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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 16, 2011 12:43:20 GMT -5
Sebastian hadn't gone grocery shopping in a while. His cupboards were nearly empty, as really, he'd been spending most of his time with James as of late. He was rarely home, and when he was, he'd order out some pizza or Chinese.
This morning, however, he'd glanced into his pantry and found dust bunnies. Dust bunnies! This gave him the incentive to get off his sorry ass and do some shopping. He was lucky he lived near a grocery store, so all he had to do was jog on over to it and peruse the shelves.
He'd made a list, but he probably wouldn't follow it. He was one of those types who just bought anything that caught their eye, within reason, of course. But he had guidlines, at least.
He entered the store and smiled at the cool breeze that blew at him when he stepped through the doors. It was refreshing after leaving the hot day behind. He grabbed a small basket, as he didn't see the need to buy too much.
The cereal isle was calling to him, as he could really use some Captian Crunch... So he went there, reminding himself to grab some milk later on.
He didn't expect to see a little girl in the isle. Especially not all alone.
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 16, 2011 13:29:17 GMT -5
Usually Holly would try her hardest not to antagonize her parents, despite the fact their overproctectiveness was often hard to bear. Today, however, she had deliberately left their side at the grocery store, if only to be alone for a few minutes, and not at home or in church.
It was quite alarming how liberating it felt simply to wander the grocery store alone, and Holly knew therefore she had to savour the moment. It was as she reached the cereal aisle that she paused. Her parents would notice soon enough that she had dissapeared, and when they found her they would want an excuse. She might as well try to be helpful in her wanderings.
This in mind, she scanned the aisle for muesli, her mother's breakfast cereal of choice. Unfortunately for Holly, the box was too high up for her to reach, even when she stood on her tiptoes and tried to get hold of it that way.
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 16, 2011 16:59:13 GMT -5
Sebastian didn't interact with kids much. He just never had time, and while he'd always wanted kids of his own, his visions just pulled him away from even thinking of a happy lifestyle with them. He'd always loved them though, and really connected with them sometimes. He understood what most adults didn't: that kids were a lot smarter than they were at times.
This little girl in particular needed help it seemed. She was a tiny thing, though most children were. She was trying to reach way beyond her height to the top shelf, but it was clear she wasn't getting anywhere with it. He smiled at her warmly, walking over to her.
He crouched down to address her directly, instead of talking down to her. "Do you need help getting something, hon?" He said it sweetly, but hoped not to alarm her. These days, especially in New York City, anyone could walk up to a little kid and sweet talk her, then kidnap her. He most definitely didn't want to sound off-putting.
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 17, 2011 1:54:13 GMT -5
If most parents told their children not to talk to strangers, Holly's parents did so ten times more often. Almost instinctively Holly made as if to walk away even as the man approached, but then she re-considered. The man seemed pleasant enough at first glance and, although Holly hadn't yet had any visions of his past, she could sense there was goodness in him. She just knew there was.
As the man bent down to talk to her, Holly smiled softly. His words seemed to confirm to Holly that he was a good person; she needed help and he was offering to provide it.
"Do you need help getting something, hon?"
"Yes please," Holly replied with a nod. "I'm trying to reach the muesli...it's for my Mum."
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 17, 2011 16:52:24 GMT -5
Sebastian looked up to where she had been reaching for. He could see the product in plain sight. He smiled at her and told her he'd get it for her, standing up and plucking it off the shelf. He shook the package a little bit for good measure, then bent down to hand it to her.
His hand brushed up against her skin, and the moment it did, it felt like lightning had struck him, and he was transported through time and space in a vision.
It wasn't normal, as he could immediately tell it was a past vision of the girl, and she clearly hadn't died. She was screaming though. Her parents had come out to see what was wrong, and he turned himself when they addressed what she was pointing to.
A man, lying in a pool of his own blood. He could see another vision, like a vision within one, passing by in his mind as he looked at the man. It was only seconds before, another man stabbing him and taking his watch. No wonder the little girl had been crying so much. If he had seen something like this at her age, he would surely have been scared for life.
He turned back to her, hoping to confort her crying form.
But he was in the cereal aisle of the grocery store, and he was handing her a box of muesli.
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 17, 2011 18:49:10 GMT -5
As the man said he would retrieve the cereal, and did so, Holly thanked him. It was as she reached out to take the box from him that his hand brushed against her skin. This suddenly and unexpectedly triggered a vision, a glimpse into this man's past.
He was no longer a man but a teenager, in the car with an older woman, his mother. Before Holly could take in what she was seeing another glimpse presented itself; the car had been involved in a crash. The final flicker of the vision faded out on the young man, dishevelled and haggard in appearance.
Almost as soon as the vision had started it stopped, and Holly blinked furiously as if attempting to ground herself in reality. She then shook her head vigorously, as if in disagreement with what she had seen. How could something so terrible have happened to this pleasant man?
Strangely, although she herself had had a vision, she was unaware the man had endured the same, a vision of her past. Consequently she believed her behaviour would come across as strange and endeavoured to make up for it.
"Um...I...I'm sorry about that..." she said, sheepishly, assuming the man would have just seen her blinking and shaking her head for no reason, rather than his own vision of her past trauma.
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 20, 2011 14:30:51 GMT -5
Sebastian blinked too, wondering what the hell she was talking about. She hadn't done anything to act strange apart from blinking and shaking her head. "What? I don't understand... What did you do?"
He was still shaken from the vision. That poor little girl, witnessing such an event like that. He had wondered why her eyes had displayed such maturity when they looked at him, and now he knew why. "I wonder how old she was...." He muttered under his breath. He realized what he was doing, and stopped himself. "Oh, s-sorry, I'm just talking to myself, ignore me....
He couldn't stop shaking though. He felt her fear inside him. All the fear he'd ever experienced in his visions was locked away, deep in his soul. He never forgot any of the dreams or visions, but truly wished he had.
But how could you forget death when it stared you in the face?
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 20, 2011 15:53:28 GMT -5
"What? I don't understand... What did you do?"
"I..."
Holly paused, trying to figure out how best to phrase what she wanted to say. If she started babbling about having a vision into this man's past he would doubtless think she was crazy, but if she didn't tell him how else was she to explain...
"I wonder how old she was...." He muttered under his breath. He realized what he was doing, and stopped himself. "Oh, s-sorry, I'm just talking to myself, ignore me...."
The man's muttering seemed to strike a chord with Holly. What did he mean by that? He could just be talking about something utterly unrelated, but something told Holly otherwise. Was it possible that he too... Holly stopped herself before she could even complete the thought. Someone else with powers like hers? Surely that was impossible! Not that she was egotistical and wanted to be unique with her ability; in truth she often wished she didn't have it, as it was partly due to her powers that her life was so strictly controlled. It was simply the notion of someone else being in her position that bewildered her. It didn't make any sense...
Not that the fact Holly had the power to see the past made sense in the first instance.
It wasn't only the man's muttering that confused Holly but the fact that he was shaking. This clearly indicated something was wrong. Sometimes after her own visions she would become faint and shaky herself, depending on its intensity. Was that what had happened to this man? The child's mind, imaginative as it was, wasn't ready to rule this possibility out, although she doubted it.
Tentatively, she reached out a hand to touch the man's arm, a small gesture of comfort.
"Are...are you alright?"
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 20, 2011 16:54:21 GMT -5
Sebastian's head had slunk down, and he was fighting the tears that he knew would come. He couldn't show remorse at a time like this! Not when a little girl was right in front of him. He knew she'd never understand what was going on in his head. What would she know about eternally looping deaths incased in nightmares that were as vivid as memories?
A soft touch on his arm. He looked up at her small hand, giving him some sort of solace. He knew he didn't need that, but she certainly did. He knew it was long ago that she had witnessed such a drastic event, but even now she must be mentally scarred by it. He wanted to reach out and hold her, tell her everything was going to be alright. But he couldn't... She'd think him insane, a rapist perhaps. He wasn't a bad guy.
"I-I-I'm so sorry..." A single tear traced the contors of his cheek. He placed a hand on hers and kneeled down. He didn't know what else to do. Usually his visions wouldn't get to him this way, but she was just a little girl. It was like the time when he missed saving that little girl right before he met Victor. It seemed meeting Victor had changed his life, and so many visions enveloped him at once. He could hear their cries together, like one loud sound, something only a dog could hear.
But he could. He could always here them, even while he slept.
"I'm sorry... I know I'm not making any sense... But I'm so sorry..."
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 21, 2011 10:19:08 GMT -5
"I-I-I'm so sorry..."
As the young man said this, a single tear rolled down his cheek. This indicated, now more than ever, that all was not as it first appeared, that something was very, very wrong. The man was not all right at all. As he placed one hand on hers and knelt down beside her, Holly extracted a neatly folded white handkerchief from her pocket and held it out to him.
"I'm sorry... I know I'm not making any sense... But I'm so sorry..."
Holly knew she really shouldn't say it, knew that the likelihood of it being true was slim. But the fact the man was apologizing so profusely and the tear rolling down his cheek prompted Holly to speak before she had time to think it through.
"Did you...did you see something too? A vision?" she blurted, unable to stop herself. What if it was true, what if this man saw glimpses of the past? Was it possible he was sorry for that, rather than anything else he might have done?
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 21, 2011 20:35:46 GMT -5
"Did you...did you see something too? A vision?"
Sebastian stopped short, staring at the girl. No. No, this was impossible. She's just a child! he told himself. What could she know of strange phenomena such as this? How could she possibly grasp the concept of seeing into the beyond?
"A-are you joking?" he half laughed. "You... You can't possibly know what you're talking about! You're just... Just..!" Seeing the sincerity in her eyes made him stop himself from going further. He could tell she was no fool, no matter how young and naive she might be.
"I--!" he started, but didn't know how to finish. Finally, he mustered enough words in his head to come up with a coherent enough question. "How do you know about that?"
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 22, 2011 13:35:51 GMT -5
"A-are you joking? You... You can't possibly know what you're talking about! You're just... Just..!"
Despite the fact Holly reasoned it had been very foolish to ask, she still found herself feeling slightly hurt at the man's half laughter when before he's seemed so kind. Surely children said strange things sometimes and adults went along with it? Her parents didn't, but they were her parents. That was how she expected them to react.
She didn't allow this hurt to show on her face, however, simply continuing to watch the man as he attempted to riddle out what she had said and why.
"I'm not joking," Holly replied, surprisingly calm in tone yet with an earnesty behind it that could not be missed. "Why would I joke about something like that?"
"I--! How do you know about that?"
The man's words confirmed to Holly that he too saw visions. Her shock and amazement at this apparent revelation rendered her momentarily speechless but it was clear the man wanted, nay needed, an answer.
"I see visions too," she said simply, a gentle yet knowing smile gracing her features, making her seem wise beyond her years despite her obvious naivety and youth.
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jun 26, 2011 1:21:36 GMT -5
Sebastian was completely stunned, to say the least.
Not only because of the fact that he met someone like him in a grocery store of all places, but also the fact that this person was a child.
It wasn't that he didn't believe her. On the contrary, her eyes displayed complete truth, and he believed children weren't capable of true treachery. It could always be a game for her, of course, but he highly doubted it from the expressions that had played on her face. First shock, then happiness, then a serious countenance. Her tone said it all.
But she saw them?! Just like he did? His stomach soared at the mere thought of a girl this age seeing the things he sees. Brutality at its finest, those visions of his. Did she really deal with that same problem every day of her life? A little girl?! He didn't wish his gift upon anyone, let alone one so young and inexperienced as she.
He gripped her shoulders in a frezny, worried for her sanity and wellbeing. He didn't know her at all, but he didn't need to know her to realize just how much sadness is locked away inside her mind.
"I-I'm so sorry! You.... You poor thing-- I mean, not that you're poor, I mean--! Oh, I'm no good at this..." He hung his head in shame, embarrassed at his inadequacy to form coherent thoughts. What were coherent thoughts when images of death were floating around in your brain?
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HOLLY UROR
Junior Member
A Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Posts: 53
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Post by HOLLY UROR on Jun 26, 2011 8:10:22 GMT -5
Holly had confirmed within herself that this man saw visions, and this fact both surprised and alarmed her. She was of course surprised at having found someone else like her, and so unexpectedly too, but at the same time the fact someone else saw visions worried her. What sort of things did this man see? How was he able to cope with it? Holly often found she couldn't, and even after having had this power all her life, she was still not used to her visions at all.
It was as Holly was contemplating this that the man grabbed her shoulders, suddenly frantic. Under normal circumstances Holly would doubtless have tried to get away, but she couldn't leave the man now she knew they were alike, and when it was so clear he needed comfort.
"I-I'm so sorry! You.... You poor thing-- I mean, not that you're poor, I mean--! Oh, I'm no good at this..."
At first, Holly was unsure how to respond to the man. He was the one who regarded her as sorry, yet it was he who was hanging his head, seemingly near tears. She knew she had to say something to make him feel better - although she didn't even know his name she knew she had to be the one to help him out.
"I know what you mean," she replied gently. "You shouldn't feel sorry for me; it's not as though my possession of this power is your fault. Not to mention we probably see different things...you may think I see the sort of things you do, but what if I don't?" She paused. Then; "What sort of visions do you see?"
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Post by SEBASTIAN TIMOTHY MARTIN on Jul 8, 2011 0:42:37 GMT -5
Sebastian swallowed hard, pulling away from the girl, and balanced carefully in a crouched position. "I... I see death. Battles, murders, peaceful ones... Just death... I mean... I guess when I'm happy, sometimes the visions reflect that... It just depends on how I feel, I think... And I'm always so usually dreadful..."
His eyes showed concern, and his brow furrowed. "What do you see? Please tell me you don't see the same things...?" He couldn't possibly imagine what a ten-year-old girl must go through with having visions. He could hardly deal with them himself! He was a complete emotional wreck, but he dealt with that on his own. Surely her parents didn't believe her. He hoped they did, but he doubted it sincerely. He'd barely managed to convince people before (apart from James of course), and surely the parents of an imaginative girl wouldn't understand... Chalk it up to fairytales (blame the Grimm Brothers!) and dreams.
"Listen... I've been dealing with this for half of my life... If it gets too hard to deal with..." He pursed his lips, realizing he didn't even know the kid's name! "Um... My name is Sebastian. Sebastian Martin... But you can call me Bastian, or Seb or something... What's your name?"
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