The other side of the river

I wake up

I awoke with a chill in my spine and a ringing in my ear. The air seemed colder than usual, as if it were trying to freeze me until I could breathe no more. As I rubbed my heavy eyes and laid the tips of my toes onto the ground of my room, I felt the cold of the stone slabs piercing into my bear pale feet, almost completely numbing them. I had to gather my thoughts for a second before I I knew I was able to stand upright without falling onto the bed again soon after...well, when I say bed, I truthfully mean my ripped mattress with strange stains discolouring it. The springs underneath were so close to the surface, I was only able to get comfortable after I had laid myself in such a particular way that they merely traced my malnourished figure. The closet thing I had to a blanket was bits and pieces of small spare cloth from clothes that wouldn't fit me nor my sister anymore. However I rarely ever used it. It was often damp from the tears of the girl I was so long ago. When I stepped down, I tried my hardest to do it ever so carefully so as not to awaken my younger sister, Maya, and my mother Lily. I didn't need them worrying about me. Not with all the pressure already resting on our frail, weak shoulders...