Hello, my name is Stella Evelyn Dauhn…and what I have, to many is a gift, to those in the religious aspect, I am a shepard for God. But for me, its a curse. Ill relay to you, my past twenty two years of my life. And the…many ‘visitors’ I have had. Some, weren’t pretty. Some, were evil, and left physical scars. Others, were…very painful for me to describe.
My grandmother was in her early forties, I had just turned six, I was outside of her house, while she was watching me for the summer. This was around the time, my curse had really started acting up. My grandmother went into her little house, just for a moment; off in the distance, my name was being called. I looked up from my sand castle, and turned to my grandmothers house. It wasn’t her, so I was looking back to my sandcastle, and I felt a scream start at the base of my throat. A little boy had just, showed up and sat down in front of me. He had some strange scar around his neck, and he started to add onto my castle. I sat there in silence for a few moments before I reached to him.
“My name’s Stella, what’s yours?” I didn’t receive words, but I watched him raise his hand and point to his throat, the scar looked strange, jagged almost. And his face was a bit pale, and lips a soft blue. His eyes were sunken into his skull. I had tilted my head. Now, my little kid brain, wasn’t processing what I saw properly. So I tried once more.
“Have you been dead long?” I asked, the boy nodded. I followed with a nod as well. It would explain his period clothing, and the rancid smell that was coming off of him.
“I’m six. How old are you?” I asked, he held up six fingers.
I had gotten excited at this point, and I started to bounce.
“Are you going,to be my friend?!” he shrugged and smacked at the castle. He seemed almost angry.
“Stells? Who are you talking too?” my grandmother had walked down the stairs, carrying a nice cold soda pop for me and her. I pointed to the boy, and he looked from me to my grandmother. His head, tilted back, further, and further till the skin had separated making a harsh rip. My grandmother dropped the bottled soda to the ground.
I thought I was the only one who could see, this dead child. But, my grandmother had the same curse, as I have. And she grasped my shoulders, pulled me back. The blood had caked the boys rough looking shirt.
“What do you want?!” I remember my grandmother yelling. I had never seen her, so shaken before and it took me by surprise. She was pulling me to my feet, the boy was following. He tilted his head forward with a snap, it came back to place. I watched, now filled with horror and disbelief. I held onto my grandmother and I closed my eyes, wanting to get the sound of his skin, ripping out of my head, it echoed…and his cries came a second later. And I had made my first mistake with this curse. I had attempted to tune the boy out,hurrying my face into my grandmothers thick stomach. She held me tight, and I had felt his dirty blood encrusted fingers pull, at the back of my shirt.I wanted him to go away. I wanted him to dissapear.
“You want a hug?” I heard my grandmother ask. The boy was walking closer. And I felt, his cold breath against the back of my neck…
My stomach was turning, and I had felt him dissapear…he was gone, just as fast as he appeared. My body relaxed and my grandmother touched the top of my head.
“There is so much you need to learn, about the gift god, had placed upon you Stella. You will meet many, many spirits who are in pain. And, as you attune yourself to them, your natural empathic abilities will grow. You’ll begin to feel, what others feel, and you too, will feel what they have felt. It will be something, you’ll learn. Some you must tune out, others you know that you can help…help. For you, may be, the last and only hope they have…for they believe God has forsaken them…when, they’re wrong. You, were gifted to save them, from everlasting damnation…and soon, the screaming, will start…” I didn’t want to believe my grandmother, I didn’t want to understand what she was saying…this thing, that I had aquired, why was I picked to do…some gods work? I didn’t understand her, and I wanted to ask questions. But she wouldn’t allow me.
“In due time Stells, everything will come to you, and you will understand why God, made you his shepard.”