A Mother's Embrace

CHAPTER 8

I stumbled my way to my room lost in my thoughts and confused. Did I really see the dress in the lake or was I just hallucinating? The nightmare and now this, how could I hallucinate everything?! I decided to call Jenny to share my suspicions. Just before pressing the call button, I hesitated.

"She already told me off when I mentioned about the nightmare, will she believe me? Do I believe in myself?"

At this point, I wasn't really sure. I thought about asking Amanda but shook off the idea because it felt odd. I decided to think it through sometime else and went for a bath. I filled the bathtub with warm water and slowly got into the tub, feet first. As the warm water struck my skin, I felt my sense of restlessness ease away.

"Hah, maybe a warm bath was all I needed."

I recalled the past week as I lay down in the water. The miraculous job offer that I landed and the new lifestyle I am living now. It all seemed like a dream. After years of struggling and feeling guilty, I felt that it was okay to live happily for the first time.

"Maybe, I do deserve all this," I said to myself as I took a deep breath.

Suddenly I felt something push me down into the water. Shocked, gasping for breath, I sat straight and looked around the bathroom, no one was there.

"Maybe my feet might have slipped," I thought.

Even as I thought those words, I found it hard to believe. But I wanted to believe it so badly that I kept on telling it to myself until I was convinced about it. I got out of the tub and dried myself. I dried my hair and picked a pink night suit to wear. As I was getting ready to go down, I saw the balcony door was open.

"When did I open this? I should be more careful!" I scolded myself, as I went to close the door.

In the kitchen, David was delighted to see me. He ran to me as soon as he saw me and offered a freshly baked croissant.

"Thank you David!"

He ran back to his chair and was adding jam to his half eaten croissant. Amanda was helping Mrs. Ben to take out the new batch of croissants from the oven beneath the stove.

"These are delicious!"

"The recipe is a family special of Mrs. Ben. She is kind enough to make it for us every now and then." said Amanda with her usual polite smile plastered on her face.

"Thank you Mrs. Ben"

She just looked back and me nodded. If she doesn't like me, she should at least make it less evident. Her indifference was like a huge banner on her face and it was making me really uncomfortable. Just then, Richard came in through the backdoor, limping. He was carrying something in his hand.

"I caught a rabbit. We can have it for dinner." he said and placed the rabbit on a bowl by the kitchen sink. "Do you want me to skin it?"

"No, Richard. I think Mrs. Ben can do that."

I was taken back by the sight of the bloody rabbit. But no one else seemed to be bothered by it. Even David was not at all concerned. He just glanced at it for a second and got back to putting jam on his croissants which was now almost over.

"Olivia, I think we will be able to have rabbit stew for dinner. But I think its going to take some time."

"It's okay Amanda, I can take a walk around until then."

Richard who was now washing his hands in the sink, let out his sly laugh and said, "Don't get lost. The castle grounds are huge. There are a lot of places to go missing."

I suddenly looked at him with disgust and fear. His concerned remark sounded more like a warning than a concern. It made me feel like something bad will definitely happen to me.

"Don't mind Richard. He is just scaring you. The grounds are probably the safest place in this country", said Amanda and broke out in a laugh. Richard and David accompanied her while Mrs. Ben was still bent over the stove top looking at something keenly.

I got up to leave and David came towards me with jam smeared all over his face.

"David, it looks like you have had a lot of jam!"

"Oh, I love jam Ms. Olivia. Mrs. Ben makes these at home. It's a lot tastier than the store bought ones."

"Really? That's great!"

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to take a walk around the grounds, do you wanna join?"

The smile on his face slowly faded away. "No, it's getting dark," he said looking down.

"But there are lights right? You don't need to be scared." I said, trying to reassure him.

"No, it's bad. Mother doesn't like it."

I looked at Amanda but she wasn't paying attention to the conversation. She was cleaning up the rabbit which Richard left.

"Maybe we can ask mama. She will be okay with it if you are with me."

"No, you can't ask mother."

"Amanda? Amanda?"

"Oh! Yes! I couldn't hear you well because the tap was turned on. Did you say something?"

"I was just asking if it's okay for David to come out with me for a walk."

"I told her that mother doesn't like it." he said looking at his jam stained fingers. Mrs. Ben who was bent over before slowly turned around and stared at David as if he said something forbidden. Richard, who was leaning on the back door, left quietly.

"Mother is here right David? I am asking her now." I said, bending to his height. He did not look up and was as white as a paper. Amanda who always had her smile plastered was now looking as if she was struck with lighting.

"Amanda, are you okay?" The entire atmosphere had gone bleak. It was as if a raincloud suddenly came and stood upon us. "Amanda, are you okay?"

"Ah-yes, yes! I was just caught up on something. Ahem, what did you ask?"

"Ah, I asked if I could take David for a walk."

"Oh, walk. I am afraid he can't. I am sorry Olivia, it's just that David, ahem, David might get bitten by some insects and it is going to be a problem later because he can't handle rashes."

"Oh, that's okay." I said, trying to ease the atmosphere. "I will go for a walk and be back then"

"Sure!" said Amanda, her plastered smile making its way back to her face. "Take your time, by then I will get the dinner ready."

"Sure." I said and walked out. David ran back to his mother slightly tugging at her olive green skirt. She was squeezing David closer to her and the last thing I saw as I went out of the kitchen was David's jam smeared hand clutching hard onto Amanda's skirt.

"Strange." I thought as I walked out of the main door to the wide castle grounds. "Hah, forget it. She is his mother. She knows what's best for her son." I told myself as I walked down the path to the fountain of the bowing angel.