Quiet.
Fear.
Cynthia J. Giachino
Lilly was brought up in a close-knit family. She played in the Midwest’s rural fields, woodlands, and rivers while maintaining a strong sense of spirituality. It was a life many people only imagine, but not Lilly.
Her world was divided between the past and the present: one of love and the other of dread. Having a son made it impossible for those universes to continue to exist side by side. She discovered herself with one foot anchored in the secret labyrinth of horror. The other was trapped on a secret merry-go-round – secrets that might be lethal. Lilly desperately needed to restore a sense of normalcy, but the quiet, throat-grabbing fear she carries imprisons her.
Can she fight the demons of her memory? Is she strong enough to survive this battlefield? Lilly is about to discover what happens when secrets get a new life.
Excerpts:
1. “You don’t feel safe, talking about the past.” He engaged with caution. Slowly, softly, and with sincere fear, Lilly leaned forward and whispered to Dr. Bricks, “He will kill. He likes to kill. He is the devil. Or worse yet, he will come after YOUR girls!”
Dr. Bricks remained calm. “Who is…’he’?
She barely said the name. “Frank.”
2. Taking solace in the lake and the wind, she sat on a black rock that was a safe distance from the waves’ strong grip…she couldn’t let go of what she’d realized when the soldier held her face in the mirror. “I never wanted to look deeply at myself. I couldn’t because Frank was always behind me; snickering and belitling me. I only saw what he wanted me to see. I wasn’t able to see the truth. That’s different now. Frank is not going to be haunting me in my reflection. Now I struggle with a new question…Who am I? Who is that girl looking back at me? How did we become so distant?
3. Flashbacks fired, igniting one of her panic attacks. Lilly stood up, excused herself from the table, and began to walk toward the bathroom. The floor felt like a wet sponge beneath her feet…getting to her destination was like walking through a minefield.