You're Welcome

Her Birthday.

  ~4 years ago~

Mom is bawling and has snot run down her face in the living room. I don't understand why. Where's Tanya? She's been gone for a while. We were playing a game for her 10th birthday.

"Tanya!? You win!! We can't find you!" I yell. She must have a very good hiding spot, normally she's so easy to get. Someone grabs my arm and pulls me into Tanya's room.

"Tanya's missing, she's not playing anymore! She's GONE! Stop yelling." I can't process Tee's words, they don't make sense. Tanya must have thought we were playing hide and go seek outside. She is the youngest, maybe she didn't understand the rules?

But

She's been gone for hours.

Maybe, maybe Tee is right. That's why the police officer was here.

That's why we can't find her.

"Hey, do you hear that?" I can hear some rustling in the room.

"What?" Her teary eyes widen and she turns around and faces the closet, I move closer to Tee and lean my head against the closet door. There is some thumping.

I can hear a faint scream. Tee rips open the door and we see Tanya's clothes. Nothing else. Maybe we heard nothing. Maybe it was just a neighbour or something.

"What did you hear?" Tee asks me.

"I heard a scream." My voice falters towards the end and I feel scared when Tee nods her head.

"Same."

. . .

We always thought it was just mom, crying and stuff. But my scared feelings come back. Today would have been Tanya's 14th birthday. I pick a couple of Japanese Honeysuckles on suck on them while I wander through our garden. Normally it's so nice and peaceful here but right now, the birds singing their heads off is aggravating me. A bee next to my ear scares the heck outta me and you can but your butt that I ran straight into the house. I was only stung once and I would not like to have it repeated. The Honeysuckles help calm me down from almost dying (not allergic to bee stings but..), I grew up picking them, the sweet scent is very nostalgic.

"Where have you been Mary!?" Yells Dorthy. Wow. 5 seconds in the door and she needs me already? That's just sad.

"Here, in the kitchen!" I holler back, might as well help myself to the brownies I made. I set the honeysuckles into a glass of water and started shoving chocolate heaven into my face but then I get interrupted by stupid Tee.

"What are you doing!? I've been looking around for you!", she lowers her voice and looks both ways as if someone could possibly be listening, even I'm not!, "I heard the voice again."

Alright.

Um.

Choking.

On brownies.

I NEED AIR!!

How do we do that again?

Great. Oh god, now I'm vomiting them up, how can I ever eat them again, ugh, warm and sticky, this is so nasty. Can't I just go back to sleep? Why now? Why today?

The water turns on and I gulp down the water.

"Why the hell would you do that to me?" Ew, my voice is now dark and raspy and Tee is looking at me like she just saw a demon. But she said she heard the voice again. Again. After all this time. And for the second time in the last 5 seconds I ask myself, why now? Why today?

"I-I heard a voice but it was coming from your closet."

My closet.

"My closet? Not, not hers? But my closet?" Oh crap. 

So, I can explain. I really like brownies, and chocolate and food and so I kinda had to ruin it for her because I wanted them. This makes total sense right? 

Right? heh heh, not crazy btw. Just wanted to eat the fictional character's food. 

Anyway, see ya later Alligators.