awkward

one

Noisy.

Moving trucks were extremely noisy, six year old you discovered. You were dreaming about your alternate life as a Pokemon character when you were awoken by the loud engines of a few moving trucks parking across your home.

You rubbed the sleep out your eyes and peeled your blanket off your tiny body—you're still a growing girl so being tiny is normal, according to your mother. You trusted your mother, she was much older so that meant she was years wiser, right?

You cracked your curtains open to take a peek at the commotion going on outside. You spotted a lady with long hair holding hands with two tiny boys. Hey, they're tiny like me too! You quickly shook that thought away and watched as the three slowly separate. Each person picked up a box and made their way into the house across yours.

Your mother told you that the house had been vacationing for years. That's cool! The house is finally back from vacation. You observed quietly as the family slowly cleared out the stacks of boxes in the trucks.

A knock on your door caused you to close your curtains and wrap yourself with your Hello Kitty printed blanket. You shut your eyes super tightly, you were sure you looked like you were in deep slumber.

"Oi, wake up! Ma wants us ta help the neighbours move in," your older sister's voice was loud, booming even.

Couldn't she tell you were 'dead asleep'? You covered your face with your blanket and huffed. Boom. Boom. Boom. Suzume's footsteps were as loud as her voice. If she'd stomped even harder, you were sure she'd cause an Earthquake.

The room went silent and all you could hear was your breathing in your makeshift cocoon. You thought your sister had finally come to her senses and let you 'sleep' peacefully until you felt her grubby fingers attack your sides.

"The tickle monster's wakin' ya up now!"

You giggled and kicked the air as you fought your sister's tickles. She jumped into your bed and wrapped you in a hug, holding you so tightly that you couldn't move. You let out loud breaths as you recovered from your sister's unwarranted attack. The air leaving your mouth was warm, and stinky since you hadn't brushed your teeth. Despite that, your sister maintained her grip on you and you two just lazed on your bed for a moment until you finally decided to speak up.

"Suzume, can we play hairstylist in the shower later?"

Your sister laughed.

"Yeah, smelly, we can."

—

By the time you and Suzume completed your morning routine—wasting your mother's expensive shampoo to play hairstylist, disrupting the whole neighbourhood by singing your favourite pop songs and eating so much cereal your mother had to duct tape the box shut— it's already midday and the neighbours were half moved in. Oh well, less work for you and Suzume then!

Your mother had yet to drag you to the neighbours' house, so you and Suzume got comfortable on the couch. You turned on the kids' channel on the television and enjoyed an episode of Crayon Shin Chan.

It's awfully quiet in your house. Was nobody else home? Your father was working and your mother was—

Right! Your mother wasn't nagging at you. You decided to get up from the couch and tip toed to the kitchen to spy on her. The doorbell then rang, frightening you. You jumped and fell onto your butt.

Suzume snorted at your pain (you found her quite rude for that) and exclaimed that she'd get the door. You hummed in response and got back on your feet. You rubbed your butt to soothe the pain but it continued to sting. Dang it. You're so focused on yourself that you turned a blind eye to your surroundings. Or maybe your behindings?