Connections

Chapter Two - Aria

Chapter 2

Aria

I sit cross-legged on the couch, thinking and trying to calm down a bit. The rain continues, just as hard, so I’m obviously not doing a very good job. A book lies open in my lap, but I can’t concentrate. I wish the rain would stop so I could go outside and repair the garden, but once I’m in this bad a mood its hard to calm down again.

            A knock sounds at the door, startling me so badly I jump of the couch, the book landing on the floor with a thud. Lightning strikes a tree outside with a violent popping sound, and I flinch. Who in the world would be outside my door at this hour? Are the boys from the town back again? I hope not. I can’t deal with people right now, especially them. With the mood I’m in right now, I’d probably end up frying them accidentally.

            I stand up, padding softly to the door and looking through the peephole I’d installed a few years ago. A boy stands there, but he’s not someone I recognize. For a moment I stand there, indecisive.

“Hello?” He calls. Then, in a rather bold move, he adds, “I know you’re there.” He’s soaked from the rain, and looks absolutely miserable and cold as the raindrops run down his face. His dark blond hair is dripping wet, and he has his hands shoved in his pockets as if to keep them warm. He doesn’t look like much of a threat, but other kids could be hiding nearby, waiting to ambush me.

The boy sighs. “I guess there’s no one home after all.” He mutters, turning to leave.

I make a quick decision. Opening the door a crack, I peer out. “Yes?” I call. “What do you want?”

The boy quickly turns around, startled. “What took so long?” The boy asks, irritated. “Don’t you know it’s pouring out here?”

I just look at him for a moment, unsure about how to answer that.

The boy shifts from foot to foot impatiently, and I can detect a bit of nervousness. “So… I’m kind of lost. Do you have a place where I could spend the night?”

I look at him, and he looks at me. After a moment, I break the silence. “Um… yes, I suppose so. One moment.” I shut the door as I grab an umbrella and pull on my boots. Then I open it again, slipping outside before I open the umbrella. “Follow me.”

I lead the boy to the barn, unlocking the padlock on the door and gesturing him inside. The inside of the barn is dry and warm, so I shook off the umbrella, close it, and sit it in the corner. Then I lead him through the barn to the back. My cow moos at us as we pass, probably assuming that I’m going to feed her. A ladder is built into the wall, leading up to the loft, and I gesture towards it. “You can sleep in the loft, if you want.” I say uncomfortably. I wonder what he’s doing in the middle of nowhere all alone. Maybe this is some sort of prank. If it is, it’s more well planned than most.

The boy looks at me, and then begins to climb. He stops midway and turns to me, hesitating before saying “Thanks”  and continuing.

“I’ll… get blankets or something. “ I call, before turning to quickly leave. Rushing back to the house, I notice that the rain is slowing down. I guess that the appearance of the boy has given me something new to think about, though I’m still nervous. I gather up a pile of spare sheets, as well as a pillow. Then I grab a bowl and fill it with soup that had been simmering on the stove. Balancing the objects as well as clutching my umbrella, I make my way back to the barn. Placing the soup on the ground, I climb up the ladder and place the pile at the top. Then I climb back down and bring up the soup. He hasn’t noticed that I’m back, because he’s sitting with his back to me on a bale of hay. For a moment I just sit there. Then he turns around, sees me, and promptly falls off the hay, landing backwards in a pile of straw. He curses, sitting up and shaking the straw out of his hair.

“Gez, warn me next time!” He exclaims.

I look at him for a moment, confused. What was I supposed to warn him about?

He sees the soup. “Is that for me?” He asks, surprised.

I nod, and he climbs over the stacks of hay bales and picks it up. Sitting cross-legged on the floor with the soup in his lap, he begins to eat, muttering a hurried “thank you”.

For a while I just watch him eat, then I get up. “Tell me if you need anything.” I tell him. With that, I climb down the ladder, grab my umbrella, and hurry back to the house.