Fable

My mind was reeling with names. Trevor Cook. Bia Dellnor. Calyx Baker. Rufus Warner. Madeleine Baxtor. I could barely keep their memories from crashing into each other.

The last person to leave the tent was Calyx, a muscular blond girl with a troubled path. Her leaving meant I was alone, until the next person stepped into the tent. I would be fine if she was the last person for the day, though. The tip she’d left me made me aware I’d reached the set amount of income for the day.

That girl was loaded.

One particular memory of hers stayed in my mind long after the others had faded into the background.

She was sitting with her mom and dad in a park under a big oak tree. The two parents were laughing. Calyx herself was blowing bubbles. I could almost smell the sweet scent of the flowers. And suddenly the memory clouded over, a new one taking place.

She’s sitting on the side of the road, next to a cop, wrapped in a tight blanket. There’s an overwhelming sadness. A smoking, crashed car is a few feet away from her. Her mom was inside the car. But I knew from Calyx’s sobs that the mother wasn’t breathing anymore.

I shook my head and tucked a couple stray strands of hair behind my ears. I got so tired from exploring people’s minds. Sometimes all I wanted was a break.

“One… two… three… four...” I started counting slowly, something I did when I wanted to calm down. It always cleared my mind. “Eight… nine… ten.”

This time, though, I couldn’t forget about a certain faded girl with a soft voice. She came in with a tall guy wearing makeup. He had no horror stories in his head. She, on the other hand…

She made me cry.

Bia Dellnor. Fifteen years old. Covered in scars. And about to be taken over by demons, something I’d only ran from in my nightmares.

I searched my own head for one of her memories that I wanted to see again. This memory was crouched behind one of Calyx’s, but I still managed to find it.

Bia’s holding her mom’s hand, even though she’s thirteen years old. They’re in the demon world, somewhere humans aren’t supposed to go. A hell I never wanted to see. A monster walks over to them, a demon, and whispers something into Bia’s ear.

“You’re going to make a perfect slave,” he croons.

Bia lets out a shiver that runs down her spine. Bia’s mom looks away from the scene, pretending not to notice. The demon paces the dark room, explaining how the deal will work.

Bia ruins the protectors. Stops them from succeeding. They’ll let her make souls again and let her live a peaceful life. If she fails, however, they strip her of her powers and make her a slave for eternity.

“I can’t let her fail,” I whispered to myself. “She doesn’t deserve that kind of torture.”

I wish I knew who the protectors were. The protectors of what? Bia herself doesn’t know. How could she? They told her so little.

A greasy man stepped in to my tent, tipping his hat at me as he sat down. He placed a five dollar bill on the table and held out his palms.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to see inside his mind, but I honestly had no choice.

This is what I was paid to do. This was my job. This was my life…

... unless I chose to leave.