Translucent

Chapter 14: Ralph's Story

White flashes blinded my eyes. The colors before me were of lush green and golden yellow. Sunlight seeped through the birch trees shading the small meadow around me. At the corner of my eyes, buttercup flowers peeked through the bushes under my feet, and they were scattered across the grass. A silhouette took place in the distance. It came from a small opening in the woods, his figure cut through the blinding sunlight I had to raise my hand over my brow.

Cornelius!

Not long after, another silhouette emerged behind him. When the figure came to sight, she revealed glorious red hair flowing her back.

Whoosh...

The soft wind jolted me upright. The sky was still dark outside. Cornelius was absent. What was I expecting anyway? Him sleeping soundly next to me after our midnight conversation? The moon projected its ray into the room, illuminating the clock I placed on the bedside table. Four o'clock. At this point, I was too awake to go back to sleep.

Taking a morning stroll would probably do me good, for getting some fresh air. No one was awake yet. I just hoped that Nathan wouldn't be awake either. He could be up at any moment now.

Morning breeze pricked my bones. The road right outside the manor branched into two different ones. The smaller path next to the vehicle entry must have dwindled down to the lower ground of the neighbourhood–a more serene place in the territory. I wrapped my arms around me and trailed along the smaller road. The dim path was only lit with several lamp streets on the pavements. The forest surrounding the path looked invisible, drowned in the darkness.

Little spots of lights flickered from the distance and I came to Geddes Road, as I read the street's sign. I descended the road into the neighbourhood, which was unsurprisingly quiet. But something caught my attention, or maybe someone: an old man was watering the plants as I passed his house. Aware of my presence, he paused to study me for a second.

" 'ello, lassie." he greeted me with a thick Scottish accent. "What brings ye here tis early?"

"Just looking for some fresh air," I replied.

"But it's five in the morning now. The air is still too cold for ye. Ye should go home, go back to yer bed, before ye catch a cold, or yer parents will look for you." the old man said huskily. "Where do ye live?

I pointed at a small, dim mansion on top of the hill.

"Och yer th' new tenants ay th' manor, Ah see." he beamed. "It's quite isolated up there, isnae it?"

I nodded. He was right. My house stood on top of the hill, slightly far from this neighbourhood.

"What's yer name, wee lass?" he asked me again.

"Lisa."

"Lisa, I see. The name's Ralph." The old man, Ralph, said. "Aren't ye feeling a bit Baltic around here?"

I hugged myself, shivering. "Slightly."

"Care for some tea? Maybe we can talk inside, before the sun rises?" Ralph offered, shoving the broom aside. "But it's up to ye. If ye think I'm a stranger, ye can back off."

"No, no, I'd love to."

At a glance, Ralph did look stern, but I didn't think he had any bad intentions in mind. From how he offered me for tea, he sounded very friendly. Besides, I thought I'd got used to meeting strangers, considering that I'd met one in my bedroom earlier.

His house was smaller than I thought. It was a simple two story-house, but since there were lots of antiques inside, it looked pretty crowded yet messy. Almost everything in the living room was wooden, from parquet floor, wooden furnishings, and everything inside was earthy colored and dominated with browns. Yet it was comfortable and warm.