Candlelight (Chapter Sneak Peek)

Chapter One

Although it was only five in the morning, Pigeon managed to rouse herself tiredly. She absolutely despised the fact that she had to get up two hours earlier than before. But when she took one quick glance at her ailing mother, she erased her thoughts. Pigeon put on her thin shawl and opened up the shutters. The blazing August heat immediately poured in. Even with this scorching weather, Pigeon's mother, Mrs. Trace, felt as if she was embedded into an iceberg on a frigid winter day in Antarctica. This was one of the many symptoms of the horrid disease that began in the end of July. No one knew where the disease came from or how it should be treated. Not even the most educated doctors in town knew the answer to this mystery.

Pigeon looked out far into the distance at the town of Dustview. Life was dull like dust, so the town surely deserves its name. Very few lights were lit unless it was necessary for pedestrians at night. Even all year round, the sun seemed to never shine its joy down at Dustview. The sky was always filled with deep gray clouds as if they were about to rain in a few moments. Pigeon lived in Dustview her entire life, so she was used to this grim scenery.

The morning fog waned away as clouds were revealed. The abandoned buildings stood still along the streets. It may have looked like no one lived in those buildings, but people did. Ever since Dustview was founded, the economy was weak and almost all townspeople had very little money, except for the Carmin family. You see, if they went to a classy city such as Richmond, Virginia, they wouldn't be considered rich; they would be middle class. But here, in this rock-bottom town, they are considered rich.

Mrs. Trace's breathing became uneasy and she finally awoke with a snoring sound. She woke up, a bit confused about where she was, and then began to shiver violently. With all her strength she had, she pulled up every quilt she owned and bundled herself up. She was still cold. Pigeon noticed this and boiled up about a gallon of water from the well. She soaked a towel in the water and gently placed it on her mother's face. Mrs. Trace groaned.

Pigeon was one of the few people who were born immuned to this disease. So many people advised her to take this as an advantage and care for her sick mother. How funny, all the excellent doctors were not born to be immuned to the illness and had to retire from their job. But some doctors told Pigeon what she should do at what times, and how to help her mother cure.

Pigeon was overwhelmed with work day by day. It was a good thing that the sickness passed through in the summer because she didn't have school. If she did, she would be in highschool and that would be difficult for her to care for her mother. She felt as if she was taking the place of a mother. But, she reminded herself that Mrs. Trace had raised her for fourteen years, and it was her turn to do the work. It was quite fair that way.

"How do you feel?" Pigeon asked softly, laying her hands on her mother's. Mrs. Trace hesitated and drowsily opened her eyes. Those deep blue eyes were always comforting. They brought a feeling of content to anyone's mind.

"Cold...tired...," she replied. She noticed the fear that was attacking Pigeon. "Don't worry...I'll be fine. I already feel a bit better." Even if Mrs. Trace said 'a bit better', Pigeon still knew that she wasn't telling the truth. Even when her mother was sick, she didn't want her daughter to worry. Pigeon bit her bottom lip and reached for the towel to soak in the hot water again. Exactly when she squeezed the water out from the towel, there was a knock on the door. If Mrs. Trace was nice and healthy, she would have offered to open it. But she had no choice. Pigeon opened the door to see the face of Ms. Pettington.

"Pigeon, my Pigeon," Mrs. Pettington said, hugging Pigeon tightly. "I haven't seen you in quite a while!"

Mrs. Pettington was the wife of Dr. Pettington, who was determined to find out more about the fever. He requested Mrs. Pettington to give the disease victims some advice to stay clean. Mrs. Pettington was a stout woman who was always in a good mood. She was so happy all the time that it sometimes annoyed Pigeon. Life wasn't always a dream, and Mrs. Pettington always acted like it was. Pigeon always wondered how someone could be so joyful even in the dull town of Dustview.