Under the Cover of Darkness

Chapter 3 - Bryce

Fitch's eyes gingerly opened and adjusted to the harsh light of the sun through his window. A headache plagued him as he tried to get up from where he lay. Instead, he gave up and slumped back utterly exhausted. "Jeez, I had horrible dream last night," he said to the lime-green and blue butterfly which now circled above his head like a vulture. That was when Fitch realized where he was.

Fitch was in his bed. The white painted frame had begun to chip and the dusty mattress was who knows how old. The first cover, a sea green colored cotton material, was the only spot of color on the bed. On top of that was more brown and whitish colored sheets all made of some sort of cotton as well. Fitch's feather pillow had a lighter brown shade.

He sat up in his bed and rubbed his forehead as his headache pounded against his skull. Fitch looked around his room happily. He had lived in the room and slept in that same bed every night of his life on earth. Except those few night where a storm frightened him so much he ran into his parent's room searching for aid and protection from the dangers of Mother Nature.

Both bedrooms were on the top floor, third floor, of the house. The house was built around an unusually wide and sturdy tree. The trunk of the tree at the base had a circumference of about ten feet at its thickest. The second and third floor had a very similar layout. When one climbs up the wooden planks nailed into the tree to act as steps, at each floor, there is a landing platform opposite the wooden planks. This landing platform is a short ten feet hallway with two doors on each side only about a yard wide. The two doors lead into their respected rooms. The rooms wrapped around the entire tree until they met each other in which there was a wall. The width of the rooms was the same as the landing platform, ten feet.

On the third floor, the room directly on the right was Fitch's bedroom while the one on the left was his parents' room. The second floor's two rooms were more unique. The room to the left was a library and a laboratory that held all the books owned by Fitch's parents along with two granite tables used for experiments. Fitch had locked the room when he inherited the house from them. The room on the right was a room solely for Fitch to hang and play as a kid. When he grew up, it transformed into his go to area to be alone with his own thoughts.

The first floor, while much bigger since it was at the base of the tree, contained the two living rooms, dining room, kitchen, den, wash room, and workshop. When one walks into the house from the raised porch, right in front lays the oldest, tallest, and largest tree in the Silver Forest that Fitch nicknamed Seeds surrounded on all sides except the front with walls. To the left is the kitchen, which one passes under a white archway to enter, complete with marble countertops and an island with marble as well. If one walks through the arc, they would see the island in front of them, then (from left to right) the refrigerator on the left wall along with a large cooler that serves as the freezer. Next to that is counter space which has drawers and cabinets hanging above the counters. To the right (from right to left) is a pantry, an oven and stove complete with a couple cabinets above each one respectively, and then a smaller counter with a coffee machine. Along the wall beyond the island is a large shelf along with two of its own cabinets on top with the richest of China dishes stacked neatly in each one. Numerous antiques also litter the large centerpiece.

If one continued in and then turned right, they'd see the first living room under another white archway. On the far left wall sits a large seven seater coach. In the middle of the room is a rug covered in intricate patterns and designs of various curves and shapes which upon rests a smooth dark wooden coffee table with a bowl of flowers sitting atop a metal tray with multiple floral patterns of various dark greens and reds on it. Various different colored armchairs then take up the rest of the room.

Directly ahead lies a white painted wooden door. Behind the door is the wash room where one can find a wash bin for clothes and a wash bin for dishes. To the right is a door leading to a bathroom complete with granite countertop sink with white painted cabinets and a toilet along with a bathtub.