The scene before Ophelia seemed to blur her vision, as though she were reliving her nightmare in the light of day. This time, she was uncertain she would ever wake from it.
Just as she stopped in front of her parents, who were lying on the ground with their faces blackened from the fire, she felt her legs give way, her heart thudding louder than the voices of those gathered around her burned-out house.
The realization of what all that was happening meant caused her blurred vision to darken as hot tears brimmed in her bewildered eyes.
"Mama," She gently called out, hoping that this wasn't true. That she was just living in those haunting dreams of hers, which she'd always wake up from to see the comforting face of her mother. But no response came forth, to the dismay of her already shattered heart.
"Mama, Papa," she called out once more. Her shaking hands shook their still body, but no movement came forth from them. Her heartbeat quickened pace, thrumming against her ears as it all began to sink in.
Her parents were gone. They were dead.
"No, no, no," Ophelia mumbled, shaking her head in denial as she snapped the thin fabric used to cover them. "Ahh, please no!" She cried out, tears spilling like a rivulet of grief.
"They can't be dead, no! They cannot die! Take me instead," Ophelia screamed out, her body shaking from everything happening as the dull tug of realization gripped her heart, increasing each moment as the scene continued to play out.
The wails of Ophelia broke the hearts of the villagers, as they joined in the heartbreaking moment. No one had expected the day to suddenly turn out like it did, where they lost the couple from the fire.
"Papa, Mama, pl-please wake up. It is Phelia, your daughter. Your only child. Papa! Please don't do this to me, don't leave me!"
"Ophelia, dear child, come with me—" One of the villagers, who happened to be the neighbour of Ophelia, came to her side, wanting to take her away from the dead bodies of Carmen and Elizabetha.
"No!" Ophelia snapped her hand away from the older woman. "I am not leaving them. They need me, take me with you instead. Oh heavens, take me instead!"
Murmurs from the villagers filled the place on how the unfortunate event had happened. While most of them didn't know how the fire started, those who had been around blamed it on the scorching heat of the sun that had caused the thatched roof to go into flames. All these, however, were speculations, as no one knew the real cause of the fire.
The sound of the carriage wheels and the running hooves of the horses echoed on the hard floor, bringing it to the attention of the villagers.
A man of short build was the first to step down from the carriage, his red eyes instantly drawing the attention of everyone, and then followed by a young man that held a book in his hand and a sling bag draped across his shoulders.
Both men marched forward, stopping at the scene of the fire outbreak, the older man speaking first, "Greetings, everyone. We are from the council." He began, turning around to assess the environment as he went on to speak,
"I am Councilman Noah, and this here is my right-hand man, Owen." The younger man smiled at the villagers, showing his white teeth at them, which quickly closed on receiving a death stare from the other councilman.
"We came rushing as soon as the report got to us about the fire outbreak. Our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased," the councilman continued. "My job here is to see that proper investigations on the fire outbreak are carried out and everything is under control. I implore those who had witnessed the fire to say in detail what had happened."
The villagers turned to look at each other on hearing the men were from the council. Some took some steps back in fear of being involved and blamed for what happened.
"We cannot say for sure what had truly happened, councilmen," An elderly man stepped forward, saying. "We believe the thatched roof caught fire from the intense heat."
"Did lava fall from the sky to hit the thatched roof?" Councilman Noah questioned, his stomach bulging as he spoke. "Why was it only this building that had caught fire? I'd like to have a word with the neighbors of the deceased at the council. Kindly wait behind for questioning."
"Was there anyone who had witnessed when the fire started?" Noah continued to question while Owen took notes of everything being said. Everyone kept mute, afraid to voice their thoughts lest they be used against them. No one wanted to have anything to do with the council.
Councilman Noah stared from one person to the other gathered, and on not receiving any response, snorted and walked up to where Ophelia sat curled up beside her dead parents. Her silvery grey eyes stared vacantly ahead of her, with unshed tears brimming at the rim.
"My deepest condolences on the tragic loss of your parents, Miss. I am Councilman Noah, and if you don't mind, could you spare us some minutes of time and answer some of my questions?" No answer.
"Miss? We are here to help you out as the duty of the council. I'd appreciate it if you could—"
"It is quite unsettling of you to bombard a grieving person with questions," A voice from behind cut Noah off from finishing his words. He turned to see the middle-aged human staring at him with narrowed eyes, ticking off his vampire ego.
"And you are?" Noah quizzed, eyes assessing the man.
"Geryon Blair, relative of the deceased," The man introduced himself, and behind him stood his wife, Freida, and their young daughter, Lilith. "The councilman can ask me all the questions instead."
Noah nodded his head and gestured they step aside, leaving Freida and Lilith, who walked to Ophelia, offering words of consolation.
Some minutes later, Geryon came back. "The councilman promised a proper investigation into how the fire started and also to get everything settled."
"Oh, poor child," Freida stifled a cry, her hands clasping those of Ophelia's in a gentle grip. "Come, come with us, child," she said, helping her stand, and at the same time, Geryon stepped forward.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Phelia child. I never imagined this was going to happen. If I had known, I would have urged your mother to move out earlier, but she never agreed." He exhaled, trying hard to hold back his tears and be strong. Ophelia's mother was his elder sister, the only family member left, but now she was gone.
Not long after, the village head arrived together with those in charge of seeing that the dead were settled in their place of rest.
Cradled in the arms of Geryon, Ophelia watched as the men carried the bodies of her parents. Her eyes, swollen and puffed from crying, weren't enough to explain how heavy each step she took towards the village's graveyard felt.
Before her eyes, she saw them dig the ground, and two coffins were placed side by side. It all felt like a dream, more haunting than the ones she has had every night, and all she wished was for it to end. To wake up with the sight of the morning sun streaming in and letting her know that it was over. But when they lifted her parents once more, she knew that this wasn't any dream. This was reality. One that would continue to haunt her all her life.
Wails exploded from all corners as the coffins were lowered into the open ground, Ophelia's scream louder than everyone's until no sound came out of her parched throat.
With every tear that dropped from her eyes, the soil was lifted and used to cover the coffins in which her parents lay. Beside them, the priest offered words of prayer to the deceased, wishing they go to a place of rest.
Minutes passed into hours, and soon everyone went back to their homes, leaving Ophelia, who continued to stay back. She lay on the ground beside the graves of her now late parents, whom she still couldn't believe were gone. She didn't even get to have a last meal with them like she had promised.
Suddenly, a change in the weather came with a sudden gust of wind, shaking everything. The sky erupted, lightning flashing across the clouds, and not long after, droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, as though the heavens mourned with Ophelia, whose eyes had no tears in them to shed anymore.
Rain continued to pour, still Ophelia never made to stand from where she lay. She let the rain drown her in her sorrow, hoping to wash everything away; however, nothing could ease the ache that tugged on every fiber of her being.
"Ophelia, child," Geryon called out and stopped beside her, equally drenched in the rain as she was. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he scrunched to Ophelia's level. He said, "Even the heavens weep on such a day like this."
"We must go now, Ophelia. It is getting late, and the weather is going to get worse than this."
"I have nowhere to go," Ophelia uttered, her voice broken and heart-wrenching to hear. "My home is gone, my family too. I wish I had stayed back. Perhaps I would be lying in there with them too. We would still be together."
"Oh, dear child. Come here." Geryon reached out to hold her. "Do not wish for things like that. Even your parents would have made sure you lived. It is an unfortunate event today, and I cannot imagine the grief you bear. We will be your new family now. You must come live with us."
Ophelia turned to look at the man beside her. Her mother's younger brother, who, with all the years she had known him, was always kind to her. Even in dire situations, he had always been a soft-spoken man.
She negatively shook her head, wiping a tear even as the rain poured on her face, "I do not want to be a burden to you. I shall go live with Father's sister. She'll be willing to accommodate me for some time."
"Do you see her anywhere today?" A small frown appeared on Geryon's face. "I wouldn't allow you to live where you will not be taken care of. I'll be waiting in the carriage."
Now left alone, Ophelia tightly shut her eyes, feeling the rain pour on her face. "What now, heavens?" She whispered, the tug of ache and hollow feeling in her heart weighing down on her shoulders. Her once vibrant eyes now dimmed with exhaustion, and somehow, she knew that things were going to get harder and worse.
However, who could predict what fate had in store? Not a soul did. And this, was where the hand of fate shifted. Where it all began.