Sam

The fun is never ending at the Indie these days. I’m enjoying the stories and prompts coming out each week, and everyone has stepped up their game – AWESOME!

I thought I’d give Head Ant the prompt "Empty pitcure frames" and in response she wrote the wonderfully intruiging: Gallery. Hopefully there's a follow up sometime soon!

I was prompted by Alison Newton, you can find the prompt at the end of this post – and yes, its part 4 of the story of been writing recently. You can catch up by reading: 1, 2, 3 ...

Part 4

Louise and Lisa. Those were their names.

Louise tried to explain their story in as much detail as possible. We were all in the kitchen; a soft bulb illuminated the ample seating area. Lisa sat quietly on the other side of an old mahogany table, speaking only to bluntly add facts that she felt Louise was missing out.

The difference between the twins was evident in their temperament. Lisa came across rude, fidgety and impatient, whereas her sister was thoughtful and took her time telling their story so the information could sink in.

They'd been born with a hereditary disease that was in fact, a death sentence. Neither of them had been predicted to live past 4yrs old. Their parents both carried the Tay Sachs gene and inevitably passed it on to their twins. The thought that they’d brought two beautiful little girls into the world, only to die young, was too much of an unacceptable reality for the couple and they searched for options to an incurable disease ... As the twins told it: their parents heard news of an experimental procedure designed to combat against life threatening illnesses, although exactly what ones were never made clear. In an act of desperation in a new multimillion pound clinic, mum and dad signed consent forms they barely bothered to read and soon, the girls were subjected to a barrage of injections and subsequent tests. Though some of the examinations the team of doctors performed were strange, the girls appeared to have renewed strength and vitality after several weeks; something they lacked due to the disease taking hold of them very early.

Overjoyed at the results their parents made a show of congratulating the doctors and spreading the word about the miracle they’d witnessed.

That was a mistake.

On a night much like this one, with the rain pelting the streets, grey skies, and no break in sight; their home was visited by a group of men with only one in the group who was different from the rest. He wore a lab coat, like a doctor, and had an unmistakably excited look on his face, as though he’d found something he’d been searching for. It was at that point that Louise stopped telling their story. Even Lisa’s seemingly usual look of defiance was replaced by a much softer expression. Something terrible had happened that neither of them, by the looks of it, had come to terms with.

I wanted to hear more but thought it best to change the subject slightly. “We’re different aren’t we?” I asked.

“You could say that,” Lisa offered, “sorry I hit you and all that. I was acting on instinct mostly.”

“It’s okay really, I can’t feel a thing.” And I couldn’t. However hard the blow I had taken, there was no evidence of ever being hit, no bruise or feeling of concussion. It was as though I’d taken all my vitamins and then some.

“We are very different. Just how much we’re still finding out. What they did to us slowed our aging process. At first we didn’t notice, but when we turned 11 and still looked about 8 we began to question ourselves.” said Louise.

“So er ... I know we kinda stopped talking about your folks, but I’m guessing you two have been on your own for a while?”

“Yes, just not here. We got away, probably thanks to what they put into us, but we’ve never fully known what happened to mum and dad. It’s as though they’ve fallen off the planet.” Lisa said; which was probably the longest sentence she’d given me so far. I felt like she was warming to me but held back the smile that was about to form. The last thing I needed was to get hit again.

“We had to put ourselves into the system. Become orphans,” Louise continued, “It was the most logical thing to do as we had no other family, people were probably hunting us down, and as each day went by, we began to learn faster, it’s hard to explain, but I think we got smarter; more intelligent all of a sudden. We knew we had to lay low and come up with a plan, but for what, and how?” said Louise, rhetorically.

“You’ve heard all about us! We don’t even know your name?! Lisa interjected.

I hadn’t noticed I hadn’t told them. In a way I thought I had, I thought in some way I knew them already. I had come to this house, this place, for a reason. Like I’d been drawn here by an unseen force, led by instinct or something else buried deep within me. I couldn’t help feeling a connection with these twins. Even as we sat at the table, in a large kitchen that looked well kept in contrast to the state of the room I’d woken up in, I knew there was more to me simply finding this place randomly.

I’d almost forgotten Lisa’s question. “Sorry, my name is, Sam.”

“Sam, like as in Samuel?” Lisa replied.

“No, just Sam.” I said.

At that, Lisa got up and turned on a small radio behind her on one of the long counters that did the circumference of the room and lent against it for support.

Louise ignored her and carried on. “You’ve been altered Sam. Just like we were and at first you’ll feel great but that’s only for the first few days. After that the pain kicks in, and it’s of the worst kind.”

I didn’t want to believe it but how couldn’t I? They’d obviously experienced what Louise was attempting to describe, so I guessed I could take it. Couldn’t I?

“Yes we pulled through but I’m warning you Sam, it’s not to be taken lightly. If you get past this there’s a lot you have to learn, and quickly.” She said, reassuringly.

“What do you mean if I get past this? There have been others like me?”

“Yes.” said Lisa, in between humming the tune on the radio.

Louise flipped her sister an exhausted look. “There have been others like you who have come here, Sam. We’ve managed to intercept you all in various parts of this town; we try to help, but ...”

“But what?!” I asked, scared because I sensed the answer.

Louise looked to Lisa for help and got it with very little tact. “None of you ever survive.”

"Alison prompted me with: A baby born with Tay Sachs."