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QUESTION EVERYTHING OR ACCEPT IT

QUESTION EVERYTHING OR ACCEPT IT

In the morning, he was awoken by the sound of breakfast being made; so he hurried down to get his welldeserved portion of scrambled eggs and fresh bread, but he couldn’t find the way to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Aaron!” the woman cried, a cry that startled Aaron to his bones and heart. He glanced at the woman, now coming towards him with a grin on her face.

“Good morning, ma’am,” he replied.

“I thought you might get lost, from outside this house looks smaller than it actually is; many people are fooled by it,” she said, as she made the boy to follow her.

The kitchen was wonderfully colored and all in order. The spices were arranged by color and sort, the bread was laid on the table, the dishes were all cleaned and in the appropriate drawers, and, he assumed, the fridge was well organized, too. No spec of dust could be spotted as he sat at the table, nothing wrong or misplaced could be detected. The woman walked to the table with Aaron’s breakfast.

“Thank you, ma’am!” Aaron took some bread and started eating.

“You’re welcome.” The woman sat beside him.

“So, isn’t Amber going to come down for breakfast?” Aaron asked, taking a pause from chewing.

“Yes, she will, but she first gets some water from the well. You could go and help her if you want to.”

“Sure.”

Aaron quickly finished his meal and went to help Amber.

The breeze was calm; the birds have, once again, started singing their tune as Aaron caught up with Amber.

“My name’s Aaron” he started talking, trying to hide his nervousness.

“Yes, mum told me about you; the new boy! It’s nice to meet you Aaron, I’m Amber!” she joked. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, her eyes cheerful with expression, her lips like pinky pearls. Her lovely dress, red as blood, fluttered as she moved beside Aaron. Her shoes, of a shining golden color, securely stepped on the pavement. She looked at him and saw a thoughtful and kind expression.

“Nice to meet you too,” Aaron replied, with a smile flourishing on his face. Then there came the silence. None of them spoke anymore. They had reached the well, which was perfectly placed among some vigorous rose bushes. Birds lay down on the roses, singing their melodious tune, a delight for its listeners.

“So, you’ve come from the other world?” she asked.

“How did you”, he started, but the girl interrupted him, seeming already to know what he was going to ask.

“How did I know? Everyone here came from that world. We all have something in common, all the people living here, but nobody has found the answer yet, and I think no one was interested in finding it out; they have just accepted their fate. I came here from that world, too. I woke up from an unconscious state, wandered about these lands, and found this town not far away from the place I had woken up. I found this house, and I asked the landlady if I could stay and she kindly accepted it. Over time, I started forgetting my old parents and getting used to calling her ‘mother’. And here I am now, away from home. But I don’t complain; I fancy this place. People here are kind and helpful, and I appreciate the fact that I was sent here,” Amber explained.

“Haven’t you ever asked yourself, or your mother, what you are doing here, and why you were sent here?”

“I have, but mother doesn’t know anything about this matter, or at least she didn’t tell me anything, and I didn’t want to insist.”

“I don’t even know why I arrived here, out of all the people. But I remember I was in a foster care, and I was preparing to leave, just as I was turning eighteen. Except for a few people, I couldn’t get along with anyone for as long as I can remember. Then as well, I didn’t know who sent me to the foster care, who abandoned me there, but this time I’m determined to find out why I was sent here, and not just accept my fate again.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, really. What really matters now is that you’re not alone, and all these people living here care for you because in here we all stick together and help each other,” Amber continued.

“How am I supposed to properly think and get used to it when all I’m thinking about is how I’ve got here, and, most of all, why!” Aaron said to her.

“You’ll soon learn to get used to life here, pretty soon actually, maybe it’s because of the love and care of people around, or the beauty of the lands, but whatever it is, it got me going, and it will do the same to you, too. But what you’re feeling now is normal,” Amber concluded, as they grabbed two buckets and lowered them into the old stone well.

* * *

“Please, mother, I need to introduce Aaron to Raven and the rest!” she cried, begging for the woman’s understanding.

“You’re not going anywhere, you need to finish your chores,” she responded, as she kept on reading her apparently interesting book. “But if you do so, you may leave.”

“How many tasks do you need to finish for us to go out?” Aaron enquired.

“Two. I need to wash the dog and dust off the tables and ornaments placed on them. How else do you think this place would’ve looked so clean if it weren’t for my skills?” Amber stated with pride in the words she spoke.

“Let’s do one chore each, then. I’ll wash the dog, and you’ll clean around here.”

“Ok, let me lead you to where the dog is.”

* * *

“Here she is, Mystic. Mother bought her when I came here, saying we will be together forever. Doesn’t that sound cheesy?”

“She’s cute, and small luckily; it won’t take long to clean her up and get her ready for the parade.”

“As if she were ever going to a parade. She’s just a simple farm dog.”

“But she’s your simple farm dog.”

After being explained what to do, and after receiving the right sponges and soaps, Amber went to her own chore, and he was left to deal with Mystic. The struggle went on for about thirty minutes, and after having finished it, he headed towards the house to clean himself up before meeting Amber’s friends.

He washed and dried his hair, but then found out that he had nothing to wear, so he dressed, once again, with the only clothes he had. But when he rushed down the stairs, the woman looked at him and gasped:

“What on earth do you think you’re wearing? Your yesterday garments? You think anyone would want to stay around a dirty man?”

“But I have nothing else to put on, and I don’t have time to wash and dry these ones.”

“That’s the least of your worries, boy, just follow me upstairs,” she said to him as she took the lead to her room.

Her room was dusty; the bed was undone, the floors were a mess and the ornaments were in an awful state. She led the boy to her wardrobe, but after opening it, he found it rather strange. It was filled with clothes, not women’s clothes, but men’s.

“Whom do these clothes belong to, ma’am?”

“Well… they belong to my husband; or should I say ‘belonged’?” the old lady muttered as she chose some elegant stuff for Aaron.

“I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am. But might I ask how it happened?” the boy inquired, as politely as he could, since he was too curious to be quiet.

“He told me, one day, that he was going to the market to buy some food for supper. I agreed and he went out, a big bag in his hand. At first I thought it was for food. I waited for him a few hours, but he didn’t return. The whole day passed and he still didn’t show up, so I went to the neighbors to ask for help and clues. He had never reached the markets; he didn’t even intend to go there, I found out later. No one knew anything, except for an old farmer, which saw him passing by. The farmer asked what he had in the bag, and he calmly responded ‘clothes’. The farmer was intrigued, and wanted to ask him more, but my husband just left, without a word of goodbye…” And saying that, a tear rolled down her wrinkly cheek, which was an indicator for Aaron to stop asking his questions, just yet. It was enough for now.

He got dressed with the clothes he was given, and, together with Amber, walked down the front steps to head towards the teenagers’ meeting point.

“Did you know your mother had a collection of male clothes in her wardrobe? She says they belonged to her husband…”

“She was showing me around her house, and when we reached her room, I saw the wardrobe doors open. She saw me staring at and told me they belonged to her husband. My curiosity led me to ask how he had passed away, and she told me the story you, too, heard. Seeing how heartbroken she was when telling me all that, I have never again mentioned or asked anything about him.” She explained to him all these as she looked around for her friends. “There they are.”

“Hey, honey, how’s it going?” asked Damon, as Aaron and Amber came closer to Damon and the rest.

“It’s great, but” started Amber, and stopped, thinking that being called ‘honey’ wasn’t important now. “This is Aaron.”

Damon threw him a poisonous smile.

“Hi, my name’s Damon.”

“And this is Raven, and Hunter.” Amber introduced them respectively, and they all shook hands.

The day passed cheerfully, but Aaron wasn’t actually participating. He was only physically present. He kept on thinking about the woman’s husband, which led to more questions in his mind about those lands. It was all a web of uncertainties, weaved by the most talented black widow ever existing. He neither listened to their talk, nor started one, he only stood next to Amber, as he thought his thoughts, and the other guys joked and talked around him.

After the night out came to an end, and they were all leaving, Damon followed Amber and Aaron until they reached their home.

“Where do you live, Aaron?” he asked, venom spilling out of his mouth.

“Here,” Amber said, pointing out to the house which she was now entering in.

“How come, she let you crush there for the night? Are you some kind of beggar, in need of help and a roof? Or are you just trying to get a hold of my girlfriend, huh?” Damon attacked.

“No… there’s nothing between Amber and me. What’s your problem?”

“What’s my problem? I told you what would be my problem. Don’t get near my girl again, got it?” He whispered, for only Aaron to hear the threats. Then he pushed Aaron backward, and continued striding down the sidewalk to his house. Aaron was here only for one day, and he had already received his first threat, and he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the last. Damon proudly walked away from his victim.

That night he had more thoughts to bother him and, once again, he could not sleep. He needed to find the truth. He needed to know why people were sent here. There had to be a hidden reason, one that no one thought or cared about. Aaron was now faced with a real dilemma. He either tried to find the truth by asking his landlady, Amber and his new friends or he tried to live a normal life. He couldn’t make up his mind. He tried to think of the best option, but soon he fell asleep. His time to make decisions wasn’t over yet.

Chapter 4