Crow Forest

Chapter Three

Parker quickly grabbed her suitcase and began dragging herself up the stairs. She could feel her aunt's eyes following her. She finally reached the landing to the second floor, and as soon as she did, she could hear her Linda shuffling into the kitchen. Parker then turned into the dark hallway, making her way to the old bedroom where she used to stay as a child.

The dark walnut door greeted her, the only visible light was through the door's cracks. As she got closer to the door, she noticed that there were butterfly stickers and painted flowers. She couldn't help but wonder when they had decided to add this change. Maybe they had always been there, maybe she'd never noticed them before? Perhaps, but Parker was sure these were new.

As she moved closer to the room, the smell of sunshine and dust greeted her nose. Her hand glided out and slipped onto the cold brass doorknob. After hesitating for a second, Parker turned the knob and pushed the heavy door open. She entered the large room, and a nostalgic feeling overtook her. Everything was the same as she had left it. Perhaps they had been waiting for her return? Or they were too lazy to convert the room into something else. Parker couldn't understand why she felt pleased they had left everything the same.

She noticed that pinned to the wall where scribble drawings Parker had done as a child. There were pencils scattered along the desk. The roof was still a pale green. It was slanting to the side. The wooden floor was a dark, roasted colour. She spun around the room slowly eyeing up every little detail. There were a few new cracks in the wall, but Parker liked it as it gave a rustic antique look.

There was a huge queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, white thick squishy pillows sat next to each other.  Parker couldn't help but feel like she was stepping back in time. She felt like this room belonged to someone in the long distant past. Nothing felt real. Parker brushed her hand along the pealed painted wall, an icy chill greeted her hand and rushed up her arm, but she continued to walk across the room to the small window.

Parker could feel the afternoon sun pressing against the glass. The sunshine was soft and warm. She pulled the lace curtains aside and then lifted the window to allow the cool breeze to enter the room. She knew as soon as the sun was down, it was going to be freezing and she'd have to close the window. Parker felt her hair being pushed away from her face by the gentle wind. She loved windows, they allowed the outside to be inside.

Parker gazed at the colourful garden of roses. There were hundreds of blooms out in the warm evening sunshine. There was a dreamy aura floating around the garden. Parker closed her eyes, allowing herself a minute to drift away into the calmness. Perhaps she was wrong to think that everything was not right. 

Parker sighed and opened her eyes again. She turned away from the warm sunshine and walked over to the bed. The sheets were a pale apricot colour. Parker could only assume they had been in this house for years. The quilt that sat on top was a thick warm crunchy sounding bundle of goodness. It was white with delicate decorative flowers at the end of the quilt.

Parker flopped face-first into the cold bedding. She heard every piece of it crunching under her weight. She never knew why it crunched, but it felt comforting to her. "I live here now" Parker mumbled into the quilts. Then, finally, she could feel her muscles and bones letting the tension go, and all of the pain started to ease. This was the one bed she felt she'd never leave if she had a choice.

Parker closed her eyes. She was already really exhausted from the day and the days leading up to today. A massive crash and metal clanging came from downstairs, making Parker bolt up from the bed. Her heart was pounding shockingly fast, frightened of what might have happened. Seconds after the noise, Parker could hear her uncle and aunt arguing about being more careful in the kitchen. Parker breathed a sigh of relief, she didn't know what she assumed the noise was, but she was thankful it was just those two. She had forgotten that the couple always seemed to argue no matter the problem. It annoyed her to her core.