Lisa and the Light Pt. 12

An old woman with grey skin, sickly, almost deathly almost decayed almost dead, skin, replaced the party and with it went the warmth, the revelry, the revelers, the wine, the food, the couches, the harps, the sheets, the fun, the joy. In its place was snow and an old gray woman, her face shrouded like the revelers.

The woman reached out a hand to help Lisa up, and she hesitated. So much couldn't be trusted, the monsters earlier had rampaged, but then fled; the kind woman who gave her boots and brad had lost a child; and this party was not a party, but a woman. Lisa had almost convinced herself this was not a dream, the pain in her side, the exhaustion, the tears on her face when she admitted the unadmittable - it must all be real, but all together it couldn't be.

The woman reached out a hand to help Lisa up, and she hesitated before grasping it and anchoring herself to its surprising weight, the rest of her gliding up with it until she was standing up, her eyes meeting to ghostly shadows behind the woman's veil.

"Where did everyone go?" Lisa asked, her voice hoarse.
"They retreated from your admission," the woman replied, "you scared them off."
"I don't know if I wanted them to go away," said Lisa, "I was enjoying myself."

The woman's voice seemed to belie a smile as she replied, "That wasn't your choice to make. Where are you going my child."

"I don't know," Lisa replied, "I'm not even sure how I got here, I'm not even sure if this is real. I probably just need to wake up."
"Then wake up," said the woman, "what's stopping you?"
"Well I can't just wake myself up, that's not how it works," said Lisa, "and I'm not even sure that's how it works."

The woman sat down a stump, and began to pick her nails, obviously bored with the situation, "Then how does it work? You seem to know a lot about it for a person who doesn't know where they're going."

"I don't know, I guess. Fall, maybe, I've seen that before in movies, and I mean you hear about it too, people always wake up when their falling."
"Then fall," said the woman, "but maybe, fall towards something."
"Did you cause the party to appear, did you like summon them or some other weird magical dream thing? I wouldn't need to fall if I could just feel like they made me feel again."
"It was me and I am them," she said, "and you changed us o this when you scared me off with your unfortunate truths."
"Well you don't have to get bitchy, its not my fault you get weirded out by what people say," said Lisa before thinking, though the woman didn't seem offended.

The silence settled between them, and though the old woman only continued to pick at her grey skin, Lisa became quickly unnerved. She had to do something, she couldn't wait for something to happen, she had to walk, or jump, or fall or fight there had to be another part of this dream before she woke up.

"There is," said the woman, "you have to head towards the castle and find that woman's child and bring it back to her. Of course its being guarded by monsters and an evil sorcerer, but you can handle that, or maybe you can't."

"How do you know I have to do any of that, how did you know"
"What you were thinking? So predictable, so understandable, and so easy to see. I'm surprised you didn't see it for yourself young mother. You are on an adventure."
"And if I don't want to be you old bean bag?"
"Then you'll die here, from exposure, and hunger, or something else I guess. Perhaps the wolves will get you."
"I don't want that,"
"You don't get a say. You get to fall."

And Lisa thought for a second, but then couldn't think anymore.
"So what direction do I fall? Where the hell is this castle?"
And the old woman showed her the way.