. Hope you like.
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A little girl woke up in a bed not her own. It was firm and soft, yet it didn't feel like her own bed, the one with pink frills all over it, and a big Hello Kitty face embroidered into it. She looked around.
A mahogany dresser stood before her, sanded away to nothing. The walls behind the dresser, as well as around the room, suffocated her with yellow overdose. She looked to the right and saw a big lump of black lying on the bed next to her. The sudden dark color stood out against the cream colored blanket. Jake. She laughed at her grandmother's drowsy Rottweiler. A light bulb lit above her head, twinkling merrily. She was in her grandmother's bedroom, the one that was right off the front hallway, parallel to the stairway.
The little girl's arms reached toward the ceiling, the tips of her fingers wishing they could run over the rough surface, memorizing every detail. The walls seemed to whisper their experiences to her, caressing her lovingly. She turned to give in to them, to have them spill everything that happened when she wasn't there. The whispers shrank away from her, beckoning her to come play.
She followed obediently, crawling to the headboard and the surface beyond it. Her hand grazed a wet substance, odd for a nice warm bed. The girl's pupils shrank from the size of saucers to a speck of dirt swimming in a sea of brown. The pinpricks zoomed in on a head, its mouth hanging open as loud sounds ventured from within. The flaps of skin at either side of the mouth shook with the force of the air traveling out from them. Her mind registered that this creature was the dog that had told her where she was, the one that chased her mirthlessly as she screamed in delight. He would be more fun, she decided, especially since she had to test out a few new hiding spots she'd found the other day.
She tried to rouse the dog, yanking on the scratchy sheets with all her might. He was too heavy. She sighed with defeat. The little girl lay back against the headboard, loving the sensation of the cool wood as it pressed into her head. What was she to do now? Her main companion for fun was sleeping like an immobile log, leaving her to have to come up with some other form of entertainment. A sharp pang came from her belly as a whispered gurgle emitted from it. She poked her stomach, as if trying to confirm there was something harbored within her. To answer her, more insistent gurgles voiced itself. Grandma. That was who she needed right now, the only one who could cure her hunger. Realizing this, she slid her legs out from under the toasty covers. Dragging her limbs across the room, the girl opened the door and entered the living room where the very person she needed was sitting crocheting a blanket for her granddaughter’s Barbie dolls.
Silently, the girl walked over to her grandmother and sat down on the couch next to her. She watched as she made stitch after stitch on the miniature blanket, lulling into a hypnotic state at the methodical rhythm. The woman stopped and looked up. Her eyes, slightly blood shot, blinking owlishly at her granddaughter.
After a while she smiled and said, "Good morning Ellie, my sunshine, what can I do for you?"
"Breakfast!" Ellie pleaded, choosing to not ignore her growing hunger anymore.
"What would you like then?"
Ellie sat in contemplation for what seemed like hours, debating the pros and cons of each breakfast item in her mind. A low growl came out of nowhere, rumbling with displeasure. She looked down at her stomach, her cheeks soon turning a rosy red.
"Pancakes?" the little girl asked, her eyes downcast as she tried to calm her blush.
"Pancakes it is then." A finger touched the underside of her chin, lifting it so that Ellie’s eyes were raised to level with her grandmother’s. The woman smiled at her granddaughter, trying to force away the uneasiness that had swarmed into the air. Assured that the girl was okay, she rose from her floral cushioned rocking chair, walking across the living room to the kitchen. She disappeared behind the white door, beginning to whistle to her own tune as Ellie followed, wanting to eat the pancakes as soon as humanly possible.
The kitchen door closed behind her with a rusty creak, having chosen to save that sound for just her entrance. She turned to glare at the wood, different scenarios, all involving some form of fire, in her mind’s eye. The thing didn’t even flinch, seeming to tell her that it was in some way better than her. She harrumphed, turning her back on it in stubbornness. Putting her full attention to the situation before her so that her mind wouldn’t wander back to the way she was snubbed, she watched as her grandmother grabbed a shiny black pan from a bottom cupboard. The silver metal of the handle twinkled in the kitchen light, winking at her in happiness. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her grandmother wince; her attention was captured.
Looking directly at her now, Ellie watched as her dress slid up a little bit as the woman reached for some ingredient in the top cabinets. A purple stain marred her creamy skin, seeming like a lost bit of color. The mark puzzled the little girl. Why would her grandmother have some sort of stain on her? She would’ve understood if it was on her wrist, than it probably would have been because of a berry or other food item, but why would it be on her leg? It must be a trick of the light. Yes, that’s what it was, nothing to worry about since it wasn’t there really.
Locking her previous train of thought away, Ellie walked over and jumped onto the counter. Being four feet tall now, she was easily able to jump onto counters, a fact which annoyed her parents and grandmother alike. No longer could they hide away the treats she craved where she couldn’t reach in the upper cupboards. Smiling conspiratorially, she tucked away a budding plan to steal the oriental candy her mother had bought at the market the other day. She swung her legs back and forth happily, loving the fact that she was spoiled rotten.
