By: Audrey Wang

The countryside house was quiet, a hushed veil draped over the building. Everything was covered by a comfortable darkness – wait – not everything. There was a flickering light on the balcony, where the lush plant and greenery allowed the candle’s halo to be a muted Verdi.

Small fireflies permitted themselves to be glimpsed for a few seconds – then blowing themselves out to blend with the inky night. Through the large fronds of a White Bird of Paradise, a delicate figure of a girl could be seen, gracefully sitting on a handmade wooden chair.

It was Elise. She had donned a pale blue scarf – so light it seemed like an alabaster snake, twisting itself around the circumference of Elise’s neck, resting diligently. Everything looked as if it was paused – Elise’s hand stopped in the middle of a sentence in her diary, with only the cicadas and crickets chirping in the midnight air. A light gale blew across her face – but she still seemed unmoved and stoic. Her mind was wandering yet again, back to years and years ago…

At first, all she could hear were the bugs in the lukewarm atmosphere – but then – slowly, coming into her world, was crying, and whimpering. As she looked to her side, she could almost see Kelly – but Elise’s eyes were blotted with tears, making everything a wavering dream. Through the haze, she could see black all around her in a panorama, blotting out any light. She started to wipe furiously at her eyes, only to see a coffin in front of her, with a picture of her aunt on it. In crude carving were the words ‘Maybell Thompson, 1893-1919, died of the flu’. Beside her, Kelly was looking at Elise with watery green eyes and moist hazel hair.

Then everything started crumbling – the coffin, the darkness around her – the guests – her weeping mother – and Kelly – all collapsing into dust that was blown away. No. Elise thought. I don’t want to lose you again. The last thing that disappeared was Kelly’s outstretched hand, graying and falling into limp shambles.

Then there was another image – another funeral, but this time for her uncle. Everything was the same – the coffin, the crying, the looming gloom, and sadness wafting through the air – everything was the same

– except for Elise.

She sat in a corner, wiping away the few tears that dribbled out of her eyes – but she found after she wiped them, no more came out. This time, Kelly was the one looking at the coffin – ‘Lewis Thompson, 1889-1920, died of suicide’. Then there was a pang of jealousy – watching her mother praise her sister for being a ‘good girl’ to respect her deceased family. Her mother then came over and glowered over Elise, telling her she was the embodiment of a sin – a disrespect to her family – an unreliable daughter. Elise then saw something she’d never seen before – a sly smile cross Kelly’s face, the one of a smirking demon.

“You,” Elise found herself saying. “You are not my little sister! You are a stupid sin that has been let by the devil to pollute our world, an evil!” Kelly looked shocked, but then returned to her grin. “You have no right to say that you unfilial child!” her mother said, lashing out and slapping her on the face. Holding her stinging cheek, Elise ran out of the church. “I don’t want to see any of you ever again!” She cried. She dashed into the forest, and when she looked back, the church, like the scene at her aunt’s funeral, had collapsed and was now a pile of rubble. Only Kelly still stood there, unmoving, as Elise walked over to her.

“What are you?” Elise demanded.

“Me?” Kelly cackled. “Just like you said, I am a sin, given human form. But not any sin. I am most likely the Devil himself.”

Kelly then lunged towards Elise, and everything for Elise

went black.