The Games We Play

Aunt Sarah's House

"Ellie, I can't do anything else. You know that. If I had other options, I would've sent you somewhere else." Ellen's dad peered at her through the rearview mirror. Ellen rested her head on the car's damp window. "Yeah, I know." She spoke softly. Her dad frowned and leaned back in his seat. "I know it's not your fault.... It's moms." Ellie mumbled breaking the silence. Her dad shook his head. Ellie shifted in her seat. "So... What's she like again?" She asked hoping to start a conversation. Her father smiled faintly. "She's a neat freak so watch out! Well, as long as I've grown up with her being my aunt, she has been a little stern-" "Oh great!" Ellie interrupted. "Now I've got an old woman up my ass the whole summer!" Dad chuckled. "Hey," he started. "Don't worry so much Ellie. Everything's gonna be fine! I promise. Aunt Sarah used to be a nurse at that old state mental hospital." Ellie glared at her dad. "How's that going to change anything?" She sneered sarcastically. Her dad looked back. "Well, my point is that she's very patient and sweet but, firm and proper." Ellie smiled. "Like you, huh?" He grinned. "I suppose." They rode in silence for the next ten minutes.

Ellie's dad stopped next to the sidewalk corner. "Here." He grunted half-heartedly. Ellie looked into his eyes in the mirror. Scared. No, terrified. He didn't want to leave his little girl, but he had no choice. This job offer had been the first in months and he desperately needed it. The deep circles under his eyes were more visible now. Ellie hugged her dad and gathered her things from the trunk. "Be safe... I... I love you." Her dad said from the drivers seat. Ellie nodded and kissed him on the cheek. Before she could even blink, her dad was halfway down the road. Ellie could feel tears welling up in her eyes. No. She would not become a crying mess, not now.

Ellie approached the old wooden doors. She tried to look in, but the windows were all dusty. She knocked on the door, leaving a distant kind of ringing. After a while, she jiggled the door handle. Unlocked. Ellie squinted her eyes and opened the door. It never occurred to her how big the house actually was. It was practically a mansion. Ellie stumbled her way to the dinning room table and dropped her bags. There was a note written in cursive.

"Dearest Ellen,

Sorry to inform you, but I will be absent for a few days. You see, a friend of mine has fallen ill, and I need to visit her a couple towns down. I'm sure you understand. There is enough food in the fridge for a while. You can pick any room you would like not taken on the 2nd floor. I am glad I get to see you again! The last time I saw you was when you were five. Can you believe that?

Love, your Aunt Sarah"

Ellie flipped the note over in her hand and reread it. "Pick any room not taken?" She read aloud. She shrugged and set the note back on the table. Walking around the house made her feel nervous. Everything was so expensive, she didn't want to touch anything. She heard a crash ring from the kitchen and swooped around. Nobody was there. Maybe she knocked something over? No, that's not possible. She was so careful. Ellie decided that she needed to go back to the kitchen, whether she wanted to or not...