Dana

“Damn it, Dana! I told you to wash the dishes an hour ago and they’re still in my sink! Get in here and stop being so lazy!” My father shouted from the kitchen.

“Yes, Sir! I’ll be right there, Sir!” I called back, hurrying inside. Working on a farm was hard. The work was never over, and when your parents are as tough as nails and as old school as they come, you don’t get much social life, peace, or quiet. Except to say if you’re the only one in the family who “likes” milking the cows. Get ‘em done as fast as you can while not riling them up and then have a few minutes to spare to read a good book, or just relax in some silence before getting called back inside to work the rest of the day away. Then go to bed and do it all over again the next day, and every day, until you’re old enough to leave.

‘It’s not all that bad though,’ I thought to myself as I rushed inside and began working on the dishes that my mother needed done so she could start on lunch. My brain went on, wandering to and from topics as I cleaned and once I was finally finished with the mountain of dishes from breakfast, I grabbed the hand towel to dry my hands and looked out the kitchen window.

It was odd really. We had two barns; one for use and another we abandoned quite a ways towards the back of our property. No one had ever gone there as long as I can remember because my father demanded it, but never explained why. As I looked at the old barn though, I realized something. A barn that was out of use and abandoned for so long would usually show it’s age through weathering and faded paint, but it was in pristine condition. In fact, it looked nicer than the barn we normally used!

I decided to put the thought away as I noticed how long I had been standing there staring out the window and got back to work. There was still laundry, cleaning the house, and many other duties to be done before lunch so we could focus on the fields in the afternoon. As I worked, my mind kept wandering back to that old barn, and I decided at lunch I would delicately try to ask my father about it.

A few hours later the house bell rang and we all rushed inside for another lunch of my wonderful mother’s creation. I was starving, and she had made a most delicious looking spread for us. We all said prayers before digging in, and it was even more tasty than it looked. As we neared the end of our meal, I knew now would be my only chance to ask while my father was still eating the last of his food.

“Hey, Pa?” I asked.

“Yeah? What is it?” He responded gruffly.

“I know you’ve always told us to stay away from the old barn, but I was just wondering why? And how does it always look so nice if no one takes care of it?” I asked cautiously.

He stopped eating and was really quiet for a few minutes. My mother had even stopped what she was doing and had become stiff as a board.

“Dana,” he finally began, “I’m going to be very clear with you. Do not ever go to that barn, and put it as far out of your mind as you can. Forget it even exists for that matter. It is not a place someone as innocent as you should ever have to think about. Am I clear?”

The seriousness in his voice was one I rarely heard out of him compared to his usual roughness. I nodded my head slowly, “Yes, Sir.”

A nod was all he gave back to me before finishing his food and taking his plate to the sink. He kissed Ma on the cheek and thanked her for the meal, then went back outside to work on the fields. Once I was finished, I too did the same to help my father with the work for the rest of the day before supper, showers, and bed.

Once I’d returned to my room, a towel drying my hair, I looked towards the old barn once again through my bedroom window. Everything was dark, yet I could swear I saw a small light going towards the barn before quickly going out as the barn door opened and shut. It happened so fast it was hard for me to tell. I shook my head in disbelief, unwilling to think about what just happened, and turned out the lights, crawled in bed, and tossed and turned myself to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of something hitting my window. I cautiously got up and peeked out to see a cloaked figure standing outside, throwing pebbles. I opened it quietly and whisper shouted down, “Who are you?! What do you want?! If you’re some creepy stalker I’m gonna go get my Pa’s gun!”

They dropped the remaining pebbles and jumped a little in surprise before raising their hands in surrender.

“Please don’t do that! I need your help!” They called back and slowly pulled the hood back, revealing them to be a girl roughly around my age. “My sister has been kidnapped and is being hidden somewhere on this property!”

I gasped in shock and disbelief, calling back, “I’ll get my parents! Hold on, we can all look for her together!”

“No please! Don’t! I think they’re the ones who took her!” she cried desperately. It seemed like she was trying to hide something, but she also seemed so scared that I was unsure of what to do. I paused for a moment, weighing my options, before turning back to the window.

“Alright, I’ll be down in a moment.” I finally answered and shut the window before she could answer or stop me again. I grabbed a small bag, putting my pocket knife and a couple of other things inside. I wasn’t sure what I might come across in that barn, and having a few things to defend myself or escape might be a good idea. Afterwards, I quietly went downstairs, taking the small lantern from the kitchen before sneaking outside and lighting it. I then made my way over to my side of the house, where I was able to get my first real look at the girl. I almost screamed when I saw her, but she quickly covered my mouth. She was identical to me. The same brown- black hair, green eyes, height; everything about her was the same. Once I finally regained control of myself I looked at her once more.

“Who are you, and why do you look just like me?!” I demanded.

She looked me over as I asked her and slowly responded, “I think I am you but I don’t know for sure. Tell me, what is the first thing you remember before…” she paused, “…you woke up and were told something happened to you?”

It was a strange question, but I answered anyway. “I was told I was in a car wreck and had just come home from the hospital so my memory might be fuzzy. The last thing I remember before that is…” I grasped my mind trying to word the image coming to my mind.

“White sheets sailing in the wind, on a green grassy field, and the smell of roses?” The girl asked. My eyes widened, the back of my brain unable to understand how she could possibly know that.

“Then it’s true? Really? But how?!” I insisted.

“I’m not sure, but I think the answers lie inside.” She said and pointed to the old barn. Courage took hold of my heart, and I nodded resolutely, beginning the march for the barn.

As we reached the barn, the door was partially open. A bright green light emitted from somewhere inside, and it lured me in. It felt like I had been here before. We went inside and immediately noticed green screens all over the walls. Some had images of brains, others were measuring heart rates, and some even showed cameras of what I could only assume was further inside the building, but where was the question.

Just as I began searching, my twin motioned me to follow her. “This way, my sister has been trapped down here somewhere.” She said and opened a disguised door in the floor. I nodded and followed her down, quickly noticing the change in the scenery going from a simple barn to that of a hospital or laboratory. There were several rooms, but most of them were locked except the one at the very end. She took me to that room, opened the door, and we went inside. What I saw within was truly unbelievable, another me was floating inside a glass tube, green liquid surrounding her. This must have been the sister my other self thought was imprisoned. I don’t know how long I stood there in shock once more before I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Dana, dear, it’s too bad you disobeyed your father. I’m sure you’re very confused now, aren’t you?” she said, and I spun around to meet my mother face to face.

“Ma, what is the meaning of this?” I said teary-eyed.

My twin took my hand gently and seemed to try and pull me away from my mother. “Don’t trust her Dana, she wants to kill you.” She whispered.

“Such a smart daughter I have! It’s too bad I have to kill you both now.” My mother said with a dark look in her eyes.

“But why, Ma?! What is all this?!” I cried.

She sighed, as if she had prepared to say this for years now, slowly coming towards us, “Because you aren’t my daughters. Only that one in the tube behind you is, and once I remake her again, she won’t be rebellious like you. It’s truly tragic, I had hoped you would be the perfect one, and the one next to you would only ever have to be a backup.”

We started backing away, and I reached for the hairspray I had stuck in my bag. It was cheap, but I knew it would work like pepper spray. As the woman finished her ugly monologue and reached for me, I took action, spraying it into her eyes. She screamed, covering her eyes, and I flung my twin towards the door.

“Run for it!” I shouted before taking out my pocket knife and dashing for the glass tube. If I was going to die, then so be it, but she wouldn’t keep making copies of that poor girl I used to be and I would let her go to her eternal rest. I stabbed at the tube with all my strength as many times as it took before it finally shattered. Green liquid burst through the tube and the room quickly became flooded. I swam for the door but she caught one of my feet.

“You wicked, vile copy! How dare you do this to me!!!” she screamed before I kicked her in the face and made a break for it. I escaped the room and shut the door behind me, locking the door with one of my bobby pins. The water was still flowing inside and began leaking out under the door. It wouldn’t take long before that room would fill and that evil woman would perish with her so-called beloved daughter. I ran, climbed the trap door stairs, and shut it behind me. My clone stood near the barn door, looking at me with relief in her eyes.

“It’s time to go, and never look back.” I said solemnly and I took up the lantern once more, guiding her and myself out of the barn and off that property. Forever.