Moonlight Veil

could always see things that others couldn’t see, and I’m not talking about what we could see on Earth. I’m talking about a veil that binds the living with the supernatural. I’ve encountered angels, demons, spirits; the list could go on and on.

My parents always told me it was all in my head, that these beings only existed in fairytales. She would take me to see a therapist every week, but it didn’t seem to make them disappear. It only made it worse.

“Hey...” The demon in my closet said to my five-year-old self. I looked up from my coloring book to see the demon’s red glowing eyes. “Mom!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“No, No... You’re coming with me!”

I screamed again until my throat burned in pain.“What’s the matter, honey?!” Mom said while rushing into the room. I grabbed her and then wrapped my arms around her waist while sobbing uncontrollably.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Wren.”

I pointed to the dark closet with no demon insight. “There’s nothing there, sweetie...”

That terrified me as a child, and I slept every night with the lights on. But that couldn’t compare to when I was thirteen years old.

“Wren, can you please bring me the daily newspaper? It’s on my desk.”

“Yes, father...” I said as I walked over to his cluttered desk, piled with paper and old coffee mugs. I reached to grab the newspaper, but something caught my eye.

It was round like a ball but had multiple metal rings that fit perfectly around the sphere. I carefully picked it up, making the ball glow a light blue.

“Wow!”

I gave the ball a little squeeze and then BOOM. The world around me began to spin frantically. I couldn’t scream, and I couldn’t move; all the muscles in my body were stiff as a wooden board.

I glanced down to see the ball pulsating in a rhythmic pattern, and then the world around me transformed into a grayish fog. Once the fog cleared, I could see a twilight glow that covered the environment around me. The sky was a swirling canvas of deep indigos, silvers, and faint iridescent colors.

There were no true Sun or moon, only a hazy, shifting fog that cast distorted shadows. The air was thick but not suffocating. I could hear the faint whispers and faint humming vibrations, as though the world itself is conscious.

“We’ve been expecting you.” I heard something say in a deep, ominous voice. I turned around just in time to see the creature, which had long claws and glowing green eyes, turn into a human man.

“Who are you?” I said, backing away.

“Who am I?” He chuckled. “I’m a Veilwalker just like you.”

“Veilwalker?”

I backed away more until I ran into something that felt like a wall.

“Wren!”

I turned around to see my parents banging on the clear wall.

“Mom! Dad!” I put my left hand against the wall while still holding the ball in my right hand.

I then felt a warm hand on my left shoulder. “Come with me, Wren.” The man said in a calming voice. I turned around to see his glowing green eyes with his hand stretched out.

“No! Wren, don’t listen to him!” I heard my Mom yell.

I kept staring into his eyes, making me fall deeper and deeper into his spell. I slowly reached my hand out to touch his when I heard the sound of glass breaking behind me.

“You fools! I will not be stopped!” The man yelled out in anger. I watched as my parents burst through the veil, holding an object that looked like a sword.

“You will not take my daughter!” My father yelled.

“We’ll see about that.” I watched as the man’s body began to morph into a huge creature that was as tall as the Eiffel Tower. His green eyes were so bright you couldn’t see his pupils anymore.

He opened his mouth wide and let out a high-pitched scream, sending me flying backward. I hit the edge of the veil, causing me to drop the ball.

It broke into a million pieces, “Oh no...” I heard my Mom say softly.

I watched as black smoke rose from the shattered glass, making the air harder to breathe. The smoke began to swirl, creating a black void that began to suck things up.

“This can’t be happening!” The creature said as half of his body was already sucked into the void.

“You need to get to safety!” My father yelled while holding my Mom close.

“Not without y’all.” I held out my hand, but they both shook their heads. I watched helplessly as both of my parents got pulled into the void.

“No!” The world around me faded, bringing me back to the world I knew best.

I felt like I lost everything that day, leaving me nothing but the clothes on my back. I tried to explain to the police what happened, but they didn’t believe anything I said.

They sent me away to live with my grandmother, all the way in a town called Celeste. I wasn’t happy here at first, but I’ve gotten used to it.

I’m now seventeen, living a normal life, like my parents wanted. I’ve graduated from high school, go for early morning runs, and have friends who are actually human and not mystical creatures.

“Hey!” My friend, Finn, said while fading into existence.

“Ahh!” I screamed.

“You should be used to me by now,” Finn said. I stared into his brown eyes as he sat down on my bed.

“I am... being a ghost doesn’t give you the permission to pop up randomly,” I said.

“Actually, it does...”

The door to my room swings open to reveal my grandmother holding a cup of coffee. “Who are you talking to?”

“N-Nothing... Nobody...” I quickly glanced to where Finn was sitting to see that he had vanished.

She stuck her head into the room and then looked left and right. “Don’t you have work today?”

“Yep, I’m going right now...” I jumped off the bed and grabbed my bag, which was on the floor. “I’ll be back before dinner.” I ran out the front door, making sure the door closed behind me.

I walked onto the busy street with people going every which way, not paying attention to where they were going.

The warm air from earlier had turned to a cool fall day with orange and brown leaves on the ground. I put my bag over my shoulder and then walked towards my job, which was a few blocks away.

“Do you think your grandma can see me?” Finn said, popping up beside me.

I kept quiet as I kept my focus on getting to work.

“Ignoring me again?”

“Did you forget that you’re a ghost? And that I’m the only one who could see you.” I whispered.

Finn put his hands in his pockets. “I wish everybody knew how handsome I am.”

“And I wish you would shut up sometimes.”

Finn vanished into thin air once I stepped inside the ice cream shop. The sign above one of the counters read: Wonderful Sweets. The dining area seats were full with families that seemed to be having the time of their lives.

“I see that you’re on time today.” My friend Cordelia said while restocking the ice cream. She has the most beautiful hazel eyes with a bright white smile.

“I see that we’re busy today.” I slid the apron over my head.

“Yep, we’ve been busy all day, very unusual, must be a full moon tonight.”

I stood over the cash register, waiting to be approached by a customer. I scanned outside to see two men in suits and sunglasses approach the entrance of the ice cream shop.

I made eye contact as the two gentlemen walked towards me.

“Is there anything I can get for y’all?”

They stopped right in front of the counter, eyeing all the ice cream on display. “We’re not here for ice cream.” One of the men said.

“We also have cookies and cupcakes...” I said, feeling the sweat drip down my forehead.

“Are you Wren?”

“Who needs to know?” I glanced back to see that Cordelia was gone.

They both took off their sunglasses to reveal their pure white eyes. “You’re coming with us.”

And in the snap of a finger, everything went black.