The lady was wearing a mesh pink tutu skirt that almost touched the floor and white ballet flats, a loose white shirt was tucked in the skirt and she wore her black hair in a high ponytail, her cheeks were in a shade of rosy pink and her upturned eyes look sharp with mascara on.
“My name’s Harriet, my mother left this house to me," I said in a dignified tone.She might have not believed me because her pink lips twitched but her sharp expression doesn’t change.
I offered my hand and she looked at it for a second before accepting it. "Hello, then." “Blake?” The door swung open and the man that talks softly earlier gazed at us.“Yes?”“You’re still here.” He just didn’t ignore Tiffany's answer, but he pointed at my presence like it was a big joke for him that I’m still here.I gave him a frown and straightened my posture. “Why should I leave? This is my house.”The man closed his eyes firmly and ran a hand through his wavy hair before seriously looking at me. “I already told you this, kid. I hate to repeat myself but because of your birdbrain that doesn’t understand my words, I would say this again: This. Is. My. House.”“No!” I protested, and glowered at him grew bigger, “I’m not going to leave this house! This is mine, this is the only thing that mom left me!” My eyes sting as I looked at him and shouted those words.He didn’t just know empathy, he even insulted me. The farmhouse was the only thing I can have, my siblings have half of our house and Richard doesn’t want me near mom’s belongings. The redness on the back of my neck reflected it too well: Richard doesn’t want to see me again. So even if he called me kid and birdbrain. I’m not leaving this house. I hope my determination send him enough signals.“Uhm… Hari, right?” Blake spoke, I turned to her and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, she looked fidgety, her forehead creased and continued talking, “I guess you found the wrong house.”What? That stop me from functioning. I froze on my spot and my tears dried from my eyes.I thought I heard the wrong words, I thought I became deaf and could only hear the loud thump of my heart as Tiffany showed me outside where a small swing was surrounded by white roses, tall weeds, and lavenders and she pointed at a small house on the back side of the garden. “That’s the house you inherited from your mother.”It looks like a cottage house with an A-frame roof covered in vines and dark rubbish, there’s a small table and a sitting area on the porch with cactus, succulents, and snake plants and a string of pearls hanging plants that made the exterior of the house unidentifiable because of it reaching and almost covering the whole exterior of the house.“H-How?” I can’t form the right words to say, the wooden planks of the house look so unsteady that one step will make the house crumble, the horror on my face was enough for Tiffany to understand, I imagined the house falling into pieces when I step my feet on the porch.“This is the house your mother left, I learned that after I heard you claiming the other house, I need to tell the truth, but as you can see, nobody lived here for almost a decade or two and when we settled on the big house, your house is already here. There’s no way that the house you inherited is the first house you saw. I can guarantee you that this is the house you’re looking for.”The fact that Tiffany talked to me like a saleslady wanting to sit from all the standing and forced smiles she made from the customers that claimed they were interested in whatever she was selling got me. Her face is so small, white, and smooth, she’s a lady that enchants me to understand her claims to the best of my ability. I’m one of those customers who agree with whatever she’s selling.But still don't buy it.
“By the way, who’s the man with you?” I could have said the arrogant and sassy man, but I held my tongue and put my hands together, turning my back to the house I was going to inherit. Here I thought mom prepared me a place to start before she was gone.
The dejection washed through me and I wanted to sulk and cry in the corner, this was the truth about my life. I thought I could live a life in the middle of the woods away from my half-siblings and stepfather who hated me enough to want to crush me in his palms every time he saw me.“You don’t know?”That got my attention, I turned to Tiffany who was a few steps behind me. I thought I could just run away from all of this so I started walking not knowing that Tiffany didn’t, so I gave her my full attention and tried to erase the pain on my face. I was told that I am a ‘smiling face’ but now I know that what they meant to say was ‘smiling idiot’, I don’t show the pain in my face or the stress I’m feeling, I always made sure to put my smiling mask on whenever I’m outside so that people won’t know, because they wouldn’t care how I feel, they wouldn’t bother to sympathize or empathize. They only know themselves.“The first house is the house of the legendary wolf. The man you met is the legendary wolf.”I want the ground to open and swallow me whole. Didn’t I exchange sharp sentences with the legendary wolf earlier? I did, right? Oh, holy heavens, I’m sure as hell I went one step closer to death.Her small graceful laugh cut me out from over-dramatizing things. “Take a step backward, Harriet.”I’m still in shock from what I learned and followed Tiffany’s instruction out of veneration.“Now you’re one step away from death,” Tiffany beamed happily that I thought the sun shone at me for a second.Her shoulders heaved from her chest but they slumped back when she noticed I didn’t smile nor appreciate the joke. “No, I’m just kidding,” she took it back, walked to me, and held my wrist.It’s not my intention to break her smile, I just can’t, I got the nickname smiling idiot for a reason but I can’t curl up the edge of my lips and my eyes for her, not when I remember the legends about how the legendary wolf annihilates his own pack. Anyway, I'm still in doubt about the stories passed through the lips of people, I don’t believe in that, but I guess your own interpretation of things changes once you met the real thing and even get mad at him.“Come with me in my room, I’ll explain it more clearly to you.”Over a cup of coffee, I watched Tiffany as she told me a story about the legendary wolf with her hands. She looked like my Math Teacher who instructs with both of her hands, as if agreeing also on what she’s supposed to teach, her expression told me that she teaches the lesson already for years, she got a firm and steady eye as she talks and a loud high-pitch voiced that show confidence and never falter. The difference between Tiffany and my math teacher was she doesn’t want to be a math teacher, she failed the entrance exam at a known university in another city and falls into a private college instead, she entered the only available course there and became a math teacher, her demise did well on her in the end when she landed a consistent paying job but the people she knows and her closest friends and family laughed at her secretly as she walks, she’s just another stupid girl who thinks the world revolves on her, but alas! She was slapped with the truth; no matter how much time you c
I reached the road that got me away from the forest, I walked home with my hands on my back and dared not to look back. It was a nightmare going there, Tiffany kid about me looking like the picture in the tomb. It’s like going to the wrong house was not enough embarrassment. “Why not?” Tiffany raised her brow, the way she spoke was something a bit lower than her usual, it's a bit manly, she went to her bedside table and poured tea on a nordic teacup, “I think they gave you access to the house.” She clasped her hands and walked in front of me with so much authority I could suffocate, she lowered her head to match my eyes. “What do you mean?” I inched back, what was she saying and what’s with the sudden change of voice? Tiffany pursed her lips and give me a scalding hot tea some liquid spilled on my lap, “Exactly the words I said.“ She stood and started to take the kit to my side. “You saw it, didn’t you?” She inched into my side and whispered. “The tomb he worshipped. I believed
Michael Summers likes to play safe. Even before when we were in primary school and decided to play hide and seek. He always hides behind my back and whenever I finished counting to a hundred, we’ll switch and he’ll be the seeker. But as I read his expression right now, I can’t help but judge him. “You followed me?” The words I spouted were full of spite, I can’t even feel I’m me right now, all I could sense was the color black and red. Back when I was a child, I was humming while walking and holding a white plastic bag in both hands, the road to our house was solemn, even though it was just nearing evening. There were funeral homes on the west road before I took a swerve to the right, I don’t like walking home alone but it can’t be helped, Ashton and Andrea were still small and need attention always. "What are you doing Harriet?! You should've searched for your real father, not gone into the woods and disappeared like that!" Michael was mad, and moments like how I handle this was
"Harriet! Where do you think you're going?" Michael roared. But I was unstoppable. I pulled out the bag we used for camping and walked toward the cemented road. "Anywhere just not here, Michael," I shrieked, tears spilling from my eyes. I crunched my nose when I felt Michael's pulling my bag. "Don't you dare stop me, you idiot!" I'm hauling my bag back but he was too, I thought about what the result would be. My clothes will be scattered on the ground.I gave my hardest pull and was ready to march away but stopped when Michael said something that was beyond unreasonable. "Harriet! You could live with me! I love you!" I could turn and face Michael to give a horrifying look but my feet feels like they were planted with stones on the ground. It's heavy, my bag's heavy, and my body feels like twice my weight. I don't like this feeling, I never felt the same towards Michael. I always looked at him as someone that has the same level as Ashton and Andrea. He was a little brother, my st
I know I told myself to forget this rotten house, but here I am. Living alone was never an option, I'm always used to waking up to family, drinking drip coffee with family, and eating with family, at home... Family is the definition of home for me, but now I guess I'll be living alone and going to strive hard to make the farmhouse liveable again. This time, I have to start all over again, I woke up feeling sore all over, the hardwood floor I covered with some of my long clothes was so cold last night that I thought I'm in a dream that only say the words: "come live with me". I must be going crazy who would want to live with me? Surely, my family's out on the choices. I was finding someone to blame, I could only think of them, they made me live here. My mom in particular, but there's no point on blaming the death, wasn;t it?I exerted all my muscles to stand and went to the kitchen. The floorplan was simple, there were two bedrooms on the second floor, a living room and a kitchen and
“I told you, you could stay with me,” he snarled and I almost imagine him transforming into his wolf form with sharp fangs and fiery amber eyes like what the people talked about. I blinked a few times and covered myself with the top I’m supposed to be wearing. I’m just wearing a black bra, what a wrong timing for him to barge at the balcony. “You mean, you’re the one who whispered? I’m not hallucinating?” He steps forward and I almost tore the top I’m holding just for him not to see any part of my body, well, it’s dark, and the moon just gives off enough light for our shadows, but I could still feel his breath fanning over me, it means his already in front of me. I bent back and my feet step on something sharp. As if it was a desperate call to avoid him, I remember I have a rendezvous with Audillon. “What do you want from me?” I faced him with the courage I muster up for years. “The first time we met, you made clear that I can’t take a step to your house forever, what made you thi
"Who did this to my car?!" Richard was walking back and forth like an insane person while his mistress was struggling to get the water hose. It's so satisfying to watch them, much more when the two meet and hit each other’s faces, the mistress got wet when she don't know that the hose opens up when pushing the trigger so she didn't know she pushed it while pointing it at her face. "Get water, you stupid wench!" "I'm getting it, why don't you help me!" "You noisy pest, don't you dare command me!" The car's still burning and they look like two idiots shouting on each other’s throats. They've been running around like a bee in hysteria and I've been smirking all the time."Where do you live?" I enjoyed watching them that I didn't notice Audillon coming to me, not a smear of anxiety on his face, as if he didn't burn a car a few minutes ago. "Why? There's no need to do that. You could just leave me where you met me," I replied. "Are you going to go back to school now?" Roaming my eye
"You always eat that kind of food here?!" I was so irritated, I wiped my mouth with the tissue paper Tyler handed me. Blake hasn't spoken a word ever since, I gave Tyler a knowing look and then traced to the gooey pot that looks like a witch poison that's color red almost violet with melted cheese. "For some time now," Tyler answered. "How can you eat that?" I remember having tea with Tiffany, I never imagined her cooking like this. "I'm just going to throw this," Blake mumbled, wearing blue pot holder gloves.I almost knocked over a condiments container when stopping him. I'm a person who doesn't like to feel bad about someone. I should've held my mouth like Tyler did. "No, Blake, stop. I can help you, I know how to cook." Blake gloated at me. "Can you?" It didn't took me a while to notice that the joke was on me. Blake gave me a wooden spoon and smiled at me. "I'll prepare the table." Tyler was not on his spot when I turned around, Blake exited happily, I almost broke the sp