Sin of Lust

CHAPTER 28

Sin of Lust by Swapie Achilles

CHAPTER XXVIII

OCTOBER

“Blanche?” Lona peek from behind the said lady’s shoulder and asked her who’s currently spacing around, “are you okay? You seem out of you mind.”

Blanche blinks a few times to ease the burning sensation in her eyes, she didn’t feel that she was staring for a long time until Lona spoke. The plates that she supposed to wash are now dry.

“Y-Yes, I’m alright.” She replied with a hesitant smile, because she too doesn’t know if she’s really fine. “So, how about you?” she proceeded to wash.

“I’m fine, but you, I don’t think you’re fine,” she mumbled and sat beside her, “do you want to talk about it?”

Blanche smiled at the little lady, “no, it’s nothing serious, you can now go ahead and eat, I just made sunny side up eggs, you’re favorite.”

“What about you? Aren’t you going to eat with me?”

“I still have to finish it, so go ahead.”

Lona didn’t bother to stand up and just keeps on observing her face from her side.

“What are you doing, Lona?” Blanche asked with a hesitant smile since she can feel her staring at her.

“No, its okay you can tell me anything, I can keep secrets well.” Lona beamed at her as she let her hands dip on the bucket full of water and then help her.

“It’s nothing really.” Blanche persuaded her and herself that she’s alright.

However, it seems like the child can sense that she’s not alright, “It seems to me that you’re not fine at all.”

Blanche laugh at her, “Oh, please do tell me, how can you say that?”

“I don’t know if you already know, but I can hear emotions.” She blatantly said.

And this made Blanche halts from her tracks and darted her head to the lady who’s drying some of the plated with clean cloth. 

“What did you say?” she whispered.

“I can hear emotions.” She repeated nonchalantly.

“Since when?” Blanche asked again.

“Since I can remember,” she said, “it’s not like they have words or something like that but I can hear if your heart is laughing or if it’s crying, scared or angry. And as of now, I can hear your heart wanting to be answered and afraid.”

Blanche remains speechless.

“The first time I realized that I can hear emotions is when our house was burned,” she said while putting the dried plates on top of another. “I heard a sound almost cracking when I saw Momma saving us from the fire. The crack is so loud, I literally heard it as if they’re bones being pressed by something heavy.”

“I don’t want to hear that again.” She stated.   

“Even though I can see momma smiling, I can hear her crying inside,” she said with the jolly voice she usually has, “Even at night, I sometime woke up because of her wails. Poppa too, I can hear him crying but she refuses to let it out. Both of them are crying and the only thing that eases their pain is us.”

“My brother is little bit spoiled, so when he wants something and then Momma and Poppa can’t give it to him, he’s throwing a tantrum, and this made them sad because they can’t give them what he wants.” She said.

“Poppa on the other hand always makes way to find us what we want and mostly what we need.” She looks at her and grinned, showing her teeth, “so I have to make Lienzo realize that we can’t have what we want like before. We are not the same as before, we are entirely different from the life we were used to have.”

“You know, we can understand if they explain.”

Blanche is now fully astounded by the kid’s capability to understand their situation, “If sister Mary Jane just explained to us, will be able to understand too? If she opened up, will we able to save everyone? Will we be able to escape or at least cast ‘him’ out? If someone just put a little care, if someone just love a little harder, if someone swallowed their fears, then maybe we would never have to see the day where they someone was hurt.”

“And so are you,” the little kid continues, “I heard how your heart cries when we said that Blanche the murderer is getting hang.”

“I heard your guilt.” She whispered looking at her directly on her eyes. “Why would you feel guilty?”

Blanche doesn’t know how to reply to her, so her lips remained tight close. However, she decided to shook her head to get things out of her mind, and decided to tell her what has been bothering her since last night, “Well, you see I have a dream, a very weird dream indeed.” She let out a chortle.

“In my dreams, I met my siblings, but the younger version of themselves, and they said they need me.” She said, looking at her own reflection on the water.

“That I should be there before they’re gone. And you know what, a voice inside my head says that I need to be where my heart lies and there, I’ll find the answers I’ve been looking for, just like what you said.” she looks at her.

“But I don’t know where my heart lies.”

“If you’re not here, where would you be?” Lona asked.

Her words made Blanche look at her in confusion, “What are you saying? Of course, I’d be in the orphanage. I’d be in…” she paused when she realized something.

“Momma always told that your heart longs for the place where your family is waiting for you.” Lona pointed out, “Maybe, you will find your answers when you find your family again.”

“My heart will long for the place where my family is waiting for me…” Blanche breaths out, and in that very second, she stood up. “I… I have to go back.” she stated.

And Lona smiled at her, “Then go back, your family must be waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Lona!” she said and hugs her, twirling her around.