Hel

Last night, I was frightened when I found Hel standing in front of her bed. I turned on the light before I shut the door. She remained motionless. My hand quivered as I touched her shoulder, "Hel…"

She was startled and moved away quickly, "careful," she uttered in a raspy, weary voice.

I gazed at her cadaverous body with woe. It has been two weeks since her breakdown. She stopped eating, interacting, and going out, and kept herself isolated.

"Please… you need to eat," I begged her.

Hel walked feebly to her dressing table and said, "I don't need to eat."

I heard an abrupt sob, then saw Hel grabbed her dusty music box and smashed it against the table's mirror.

"H-Hel… please, stop. You need to calm down," I stuttered.

It has been three weeks. Each day, I endured my daughter's lamentation. Every episode agitated me. My only peaceful moment was whenever she was in a catatonic state. Nevertheless, I firmly believed that I would be able to redeem her.

My poor Hel… it was all my fault. I mostly came home late. I was not able to check on her all the time. I knew something was wrong with her in the past weeks, but I was scared to find out what. Something was here, and it abducted my daughter. I need to be careful, so I would know where to find her.

Hel was lying flat on the floor. She was weak and wheezing, "why am I still conscious?" I heard her faintly.

I motioned to help her up, but she raised her hand to stop me as she continued breathing heavily.

"You don't seem to get enough sleep."

She closed her eyes. For a moment, I thought she fell asleep.

"I no longer need to sleep. You don't need to check on me. There's no use of it," she said slowly through hollow voice.

I looked at Hel, but I saw somebody else, "tell me, who are you?"

She looked straight into my eyes, but talked incoherently.

My daughter was out somewhere scared and alone because of this sham, and probably being tortured, too. I need to make this thing talk, I thought to myself.

I jumped over her, pinned her and slapped her, "who are you?! Where is my daughter?!"

She wouldn't stop muddling words and letting out faint growls, "I'm so sick and tired of waiting! I need to save my daughter! Where are you hiding my daughter?!"

"And I wake up being held here," I explained to my husband.

"Liar!" He accused me with pure hatred.

"It's true! I don't remember what happened after that, but I am certain that something was there made that happened—"

"You killed our daughter!"

"No! I did not! I tried to save her. I was interrogating her captor. It was that sham! Why don't you believe me?"

"You crazy witch, you will pay for it! I will make sure you will be incarcerated for the rest of your sorry life!"