Etched in Parchment

17 Dollars and 22 Cents

A short story by @jemappelleyerdua, an acquaintance of mine and this is partially edited and co-written by me!

"Ah crap. 8 PM. Emmy, just eat some cereal before you brush your teeth and go to bed!" Amelia yelled, not even waiting for her daughter's reply. She sighs and eagerly returns to working on her computer. Reading file upon file, doing reports for her boss that just sits on his ass while he takes her credit.

Glancing on her clock as she did a while ago, one decorated with stickers of a disney princess she doesn't know; Amelia cursed, slumping on her chair, realizing that she had missed another bedtime story for Emmy the 5th time this week.

"Stories... Stories... It's the same one all the time." she groaned. Cupping her face that reflected disdain on the screen of the brightly lit computer.

"Emmy... Are you asleep baby?" She yelled from her chair. She received no reply. She huffed and thought, "Thank God she doesn't bother me anymore. At least she knows how to be independent.... A bother..."

Amelia, relieved of her own thoughts, questions herself, "Am I a bad mother for thinking that?"

She enjoyed it. The 5 days of peace and quiet. Knocking on her daughter's doors, waking her up. just putting out food when she wasn't working then telling Emmy to go and bathe. And finally sending her to school.

But she did miss tending to her, she was not used to the silence no matter how hard she tried. It bothered her yet she enjoyed it even more.

No clinking of toys, no rustling feet. No screaming, no crying. No one called her "Mommy" to do something so simple.

But being a mother, she had her duties.

Amelia decided that when the final stages of her paper got approved, she was going to take Emmy to Disneyland as she had begged her months on end.

She got up from her chair, the old thing creaking; silencing everything around. She tiptoed, down the stairs, across the corridors and in front of her daughter's door.

Opening it slightly, she peeked at her feet, seeing the blanket cover them and her little fan set on the highest setting as she liked it. The fan that she always forgets to turn off when she gets out of bed. The same fan that Amelia scolds her for leaving on.

She closes the door with a light shut, walking into the living room with a full basket of toys.

The lights turned off and the toys shuffled inside as they were shoved in disorganized, but still, Amelia wondered... 'What did that kid mess up now?' Mentally groaning to herself as she imagined scribbles on walls, her magazines in disarray or broken vases on the carpeted floor.

"Emmy, I swear to God you're grounded if anything is ruined in my living room." she muttered angrily to herself. Fiddling with the wall until she found the light switch.

The basket of toys comes down crashing, scattering all around as Amelia let out a gasp. Shaking on her feet, she stifled a cry. Her eyes locked on the man dressed in all black, sitting comfortably on the worn couch.

"W-what are you doing here? Who are you? Why are you in my house?!" she stuttered in hysterics. Breathing heavily, she grabbed the closest thing she had near her, pointing it at the strange man. A short metal rod from the ruined flag of her daughter's toys was all she had in her defense.

"You really are her mother... I wonder how you can hate her when she looks exactly like you." the man spoke, his voice rugged and tired, seemingly bored out of his mind.