“OF THE NIGHT”

The following is A winning entry from the Glenn Gentrey Writing Contest. A huge thank you to all who entered, and congratulations to our three winners!

“Lilith!”

“Yes?” I asked, snapping back into reality.

“Let’s get back to the piano and stop gazing out the window like a madwoman, shall we?” Fiero snapped. “The banquet is in less than two days, and your mother is going to kill me if you two don’t have this number down by then.”

“I don’t understand why we couldn’t just hire an orchestra,” I grumbled.

My brother rolled his eyes next to me. Fiero’s face grew red. “You two have such talent and your parents want to show that off to their people, is that so bad? Can you just cooperate for once, Lilith?”

He waved his hand, indicating for us to start again. I placed my hands back on the keys of the piano with a sigh and my brother picked up the bow of his violin. I took a deep breath and at Fiero’s queue my fingers danced along the keys and the sound of sweet music began to fill the room. Philip’s violin and the piano made such beautiful harmony, until my finger hit the wrong key and everything came to a sudden halt. I winced at the jarring note.

“Lilith,” my brother snapped. “This is the easiest song you’ve ever played, what is wrong with you?”

“Excuse me, you don’t sound too great yourself,” I argued, knowing perfectly well that my brother’s violin was the most beautiful music I had ever heard.

“Well at least–”

“Children!” Fiero shouted. “Stop bickering.” He jabbed a finger at Philip. “Behave like you have a future, Philip. When you inherit your father’s fortune you’ll regret wasting this time. And Lilith, act like a person of dignity. You may not have a future title in your hands, but you come from important people.”

I began mouthing the words with a mocking expression to the lecture I’ve heard dozens of times. Philip sank back in his chair as Fiero paced across the room.

After maybe ten or so minutes he finished off with, “And I know it’s been one of you stealing pastries from the kitchen.”

“Let’s get back to music shall we?” I urged, eager to be finished with class as I had urgent business to attend to.

“The first rational thing you’ve said all week.”

We began again, playing the song almost all the way through until the very end. I glanced out the window and saw that the sun was beginning to sink low in the sky. I stopped abruptly and shot up from the bench.

“Lilith! What has come over you–”

“Gotta go. It’s been great,” I said quickly, all as one word. I dashed out the door and down the hall. My room had been just how I left it, curtains wide open and orange sunlight streaming in. The colors of the sunset reflected onto my desk. I snatched up a weathering canvas bag and threw it over my shoulder.

The gigantic house was so quiet in the evenings. I started down the stairs and once I reached the bottom I turned around and ran my hand along the side of the staircase. I felt the crack and turned to face it. There was barely an outline of the door. It was an entrance to one of the servant’s passages that led down to the kitchen. I reached up, standing on my tiptoes to reach the top of the door and wedged my fingers in the crevice, pulling open the door. I looked around and seeing no one, I slipped through the entryway and closed it behind me.

The passageway was poorly lit and too narrow for two people to walk side by side. My shoes clicked on the stone. The floor began to slope down, reminding me I was almost to my destination. I clutched the bag tight as I came to the end of the passage. I could hear the chatter of the cooks and a couple of servants through the other side of the door. Slowly I unlatched the door and opened it ever so slightly. I peeked outside, and seeing no one in my direct line of vision I entered the kitchen and quickly ducked under a counter. A hand reached out above me and pulled a mug off the rack. Conversation continued and I crawled on the floor, sheltered by the counter. I reached over my head and felt around for where the tray of pastries usually are. I felt the plate and pulled down a handful and threw them in the bag. I moved down the line a little ways and felt again for the fruit bowl. I snatched two apples and threw them in with the pastries.

I ran out of the kitchen and into the herb garden. It was much smaller than the rose garden, and it was encased by a short wooden fence. I watched as the sun made its final descent below the hills. I turned around and looked to the moon. The silver light shone on the leaves of the plants. I stepped forward and it glimmered on my skin. I closed my eyes and the world seemed to grow. Taller and larger it got, but not really. I was only growing smaller. I dropped the bag at my feet as I shrank. 

I opened my eyes and stretched. I looked down at my feet, that had now become brown paws. I flinched when the door to the kitchen opened. A servant girl stepped out and laid her eyes on me. 

“Della! There’s a fox in the garden!” she shouted back into the kitchen. She ran over to me and began to shoo me away towards the break in the fence. I snatched the bag up in my mouth before she could take it and leapt over the gate.

I ran through the grounds and slipped through the railings of the gate out front that led into the city. I pranced through the streets, trying to stay out of sight. I ducked under fruit carts and weaved through the streets, as graceful and stealthy as the creature I was embodying. The pastries and fruit bounced in the bag as I trotted.

Once I reached a general spot I remembered I looked around, trying to remember which way to turn. I slipped into the trees and ran through the forest until the light of a cottage came into view. I ran over, as quietly as I could be with leaves crunching under my feet. I placed the bag on the front doorstep, as I did every night and raced back into the trees to watch.

I settled down in the leaves and gazed upon the quietness of the house. A few moments later, the door creaked open and a little boy stepped out. “Ivy!” he called back into the house. His sister emerged from the cottage and saw the food.

“How did we miss her again, Ash?” she pondered. I would have been smiling if I could. Ivy scooped up the bag and they walked back into the house, closing the door gently behind them. 

I raced off back to the house, following my same path and sneaking back into the garden. Night had fallen and stars sparkled above the town. I leapt over the fence once more and rested for a moment, allowing myself to switch back into human form. I took a deep breath and started towards the door, when I noticed a figure waiting in the shadows.

“Lilith?” Philip whispered, stepping into the light. “What…”

“I can explain–”

“Explain the fact that my sister can turn into an animal,” he said, bewildered.

“I’ve always been able to do it… ever since we were kids. I can only do it at night and it kind of comes and goes, it’s strange really, but I have a reason,” I explained.

He gave me a kind of look that suggested that I should go on. “There’s this family on the outskirts of town and they are really poor and there’s children, Philip. Children. And they’re starving… So every night I sneak a couple pastries from the kitchen and bring it to them. You should see their faces when they see it there. It’s pure joy in those tiny smiles,” I explained, smiling the whole time while I spoke.

No one spoke for a moment. “I won’t tell Mother if you promise me one thing,” he said.

“What’s that?”

“Take the lemon tarts next time, I’ve been missing my apple ones,” he bargained. With a chuckle I nodded and we walked inside together.