Irene, My dead best friend [Wattys 2015]

Chapter 12: mini freak outs and heart attacks.

“And sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in” – Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility.

 

 

There are many cultures around the world that “believe” in dreams. By believe, I mean they believe they have hidden messages and teachings in them. People from these cultures study dreams, understand what they mean. Boy, the things I would give to have someone around me who could understand my dreams.

Sitting bolt upright on my bed, drenched in sweat, I looked out the window at the sky just before sunrise. The horizon had streaks of red and orange indicating the approaching sun. I got up out of bed, feeling my clothes stick to my body in a cold, disgusting way; I made my way to my cupboard and grabbed a change of clothes. My plan was to get dressed and wake up Irene before mom and dad woke up. I didn’t want to explain a sleeping girl in their shed.

Five minutes later, I was creeping out the front door in my black jeans and blue button down and my Chuck Taylor’s with a bag pack on my back. I had dumped all my school books in my room and replaced it with a change of clothes, a torch, my life’s savings of about $500 and a couple of snacks from the kitchen.

I gently closed the door behind me thinking of the little note I left for mom on the kitchen table in place of the one she left me last night. It was a particularly brief note informing her that I had left a little early for school because I had a “project” and that I might end up spending the night at my friend Bens’ place if we still hadn’t managed to finish our “project”. Mom knew Ben well enough; he was the only kid who bothered to hang out with me without the ulterior motive of wanting my accurately done homework. I was hoping that the “staying over at Bens’” would buy me enough time to figure out this entire Irene situation.

However, that was the entire plan I had. I didn’t know what I would do once I left home or how I would proceed after this; I’d probably end up making it as I went, but didn’t I always?

I gently closed the door shut with a small click and took hurried steps towards our old broken down shed that was a lot easier to see now that it wasn’t so dark. It used to be painted red at some point in time but dad barely ever took interest in anything or completed anything for that matter that it had ended up being neglected for years now. The old wooden door was barely hanging on its hinges as I pulled it open gently.

With a small creak, it opened and I walked in only to find all the crap that was there for years but one thing was missing…Irene. Panic mode-ACTIVATE.

“Irene!” I whisper yelled in the shed, hoping that she was playing a stupid game of hide-and-seek but I got no response. I tried walking around in the limited space I had in the shed trying to look for her but got nothing. Adjusting my bagpack on my back and freaking out more by the second, I walked out of the shed and stood there staring at my surroundings. As far as my eyes could see, there was no sight of her. The mini lake quite with calm, still waters and the woods looked quite still as well. Think! Think! Where could she have gone?  Did she run away? No, she’s already doing that….maybe she got hungry? Yes, that’s seems about right. She probably went into the woods to find something to eat. Presumably around those berry bushes I found her.

Feeling slightly better now, I began walking towards the woods as the sun came up at its own pace around me.

 

©Hafsa T.M (aka HTMwrites)