In The Dark

5. Living away

The house was surrounded by a short fence, and a little crack was supposed to be the main gate. The night was dark, with no glare to lighten it, and the dense forest made it even darker. Though, there were some lights turned on in some of the house's rooms, but no move could be noticed inside.

The girl was standing on a root of a tree, with the chin in her hands, looking at the house. A smooth wind breeze blew her hair, perfuming the whole forest. She looked said, perhaps a bit melancholic.

Suddenly, some voices inside the house broke the silence. Ella raised her head just a bit, like she would have been interested, then got back to the initial position, as the voices have disappeared. A tear was flowing on her cheek. Eyes to the ground, she remembered those voices very clear. She remembered the good old times. Or maybe not very good times. Still she looked sad.

With some silent and low moves Ella stood up. She started walking around the house, through the big trees. Everything was as same as she used to know. Nothing has changed. The fountain was looking the same, like no one would have ever taken water from it anymore. She had the feeling that her absence stopped the time at the old house.

At a certain time, Ella was face to face with her old room. The light was turned off, as she was expecting. However, she hoped the light will be turned on, so she could see at least a thing from her old room, which she was missing so much. Eyes fixed on the window, her legs frozen, she couldn't make any other step. Her whole mind seemed frozen. In that dark forest no one could see her face, no one could understand her feelings, no one was caring about her, and no one ever knew if she does exist anymore.

And she knew that. She knew she was alone in the whole universe. Ella thought many times that she should get back home, but this thing was frightening her. She was feared that thing could be even worse than before, and this incertitude made her stay alone, away from her family, away from her old house.

While thousand of dark and depressing things were fighting in her mind, the light in her room turned on. At that moment she was like she has woken up from a long deep dream. But her happiness didn't last too long, as the light turned back off in some seconds. Then Ella started walking again.

When she almost got back at the starting point, she saw the door opening. Her sister slowly stepped in the yard. With each step she was doing, Ella's heart was beating faster and faster. She didn't even know what she was expecting and why she got so excited, but something was happening in her mind and in her soul. Afraid not to be seen by her sister, she hid beyond the trunk of a tree. After some seconds, she heard the voice:

"Is anyone there?"

Ella was now more frightened than she ever was. "How can she know that I'm here? Can she see me?", thought Ella

"Please show yourself. I can see you're hiding beyond the tree."

For sure she didn't know that Ella is hiding there. She was thinking that a usual stranger got lost in the forest again. But how did she know that someone is there? Ella was as silent as possible. No one could feel her presence there. But it seems that her sister did.

The girl was getting closer to the tree. She was not afraid. She must have been used already with this kind of situations.

"Please, don't come closer!"

The girl stopped doubtful, staring her eyes, mouth half opened.

"Ella?"

Ella didn't answer. She was crying.

"Ella, is that you?"

Silence. The two girls were both frozen now. After minutes of silence, the mother opened the door and shouted for her daughter.

"Faster please! We want to go to bed sooner tonight!"

As the girl heard her mother's voice, she started speaking again, to her sister:

"Ella, where were you? We were missing you so much!"

The mother heard her daughter speaking, but didn't clearly understand the words.

"Who are you talking to? Another stranger? Tell him we have some spare food he can have for now, if he wants. And we'll help him find his way out of the forest", shouted the mother, still on the threshold.

As the girl didn't get any answer from Ella, she tried to get closer and see her face. But as she made one more step, Ella stood up and started to run through the dark forest. Some seconds and she was lost.

Her sister's shout got lost in the deep forest too:

"Ella, come back home!"