Creeping through a gap in their fence into their overgrown garden - Sophie had enough to worry about without cutting the grass - she stopped and held her breath, listening for any indication that her mum had seen of heard her. Silence. Taking this as a good sign, she slowly made her way through the long, wet grass towards the downstairs window.
Catching her shaky breath beneath the windowsill, Sophie gently rose up and peered through the grimy glass. The kitchen was a mess. Empty bottles littered every surface, and what looked like broken glass covered the floor, sparkling like diamonds. Lethal diamonds.
The kitchen door was wide open giving her a clear view of the hall, also littered with empty bottles. There were also some fast food containers, a couple of empty crisp packets - where she had been hoarding those Sophie did not know - and general waste scattered as far as the eye could see. Sinking down to the damp ground, Sophie buried her head into her knees and let a few silent sobs escape her lips. Her mum was deteriorating faster than she would ever have imagined and no one could save her now.
Her mother was drowning her sadness and her fears and worries and it was slowly killing her. Crawling over to the next window which would show the back room, Sophie was afraid of what she would discover if she looked through the dirty glass.
Anticipating the worst, Sophie slowly rose up onto her haunches and took in the sight spread before her. One of the chairs was lying on its side and cushions were strewn about all over the floor. More bottles littered every surface and one of the picture frames was on the floor.
Sophie's heart clenched. That frame held one of the few good photos of the three of them before the disaster which took her dad's life. That would be one of the first things she retrieved.
With no sign of her mum, and no sound coming from the upstairs windows - one of which still had no glass - Sophie concluded that her mum was either out (highly unlikely as she never left the house) or she was passed out upstairs.
Trying the back door, Sophie was unsurprised to find it open, as her mum was careless enough normally and would never rememeber such a simple task if she was drunk. Tiptoeing into the back room, Sophie slung her empty bag onto the floor and collected the smashed photo frame and two other photos from the small cupboard hidden behind the still standing sofa.
Rightening the overturned chair, Sophie slipt back into the kitchen and grabbed a few black bags from under the sink. Clearing the rubbish from the hall and the three downstairs rooms - the front room was just as bad as the other two, but luckily the curtains were closed so no passer-bys could see in - she piled the black bags by the front gate.
Searching through the cupboard under the stairs proved fruitful and she added that rechargeable torch she had seen, another torch, a box of unopened batteries, an umbrella, a small blanket and another photo of her dad into her rucksack.
Now quite full and heavy, Sophie left the bag in the cupboard and slowly ascended the stairs, carefully avoiding the squeaky boards.
She found her mother upstairs. Flat out on the landing floor. Edging around her, Sophie slipped ino her room. A rummage through her wardrobe revealed two warmer jumpers, another pair of joggers, more underwear and loads more socks. Unable to carry any more, Sophie exited the room and almost stepped on her mother, completely forgetting her for a moment. Hastily withdrawing the damning foot, Sophie crept back down the stairs, added the clothes to the backpack and left through the back door.
She might have to make this visit more often than planned.
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Hey everbody, thanks for the comments! Having some writer's block at the moment so could be a few days before the next upload. Next chapter we will be flying back to the present. We will return to these memories, but not yet. Maybe it's time to meet the someone?! Yours in writing, Kx
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Life's Misfortunes
Teen FictionYoung Sophie has always been an outcast. With her defining features she finds herself alone in a big scary world. Not quite alone, as her mother is always home. But things are wrong. Since her dad died her mother turned to drink and abandoned poor S...
