“When things change inside you, things really do change around you”. With that morning thought, I jumped up from my bed, brushed my teeth, “tried” bathing happily, quickly dressed up, and sang my way to the kitchen. My mom who had been baking pancakes dropped the pancakes onto the floor and rushed over to me. I was startled.
“Are you okay, Aiv? Did something happen last night? Did you eat anything bad before bed?” she asked worriedly, placing the back of her palm over my forehead. Upon seeing me, my dad who’d been busy spreading butter on the bread, sprung up from the chair and started hyperventilating.
“Are you really alright, Aiv? It’s okay. You can tell us. What happened?”
I stood there completely awestruck by what was happening in front of me. My parents were literally everywhere, bombarding me with questions that seemed to never end. It was weird, but a tiny part of really loved how they worried about me.
I dived in and gave them a tight hug catching them completely off-guard. My mom flinched a little but eventually gave in. “I’m staying." I announced. My parents looked puzzled for a second before a huge grin spread across their faces and we hugged yet again.
“What in the world changed your mind, dear?” asked Uncle James from behind us. “Just a little boy.” I answered. “Since when did you like children? Wait, don’t tell me you’re into boys your brother’s age?” smirked my little brother, for which he earned a loud smack at his back from dad and he yelped loudly.
“Oh dear. Someone’s gotten himself into trouble”, I mumbled and kept chewing on the last piece of bacon I’d been eating unconsciously. And right at that moment, dad started chasing him with a slipper on one of his hands and I couldn’t control my laughter. I just couldn’t. It’d been a while since I laughed my heart out, and I didn’t have to fake it.
Nick, my litter brother, who’s being chased by our dad at the moment is fourteen. He’s younger than me by four years yet he is quite hard working and has a clear mindset on what he wants to do in the future. He never ceases to amaze me sometimes. Anyway, he’s not home most of the time, so I barely get to talk to him. But I still love him, he’s my little ball of sunshine, and of course I wouldn’t tell him that.
As I sat there taking a sip of my warm coffee, I could feel a cold gaze from the window. I snapped my head right back to see who or what it was, but there was no one. I shrugged, thinking I’d been overthinking like I usually do. A moment passed and I could still sense someone staring at me from the window. I stayed there frozen on my seat, unable to move an inch.
“Breather in and breathe out. Breathe in and then breathe out….” I kept chanting those continuously until I could finally calm my nerves. “You can do this, Aiv! You’re a strong girl.” I mentally prepared myself and slowly turned my head to see the “person” staring right through the window at me with its dark ashy green eyes. I felt a chill run down my spine. It was like someone had poured icy cold water on my naked body in winter. Our eyes locked for a second,but before I could come back to my consciousness, he disappeared.
“What was that? No! Who was that? Why was he here? Was he spying on us? Perhaps he was keeping an eye on us!” I kept wandering. I thought it would be best not to tell anyone about it at the moment, considering no one saw him except for me. It may just arise tension in the family and ruin our stay here. And I definitely wouldn’t want that happening considering the fact that we reunited with the rest of our family after ages! Everyone seemed so happy being with each other. I can’t be a party pooper now, can I?
Hence, I thought of keeping it a secret for the time being. It was soon noon and all of us were getting ready for lunch after a few games of baseball in our backyard. Mom and I planned to bake some banana bread while the rest of the family grilled some chicken and set the tables. We heard a loud knock at the door and Nick ran off to welcome our guest.
“We’re going for a ride. C’mon guys, go get yourselves ready. We’re leaving in about an hour!” Uncle George declared enthusiastically.
“But it’s so hot out there! We’ll get dehydrated.” My little niece, Cherry, protested in a pouty way.
“It’ll be fun, little one! Uncle will get you as many ice creams as you like!” Uncle George said cheekily.
“Fine. But you have to promise me you’ll get me as many candies as I like.” Cherry mumbled and ran towards her room, probably to get changed. Kids are just so easy to convince.
So well, we all gathered near the front gate at sharp 1 pm like we’d planned earlier. I wasn’t in the mood to go, but there had been something bugging me all this time. I really felt the need to explore the place more. Though I was born and raised here, something definitely had changed. I was getting curious every second.
The plan was to go into the woods for some bird-watching and then find a suitable place for camping, meaning we were staying overnight. Nick was excited considering he really loved camping! And as for my niece, I could see her eyes shining bright under the moonlight after she heard we were grilling marshmallows and preparing for barbeque at night. Everything had been a first for her. Isn’t that adorable?
It was soon past midnight so we all decided to go sleep. All the ladies, including our little Cherry, were sleeping at the tent near a big Banyan tree, while the boys had decided to switch every two hours to guard us. These are really one of the many things that I was proud of for being a member of this family. Everyone respected each other and guys really knew how to protect their ladies.
However, I always felt like I was different. I always felt that I could protect myself and even my family. You don’t necessarily have to be a man to protect others. Women can protect their men, too.
“Or are you being too naïve to be thinking something you possibly can’t do if the right moment to act comes your way? You’re just being foolish. Do me a favour and go to sleep, will you?” I ordered myself.
I covered my body with a small silk shawl I’d brought over and closed my eyes.
A few moments later, I heard a sound, a strange sound, coming from somewhere near. But I kept my eyes closed.
“What if it gets alert and attacks me? What if it kills me knowing I saw it in it's real form? What if right after I open my eyes, its creepy eyes stare back at me?! I would literally just pass out!”
“Calm down, Aiv. It’s nothing. You must’ve been hearing things.”
Right. Left. Right. Left. Right….Footsteps! And they stopped right in front of our tent! The sound of the tent’s zipper being dragged down, in an attempt to open it. Then, silence.
My hands were trembling violently with fear. I started sweating really bad. Right then, something lifted me up in the air and put me in its shoulder and started walking. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t feel my vocal cords anymore. My anxiety was back. And I...passed out.
The light of dawn seeped into my room making me frown in my sleep.“Close the damn curtain, Nick. I can’t sleep! The sun rays are troubling me!”“Nick!! What are you doing? Close it!!” No response.“I’ll wash all your dishes this morning, I promise. Will you please block the sunlight for me? Pretty please?” I pleaded. Still no response. I was perplexed.“What’s wrong with my brother today?” I thought. He usually comes to my room and opens all the curtain in the morning just so he can somehow manipulate me into washing his dishes for him. He absolutely detests washing dishes and thinks it’s disgusting.I slowly opened my eyes. The sun was bright up in the sky. I looked around to find my brother, but he was nowhere to be found. I heard a familiar sound coming from the left and that’s when everything seeped in. I then realized the position I was in. I got kidnapped.I
“What do you mean?” I started completely puzzled.“Do you even know who you dare to stand in front of?” he mumbled in a scary low- voice.What is he trying to imply? Is he a thief? A kidnapper? Wait, could he be a murderer?! My eyes almost popped out of my sockets. No, that’s impossible. A murderer? In the middle of an abandoned forest? Impossible…but why am I fidgeting so much? What’s wrong with me? Killers mainly target their preys in abandoned, quiet places, you idiot. And that’s where you are right now!"Erm...no. I-I, who are you?” I stammered. I could feel my heart throbbing in my chest. My hands got cold and all sweaty. I tried to divert my gaze elsewhere and decided to just stare down at the dusty floor.Please don’t tell me you’re a crimi
I lunged forward and grabbed him by his arm, startling him.“Huh, how am I supposed to know that?” he asked, puzzled by my sudden action.“What? Then, how did I land here?” I inquired still intrigued and clearly upset.“Well, you’re the intruder. You’re the one who appeared here uninvited!” he retorted and turned his back to leave.“Liar! I was abducted and left at the middle of the forest and this site was the only place nearby, so I just decided to explore here.” I responded throwing my hands in the air.“So, what are you trying to imply? That I kidnapped and abandoned you in the middle of nowhere? You must be kidding me.” he sounded frustrated and shocked at my accusation. But I didn’t care. Nope,
It was getting chilly since the sun had disappeared behind the hills and it was soon dusk. I could hear the rustling of bushes here and there. Probably the bunnies I saw earlier hurrying back home to their family. I need to leave, but just leaving without informing the house owners would be impolite, I thought. I’m the one who intruded their place, anyway. So I decided to wait, hoping they would come out quick so I can get back before it’s too dark outside.They’d been gone too long. After Felix introduced himself, Kevin took him to one of the rooms at the corner and disappeared in the hallway. I wonder what they’re talking right now. Kevin looked mad and it seemed like he was in a rush.God, please don’t tell me they’re planning something dangerous. Felix looked like a nice guy, I hope he convinces Kevin not to harm me.He would never. A voice inside me spoke and I got startled. What was that?I frowned and tr
Hop on.” Kevin said, turning back and squatting down on the ground.“Huh?” I asked confused as to what he was doing.“Hop on my back. I’ll carry you to your place. Give me the directions.” he said quietly.My mind froze and my heart beat rapidly increased.“But but…I can walk. It’s not that bad.” I said uncomfortably staring at my knee that was now swollen severely.“Just do what I say or I’m taking you back to my place.” he commanded.“No! I-I we’re almost there.” I said. It’s the first time we met. I can’t just entrust myself upon him like this. Get a hold of yourself, Aiv. Don’t believe anyone you just met. I mentally warned myself, and tried getting up.Just as I was halfway up, my ankle twisted and I bumped down on the floor again, internally squealing with pain. This is so embarrassing! I so wish I could teleport so
I looked around and noticed that my parents had a surprised expression on their faces too. Meanwhile, when I glanced at Aunt Mary, she had a huge grin on her face.“I’m good, James. How is everyone?” Kevin politely asked.“We’re doing well, my boy. Thank you for taking care of our Aiv, Kevin. We can’t thank you enough.” Uncle James genuinely remarked.He simply nodded and said something under his breathe looking at me.“We got this opportunity to meet you again though!” Uncle exclaimed.“True indeed.” Kevin grinned and walked towards Aunt Mary and pinched Cherry’s cheeks lightly.“Cherry’s asleep. She missed you so much, Kevin! But you just disappeared the oth
“….and that’s when our precious daughter here offered her favourite cheese burgers for the poor beggar. And that’s the first and the last time she’s ever given up her food for someone!” dad said, laughing even more.Everyone was still seated on the dining table while mom was cleaning up my wounds on the counter. We ate our dessert, fruity lemon tart, which I’d learned, were one of my Aunt’s many specialities. It was finger licking tasty! And my dad, on the other hand, was busy sharing my embarrassing childhood stories. At one point, I almost lost it when dad told them how I was chased by a hen for troubling her chicks and how I developed a fear of hens ever since!“How on earth was I supposed to react!? A freaking mother hen was chasing me down like it’d kill me right that instant! I was just 8 years old for god’s sake!!” I scowled, looking annoyed.We finished our supper and it was soon ti
My eyes widened and a small smile made its way up my lips. I snapped my head towards my parents and Nick and yes, they shared the same expression on their faces.Some time ago when I last checked the calendar, I think I’d figured what the special surprise for which we came here was: mom and dad’s anniversary celebration! I knew it! I so knew it! I was just hesitating whether to talk about it or not cause if Uncle and Aunt happened to not about it, they’d have felt embarrassed. So, Nick and I’d been planning a secret small celebration tonight. But oh lord, we never thought we’d be stunned instead.I smiled, it all made me feel so giddy. I loved them. I love them all so much.The place that seemed so dull and abandoned back then, now was perfectly set into what looked like a party venue. There were huge disco lights, tiny balls on the ceilings that shimmered so prettily, and the tables and chairs were perfectly arranged with a velvety