An Innocent Mistake (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 15

There is not even a clock that tells I am in the house. It has always been that way that a tick-tock sound tapped the corners of the wall, and we would know how much time had passed. But it is unlike any other house. I sink into an oozing boredom, and tickles of curiosity to do something different teases me.
As sitting on the stair steps, propping the head over the folded arms on the knees, I swing my attention right and left. Ragenite comes and sits on the table. Her face is familiar to me already. She seems like she was always out there and I had to just find her and so I did. She had a tin mug wrap by her scrawny fingers, taking sips and shooting eyes at me at every other second.
Taking a last sip, she determines to keep the same eyes at me. "What is it, my dear?"
I sigh. My mouth has become dry from lack of talking. "Nothing." I say, raising my head.
The tin mug clanks the table and the chair scratches down the wooden floor. Then Ragenite leaves for the locked room. I slip down one step and crane my neck to have a view of that room, as it opens. Unfortunately, I can't see anything and the door slams behind her.
Where did she go suddenly? I think.
After tiny bit, the door opens and Ragenite comes back out. She pulls the door and puts a lock on it. Then approaches me sitting on the stairs again."Let's go, I'm gonna take you somewhere." She awkwardly throws the words at me without any warning.
"Where?"
"You're gonna find out if you come with me."
I get up, fix my shirt and trace the steps behind her. As the front door opens, the outside light blinds us. I haven't come out of the house since I came into this house, around two days ago. Coming out like this has brought me back to believe the existence of sky, light that keeps the world alive. I sniff in the freshness and let it dig into my body. What a great feeling to have some wind welcoming me out of the packed house.
"Can you at least give me a hint?" I insist.
Ragenite works to lock the front door and drops the key in the dress pocket. She doesn't answer and displays an unsmiling face. I eye up to her, waiting to sound out my answer at any moment. But it is washed in hopelessness as we kick down few blocks. So I stop looking towards her. And only pay attention down the path, which is drawing more into unfamiliarity. I have always been a curious person, cheering to know different things and stepping up to pick juicy fruits. But I also know aware that my curiosity is limited under Ragenite's silence. Her lips seem like they are sealed by an invisible tape.
I begin to idle as Ragenite's limp slacks from walking quite a while now. I wish we can sit somewhere and I persuade her to reveal where she is taking me.
"How far are you taking me?"
"Sshhh! " the sound of thudding heart bangs in her voice.
"But why?"
"You talk so much little girl."
I frown.
Later we come stop to a halt in front of a forest of trees, and heavy greenery, competing to claim the whole place. Several twigs and heavy logs scatter blocking the entrance. Ragenite takes a sigh, holding on her knees as if they caused her great pain.
"This is the place." She says, solemnly. "If you had waited patiently you were already knowing it."
"But I don't understand why you brought me here." I stand still, gazing at the forest, which was called, evergreen forest from the school I know.
Ragenite begins aiming towards the forest. "Watch your steps as you follow me."
It is as interesting to see her flounder over the giant logs, which are capable of tripping her and throwing her in big trouble. But as I would stand to watch the scene occur. Instead I am silently astounded after her every skillful move, that brings her to cross over. She bunches the trailing tail of dress in her clasp, lifts her good conditioned leg over and instantly slides the troubled let down the log, accomplishing the obstacle. Then releases the dress from the hold.
I try to imitate her, but I am helpless to earn the same result. I make it somehow fine, unlike Ragenite.
On the way after coursing through the couple small challenges, the warm atmosphere begins to smother my breathing senses. The smell of heavy nature dissipates as far as the expanse of dense forest stretches.
Once we are inside the forest, the entrance slowly disappears. We lost the precious air and humidity grows sticking to my bare arms and feet are sweating under the cover of leaves. But an end to walking is hardly occurring. Ragenite constantly walks and I force myself after her.
"Ragenite, can you wait?" I yell, tearing through the buzzing of insects.
But she has slipped from me slightly far. She struggles to cope with her long dress, kicking it aside from falling in the way.
At somewhere, I see her pace drop and she stops. I catch up to her faster than before. She pants like she has hammered down the mountain.
"Sorry I brought you here without telling," she realizes really early. "I come here when there is a need."
"What need?" I seriously stare at her.
"First I gotta pick some important substances. They are scattered all over the place, but this is the best spot to find almost every of them."
"How do you know which one is the one you want?"
Ragenite bothers to scan the ground. She furrows her attention at the bunch of keen edged leaves, popping out inch or two away from her feet. I am not ready to touch them if she commands me a favor to pluck them out. She hunches down and grows a reach for the handful of them. "This is one of them. The structure and the strong smell of it helps me pick them."
I nod, slowly agreeing. "How many more do you have to look for?"
"I hope I find them. Most of the time I go home empty because while finding night falls and it's terrible."
What if it gets dark and I have to stay in the middle of this moses inextricably plastering the tree trunk, I wonder.
The repulsive horrors take over my mind.
"Do you think you will have enough for today?" I fold my arms across the chest.
"Why, you afraid?" She says, seemingly knowing my answer.
"It's okay." I hesitantly say, abashed.
She goes on ripping them out of their soil and decisively pulls out a plastic bag from the dress pocket. Then pours in the findings. When ever she finds the leaves, she adds them to that same bag.
"You know how I came to find this place?"
"How?" I prepared myself for the story.
"It goes back to when I was just a small, innocent girl, unaware of the evil existing in the world. I was very shy and stayed quiet most of the time. Would always work for my mother, whom in return treated me like a rat. I never like calling her my mother, such an evil filled lady. Sometimes it made me feel like scratching her face off."
"But why?" I intercepte, fully engaged in the story.
Ragenite swallowed a lump in her throat and continues on with her full intention. She is as restless to address the remainder of the story, as I am to listen to it.
"When my mother's friends would come over, my work would double up and it would not end until the midnight. They would sometimes call me to give them a glass of water or ask me to serve wines. After they were drunk, they would make fun of me, calling me little wretched, dragging in rags and working like a maid. My own mother was involved in it, laughing at me. I would cry and go to my dingy room, filled with darkness and hopelessness. One day I thought it was enough. I didn't wanna be raised as a slave. So I ran away in the night and somehow reached this forest. This place is my childhood memory. Willingly I can't forget it."
The stain of pain and vile memory becomes visible to her face, like they are revived. The bag in which she has collected herbs, flops in her hand. The posture of her body dangles over her shoulders in heart-break. I go ahead and console by putting my hand on her feeble shoulder.
"That is very mean. You had the most horrible childhood."
Ragenite hoists the plastic bag, restoring back; shoulders leveling out of the droopiness, arched body overcomes the weakness and the energy runs in her legs. She steps forward and I resume to my senses. Then stroll along with her by her side.
"I'm sorry if I have depressed you or tormented you with my story." She says. "But it would have been worse if I hid anything from you." The softness in her voice melts my heart. I feel she actually is vulnerable, struck by her miserable past.
"You know sharing makes you feel better. Do you feel better?"
Ragenite trundles through the plants and leaves laying out in the way. She wheezes from the strong smell, affecting acute to our nostrils. I feel a sneeze filling my nose, then suddenly I shoot out in burst.
"You are very smart child. I sure felt better sharing with you."
I get happy to hear that.
We cautiously make our way out of the forest and throw ourselves in the suitable wind. I breath in the pure oxygen, filled with no minty herbs. I am lucky that Ragenite finds all the herbs she needs and we can leave this place as soon as possible. I help her to carry the herbs filled bag and saunter off easily along on the sidewalk.
"Where did you live?"
"I don't really remember after a long time." Her arms are seized in an internal forceful grip. Even then she sustains composure.
"Did you ever missed anyone?"
"Don't ask me anymore questions. I don't wanna bring back anything."
If I was asked that question. I would have kept my answer as, "no." I didn't want to remember the home. I have stopped feeling like I belonged there. The end of this subject marks by my quietness.