Chapter 1: Desperate Hopes
page 4
Tasks done, I walked by grandmother's room towards the kitchen. Grandmother smelled funny, she was beginning to stink. I closed the door, that sort of helped. I made food for us, Using the last of the bread and spreading it with honey. It was sweet but we were both crying, holding each other terrified of the future that would bring we let it out, we bawled together like the children we were.
The neighbor found us first, after tapping the walls multiple times, she got up off of her fat butt and came over to see what was the matter. I opened the door, tears still running down my face. Her nose wrinkled up and she looked over to the closed door of Grandma's room.
She held my brother and me in her arms, saying oh sweet dears, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for your loss. Wait here a moment and then you can come over to my place. She went to grandmother's room and came out with a clenched fist and she said, There, there dears, you can stay at my place for a few days, just gather your toys and come to visit.
We did as she said, there wasn't much to do, but I made a show of gathering up our pillows and blankets, folding them up onto the wagon and then we were off down the hall and into a new world.
She had us make our sleeping area on the floor of her living room, much as grandmother had. She then used her phone to make a call. She spent the day pacing around her kitchen. Around night time as we were just getting to sleep there was a knock at the door. She opened it and talked to the men there. She brought us into the room and turned on the light. The man that was with her shined a light on our faces and then the wagon we had with us. I instantly didn't like him but I said not a word, pretending to sleep. They spoke for a while then the man left.
I was awakened that morning with the sizzling smell of eggs. I hadn' t had eggs since our parents had passed away when I was seven, my brother had been in diapers still. I got up brightly and said good morning. She nodded to me and said my breakfast was over there. Burnt toast with too much butter on it. She called out and her children came running in exclaiming over the rare treat. I was angry, but I kept it to myself and saved most of the toast for brother, he wouldn't care he was always so hungry. The other children each got milk and orange juice, we got boiled water and table scraps. I was tempted to share the honey but, I was afraid too, they might take it all and leave none for me. I decided it would be better to keep it to ourselves.
Then as the children were getting ready to go off to schooling, I noticed the wagon, our backpack had been opened and rifled through, our candles were missing, the bottle of water I had paid dearly for myself, gone, and the honey yes that was all gone too. I was afraid to show concern, to look more might reveal anything else that had gone missed. But it bothered me, deep down it bothered me a lot.
Grandmother had once told me if someone did something that bothered me, I should tell her about it. But grandmother was dead now. The lady said, I have to go to work now, you two be good and stay out of trouble.
As soon as she was gone I quickly jumped down and rifled through my backpack confirming my worst suspicions. Most of my clothing was gone, she had two girls so they were probably either in their possesion now or in her possesion. Brother's clothing was still there, probably because she had no younger children. The wax candles, one out of the twelve I had made had been missed. The one that had been setting in the plastic container for making such candles.
The honey of course gone all three jars. My had felt all the way down to the bottom of the bag. In the darkness she had missed the plastic bag at the very bottom with the silks and feathers. A feather brushed my hand and I felt reassured with it's tickle. She hadn't taken everything. The side pouch had been checked but the marbles and buttons were intact. Lastly the water, I had to find it. It was precious to me, I had given up so much of myself for it, I wasn't letting her have it.
I opened the fridge. there was everything we had that belonged to us, minus one jar of honey. I took the honey, the bottle of water, the wax candles and I put them back into the backpack. Then I looked around for my clothes, I checked everywhere I could think of. They were gone. I checked my dolly clothes, still there. Red tin Caboose, yes that was still there too. I noticed a piece of paper cash sticking out from a wheel I pulled that out and then realizing more was going to come out I stuffed the rest back in. I pushed the paper into my pocket.
I packed up our things, we had been lucky today, and she had given us a safe place, but I bet anything she had stolen the last of grandma's pearls too. We had to go before she took everything we had and tossed us onto the street like used scraps of garbage. I got my brother up and held his hand. We walked out of the apartment fully dressed, I towed the wagon behind. I left the door to her apartment open. She'd done poor by us, and it was as much as she should get back.
Tasks done, I walked by grandmother's room towards the kitchen. Grandmother smelled funny, she was beginning to stink. I closed the door, that sort of helped. I made food for us, Using the last of the bread and spreading it with honey. It was sweet but we were both crying, holding each other terrified of the future that would bring we let it out, we bawled together like the children we were.
The neighbor found us first, after tapping the walls multiple times, she got up off of her fat butt and came over to see what was the matter. I opened the door, tears still running down my face. Her nose wrinkled up and she looked over to the closed door of Grandma's room.
She held my brother and me in her arms, saying oh sweet dears, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for your loss. Wait here a moment and then you can come over to my place. She went to grandmother's room and came out with a clenched fist and she said, There, there dears, you can stay at my place for a few days, just gather your toys and come to visit.
We did as she said, there wasn't much to do, but I made a show of gathering up our pillows and blankets, folding them up onto the wagon and then we were off down the hall and into a new world.
She had us make our sleeping area on the floor of her living room, much as grandmother had. She then used her phone to make a call. She spent the day pacing around her kitchen. Around night time as we were just getting to sleep there was a knock at the door. She opened it and talked to the men there. She brought us into the room and turned on the light. The man that was with her shined a light on our faces and then the wagon we had with us. I instantly didn't like him but I said not a word, pretending to sleep. They spoke for a while then the man left.
I was awakened that morning with the sizzling smell of eggs. I hadn' t had eggs since our parents had passed away when I was seven, my brother had been in diapers still. I got up brightly and said good morning. She nodded to me and said my breakfast was over there. Burnt toast with too much butter on it. She called out and her children came running in exclaiming over the rare treat. I was angry, but I kept it to myself and saved most of the toast for brother, he wouldn't care he was always so hungry. The other children each got milk and orange juice, we got boiled water and table scraps. I was tempted to share the honey but, I was afraid too, they might take it all and leave none for me. I decided it would be better to keep it to ourselves.
Then as the children were getting ready to go off to schooling, I noticed the wagon, our backpack had been opened and rifled through, our candles were missing, the bottle of water I had paid dearly for myself, gone, and the honey yes that was all gone too. I was afraid to show concern, to look more might reveal anything else that had gone missed. But it bothered me, deep down it bothered me a lot.
Grandmother had once told me if someone did something that bothered me, I should tell her about it. But grandmother was dead now. The lady said, I have to go to work now, you two be good and stay out of trouble.
As soon as she was gone I quickly jumped down and rifled through my backpack confirming my worst suspicions. Most of my clothing was gone, she had two girls so they were probably either in their possesion now or in her possesion. Brother's clothing was still there, probably because she had no younger children. The wax candles, one out of the twelve I had made had been missed. The one that had been setting in the plastic container for making such candles.
The honey of course gone all three jars. My had felt all the way down to the bottom of the bag. In the darkness she had missed the plastic bag at the very bottom with the silks and feathers. A feather brushed my hand and I felt reassured with it's tickle. She hadn't taken everything. The side pouch had been checked but the marbles and buttons were intact. Lastly the water, I had to find it. It was precious to me, I had given up so much of myself for it, I wasn't letting her have it.
I opened the fridge. there was everything we had that belonged to us, minus one jar of honey. I took the honey, the bottle of water, the wax candles and I put them back into the backpack. Then I looked around for my clothes, I checked everywhere I could think of. They were gone. I checked my dolly clothes, still there. Red tin Caboose, yes that was still there too. I noticed a piece of paper cash sticking out from a wheel I pulled that out and then realizing more was going to come out I stuffed the rest back in. I pushed the paper into my pocket.
I packed up our things, we had been lucky today, and she had given us a safe place, but I bet anything she had stolen the last of grandma's pearls too. We had to go before she took everything we had and tossed us onto the street like used scraps of garbage. I got my brother up and held his hand. We walked out of the apartment fully dressed, I towed the wagon behind. I left the door to her apartment open. She'd done poor by us, and it was as much as she should get back.
posted by Skaldi at 7:01 AM
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