Ever since I was a little girl, I've been told not to go up into the attic. Every time I ask why, I get the same answer, "Because there's dangerous things up there that could hurt you. There's bat's, rats, and even squirrels. Please, don't ever go up there."
Today's different though. It's my eighteenth birthday, and there's something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Tonight I've give myself a little birthday present of my own. I'm going to venture up into the attic and find out what's so scary about it. So, as I'm blowing out the bright blue candles on my light blue cake, I'm thinking of a way to sneak up there without my mother noticing. "Go on, open the presents, your grandma mailed one over clear from Italy. So save that one for last." Mom's voice rose with excitement as she handed a black box over to me. "That's from your dad."
We both sat there for a second looking from the box to each other until finally, Snitch, my dog, barked at the door. Mom hesitated before standing up from the kitchen counter. Who was it? What's in this box? I'm not waiting.
I pulled the lid off the box and inside was a little note and a charm about the size of my thumb nail. It was two black stemmed roses with blue petals. I picked up the note and read it quickly, "Up in the attic you'll find what completes you, don't let your mother find out, and don't shout. Wipe your thumb across the words, quickly. P.S. Don't eat the cake." I ran my thumb over the lettering causing a strange affect to happen. They rearranged themselves into something new. "Happy birthday my little princess, may all your wishes come true!" Cheesy much?
"Oh, what's it say dear?" I read the new words aloud as she and my best friend Ratchella sat down on the stools. "Oh that's sweet, what was your wish anyways?"
"If I tell you, it'll never come true." I smiled to add the effect of innocents, "Ratch, nice of you to join us, I thought you were never coming to see me, I thought you'd forgotten." I slipped the note back into the box with the charm before any other questions could arise.
Ratch laced a strand of my hair through her fingers in thought, "Nah, I was just busy, I couldn't figure out what to get you. Then I thought, why not a kitten?" From her purse she pulled out an orange kitten with blue eyes.
"A ginger kitty!" I yell, pulling the kitten from her arms, "I'll name you Snap, short for Ginger Snap. Welcome home." It mewed loudly before rubbing it's face along my cheek bone. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my mother glaring at Ratch.
"It's time for you to go home now, Ratchella, it's starting to get dark. Your own mother must be very worried about you." With out a word she stood, never breaking eye contact with my own mother, and left silently. The hell? Usually they get along great and are always joking, and laughing, and pulling pranks. What was wrong with them tonight?
Ratch suddenly appeared in my living room again, "She'll have to choose, and I know what she'll choose, and you can't stop it. It's fate." Then she was out the door again. Alright, yeah, this is really weird.
"What was that all about?" I ask in a confused tone. I really didn't have to work that hard to get the reassuring pat on the head. She always keeps me in the dark on everything. I don't think she trusts me with any information. Hell, she probably doesn't trust me at all. I hate her. Her impossible behavior of keeping me sheltered at home. My inability to leave the house except to walk out in the garden. Her invisible collar around my throat, digging in and causing invisible rivets of blood to drip down. She's suffocating me.
As she ran her hand over the hair that Ratch had previously been holding she smiled softly, "Kids and their crazy day dreams. She's probably practicing for a school play or just trying to scare you on your birthday, you know how she loves those pranks." and I do, every year it's something new. A bucket of worms over me head one year, a bra full of frozen pudding the next, sometimes its just little pranks of cards that spit water, or a Saran wrapped door way. She really does love pranks, like a little devil. "Now, open the one from me, and give me that....disgusting little flea bag."
