Bewitched

Chapter 1

Reading was an escape from reality. At least for Wu Liling. Almost everyday, she went to the local library, away from the distractions of life. Page after page she flipped, book after book she read until she lost track of time.

"LIlING! LILING" yelled her father. Liling jolted up and checked her watch. She was already an hour late coming home! Liling exited the majestic building, immediately into her father's irritated scolding. 

"Liling, I know you love to read and that's good, but you also need to pay attention and set your priorities. I have been waiting here for a full hour," said Father.

"I know. I'm sorry," apologized Liling. 

"Now we lost so much time. Let's get home before we lose any more," sighed Father. 

It was a short walk from the library to her small, humble home down the street. They lived in the province of China and Liling admired the lush greenery surrounding the speckled cobblestone ground. The bright grass was dotted with golden stalks of wheat and working farmers. Orchids bloomed neatly around the path and village fences, while the sun cast down its wings of golden rays of light across a cloudless sky. It all made for a very aesthetic scene. Something you would find in a fairytale thought Liling. 

Eventually, they made it home. Standing in front of them was a picturesque little wooden house, painted sky blue. Shutters with buttery yellow paint flaking off framed the windows, as well as boxes of a rainbow assortment of flowers. It was quite a pretty house to have, considering the other houses' condition. What was happening inside, though, unbeknownst to Liling and her father was not so pretty, however. Rather, it should be censored for younger audiences. 

They entered the house. Silence filled the air and the lights were shut. The only light was from the sunshine peeking through the vertical blinds, setting off a spooky aura. Liling shuddered. She could hear whispers and flirtatious giggles coming from the bathroom and she knew her father could hear it too. They turned from the kitchenette into the smallest hallway leading into the bathroom.

"HOLY!" screamed Father, "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! BOTH OF YOU GO SCREW YOURSELVES AND DIE IN A FREAKIN' HOLE!"

Indeed, the pair had walked into her mom and a strange man having a make-out session. The strange man had a bewildered look on his face, which soon turned to disgust.

"You never told me you had a husband," snarled the strange man, "I can't believe you would cheat on your own husband and I was completely oblivious!" He grabbed a towel, covered up and stormed out.

Liling was speechless that her own beloved mother would do that to her, and her dad.

"Uhhhh...honey, it's not what it looks like,"  muttered Mother.

"First off, you just did stuff with the most random man and you have the guts to call me honey? Second, do you even know what this looks like!? If it hasn't occurred to your pea-sized brain, me, your very own husband just walked into you making out with whoever that was," Father said, "I'm leaving. Liling's coming with me. She doesn't deserve to live with a nasty cheater like you."

They rushed upstairs and packed their bags and soon, Liling's wrist was dragged, by her Father, out the door. But she hardly noticed. Liling had just processed what had just happened because of the commotion. Her dear, dear mother had been dishonest with her dear, dear father. How was it possible?  Her mother. who had given her so many gracious hugs, so many acts of kindness and care had done something so despicably horrible. Liling just couldn't get it through her head. Soon, they were in a car.

Screech! Her dad slammed on the brakes, breaking Liling from her train of thought. 

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU MORON!" screamed Father, letting his rage out on the driver. He received the finger and swore loudly. When the stoplights turned green, Father turned the curb and stopped in front of a very old wooden house. Sage green paint peeled off the walls. They had stopped at their grandparents' house. 

"Ma, my 'wife' cheated on me. I'm moving to Canada to have a new life and I've happened to save up enough money for immigration and a new house. But first, we need to complete a few things, like divorce papers, immigration papers and other things," said Father, briskly.

"Come in! Come in! You poor little guys! WHY DID THAT STUPID LITTLE POOP DO THAT TO YOU!? WELL, IT'S FINE! YOU DON'T DESERVE THAT HEATHEN ANYWAY!" screeched Grandma, "Let me fix you a tasty dinner to cheer you up. Of course, it won't help with the feeling of losing that witch, but hopefully, it'll help."

A couple of hours later, a delectable aroma smoked into the air. Sweet and sour pork, fried rice, pork dumplings and eggplant bathing in a garlic sauce crowned the lazy Susan of the circular vintage table. As Liling took a seat on the chair, she spooned some fried rice and other foods onto her plate. She took a bite, and quickly a warm feeling filled her. The food was delicious! 

"So how's the food?" asked Grandma.

"It's delicious!" replied Liling.

Her grandmother and father spoke about various things, including the paperwork, finding a new job and a house, as well as getting an English name for easier pronunciation. Liling finished her dinner quietly and headed to her room. She had one at that house whenever she and her family slept over. It was mostly wooden. Actually, everything was wooden. The bed had snow-white sheets and red pillows with golden embroidery. All the dressers were delicately carved with dragons and stars. Liling flung herself onto the bed and sobbed. Losing her mother for what may as well be forever was hard, and all the suppressed tears went loose. Soon the soft pillows and sheets were salty. 

The brass of the doorknob turned and her father entered.

"Your mother cheated. As beloved as she was, she cheated," he said. 

"I know, but still. She's my mother," Liling sniffled out. She curled herself under the silky covers. 

"I'm sad too, but we've got to accept the truth and make the most out of it. We can't let it be our downfall," said Father. He left the room.

The next few months were a blur. A plethora of papers were filled out and soon, all they needed to do was pack their bags. Liling made sure to stuff in her carved figure of a girl for her. Mother had made it for her, complete with rose-red lips and a white cheongsam patterned with cherry blossoms and a straw hat. She gave it a wistful smile and packed it away with her other clothes.

...

As Liling boarded the plane, the skies were shaded with grey swirls of cloud, reflecting her mood. She was mourning for leaving China. Possibly forever. It bothered Liling's mind to have to start over. Leaving everything behind and rebuilding. Saying she was nervous was an understatement. And soon, hours later, the food came. It was what looked like boiled chicken and peppers in a wrap. It was edible but unseasoned and just so unlike the food Liling usually ate and she wasn't sure if she liked the different flavours. There was also chocolate pudding that was too sweet. Was this what she was going to have to eat at school?

Deciding that sleep would be needed, Liling tried to take a nap to no avail. When she finally managed to get some shut-eye, the flight attendant had an announcement, which jolted her right back awake.

"Passengers, we are now arriving at the YVR Airport in Canada. Please buckle your seatbelts, fold up your eating trays and put electronics away. Thank you for flying with Air Canada. We hope you enjoyed your flight." The attendant's voice echoed through the plane.

Liling took a deep breath. A new life in a new country. This was it.