A great reveal

I stood up, having mustered some courage. The only things I had now were courage and an umbrella.

"Is anyone there?" I shook my head and yelled. "Show yourself."

At this time, the shadow began to advance towards me, and as it drew closer, I took a step back. I was scared. I had no idea why I had summoned it from its current spot; I should have left it alone. It could have left me alone if I had done it, as it always did. 

I began to hear footsteps. It was getting closer and closer, and as it got closer, my heartbeat accelerated.

"Come on out! Come out and let me see you if you're not a coward!" I yelled at him in the hopes of scaring him away.

The more I yelled, the more it obeyed and approached me. A torch shone directly in my eyes.

"Arghh! The light..." I sighed.

The torch went out a split second after I complained about the light refraction.

I looked up to see an elderly man standing in front of me. He was short, yet he wore long, white robes with hems that reached the ground. His head was shaved, and his feet were naked on the icy floor.

When I saw him, my confidence level plummeted, as did the umbrella in my hands. I couldn't help but wonder why such an old man was outside at such an odd hour.

Another thing that captivated me was watching the body of a short, elderly man produce such a massive, colorful shadow.

"It's a good thing you put down that umbrella. I was about to hit you." The old man gloated.

"What is your name?" I inquired since I was inquisitive at the time

.

He sat on the pavement where I had just stood up, paying no attention to me. He asked for some water, speaking slowly and with utmost caution.

"Oh! There is no water. My stepmother had already slammed the door shut.

"That woman!" he yelled. I wondered if he knew enough about my stepmother to curse her. He was the only person I knew who thought my stepmother was a pain.

 "Do you know who my stepmother is? Why do you refer to her as if you knew her?" I inquired.

Unexpectedly, he drew a bottle of water from his seat and drank some of it. "From where did you acquire the water?" I asked, hoping he could acquire some for me as well.

He coughed after taking another sip in an attempt to answer my last inquiry. He couldn't speak because there was water in his throat.

Finally, the water gave way, allowing him to speak.

"Beta Ralph of the Shang Dynasty is your grandfather. I've been keeping an eye on you since you were born. This Lot fell on you, You were Born with a different fate My child. Your father must have informed you about me; you simply cannot recall."

I had my doubts about him for a split second.

 "Why didn't you protect me if you were my grandfather and had been monitoring me? After all, you claim to have been watching me, why did you abandon me to the mercy of my stepmother?" I screamed.

"It was not my fault. After I died, I transformed into a winged creature with wings and a menacing face. I was only authorized to appear to you in my true form after you and your step-sisters reached the age of twenty."

"This is fascinating!" So, what happened to my stepsisters, Petra and Sonia? After all, they are two years my senior. They are also lovely and unique in comparison to me."

The old man nodded. My question seemed to weigh heavily on him. He took another sip from the bottle in his hands.

"Your stepsisters have been nothing but cruel to you. Year after year, I have watched them treat you with hatred and disrespect, and so the entirety of your bloodline has resolved to punish them by not showing themselves even when they both turned twenty-one." 

"And even if they had not been this cruel, You Tanya, from the times you were yet to be born had been chosen for this path."

 he replied.

I was astounded that he knew about my stepsisters and what they had done to me, and the path He said I had chosen. It's still a mystery to me why he didn't save me. He sensed my unease and the uneasiness that crept into the deepest recesses of my bones.

"I know you have a lot of questions, young girl, but I have to tell you: we don't have a lot of time. We must act as quickly as possible." My grandfather remarked as he fought to get up from where he was.

I raced to my grandfather's aid as he stood erect using my elbow as a support system.

Even though I fought to believe him, I had a profound conviction that he was telling the truth.

"You must go into your room and look under your bed as soon as your stepmother opens the door. There will be a scroll beneath it. Take action on whatever you discover as soon as possible." Grandpa Ralph gave the order.

Grandpa Ralph changed into a monster flapping its wings in an instant, like before the twinkle of an eye. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

I would have yelled if it hadn't been night.

"What am I supposed to do with the scroll?" I inquired.

 Unfortunately, he disappeared before I could finish my sentence.

As soon as Grandpa Ralph flitted away, I decided to take a few moments to rest my head to ease the heaviness in my eyes.

Before I could count to ten, my stepmother woke me up with a splash of cold water.

"Arghh!" I broke into tears.

"You conceited being!" By seven o'clock in the morning, you're still asleep." She laughed.

She was correct. The sun had started to rise. I should have awoken even if my stepsisters, Petra and Sonia, were still sleeping in their nice, roomy beds.