That One October {T.M.R}

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

"Fortell meg igjen hva du husker." Vivian said.

("Tell me again what you remember.")

Jane sighed and stared at the treetops as the wind shook their browning leaves.

"Jeg, min mor, Lars og onkel Anders kom tilbake fra byen. Vi skulle plukke ut en bursdagsgave til tante Monika. Huset ditt var i nød, og onkel Anders og Mamma ble med en gang paniske. Mamma ba meg stå ved døren med Lars, så det gjorde jeg."

("Me, my mother, Lars, and Uncle Anders returned from town. We were picking out a birthday present for Aunt Monika. Your house was in distress and Uncle Anders and Mamma instantly became frantic. Mamma told me to stay by the door with Lars, so I did.")

Vivian urged her to continue.

Jane looked uncomfortable.

"Mamma skrek etter tante Monika, som var savnet. Jeg var forvirret, jeg skjønte ikke hvorfor ting i huset var ødelagt eller hvorfor det var blod på veggen. Jeg visste ikke hvorfor Mamma og onkel Anders var så redde, men fordi de var det, så var jeg det også."

("Mamma was screaming for Aunt Monika, who was missing. I was confused, I didn't understand why things in the house were broken or why there was blood on the wall. I didn't know why Mamma and Uncle Anders were so afraid, but because they were, so was I.")

The red-haired girl fiddled with her fingers. "Lars gråt, onkel var hysterisk, min mor var foruten seg selv. Jeg begynte å gråte selv, spesielt da Mamma løp bort til oss og ristet meg. Hun ba meg ta Lars og løpe til drivhuset for å gjemme meg. Jeg skulle låse døren og ikke komme ut før hun kom etter oss."

("Lars was crying, Uncle was hysterical, my mother was beside herself. I began to cry too, especially when Mamma ran to us and shook me. She told me to take Lars and run to the greenhouse to hide. I was to lock the door and not come out until she came for us.")

Vivian hummed. "Fortsett. Hva annet?"

("Keep going. What else?")

Jane huffed and turned to her. "Du har hørt alt dette før, Viv! Hvorfor igjen?"

("You've heard this all before, Viv! Why again?")

The other girl frowned and said nothing. Jane went on at that.

"Så dyttet Mamma oss ut døra. Jeg holdt Lars og løp så godt jeg kunne rundt i huset. Innenfra hørte jeg rop og skrik og så lys fra trylleformler. Jeg skjønte at Mamma og onkel kjempet med magi, men jeg visste ikke hvem eller hva mot." She tensed, "Jeg kom til drivhuset og gjorde som jeg ble fortalt. Jeg er usikker på hvor lenge Lars og jeg var der, men til slutt kom Mamma. Vi kom tilbake til huset og hun ville ikke si noe. Hun var hvit og så så redd ut at jeg aldri glemmer ansiktet hennes den dagen. Snart fikk jeg vite at tante Monika ikke var savnet, men oppe og død."

("Then Mamma shoved us out the door. I held Lars and ran as best I could around the house. From inside, I heard yells and screams and saw light from spells. I realized that Mamma and Uncle were fighting with magic, but I didn't know who or what against." She tensed, "I got to the greenhouse and did as I was told. I'm not sure how long Lars and I were there for but eventually Mamma came. We returned to the house and she wouldn't say a thing. She was white and looked so frightened, I'll never forget her face that day. Soon I learned that Aunt Monika wasn't missing, but upstairs and dead.")

Vivian nodded. "Og du er sikker på at du ikke så mannen?"

("And you're sure you didn't see the man?")

Jane tried to hide her exasperation. Vivian had told her what she saw while unconscious, it was wise to tell Vivian anything she wanted to know.

"Ja."