Lina and Banshee

“I got this for you.” The taller girl said, handing her a little doll. It was a lovely piece of art, it was very small, just a bit bigger than the arm of a child, it had been made with porcelain and the jade-green dress made stand out her blushed cheeks.

“Thank you.” The small girl one answered, trying to draw a shy smile on her face while caressing the cheeks of the little doll in her hands.

“Do you like it?” She asked looking into her eyes as if searching for answers beyond the one she was asking.

“I do. Thanks, Sasha.” The small girl replied avoiding her sight and fixing her eyes on the doll, looking at the doll in the eyes as if answering her instead of the woman in front of her.

“Have you been crying again, Lina?” Sasha asked her, saddened.

“No.” Lina replied softly.

“Why are your eyes so red then?” Sasha tried to understand. But how do you understand the waves of a soul that refuses to let you swim in its waters?

“Because I have been having a hard time sleeping lately,” Lina answered and brought the doll to her chest as if trying to hug her.

“Why?” Sasha asked, wondering if there was anything she could do to help.

“The night is gifting me its depths, it’s been hard for me to refuse it,” Lina said, playing with the doll, moving her hair and caressing it.

“That’s a nice way to put it,” Sasha told her sitting down next to her on the floor and placing her head on her shoulder as if giving up on her interrogation about her sleep.

“Where is Leif?” Lina asked, holding tightly the doll with both hands.

“He had to finish a few more orders and is going to be late. He said you shouldn’t wait for him awake.” Sasha let her know.

“The store is doing well lately,” Lina said while moving the doll back and forth.

“Yes. Leif had been an angel, I couldn’t have been able to keep up without him. My brother is coming back tonight or tomorrow and things will go back “to normal,” but thanks to Leif it seems that nothing had been different even without him.” Sasha replied thankfully.

“I am happy to know things are going well, I miss your brother’s cupcakes,” Lina said, moving the doll no more. Sasha laughed.

“You are gluttonous. Leif’s cupcakes are good too. Would you like me to bring some tomorrow?” Sasha asked.

“I know. Sure.” Lina answered and stood up. She said she was going to work on something in her bedroom and Sasha said she will get the dinner ready in the meantime.

Once in her bedroom Lina looked at her doll for a long while, she looked at her directly in the eyes again.

“What’s your name?” She asked playfully. “I am Lina.” She told her as if expecting an answer, but the doll remained mute.

Lina went to get her school bag, took out a light-blue marker and drew some tears in the doll’s cheeks.

“I will call you Banshee,” Lina said and smiled for real and openly now.

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to cry for real, I already did it for you. Your job is done.” Lina told her while hugging her and started crying.

The doorbell rang and Lina looked at her door immediately. She didn’t move. She and her doll stared at the door and stayed in silence, a silence that seemed to consume the whole bedroom, it seemed to consume the tears, it seemed to consume the feelings, a silence that consumed Lina and Banshee, pushing them to disappear there, at that moment, that will be repeat over and over again until someone is able to open the white door.

Michael Jackson’s Little Susie beat cover.