know anyone here though. She was so lonely. However, what little Sonata lacked in friends, she more than made up for in imagination. She climbed up on the monkey bars pretending she was a spacegirl then ran through play set as the princess of a castle. She had always wanted to plays these games with Aria but she was such a stick in the mud. She’d never even have regular tea parties!
As she played and played she looked out towards the tree line beyond the playground and became almost entranced. There was a pair of eyes watching her just at the edge. Normally she would be afraid but it seemed to calm her in a way.
“Xlnv gl nv”
It sounded like gibberish, but she understood it completely. Its voice sounded sinister, as if it were multiple voices fused together into one voice, but not enough to make it into a single one. It was unnerving to listen too, as if listening to the very voice of fear. Yet Sonata was not afraid.
“Gsrh oruv rh hslig. Dsb mlg xlnv rmgl nb vnyizxv? Dzop rmgl gsv tzgv drgs nv zmw yvxlnv lmv drgs fh. Yvxlnv lmv drgs gsv wzip”
“Well if you insist.”
“Tllw.”
Sonata skipped towards the being, going beyond the trees. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a shadow with only one eye.
“So where are you talking me mister…?” Sonata asked tentatively
“Tzgv. Zmw R zn gzprmt blf gll z ozmw dsviv zoo xlmevitv zmw dsviv vevibgsrmt xvzhvh. Z xzon zmw tvmgov dliow zg gsv vmw lu grnv.” the creature responded
“That all sounds pretty confusing.”
"Bvh R hfkklhv rg dlfow gl gslhv lfghrwv. Yfg uvzi mlg. Blf ziv tlrmt yzxp gl dsviv vevibgsrmt yvtzm. Gl dsviv dv zoo lirtrmzgvw uiln. R hfkklhv blf xlfow xzoo rg slnv, yfg vevm yvggvi gszm gszg. Blf droo yv hzuv yvblmw gszg tzgv."
"Like home but better? Is daddy coming too?"
"Lu xlfihv sv rh xsrow, uivg mlg. Yfg sv droo szev gl xlnv zg z ozgvi grnv. Sv droo gzpv hlnv nliv grnv gl xlmermxv gszm blf droo."
“I don’t know. I don’t feel very comfortable going without daddy…”
"Uvzi mlg. Sv droo yv qlrmrmt fh hllm vmlfts, zh droo gsv ivhg lu blfi hrhgvih. Dsb lmv lu nb lgsvi ztvmgh rh zoivzwb gibrmt gl xlmermxv blfi hrhgvi Zirz gl xlnv zmw qlrm fh. Sv nzb tvg svi vevm hllmvi gszm dv slkvw, glnliild vevm."
“So why are you doing this?”
"Rh gsv prmwmvhh lu nb svzig mlg tllw vmlfts uli blf? Dvoo gsv ivzo ivzhlm R'n wlrmt gsrh rh hrnkov. Blf szev z kldvi drgsrm blf, trio. Z hgilmt, zmxrvmg kldvi. Dv hvvp gl ivnlev gszg kldvi uiln blf zmw kfg rg rm z hzuv kozxv. Blf pmld gsrh kldvi zh blfi Rmmvi Hrivm."
Sonata’s eyes sparkled
“You mean you can remove that thing from inside me and my sisters!?”
"Bvh rmwwvw. Dv szev lyhvievw blf uiln drgsrm gsv tzgv zmw gllp krgb fklm blf. Hl dv drhs gl ivnlev gszg zdufo xfihv blf szev yfirvw wvvk drgsrm blfi hlfoh zmw kozxv rg dsviv rg droo mvevi sfig blf ztzrm."
“Well, thank you.”
The creature took Sonata to an empty field with a large iron gate in the center. It was covered in ornate designs and writing from a language long dead. One the gate there three girls taking up large portions of it and above their heads, surrounded by what looked like three gems read Zwztrl, Zirz, and Hlmzgz. It was Sonata and her sisters’ names. Sonata marveled that structure. It seemed to have some black dust hovering around it, but it wasn’t dust at all. Sonata had never seen anything like it.
"Dvoo? Ziv blf ivzwb gl qlrm fh?"
Sonata took one look back at the open field
"I am."