4. Amelie #2
It was late in the year. The winter chill would befall us soon, so the warm air was surprising to me. I chalked up feeling the warmth last night to the adrenaline.
When I saw the linen top and pants that were laid out for me, I thought the magic must be crazy, but now I realize that the sun shines differently here. The Forest protected its dwellers by staying at a comfortable temperature.
I craned my neck back to the cottage. I stood on the other side of the bridge to further inspect the change in scenery.
It looked almost sad that I was so far from it. The overgrown vines that covered the cottage last night were trimmed and now added to the charm rather than trapping it.
The roof was hiding beneath a thick layer of moss, tiny flowers of all different colors poked out, speckling the greenery.
Deciding I didn’t want to hurt the inanimate object’s feelings, I went back to my new temporary home.
“I’m still here.” I pressed my palm to the frame of the door. “I’m going to stay here for a little while if that’s okay?” The door closed softly behind me. I took it as a yes. The air lightened, and it felt like the cottage was happy again, sunlight beamed through the windows.
I sat to devour the breakfast in front of me, feeling completely overwhelmed with happiness and guilt.
I’ve never had this amount of food in front of me to consume until my heart was content. I was afraid I’d wake up and have to stomach that this has all been a dream. That the hopes and dreams of a different life were only that and none of this was real.
I watched the home closely today, trying to learn the ways of its magic. When I finished eating this morning, the food just disappeared. The table was spotless, like I hadn’t just ravaged the delicious meal that was placed before me.
The same thing happened at noon, food appeared, I ate, and then it disappeared.
There were old games all over the house, it was hard to play by myself and the house noticed that almost immediately.
I had taken a checkerboard and its pieces out and set it up with my best guess.
I studied the board and played by my own rules.
The house quickly showed me the correct way to play, as if annoyed I played it any other way, and moved the pieces that it claimed.
I think it won, but I didn’t really care.
It was fun to watch the house play with me.
I always took care of myself, so I was unfamiliar with the care it was taking of me. I felt like a princess of my own palace. It felt like I might have been taking advantage of its kindness, but a pastry I’d had in the morning was still on my tongue and I was greedily wanting more.
“Hi, uh, house? Actually, let’s give you a name. Do you like Orla?” I always loved that name. It was my great grandmother’s and though my grandmother Amelia had little to no memory of her mother, her name always stuck out to me. It meant the golden princess.
The house softly opened and closed its shutters. That was answer enough for me. “I like it too. Orla, do you have any more of those jam filled pastries? It was so good, I’ll definitely need the recipe!”
I couldn’t even finish laughing at my joke of needing a recipe for something I surely could never recreate before a fresh pastry appeared at the edge of the table.
“I think I’m going to put some weight on the longer I stay here.
” Giggling to myself and trying to savor the pastry this time, the shutters on the windows softly opened and closed again, this time as if to laugh alongside me.
Three days since I arrived, and I was growing pretty attached to Orla.
She had a lot of personality for a house.
She was perceptive and timed. Breakfast was always served within minutes of waking up.
When the sun was high, lunch would be served, and in mid-afternoon a jam filled pastry would appear.
During my dusk stroll, I would smell cuts of cooked meat and warm bread from the house, letting me know it was dinner time.
I’d never known a life this simple.
It was difficult to stomach and infuriating to think three days here had already been better than all twenty-four years in Holleberg.
My family was constantly on my mind.
Take care of that family of hers, too.
If I let myself think of them too long, I felt my heart pulling toward the door of the cottage.
The guards would’ve shown them no mercy.
If Heaven was real, I wanted to at least know they were okay.
I fought with my mind whether to stay put or go back for them.
I could go see for myself that they were gone.
Maybe they got away. If they did, I’d find them and bring them back here.
Orla might enjoy having more people to care for.
Then again, I knew how it felt to care for too many with no time to care for myself.
I’m not sure I could do that to her, either. My best friend was now this house. My company was the magic in it, and the animals that roamed outside. I didn’t feel alone here.
I wasn’t afraid anymore, and I was just beginning to sit with that feeling. I couldn’t remember a time when I wasn’t scared.
Scared to ask for more water, or an extra ration for the baby when the milk ran out. Scared to steal so many berries that our puffy pockets would incriminate us, to be taken by one of the Lord’s men and forced into yet another soul crushing act. Men hurt, they violate, they torture and use women.
As I looked around my safe, cozy new home, I was feeling very grateful that there were no men here. Just me and the magic.