Borrowed Time ⏱ Enoch O'Connor

~ V ~

I awake to find that it most certainly was not a dream.  The sun peaks through my bedroom window and illuminates the bed opposite mine. I glimpse a delicate blue sheen coming from the neatly made bed. Rising from my bed I tip toe across the cold wooden floor and slide my hand over a delicate blue dress that has been placed gently over the floral sheets. Placed atop the sheets is a small note, the paper feathered at the edges as if the one who wrote it had laced it through their fingers with nerves. Fingering the edges of the paper and unfolding it swiftly I read carefully what was written in the neat font. It reads:

I saw this in the attic and thought of you, hope you like it.

Letting the anonymous note slip gracefully through my fingers I look back to the bed. Picking the delicate dress up I undo the buttons and slip the thin fabric slowly over my head. Buttoning up the front I look back to the bed where there is an elegant pair of cream brogues waiting patiently. Slipping the cream brogues onto my small feet I lace them up and give my hair a quick brush. Stepping out into the hallway I make my way across to the bathroom and brush my teeth.

A soft ringing draws my attention and I recognise it's the bell calling us to breakfast. Waltzing back through to the hallway everyone seems to have already made their way to the dining room. Making my way towards the dining room after descending the stairs, I find myself standing in front of the large double doors. They tower over me and I have to take a moment to gather some courage before finding the handle and swinging the doors open.

Stepping into the room all eyes focus on me and I glimpse an unusually soft pair of brown eyes that linger seemingly longer on me than the others.

"Morning!" The children's voices echo around the room warmly.

Finding there to be only one seat left unoccupied I walk over to it feeling the beautiful silky fabric flowing gracefully behind me. The seat in question just happens to be next to grumpy so I wait for the grunt when I take my seat. However, it doesn't come. I look up and furrow my eyebrows only to find his brown orbs concentrated on mine as if he knows something I don't. 

He quickly looks away from me and begins to stare down at his plate with a false look of anger which I have so often found gracing his features since I arrived. Although he looked down rather quickly I still had the chance to glimpse the rose tint that is now littering his cheeks.

Breakfast came to an end and nothing more was to be said so I decided to take a walk out into the garden. I find a tall tree and perch underneath it basking in the wondrous summer sun. Just as I close my eyes and begin to relax a soft fluffy feeling impacts my hands. Opening my eyes I come face to face with an adorable fluffy baby squirrel that has fallen from above me. The poor thing must call this tall tree its home. I stand and begin to look for a way up the tree with the small squirrel still sitting quivering with fear in the palm of my hand. I find a handhold and begin to climb not aware of the intrigued boy who now stares out from his gloomy bedroom window at my antics.

Reaching the top of the tree I place the small creature back into the tree and descend the tree trunk with ease- surprising myself at how easily I climbed the grand tree. This skill no doubt carrying from my early childhood when I used to scale the trees in my small garden back home- when my father died I used to climb his favourite tree and survey the surrounding countryside almost waiting for his figure to appear over the hillside as if he had just been on an extra long business trip which of course was not the case.