Broken Toys: Part 2.
The demon inside of Michael has just broken his favourite toy; his little brother Elliot. Will he be forced to watch Elliot suffer, or will Michael find the courage to stand up to his inner demon?
Elliot:
For the first time, I see the light switch on behind Michael’s eyes. I realise that they are naturally vibrant green, like a spring meadow. He meets my gaze and looks back at me sadly, just for a second. Then they change back to their usual, clouded hazel. Sighing, as if my broken leg was a massive inconvenience, he walks from his bed to where I am lying, helpless on the carpet. He holds up his healing hands and then curses. As it turns out, he doesn’t have the power to heal broken bones.
“Get up,” he orders, his eyes turning back to glinting bloody red. Though I was compelled to obey, I could not.
“Get up, Elliot,” he barked, kicking me in the ribs as encouragement. Again I tried. My efforts only resulted in more screaming. Michael stared at me, stunned. His favourite toy was broken, and he didn’t know what to do. The demon screams in frustration and kicks me again. He then glances towards the door, fearfully, scanning the air for a danger invisible to the human eye. When he holds up a hand and slams the door with his magic, my heart feels like it is going to jump out of my chest.
Trapped and helpless behind locked doors, I wasn’t worried about dying. If Michael wanted me dead then surely he would have killed me years ago. Judging from his sudden anxiety, I realised that their might be consequences for the demon if he was caught out by our parents. Were there other supernatural creatures within this world, ones who could bring an end to this demon’s evil if he drew enough attention to himself? I hoped so. What I did know for sure was what frightened me the most. Michael didn’t just take pleasure in making me suffer: he thrived on it. If the demon was in danger and cornered, he would require as much strength as possible. His best chance of survival was to feed upon my fear.
With his eyes ablaze with anxiety and fury, Michael bends over me and wraps both hands around my throat. It felt like his fingernails were transforming into claws. Feeling his talons digging into my skin was terrifying. As I started gasping for breath, my panic consumed me. Was my theory incorrect? Perhaps Michael was going to kill me after all. I flailed and screamed, then screamed some more as my thrashing forces me to kick with my broken leg.
“Elliot! Where are you, Elliot?”
Mother is awake and looking for me. I try to call for her, but then Michael gives me his next command.
“Shh. Don’t make another sound, Elliot.”
As his obedient toy, I obey. Even as his door handle starts to rattle, I cannot call out.
I’m going to die. My vision is starting to go hazy. Strangely, a feeling of peace washes over me.
Just relax, Elliot. All will be well. Keep your eyes fixed upon Michael, smile, and let him play his part.
All will be well? There was no reason for me to trust in the voice for it had been my own. Just because my inner wisdom had known to send me over to Michael’s side while he was battling his nightmares, didn’t mean that I should entertain the idea that I was safe. Even so, that feeling of calm didn’t waver. Somehow I had talked myself into believing that everything was going to be okay.
Following my own advice, I look up at my homicidal brother. In an attempt to communicate with the real Michael (and to aggravate the demon), I smile up at him cheerfully. Though his eyes remain bloody and cold, to my delight, Michael returns my smile.
“You might as well let go of him, demon. Do you think that you can hide how frightened you are from me? I knew from the beginning that you were too cowardly to kill him. It looks like Elliot worked that out too.”
The voice was weak and barely louder than a whisper. The demon quickly closed Michael’s mouth, infuriated that my brother had started talking back.
He took a couple of suppressive breaths to make certain that he was still in control.
“If you truly value Elliot’s life then you will go back to sleep and never wake up. If either one of you speaks out of turn again, I will inflict my wrath upon you both and on every person that you care about.”
Michael steals back control and laughs.
“What wrath? You’ve never had that kind of power! All that you have ever been good for is torturing children, and you have been failing at that for a while now. How am I supposed to take you seriously when my little brother haunts your nightmares? No matter how this plays out, this can only end in dust. You are the one who should fall asleep and never wake up. I know for a certainty that hiding away is your only hope of survival. I can show you all of the ways that you can lose if you like.”
Michael stands up, closes his eyes and concentrates. He starts to tremble again, but this time I am not worried. At long last, the demon was getting a taste of his own medicine. This time Michael was the one giving him nightmares. I watch on as his posture changes. An invisible weight started to lift away from his shoulders, allowing him to stand up tall for the first time in his life. He blinks again, and to my relief, I am staring back at a spring meadow.
Michael doesn’t remain tall for long. He falls upon his knees and starts to cry.
“I’m sorry,” he says. He is so unused to speaking for himself that his voice is no stronger than a whisper.
“I’m so sorry, Elliot. I am so, so sorry.”
Weak as I am, I reach for his hand and squeeze it. I open my mouth and come out with nothing. Michael may have taken back control of his body, but his command that silenced me was still in effect. I tugged upon his arm and mouthed a plea for him to help me. Realising what had happened and what I was asking of him, Michael pales.
“You’re asking m..me? I want to help you, but I don’t know if I can.”
I smile at that. Michael had just conquered a demon, of all creatures, and yet he was nervous about attempting a little magic. If the demon was able to control Michael’s voice and body, surely Michael could tap into his demonic powers.
“Just try,” I beg, confident that he could succeed. My brother nodded shyly, fights back his tears, and looked into my eyes.
“Please talk to me, Elliot,” he pleads, far too politely. I raise my eyebrows.
Michael sighs, knowing very well that it had been a weak attempt. He presses down on my shoulders and tries again.
“Talk to me, Elliot,” he commands, this time with far too much force. The red flickers fleetingly within his eyes then dies away. Suddenly, there is a knock upon the door.
“He is in here, Harriet,” calls our father. We hear mother’s footsteps.
“Michael! Let us into your room this instant. If you don’t, I am calling the police.”
The two of us look at each other and sigh. The last thing that we needed this morning was a visit from the police.
“I’m okay, Mother,” I call, only registering afterwards that my voice had returned.
“The door is stuck, but Michael is working on it.”
I glare at Michael and tell him to unlock the door. Michael shakes his head. There is fear in his eyes, the kind that a small kid has when they are afraid to confess that they have been naughty to their parents.
“It’s not like I can open it,” I sigh. The rebuke wasn’t the best idea. Michael looks like he might cry again.
“Let me try helping you up first,” he suggests desperately. “Maybe it isn’t as bad as it looks.” I take another look at the angle of my leg and shake my head. I needed to see a doctor,, the sooner the better.
“Be reasonable, would you? ” I beg, feeling more like his parent than the youngest in the family.
“My leg isn’t just hurt; it is broken. I’m more than just your toy. It is going to take more than glue to fix me up again. Open the door, Michael. If you don’t let our parents take me to the hospital, then I will never be able to walk again.”
That got Michael’s attention. His bottom lip began to quiver.
“If you never walk again it would be my fault. I’m the one who broke you.”
My heart breaks a little too. While Michael was physically thirteen years old, emotionally he was still a vulnerable young boy. I wanted to tell him that the demon was at fault and how proud I was that he had found the courage to stand up to him with a smile. Michael had proven to me that he was an incredibly brave and strong person, even if he hadn’t realised it yet. Now was not the time, however, for the pain in my leg was sharpening and my parent’s shouting was getting louder.
“He’s coming now,” I call. I look over at him and try my best to sound firm like our father.
“Hurry up and help me, Michael. Open the door.”
With his head down, he nods.
“Yes, Elliot.” At long last, he walks across the room and unlocks his bedroom door.
Michael:
Mother and Father rush straight past me. Despite the fact that Elliot is giving them a heroic smile, they are upset and worried. Father comforts Elliot with a squeeze of the hand, then leaves the room to call an ambulance. As soon as he is gone, Mother slaps me.
“Ow!” I shriek. My eyes fill with tears, and my cheek feels like it is on fire. The demon had always protected me from feeling any pain. I had never suspected how much it stings.
“I knew that it wasn’t a nightmare, monster. I’ll never forgive you for hurting Elliot. I’ll never forgive myself for convincing myself that you were good.”
Mother’s hatred hurts me worse than the sting.
“Stop it! It wasn’t his fault!”
Both of us turn towards Elliot in surprise.
“I was sleepwalking,” he fibs. “I thought that this was my room and I locked it behind me. I tripped over Michael’s sneakers in the hallway. That’s all that happened, I swear. Michael wasn’t even awake until I hit the floor.”
Mother frowns and calls Elliot out for lying.
“I expect you to tell me the truth, Elliot. I know that it is scary to speak out against your brother, but it is the only way that I can protect you.”
“I am telling the truth,” he insists. I couldn’t stand that he was lying for me.
“It was my fault,” I confess before the demon could defend himself.
Mother’s eyes widen. The demon inside of me rages. All of a sudden, I shiver. It feels like somebody is walking over my grave. I sense her invisible Celestial gazing down upon me, trying to catch a glimpse of the wickedness hidden within.
Come out, come out, I taunt the demon, surprising him and myself with my daring. He snarls. A second later I feel cold hands on my shoulders. The touch ripples through me like an icy river flowing through my veins. I start to shiver so violently that I suspect that I am in danger of slipping into hypothermia. I don’t care. It is worth it to feel the demon hurting and cowering deep within me.
“Michael!”
I think that Elliot is calling me over to his side. I cannot be sure for my eyelids are heavy, and it is becoming harder to concentrate.
“Michael,” he calls again, loudly. “Blaming yourself over a pair of shoes isn’t right. My accident was not your fault.”
He then stares up at the space above me.
“I was so scared when I woke up,” he says, though not to me. “Thanks for staying by my side and keeping me calm. I am so lucky to have you as my brother.”
He beckons me over so frantically that this time I notice him and obey. When he hugs me, fiercely, the chill inside of me vanishes. The invisible Celestial backs away. I couldn’t be more surprised when Mother lays a hand on my shoulder.
“I am so sorry for doubting you, sweetheart. Michael, please forgive me.”
I turn, but she is already leaving the room in tears.
“Why did you tell those lies?” I asked, annoyed that he had thrown the Celstial off the demon’s scent.
“He was suffering. The demon was dying and you just saved him!”
“Your lips were turning blue,” he argues back. “I just saw ‘whatever it was’ drain the blood from your body. I saved you, and I would do it again. I refuse to see you die with him. Not when we are already winning this fight. There has to be another way to defeat him. If we can figure out a way for him to leave your body, then we would have a real chance. We’ll just have to figure out how together.”
I brighten as I realised he is right. We are winning this fight. My smile widens as I remembered something I have known for a while now. My little brother had just saved my life, and he was going to do it again. Elliot was incredible and already a formidable opponent for my demon, even if he hadn’t realised it yet.
The sound of sirens filled the air, growing louder by the second. It was just about time for Michael to be taken away.
“Now, if they decided to keep me overnight in the hospital do you think you can keep fighting him? If you have another nightmare tonight, I won’t be able to help you”
“Yes you can,” I argue. Then I tell Elliot my secret.
“I’ve finally figured out how to stand up to him. If I get scared, I’ll pretend to be you again. Everything that I know about courage I learned from watching you. If he tries to give me hell tonight, I’ll remember all of the times that you sat up with me. You may have fooled the demon, but I always knew that you were there. You have been with me enough times for me to draw upon your strength from far away.”
Confident, amazing, Elliot turns shy. As I tease him about his ears turning pink, our parents and two ambulance officers enter the room. They give him some painkillers and lift him onto the stretcher. I start to follow everybody downstairs, but the demon takes control of my feet and stops me.
“You cannot hold me back, forever,” he taunts. Seizing control of my right arm, he punches the wall. He makes me use so much force that my knuckles start to bleed. I shriek again and marvel at how Elliot had trained himself not to flinch. Pain was horrible, and I couldn’t imagine getting used to it.
If Elliot were in my place, he would be smiling. I decided to compose myself and try one on for size.
“It’s temporary,” I tell the demon with a grin. “My pain is temporary, just like you.”
On the inside, he rages, but I keep him contained. Elliot has stopped feeding him with fear, and now so have I. We will win this fight. I will keep on fighting the demon until I am free of him at last.
