1945


Running...running through the forest.


Birds.


Raccoons. Hello, raccoons!


What's that? What's that sound? Who's there? What...is...it?


Trying to scream but no sound comes...


"No, child," it says to me. But it doesn't have a mouth...or a face...


"Stop, child. You must listen!" It commands me.


"Who...are...you?" I whisper back. I can finally make a sound now.


"Don't worry about who I am, let us discuss who you are..." the scary thing says. I am oddly not scared anymore, but my heart still beats fast.


"Okay. Who am I?" This is a silly question. I am Tyanna. That is my name.


"I have chosen you," it says. It steps closer. But it's not really steps. It just kind of moves closer to me. I am frozen and cannot move.


"Chosen me for what?"


"These are my woods. This is my forest," it says to me. I still don't know how it's talking.


"This is Papa Sergei's land," I reply.


It laughs and the whole forest shakes. All the birds are flying away now.


"This is my land. This is my mountain. I am simply letting Papa Sergei remain here!" Its voice is loud and scary again.


"But Papa Sergei bought it," I sass back to it. I don't know why I'm not scared.


"Mortal men and their money," it laughs. "Money is evil, don't you know this, little worshipper of Iisus Khristos?" It keeps laughing. "It is nearly the most evil thing about your kind, but not quite. There is still something more evil than money!"


"What?" I ask, genuinely curious, still not frightened in the least.


"ME!" Its voice booms and the sky gets cloudy. Lightning streaks across the sky and I can see a scary skeleton where its face is supposed to be.


I try to scream again, but nothing. I feel a little scared again.


It laughs and there's thunder now, and more lightning.


I hide my face.


"Stop it! I want my papa!" I am crying.


"Do you know why you call for your papa but not your mother? Or your father?" It begins to rain and I can barely see with the rain in my eyes. It is cold. So cold.


"My...mother?" I don't ever think about my mother. I don't know her. She died.


"Yes. Your mother. The one who held you in her womb," the thing growls.


"Papa said she's in Heaven now." I clutch my tummy. It hurts. I feel like I am going to throw up.


It laughs again.


"Heaven, that is a fairy story! It does not exist! Souls don't go to this Heaven. Souls only come back time and time again, or they burn for eternity with me in Gehenna!"


"I don't want to burn," I hide my face again. I have seen what fire does to things. And I don't know what Gehenna is.


"To burn is not a bad thing, child. Mortals often pair the term with something that they are fond of. Such as 'burning desire', or 'burning passion'."


I open my eyes and the thing is right before me! I try to gasp, but it puts its claws across my mouth.


"I have chosen you," it whispers.


"Chosen me for what?" I whisper through its big paws.


"to burn with me for all eternity!" It laughs again.


I still can't scream. And its paw is tight on my face. It is starting to hurt.


"Do you want to know why, little Tyanna?"


All I can do is nod my head.


"When you ruthlessly murdered your own mother by ripping her apart, just to be born, I knew you were special!"


"No!" I try to say. I didn't do that to my mother did I?


"And your own father cannot look you in the face, because you look too much like her!" It laughs. There is more thunder. The ground moves under my feet and I start to fall.


"I want to tell you something, sweet Tyanna," It removes its paw from my mouth.


"What?" My voice creaks. I am trying not to fall.


"I killed those mortal men!" It holds up that man's head again.


I try to scream but I still can't.


"Look at him, Tyanna! Look him in his dead eyes!"


I can't close my eyes! I can't move! All I can do is...stare at the head...stare in its open eyes...


But it's not so bad now. I am getting used to looking at it.


I stop struggling. And now I just look at the dead man's head. It looks...silly.


The thing laughs.


"Such a good little girl! You can help me now. Do you want to help me, little Queen?" Its voice is much softer now. It sounds familiar, almost.


"Yes," I smile and nod. "I want to help you." I am starting to like its empty face.


It pushes the dead head toward me.


"Throw it." It says.


"Throw it?" I am confused.


"Like a toy, dear child. Like a bouncing ball. Throw it into the distance, with all your might!" It shakes the head at me.


I take the head. It is kind of yucky. But then I pull my arm back and throw it into the woods. I hear it hit the ground and more birds fly away.


The thing laughs and now I do too.


"Nothing and no one can hurt you inside of this space, now. You are free to carry out my work here, and no harm will befall you, sweet Tyanna. The place where the head of that disgusting human now marks the border of where people can find you. You are safe to hide here so long as you give me what I ask for when I ask for it, do you understand?"


I don't really. "No," I whisper, confused.


"Don't worry," it takes my chin gently in its paw. "You will someday."


Its touch comforts me. I close my eyes and feel sleepy.


"That's right, child. Drift off to sleep now..." Its touch is gentle. "I must go now, but you will see me again," it whispers.


Before I can ask it to stay, the thunder claps again and it's gone. I am startled and try to call out.


But then I sit up in the bunk Papa Sergei put me in.


I was having a nightmare again.


But it was really more like a regular dream because I am not scared.


And nightmares are supposed to scare you.


I reach up and touch my mouth because it hurts. Why does my mouth hurt?


I go across the room to where Papa Sergei hung up a mirror so I can see myself brush my hair.


There is a weird bruise across my lips. It looks like claws.


"He is real," I whisper.


Thunder booms in the distance and I smile.


He. Is. Real.