Leona Charles: Last Post

Thank you to all of my loyal followers for your views over the last few months. But I am sad to say that this will be my last ever blog post. It has all become too dangerous. I should have stayed at home, at the house where me and mum lived.

I know now that she is definitely Annabella. I don't know why I ever doubted this. Even when I was little she told me the horrible tales of the bad man who stole her children. She had said that he would get me too, and that was why I had to stay with her. She even said that Geraldine would help him, that she was just as bad.

Oh, Geraldine, this is all my fault. She knocked on the door the other day. I had thought that it was Chris again, but when I went to open the door, Annabella stood in front of me, letting out that ear piercing scream. And suddenly the door sprung open, banging against the wall. There stood Geraldine, looking straight at Annabella. She could see her! Any frailty that I'd ever saw in Gerladine was gone now, as she screamed back at Annabella. As if she had blown a gust of wind her way, Annabella suddenly flew backwards into the corner, becoming smaller and silent.

I stood in shock for a moment, looking at Geraldine, wondering when I'd last heard silence. Eventually I spoke. “I shouldn't have come.”

Geraldine sighed, reaching for my hand. “She's stronger than before.”

I looked back at Annabella, still huddled in the corner, but I didn't need Geraldine to tell me that this was a temporary state. I sat down in the living room, like I had 2 weeks ago, and listened carefully as Geraldine handed me a pebble.

“You have to be calm,” she instructed. “I took away those years. I can take away these weeks, just like they never happened. Close your eyes. Do not let her enter your mind.”

I obeyed, holding tight into the pebble. I tried to forget her scream, her whispers, her cold presence all around me. I tried so hard.

“Go to your safe place, Leona. Only you know where that is. No one can get you there.”

I searched my mind for the safe place, my little bedroom, surrounded by lilac and purple. I needed to see Georgie, the old photo. I had to get there. Why couldn't I picture it? I could feel her coldness around me.

“Concentrate!” Geraldine shouted. “You can get there.”

I thought hard, and soon I was there. I was sat on my bed, with Georgie on my lap, looking at the photo of me and Mum. I was there, I was safe. Mum was downstairs cooking the Bolognese. I could smell it wafting up, hear the clinking of plates and cutlery. She was just downstairs.

I looked at the school photo, my grey pinafore, my pigtails, my grin. Mum's arms were around me in a hug, but she wasn't smiling. But Mum always smiled when she was with me, didn't she? I looked away from the photo, and down at Georgie as I listened to the sound of Mum's soft footsteps in the kitchen. I tried to ignore the impatient sighs and the angry mumbles, and just smell the food.

“Come back now, Leona,” Geraldine said.

“I don't want to.” It was so much nicer here.

“You have to.” I felt Geraldine's warm hand touch mine as I opened my eyes. She looked exhausted.

There was silence around me still. I looked to the corner, and Annabella was gone, but even as I opened my hand to look down at the pebble, I knew that she wasn't really gone. It was still white.

“Where is she?” I asked.

Geraldine shrugged her shoulders. “She is weak, but she will be back.”

“What can I do?”

Geraldine shook her head. “You can try to leave, if she'll let you.” She stood up to leave, heading towards the door. “I'm sorry. I wanted to help.”

An hour later, Geraldine was dead. No sooner had I climbed into bed, praying for some sort of sleep, when I heard the sirens coming into the street. I knew then that she was dead. I rushed downstairs and there was the stretcher, being carried out of the door. Chris came rushing down behind me.

“What's happened?” I asked.

The paramedic shrugged his shoulders. “We don't know yet, heart attack maybe.”

Annabella's cackle filled my head as my legs turned to jelly and I fell to the ground. Chris managed to catch me. Annabella wasn't letting go.

I guess I must have fainted, because the next thing I knew I was on a couch, in an unfamiliar living room. Holly knelt on the floor beside me. I looked around the room as I sat up, even though Holly told me to lie back down. The small TV in the corner was turned off. There were footsteps in another room. At first, I thought that I might have been in Holly's house, but I knew that I was still in Silent Falls. I couldn't see Annabella, but I could feel her coldness around me.

Chris stepped into the room, handing me a glass of water. I was in his living room.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I don't know. I'm afraid.”

Holly nodded, agreeing with me as I took a sip of the cold water. It was comforting.

“You have to pack your things, and you can come and stay with me for now.”

“I don't know if I can,” I said, feeling the lump in my throat.

“Yes, you can,” Holly insisted. “This place is going to kill you.”

“She won't let me go,” I whispered, but I knew that she could hear me. I could feel her anger.

Holly looked like she was ready to ask more questions when Chris spoke. “You have to be strong. You can do it.”
“You don't understand.” I could feel hot tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Do you think you were the only one?” he asked. “Why do you think my parents sent me away? We have to do this now.”
And that's exactly what we did. Within an hour, I was in Holly's car, waving goodbye to Chris as we drove. I felt sick, and I wondered if I would survive the journey. I could feel her squeezing my body. Perhaps she would try to come with me.
We were almost out of Silent Falls when I felt her stone cold hands around my neck. She was going to kill me. I flailed my arms trying to push her off, but I knew that wasn't going to work. Holly screamed at me to be calm as she drove and I gasped for breath. She asked if I wanted her to stop. I tried to tell her to keep driving. There were spots appearing in front of my eyes when we drove by the sign informing us that we were leaving Silent Falls.
And suddenly, I could breathe. There was no coldness around me. She was gone. I assured Holly that I was okay, and asked her to keep driving.
I feel so much safer, here on Holly's couch, than I ever did in my time at Silent Falls. I threw as much as I could squeeze into my bag. Chris said that he would bring the rest of my things through for me, except for the box of research. I told him that I didn't want that. I should have left it alone, and so should Mum.
I'd like to find out what is so wrong with Silent Falls, but it's too dangerous. I wish I could convince everyone to just leave, and burn the place to the ground, but that won't happen. I lived most of my life with no memory of it. I just have to forget again.