Anne & Annie

Chapter 2

The old house looks haunted. Maybe because of the fact it’s been months since someone had lived here. I know because I always check. I walk around it, the paint in some areas is already fading and the wooden floor of the front porch is already covered in specks of dust because of months of neglect. If you look from afar, it looks totally empty. The windows which I think are the house’s eyes look empty and soulless. If you put little cobwebs here and there, this will pass as a haunted house, I swear.

The wooden floor on the porch creaks each step I take, like in horror movies. I like going here because it always makes me feel like I’m in a movie, a horror one, plus the fact that no one lives here. Also, it’s because I can go inside.

And no one knows, of course. I keep the inside clean, while dirty on the outside so people will be scared too and no one will dare enough to venture on my lair. The interior is so much different from the outside. I made sure to make it cozy as much as possible, setting the fireplace and airing out the pillows. There isn’t much furniture hanging around but there’s a coffee-colored sofa, a fireplace, tables, a bookshelf, and little figurines to keep the living room lively.

The kitchen however is the least lively in the house. It doesn’t have much because I can’t cook. There are cute jars there instead which is my favorite because they’re shaped like cute kittens.

My favorite haven, however, is on a treehouse just outside. The former owner of the house is kind enough to leave a blanket and enough pillows for me which I made my little room. There are stars and moon on the wooden wall that glows during the night, that’s why it’s my favorite time of the day.

Just like tonight. After cleaning the whole house, I go to the side of the house where the big tree is standing proudly, it overlooks the front gate. It’s spring, so the leaves are in full bloom, even at night they’re rustling gently along with the whispers of the night as if they were sharing a secret. I always love hearing it, makes me feel like I’m part of them and they’re sharing the secrets with me too.

The ladders that are made of wooden planks and are tied together by a strong rope stands as my stairs towards the treehouse. During my first time, climbing the ladders scares me the most as they will wobble and wiggle but soon as I get the hang of it, I start loving it.

It wobbles a little, because of the wind blowing, but I manage to go up and inside the little wooden house.

I close the little door and cover it with curtains. I start hearing insects of the night making a party of their own, it had become my favorite song, and in my mind, I entitled it ‘Symphony of the Night.’

I arrange the pillows and the blanket. The little window on my right serves as my little eye because I can see who comes at the house. It’s dark inside. Only the single lamppost on the street is the only light. On a far distant, there’s this little glow which I assume to be a group of houses, must be a village. I’ve always wanted to go there but for some reason, I can’t.

I lay down comfortably on my little bed, along with my companions -the pillows. From here, I can see the stars and moons on the roof of the treehouse; they’re glowing so bright that it makes the darkness go away and my fears disappearing

I yawn, and then close my eyes, hugging my pillow tight.

_________________

“…YOU THINK?”

“…sure…this?”

“…looks promising…house I seem…love...”

“…don’t know dad…haunted…”

I wake up with noisy voices echoing. The curtains on the door are dancing; I forgot to close the window last night. But what’s all that noises? Did someone come again?

Slowly, I crawl my way to the window and peek a little. And there, just outside the gate is a man, a woman, and a girl. My stare lingers a little longer on the girl. She has long hair like mine and looks tall like I am. They’re all looking together at the house… my house!

“Have you talked to the bank about this, Fred?”

“I sure did. I already talked to them about this and the price, as I said, looks okay too.” the man and woman see to be in a deep conversation. The girl, however, suddenly looks at the treehouse…my treehouse! I immediately hide my head and cover myself with the blanket, scared that she might still see me.

“Really reminds me of a haunted house, dad.” I hear her say.

Me too but this is my haunted house! Mine!

“There’s a treehouse, though.” She adds. I hear a rustling of chains. Is she trying to open the gates?

“Annie, no. We can check the house on Saturday. I have already arranged it.”

Annie. Her name is Annie. Like mine, Anne.

I peer my head over the window again. Their backs are now facing me. I think they’re about to go back to their car. But the girl suddenly glances at my direction and I stumble down, hitting my elbows. I wince at the sharp pain.

“Annie, let’s go, sweetie.” The woman calls.

And the next thing I hear is a car engine fading away. I glance again over the window and see their car going away. I gather all my thoughts together. Did the father mention they’re coming back this Saturday? What day is it today? I don’t know. How should I know? I can’t keep track of the time here. All I know is day and night. Whatever day it is, I should be ready. I know it’s not tomorrow because they could’ve used the word ‘tomorrow’ instead of ‘Saturday’.

Fixing my hair, I climb down the ladder and into the gate to check the chains. They are tightly locked. Like how they should be. If they will come back on Saturday, whatever that day is, they may have the key. Are they seriously going to move here? How is that possible? I made sure this house is not that appealing to people who comes here.

This is my home!

Annie’s POV;

“How long since the house has been occupied?"

“I check the details through the internet. I think it’s been four months already.”

“Well, that explains the haunted look. Annie?”

I am in deep thoughts when my mother calls me.

I divert my glance from the car window to my mother who is looking expectantly on me. “Are we going to drop you off at the Coffee shop? You said you’re meeting your friends there.”

I blink my eyes for a moment as I think and search for words to say. Oh right, my friends. “Lily called me this morning. She told me she can’t go out today so I’ll stay home.”

My mother nods and turns back to my dad who is driving to continue their conversation. I let myself drown in the beat of the music I’m listening through my earphone. However, despite all of these distractions, my mind keeps on going back to the house, particularly on the treehouse.

I am dead sure I saw someone in there. Or was it only my imagination? The treehouse looked strange though. It looks well taken care of, so different from the whole house.

All throughout the drive, I keep on thinking about these things that I don’t even notice my dad pulling up in front of our house’s driveway.

“We will start packing after checking the place, Annie so just in case we’ll push through this, start fixing your stuff. Okay?” My mother says as we go inside. There are boxes already scattered in some places of the house. I guess my parents are really serious about settling to a new place. It’s fine by me though, I couldn’t care less where we move out or where we stay.

My room, on the other hand, is still looking organized and neat. I still have my things properly placed to where they should be but I guess soon I’ll have to take them all down and place it on a box.

Put all my life in a box and just re-organize it again. I wish it’s that easy. To just pack your life when it gets messy and then unpack it later to re-organize it.

It’s Thursday today. I still have a day to pack, hopefully, it will be enough. I gather all my knickknacks and put it all on the small box. I labeled them too just in case I forgot what things are inside.

For a moment I stop as I scribble down the words on the box. Wish I can label my life like this easily.

It’s dark already when I finish. I sit on the edge of the bed and contemplated my thoughts. I don’t turn on the lights and let the darkness envelop my room. My eyes land on the straight line underneath my door. It’s the only thing that is glowing inside my room. I stare at it. Then hear voices. They’re talking, planning about things that will happen after we move.

Funny how certain they are of the plans they have for the future.

“…this time we’ll make it right.” I hear my father say.

You said that last year, too.

I sigh. That night, I wrote in my diary again.

It never changes; it’s always the same…

Anne’s POV

I catch the morning light through my palms and feel its warmth. I can already hear the birds singing their morning songs, the wind as their music, and the trees dancing along with it. An early concert, I think.

The ladder does its job again by wiggling when I get down. The house is still the same. Quiet and eerie, no sign of people moving. My guess is right. It’s not yet Saturday. I still have time though. I quickly tie my hair and go inside the house through the back door. An empty hall greets me.

The inside looks somber and dim despite the bright morning like a different world separated from the outside. The empty spaces just stare back at me, waiting to be filled with furniture and perhaps, memories. I don’t know who lived here before but I have already taken quite like it here and I started to love the house.

Seeing it empty for the past months looks sad and lonely. Being alone here is sad. Perhaps a change is better. A little family living here would be quite a view.

To have someone watching the house other than me, someone who cleans the house and takes care of each of its parts, someone who gets to actually live here and fill it with memories and love. A home for a lovely family. It would be nice. I can already picture it. Just thinking about that, it already energizes me up.

The somber atmosphere is still here. The living room stares back at me sadly that it’s making me sad too. For the past days, I have been living here, I was all alone.

“You still don’t want to go?” A voice says behind me.

“How many times have you said that already, Luca?” I turn my gaze to the owner of the voice behind me. There he is leaning against the dirty white wall. His vibrant red jacket reminds me of paint spilling into a white canvass.

“You can’t just stay here forever. I know a place-“

“This is my place, Luca-“I’m suddenly cut off by a chain rustling coming from the gate. Luca and I exchange faces. I immediately open the door to the kitchen and run outside; I don’t know what happens to Luca. I go straight behind the tall tree where my home is. I peek a little.

My eyes narrow as I see the girl again from yesterday. Why is she here?

Is it Friday already? But where are her parents? Why is she alone?

I see her staring at the house.

Then she suddenly glances this way in my direction. I hide my head. Does she see me? I count to 10 then look again. She’s still there, outside the house but she’s staring at my direction again. This time, I don’t hide. I simply look back at her. She sees me, doesn’t she? She’s looking at me directly to my eyes.

“Uh, hi?” she says, loud enough for me to hear.

She does see me!

I take a step forward from the tree, just a little for half of my body to be seen.

“Hi.” I am taking a step forward again until I reach the gates. I can now see her close on the opposite side of the bars. She’s pretty I can see. She has long hair and beautiful hazelnut eyes. I wish I have eyes like those though I have never seen my face or what I look like. There are no mirrors on the house.

“Do you live here?” She asks.

I think for a moment. “I do…” I really don’t know.

“Are you alone?” she asks again.

“Uh… yes,” I say as I reach my hand out to touch the gate.

“That treehouse over there, you live there right?” She points the big tree to make a point.

She knows! She saw me yesterday, I think.

“Where are your parents? How come you’re alone here? Have you been here for long?”

She asks too many questions, the same questions I’ve been asking myself too. I can’t seem to find the answer so I just look at her and smile apologetically. She seems to notice it. “I’m sorry, I usually ask a lot of questions when I get curious.”

“You and your family are moving here, right?” I ask.

She nods. “I knew it was you yesterday. I thought it was just my imagination. We’re moving tomorrow but…” her voice trails off and she looks like she’s hesitating to say something.

“What’s going to happen to you if we live here? Where will you stay…?”

The question caught me off guard, and then suddenly I remember what Luca had told me before, that I can’t stay here forever. Is this what he meant?

“I… I don’t know.”

She looks at me in the eyes and I can see the worry etched in her natural brown hazelnut eyes.

That’s the only thing I can say because right now I think Luca is right. I can’t stay here forever. But where else am I supposed to go if not here?

“I’m…sorry to hear that.” She seems to be lost for words too. “I have to go.” She looks at me for a few seconds before turning her back on me. I watch her walk away. I couldn't leave my eyes off.

She's the first person I've talked outside of this house, besides Luca.