I couldn't believe what I had just seen, he was alive. That's just not possible, gargoyles don't just come to life, they don't. I have to be losing my mind, ya that's all it is. With my aunt being harsher and working me extra hard my brain must be creating these allusions from pure exhaustion. Unfortunately my heart and even my mind was telling me what I saw was real, that Grimald had just saved me from whoever it was that followed me.
Before anything else could happen I ran to my aunt's house as quickly as possible and just sat on the front step. I was still trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened when I heard footsteps heading in my direction. My head snapped up and saw a figure coming closer and when it stepped into the light I saw that it was just Sybil. I almost started crying from how overwhelmed I was and wanted to tell her exactly what just happened, but I knew that she would think that I was crazy.
"I told that boy that following you wasn't the best way to go. Now look at your state."
I looked at her completely confused before I realized she was talking about Grimald.
"H-how did you know?" I asked, my voice shaking and starting to crack.
Sybil sighed and looked at me with regret evident in her eyes.
"Why don't you come with me and have a cup of tea?"
I sat and just stared at her like she was crazy for a moment before nodding my head in agreement. A cup of tea sounded nice and at this point I don't think I had much to lose. So I slowly stood from where I sat and followed her to her front door and gladly took her offer to sit at the kitchen table. I began to bounce my knee up and down in an effort to calm myself down and try to think about this rationally, but nothing about what happened tonight was rational.
"Here dear, drink up and take a breath. There's a lot that we need to discuss."
I slowly took a sip and enjoyed the warm feeling in my belly before I looked at Sybil expectantly.
"Go ahead dear I am here to answer any of your questions."
I couldn't control everything that began to roll off my tongue.
"How long have you known? Why didn't you tell me? How is this even possible?"
"Well dear I am sure you have noticed that a lot of things about this town are...strange to say the least. A lot of things don't make sense in this town and I am sure you have noticed how the people here are different."
I nodded my head in agreement. I had noticed that on my first day exploring in the town and things have just been getting weirder with each passing day.
"It's for not telling you, would you have believed me if I would have told you that the gargoyle in the cemetery came to life every night?"
She looked at me skeptically when asking me that. I sat for a moment and realized that she was right. I would have never believed her because that goes against everything I have ever known, it wasn't normal. Sybil was still waiting for my answer so I gave her a small shake of my head to let her know she was right.
"Does everyone in th-this t-town know?"
"Why don't I start with my story first. You know about Grimald's story, or at least the legend, but you don't know what exactly happened. I was there the night that Grimald appeared on the outskirts of our town and I was there the night that he was beaten and cursed. Grimald was always a soft and gentle soul and was sure to keep out of sight. But then he met Alvina, the town's angel, the only pure soul that lived at that time. She knew no evil and only held love for everyone she came across, and that included Grimald. It started off with them meeting in small town cemetery where she read to him and they just enjoyed each other's company. But then it began to turn into them spending every extra moment together, her disappearing in the middle of the day to meet him and the town began to notice. At the time I was a witch, practice small magic in secret and I became close to Grimald. I would do my best to cover for Alvina when she disappeared and went as far as to keep watch if you will when they would spend some quality time together. But one day Alvina disappeared for days on end, no one seemed to know where she was and I did my best to console Grimald. After a couple of weeks she suddenly turned up as if nothing had happened except she looked to be void of life, and she didn't seem to be herself. I had gone to the cemetery the night he wears cursed to try and find him and give him the news of her return, but he wasn't there yet. While I sat and waited for him I saw Alvina sneaking into the cemetery with tears streaming down her face. I ran to her and begged her to tell me what was wrong, but all she would say was she didn't want to do it, but she couldn't stop it. After she ran off and I went after her but I couldn't find her, so I made my way back to the cemetery and saw Grimald holding a piece of paper with tears running down his face and his head in his hands. Then I heard the mob and screamed at him to run, that they were coming for him, but he told me he didn't care, he had no reason to live anymore. As they drug him to the church I saw the paper and read it, she told him she never loved him, he was a monster, an abomination that belonged in hell. I watched them curse him and listened to his screams of pain, it was all I could do not to step in. After that Alvina wouldn't show herself much, but when she did she would look thinner, grey, and would be covered in scars, cuts and bruises. One day I heard about a witch trial that would be going on in the middle of the forest, so I decided to see what was going on. There tied to a post was poor sweet Alvina, no emotion, all skin and bones, looking broken physically and emotionally. That night they burned her as a witch simply for loving Grimald."
I stared at her in absolute shock, I couldn't believe what she was telling me. Tears were streaming down my face and I didn't know what to say to anymore, how could these people be so evil?
"I found the book they used to curse Grimald and found a spell that would allow me to live forever, but at a deadly cost. At this point I decided any price was worth helping Grimald survive in the future, he didn't need to lose anyone else."
"Wh-what was t-the price?"
Sybil gave me a sad smile before she said, "I am not able to have children anymore. To live forever means no more reproducing, but I had not been married and was that the age that I was considered an old maid. I had always wanted children but the time period I lived in, there was no chance of that happening anyway, so I made my choose."
I gasped in horror, "Th-that's horrible!"
"Everything comes with a price dear, but now I am here to guide you and Grimald in this next leg of your journey. When he chooses to speak to you, I ask that you simply listen to him and give him a chance."
I nodded my head in complete understanding, because I knew that nothing was going to stop me from getting to know the man behind the gargoyle.