Donna George brought her face as close to the
windscreen as she could as she drove through the misty dark. Her headlamps threw up strange shadows as
she crawled along in her car. Eerie halogen ghosts paraded before her. It had been a mistake to come
up to the cabin so late in the season, but she had had to get away after the messy divorce from Ben,
and her ever increasing workload at the hospital. She'd taken a month's vacation, to "get away from it
all" as Trudy called it, to try and sort out her head and emotions. She had always found it difficult
to be close to someone, strange then that she had agreed to marry Ben two years ago, ignoring her mother's
advice and that of Trudy and the rest of her friends. Ben had been absolutely incredible
in bed, had
treated her like a woman, had been there for her when she needed him and distant when she didn't. All
in all, the ninety's dream of the nineties' woman, supportive and the perfect gentleman. Unfortunately,
he had been quite a few other women's dream of the perfect man as well, and had taken every opportunity
that presented itself to prove it. Finally, he had overreached his abilities and had tried to come on
to Trudy and been shot down in flames. For a time, Donna had believed that Trudy
had been going for
Ben (according to his side of the story) and had treated her horribly until she had come home early from
work one night and found him in their bed with a co-ed from the university where he.... She slammed on
the brakes in desperation as the figure rose up to meet her suddenly from the mists. Too late, the figure
was thrown on to the bonnet as the car slammed to a halt. She sat there, shaking for a moment, cursing
herself for wool-gathering in this pea souper of a fog, her brain refusing to comprehend her stupidity.
Finally, she opened the door, the chimes pointlessly warning her that the lights were still on and walked
around to the front of the car to examine the prone figure. It was a girl, unconscious, her leg twisted,
obviously broken. "Damn it!" Donna swore. This was all she needed on top of everything else. She checked
the girl for other injuries as best she could, decided that the broken leg and a possible concussion
were her only ones and, after opening one of the rear doors, gathered the girl into her arms and placed
her carefully into the car. Getting back in to the driver's seat, she continued slowly on her way
towards the cabin, listening to the girls' moans from the back seat, cursing all of the way for her stupidity.
Moonchild 2
Donna switched on the generator and all the lights in the main room of the
cabin before bringing the girl in and laying her on the large wooden dining table. The downstairs was
taken up by the large main room and the kitchen, with stairs going up to a balcony and two bedrooms.
The girl was surprisingly lightweight for her height, but when Donna opened her coat and saw how slender
she was, she realized why. The girl was still unconscious, but still whimpered in pain when Donna cut
away her jeans to dress her leg. Thankfully, Ben had left some of his art supplies here, so plaster of
Paris was on hand, as well as plenty of bandage. The only problem had been the splints, for which Donna
had had to break up a spare broomstick. Donna noted clinically the bruises on the girl's legs as she
mixed the plaster of Paris to make a cast. The bruises were a few days old, already fading now to a dull
green. Donna wondered where and how the girl had got them. Granted, children seemed to attract bruises,
but these seemed the result of a severe beating. Also, there appeared to be bite and claw marks, which
seemed older than the bruises and had almost healed. She decided that she would examine the girl
more fully after she had put on the plaster. She unwrapped the bandage and soaked it in the mixture,
then began to carefully wind it around the girls' leg as gently as she could on her own. "Good job she's
unconscious," Donna thought as she worked, "this would really sting if she were awake." Just as Donna
was finishing off, the girl opened her eyes and regarded her solemnly. There was no accusation in her
eyes, just a cool appraisal that began to upset Donna. "How do you feel?" She asked as calmly as she
could, giving the girl a tentative smile. The girl didn't reply, her expression didn't change, just
the same cool regard. "Don't feel like talking, huh? Never mind, that's OK, I can live with that for
a while. You will have to keep the weight off that leg for a few weeks until it starts to heal, though
we'll have to find you a couple of crutches so that.
Moonchild 3
You can move around,
and probably something so that you can scratch your leg while it's in the plaster. I know what having
your leg in plaster is like as my dad took us all skiing when I was little and I broke my leg then and
had the plaster on for six weeks." There was still no reply from the girl, and Donna felt that she was
rambling. "Yeah, well, you don't want to hear about my little accidents as a child, and I don't know
about you but I could do with some sleep. How about I give you a hand upstairs, huh?" The girl made no
protest as Donna reached for her and lifted her from the table. She carried the girl upstairs and into
the spare room and, carefully laying her on the spare bed, helped her fully undress. The girl had
no qualms about nudity and Donna had a chance to admire her nubile, slender body, and feel a hint of
jealousy. Donna made her way to her own room, stripped, and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't
consider her body as good as the girls', but she was still trim and reasonably fit and she curved in
all the right places. Not bad for a woman in her thirties she thought wryly. I'm not sagging anywhere,
but I'm starting to get a bit heavy around the middle. Need to get a bit of toning in, if I can find
a little time to use the hospital gym amongst all the work I...was...doing. Maybe when I get back,
though I could probably get some hiking in while I'm up here. She switched off the light and turned towards
her bed. Climbing beneath the sheets, she lay on her back and started to review everything that had happened
during that day, as was her custom. Strangely though, she fell asleep before she finished her task.
Donna awoke to the sound of screaming. She threw herself from her bed and ran to the girl's room.
Pushing open the door, she saw the girl's slender form huddled, wracking with sobs. Donna went to her,
took the girl in her arms. At first the girl was a statue, tense and distant, but then something seemed
to give inside her, and she relaxed against Donna, putting her arms around her and pushing her face into
Donna's shoulder. "Hush, its OK now, it was just a nightmare" Said Donna as she stroked the girl's hair
to try and reassure her and calm her down.
Moonchild 4
"I'm sorry," whispered the girl
"I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you. I'm not usually so impolite. Please don't be angry with me," Donna
frowned as she listened to the girl, but continued to stroke her hair and began to rock her back and
forth slowly. Suspicions began to race through her mind: Maybe she was beaten or abused by her parents,
maybe that's why she was so quiet. That would certainly explain the bruises all over her body anyway....
The girl continued: "My name's Alicia Robair, and I'm sixteen" Alicia paused, about to say something,
then changed her mind. "You won't send me away will you? Please, don't send me away!" Alicia became almost
frenetic "I promise I'll be good, just don't send me away!" Faced with the choice of upsetting the girl
even farther by following the rules, Donna decided that she could tell the Alicia about procedures and
what should be done another day. "I won't send you away, Alicia, don't worry, it's OK, I promise. You
can stay with me here at least until your leg is a little better, and then we'll see where we go from
there, OK?" Donna felt the girl smile against her shoulder as Alicia hugged her a little tighter.
"Thank you" Alicia said, simply. And Donna held her through the night, and there were no more nightmares.
Over the next few days, Donna and Alicia got closer. They made a good team, making cookies, dinner,
painting together. Alicia made Donna feel wanted, good about herself again. Donna got used to having
her around, to hearing her laughter and, sometimes, her criticisms. Occasionally, Donna found Alicia
a bit of a paradox. Sure, she was emotionally immature, but the again, Donna wasn't miss wise and sharp,
But there were times when Alicia seemed too pensive, too deep. There were times when Donna could feel
Alicia's eyes on her, could almost read her expression but the answers were always just beyond her
grasp. Donna knew that Alicia was keeping a lot from her. She refused to talk about her family, or her
past in general, and at night Donna heard her crying, apparently in her sleep. And sometimes, the nightmares
came back, too.
Moonchild 5
It was Saturday. They had gone for a walk on the mountain,
and Alicia had made a nut roast. They'd played cards and listened to the radio till about eight, when
it started to get dark and Alicia had started to complain of a headache. Donna felt Alicia's forehead.
"You're burning up! Let's get you upstairs and lying down and I'll get some aspirin and some squash made
up for you". Donna got her undressed and into bed, then went downstairs for the squash. She looked through
the window. In the distance, she could just see the moon beginning to rise from behind the trees. From
upstairs, she heard a piercing shriek, followed by a loud thump and a drumming sound. She spun towards
the kitchen door, knocking the jug of squash to the floor in the process. "Damm it" she cried as she
ran to the stairs and called Alicia's name as she mounted them towards Alicia's room. She could hear
the girl moaning now as she got closer to the door. Alicia was screaming now, thrashing on the floor
as the moonlight streamed in through the bedroom window. Donna stood transfixed for a moment, staring
as the girl's body twisted and contorted in the lambent glow. Donna went to her, placed her hand
on the girl's shoulder and received a tormented shriek for her trouble. Donna yanked her hand away from
the girl's body and rocked back on her haunches as Alicia turned her face to her. "What can I do?" Donna
pleaded. "I love you," Alicia gasped, "run, get away, as quick as you can" Alicia screamed again as Donna
watched with mounting horror the girl's bones shifting beneath her tumescent skin. The hands lengthened,
became claw-like, and she began sprouting hair. The plaster cast on Alicia's leg exploded, showering dust
everywhere as her legs thickened and distorted. Donna had had enough, she ran from the room and downstairs.
She swiped the car keys from the hook and pulled the front door open. From upstairs she heard a tremendous
roar and something inside her gave way. She could feel the hot urine run down her legs as she ran for
the car. She fumbled the car door open and threw herself behind the wheel. Trying to shove the key in
to the ignition, she dropped the bunch. She cried now as she hunted in
Moonchild 6
The
well under the steering column, scrabbling for the keys and finally finding the keyhole and tried to
turn the engine over, which coughed and died. She looked up to see the bedroom window explode outwards
in a shower of glass and wood. Donna squealed as the car lurched from the impact of the creature landing
on the hood. Its head shot forward, and its teeth grated down the glass, while Donna closed her eyes
against the sight of that cavernous maw. In desperation, she tried the ignition again, the tears coming
heavy now, as she thought of what her friend had turned into. Thankfully, the engine roared to life,
and she slammed the car into reverse, evincing a howl of protest from the creature on the bonnet. As
she reversed the car, she watched the creature haul itself to its feet, and she got her first full view
of the monster her friend had become. In the halogen headlight glare, the creature, Alicia, stood revealed.
Tawny gold fur covered her body, which had grown to a good six feet in height. Her arms had lengthened,
with claw-like talons instead of fingers, but the scariest was her face, which was now entirely bestial,
wolf-like in aspect. From the pointed ears high on her head past the glowing green eyes to the massive
snout full of razor teeth, Donna beheld a savage beauty that for a moment trapped her with its carnal
cruelty. In spite of her terror, she found herself attracted to Alicia's majestic power, the ripple of
the huge muscles on that lithe body beneath the thick golden fur as she strode towards the car, a long
growl mixing with the purr of the engine. Donna sat transfixed by that terrible majesty and, finally,
as the despair and futility of her actions overwhelmed her, surrendered to its power. In the lonely
darkness of the night, a car wended its way along the mountain road. Its headlights picked out the golden
glow from the hair of a solitary hitchhiker, limping along the blacktop. The girl stuck out her thumb
as the car slowed. Its only occupant, a dark haired woman with oddly lambent green eyes, ran her tongue
over ruby red lips as the girl stuck her head through the passenger window. "Thanks for stopping," the
girl said, "my name's Alicia."
