Showered by the Stars

12. Hello Australia

“We’re back!” Mom and Dad announced.

“Welcome back!” huh? What time is it?

“Mom, I thought you won’t be back ‘til 9:00pm. It’s still 7:45.” I said, looking at my wrist watch.

“Ah! About that, something came up and we just had to be home early.” She said, smiling at Dad. “Shall we tell her, hon?”

“Yeah.” He said and smiled at me.

“Huh? What’s this about?” I asked.

“We’re sending you off to Australia for your summer vacation.” She said.

“Ah?” I wondered what she was talking about. We didn’t plan this at all.

“You see—your grandma wanted to see you so badly that she begged us for you to come and visit her—at least until school starts.” Eh???

“Until school starts?” Well—it’s okay if it’s for a visit—but until school starts? I won’t be able to hang out with Ran and Kana this summer.

“Yeah. We already said yes.” Dad said. “We can’t say no to an 80 year old grandma now, could we?”

I sighed. “Well—it’s been ten years since I last saw her—“ I considered. “So when shall we leave?”

“Oh! About that—it’s not we—it’s only you.” Mom said.

“Ehhhhhhh!!?? Wh-what?!” Me? Travel alone?

“Don’t worry. It’ll be a short trip. And your uncle will pick you up in the airport when you get there.” Dad said.

“So—shall I help you pack your bags? You’ll be leaving first thing in the morning, you know?” W-what? Tomorrow?

“I-I’ll make some few calls first. Then I’ll pack my bags.” I said. Ran! Kana!

“No—Pack your bags first. We have to sort your clothes since your grandma is very picky on what you wear.” She said.

I felt my shoulders become heavier and walked upstairs like a zombie.

By the time I finished packing it was really late, nevertheless I called Ran and Kana but their own maids were the ones to pick up. “Miss is already in bed.” They said.

Waaaaaa! How can I leave tomorrow without telling them?!

The flight to Australia went by like a blur. I didn’t notice that we’ve arrived since I was sleeping the whole time. I didn’t care about food or drinks.

When lining up to pick up my bags, I saw a tall man with blond hair and tanned skin waving a banner ‘Welcome Mizzy!” Yep. That was my uncle John.

“Eh? Mizzy! You’ve really grown! You’ve already reached my chin.” Uncle grinned, patting my head.

“Hey Dad! Is this everything?” a boy said. I took a peek at who it was.

“Ah! Mizzy! This guy here is your aunt’s nephew Luke. You don’t remember him, do you? It’s already been ten years since we last saw you. You were just this small—“ Uncle said, showing how tall I was—3 inches??!

“Eh?! I wasn’t that small!” I complained. Actually, I remembered Luke from before. I’m not the kind to forget people so easily.

He chuckled. “Well then—let’s get going. Jenny has prepared loads of food for you.” He said.

Jenny is my aunt’s name. The wife of my mom’s brother.

The house was really big and the backyard was well kept as well. Everything looked like the ones from the magazines.