Protégeme

The silhouette of the moonlit curled and contorted branches on my wall only got scarier day by day. They would form a new pattern every night. I spent nights with my head burried under the rug, watching the spooky figures dangle in breeze. I heard voices which I always wanted to believe were only in my head and not for real but I was not sure. Tonight was no different. I did not feel safe in this house anymore, not since Julian left.

Dad got a call this morning that we could have her back. I was really glad about it. I believed things will be back to normal once Julian is back in the house.

About two months ago, the family had to move to this new place. We were rich enough to buy the biggest property in the town. I loved our new house unlike Julian who always had a problem accepting the change. "Big houses like this one are usually haunted. You watch movies, don't you?", she had this habit of scaring me by telling me such stories and it worked everytime.

Ours being the biggest property covered a large area. The house stood in the extreme right corner of the land and to the left of it was a big garage. Rest of the land had not been put to use. Dad was working on a plan to make that land useful.

Julian and I took the two adjacent rooms in the first floor of three storeyed house. The outside view from both the rooms was almost same. At the back of our house was a land, which once was a cementery. The land now belonged to some I-do-not-know-who. There stood an incompletely built structure on that land which did not seem to be completed anytime soon. There was a tree close to the wall of our house whose branches extended to the windows of both our rooms. Mom and Dad took the one room downstairs.

First three nights went so well. Everybody, Julian included, was having a great time. We all liked the new place a lot. Until on the forth night we heard some cries. "Honey, What is it?", mom asked. "Julian's room.", dad pointed and rushed upstairs to check on Julian. Mom and I followed him. Julian was standing near the window, weeping. Her eyes were all red. Mom held me closer to her. "Julian? Julian, what happened? Why aren't you in your bed?", Dad asked as he pulled her away from that window. She didn't speak a word. She was scared but what frightened her, she won't tell. Mom stayed with Julian that night and Dad stayed with me.

Next morning Dad tried to talk Julian into what happened the previous night. She didn't remember anything. She was very normal in the morning. Julian and I went out to see the market and get us few things. We stopped to grab something to eat. "Ben, did you see what happened last night? You were there, weren't you?" Julian started talking. I was surprised to hear that. "But you told dad that you did not remember anything about last night. Why would you lie?", I asked. "Yes, I lied because I was not sure about what I saw. You know I heard some voices last night. Somebody was outside my window. He was dragging something, made from iron perhaps. When I got up to look out, I saw a...", Julian stopped when I interrupted, "Julian, if this is one of your ugly tricks to scare your little brother, then let me tell you I am not a little boy anymore." I, however, was scared to the bones.

After the dinner that night, we helped mom with dishes. Mom and Dad were trying to make sure that Julian was fine. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight, Jules?", mom asked. "No, mom. I will be fine.", Julian smiled and ran upstairs. I, on the other hand, wanted to ask mom to stay with me but I had to stick to the manly words I said to Julian about being a grown up.

Later that night, I was fast asleep when I heard some cries again. This time those cries were not coming from Julian's room but my room. I turned and tossed off the bed to find Julian standing at my window shouting at somebody, "Get out of here. You can't scare us. Do you understand that? Don't you dare frighten my little brother or hurt him, you scar faced ugly man." "Julian, what is wrong with you? What are you doing in my room? And who are you shouting at? The tree?", I hated her for making me shiver with fear. "Shhhhhhh, Ben. Get back. I don't want you near this window. That man standing there with an axe says that he wants to hurt you.", she pushed me away. I ran downstairs to my parents. Dad came upstairs and found Julian sleeping in my bed, like she had been sleeping there for a long time.

"Benno, why don't you go and sleep with your mother? I will close the window and be back in a while. Ok, son?", Dad asked me to leave the room.

"Did Benno sleep?", I heard Dad talking to mom, "I checked everything. The window, her room. There is nobody there. Must be a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

Next morning again, Julian was as normal as she was the day before. "Good morning, parents. Hey, Ben. Sleep well?", she took a loaf of bread from the table and sat down on a chair. I prefered to not look at her. "Julian, are you fine?", mom asked. "Yes, mom. Never been better. Why?", she replied. Mom just ended the conversation with a nod. Dad left for work and mom went back to the kitchen. Julian looked at me. I am sure she could see the fear in my eyes very clearly. "Ben, I am not letting him hurt you. You don't need to worry about it. Alright, brother?", she whispered. She remembered last night too. Why was she lying to mom and dad? What was going on in her mind?

Things worsened when Julian disappeared one night. Dad found her in the garage next morning. "Julian, what is going on with you? Why were you in garage last night? And how did you leave the house? I found the door locked from inside this morning.", Dad interrogated but Julian was in no mood to tell the truth. "She is lying to you, dad. She lied about the other two nights too. She remembers everything.", I had to let them know. But who believes the youngest kid when the older one cries. "Ok. Ok. Now here is the deal. None of you two leaves the house without telling your mom or me.", Dad set the rules.

That afternoon I was busy drawing pictutes in my room. I didn't leave the room till mom called us for lunch. Julian was already there. I didn't talk to her and sat on my chair. "What do think you were doing this morning? You know telling them the truth can cause you trouble. I am just trying to protect you.", Julian sounded so furious. Mom came with the food and she stopped talking. She gave me an enraged look and started eating the food.

She came to my room later that day. She talked with a nicer tone, "I jumped out of the window last night and hurt my ankle.", she showed me her swollen ankle.

At first, dad thought he could handle the things himself but then he gave up and went for some medical help. Doctors told dad that Julian's presence in the house could make other kids uneasy. So, she was sent to an asylum.

After having her locked up for a month, they were letting her out tomorrow. Next morning when I got up, I got properly dressed and combed my hair well. I was all ready to see my sister. I went downstairs to find mom working in the kitchen. "Mom, where is dad? He has to go get Julian back from the assylum.", I pulled a chair out and sat on it. "Yes, son. Yiur dad left already. They must be reaching home anytime.", she replied.

I heard the car engine come to a halt right at front of our door. I ran out to see Julian. Dad took out a bag from the back of the car and asked me to take it inside the house. "Julian? Where is Julian?", Mom came running. "Julian, get out of the car. Your mother and brother are eager to see you.", Dad knocked at the window of the back seat. Door opened and there she stood right in front of us.

We all brought her in. Dad asked her to go and freshen up. She went to her room upstairs. Julian looked different. She was quiet and frail. The dark circles under her eyes made her look weaker.

"Doctors said that they did a lot of  tests on Julian. The results were normal. She behaved normal. No violence, no crying, no nightmares. So, they discharged her sooner.", Dad passed Julian's reports to mom. "Dad, is something wrong with the house? Because Julian has been behaving weirdly since we moved here.", I was not finished yet but Dad hushed me. He welcomed Julian to have breakfast with her family after such a long time.

Julian stayed in her room all day long. She had locked herself in the room. We got to see her only at the dinner table. "Julian, if you have any problem staying alone in your room you can shift to Ben's room and stay with him.", Dad told her. I was glad that I would get to spend more time with my sister but she refused. She finished her food, went upstairs and locked her room from inside.

Following day went well too. Julian spent most of her time with the family. Mom and Dad were really happy to see Julian well and fine.

One fine morning, mom came to my room to wake me up, "Ben, wake up. Granny is not well. Your dad and I are going to see her. Look after your sister and the house well. We will be back tomorrow."

They left. Julian and I waved them off. Julian had not had any real conversation with me since she got back. "Do you hate me?", I asked. "No, I don't. Go to your room and study.", she replied. We didn't see each other during the day. I went downstairs for lunch but she didn't come. She didn't come out for dinner also. I was worried for her and angry with the way she had been behaving.

I went to Mom and dad's room and started crying, "Why, mom? Why did you think that it was safe to leave me alone with her?" Julian heard me and came out of her room to look for me. "Ben? Ben, where are you?, she entered the room, "what are you crying about?" She found me sitting in a dark corner with my head down on knees. She tried to reach me. "Why are you acting so different? I thought things would be same when you are back but now I don't like having you back.", I told her.  She walked a step back , "it is because, Ben, I don't like it anymore. Lying to mom and dad is not good."

"But you said you would protect me.", I looked up to see her. "I did, din't I?", she sat down at a distance and sighed, "and I am still protecting you, Ben." Just then she looked at something and shouted, "What is that on your arm, Ben? Is that blood?" I looked down and saw a lot of blood oozing out of that wound. "Did you hurt yourself?", she asked. "No, Jules, you hurt me.", I replied, "I just cut myself with this knife, like this." I made another incision on my arm. "Stop it, Ben.", she shouted at me. "No, Julian. I don't stop, you protect me and if you can't do that then Daddy's favorite kid may have to go back to the assylum.", I continued cutting my arm. She slapped me hard to get me rid of that knife. I ran out of that room and hid in a kitchen almirah. She came after me but she couldn't see me. "Ben, please come out and talk to me. Tell me what do you want me to do?", she demanded, "I lied to our parents about my health. I never let them know that it was you who cried all the night and not me. I never told them that I spent that night in garage because I saw you leaving the house through the window and followed you. And then you locked me out. I prevented you from going to that assylum by not letting them know that you were the one who needed medical help, Ben." She searched places to find me as she continued to talk, "But, Ben, we should tell them. They will help you. This thing with your virtual scar faced friend is getting ugly now and see, you end up hurting yourself." She started looking in the kitchen. She had the knife in her hand. She reached the almirah I was in and before she could open it, I pushed the door hard and she fell down. I ran upstairs now. I stumbled over the stairs and hurt myself.

"Shhhh. She is looking for us. She hates you and if she tells mom and dad about you, they will hate you too.", I talked to Scar. That is what I called my friend. He was always there. When everyone thought that I was alone, he was with me. Julian knew about him. I told her and showed her Scar's pictures too. I had drawn a lot of them.

I never had any problem with the moving but I didn't like leaving my friends behind. I met Scar in this house and he said that he would never let me leave. He said that he would find a way and make me stay forever. I told him that I would take him along when we move next time but he said that he could not leave the house. So, I had to stay for him.

Scar was now scared that Julian will tell Dad everything and they will take me away. So, he asked me to let him handle it his way. He had a plan and cutting me was a part of it.

Julian came into the room. She knew I was hiding in one of my almirahs. I came out and hit her hard with my baseball stick because Scar asked me to. She fell unconcious. I sat besides her. I didn't like hurting my sister. She should have listened to us.

Next day began. Julian was still sleeping on the floor. "Ben? Jules?", I heard mom call out our names. They were home. A few slaps to myself and few head to wall bumps and I was all set to face mom.

"Mom.", I ran downstairs and hugged her. "What happened to you? Where is your sister?", she made me sit down on a chair and checked my bruises. She called out for dad. Dad saw me and went to check Julian. "She hurt me. She cut me with a knife and hit me. Please call the doctor to check her again.", I said. 

How could they let a monster, who hurt a liittle boy, stay. She had a story to tell but nobody believed her. They called the assylum and sent her back. After everybody believing that Julian had shown some violent signs, they were not letting her out anytime soon. Scar was happy that our secret was safe.