Bewiched

Chapter 1: Asha

Asha awoke with the sunshine on her face and a knock at the door.

“Get up!” Great Aunt Flora screamed through the crack of the door. “You have to get to work!” the old lady added. Asha groaned, sat up and looked around her room. Her room was barely even a room, with only a bed, a cabinet, and a chair in it. The rest of the space was sort of like a little hallway, about a foot wide, leading to the tiny door. Asha looked at herself in a mirror that she had once found in the back of the cabinet. Two dark green eyes stared back at her, and she smiled. Asha had wavy brown hair and a bunch of freckles, and the freckles always smiled when she did.

“I said get up!” Aunt Flora yelled like the entire world depended on it.

“I am!” Asha shouted back.

“Well hurry up so maybe I won't have to tell you to get up every ten minutes!”

“More like ten seconds.” Asha grumbled. She got dressed and went out the door. She met Great Aunt Flora at the kitchen table, waiting for breakfast. The lady scowled at her. Aunt Flora was a woman whose name did not fit her at all. She absolutely hated flowers and was loud and annoying. She always wore a black sweatshirt and black corduroys everyday and didn't even bother to do anything for herself. Her eyes were bright green, and gave Asha the creeps. She had gotten several calls so far asking her to go to a nursing home but she always said:

“Leave lollygagging 14 year old Asha with the house? She'd ruin all the valuable items here in it!”

“There are no valuable items in the house.” Asha would always grumble when she said that. Great Aunt Flora was a pain.

“Get me my breakfast!” Aunt Flora demanded.

“Right.” Asha mumbled dispiritedly. She started to cook scrambled eggs and toast.

“I want bacon!”

“No! Remember what your doctor said about too much salt? Besides, we're out anyway.” Asha snapped.

“Then go get some!” Aunt Flora snapped back.

“I can't!”

“Why not?!?”

“Because! Your doctor said he was monitoring the food you eat, remember?”

“Bunch of phooey!” Aunt Flora snarled.

“Fine! If you believe so, go get it yourself, as you have nothing to do!”

“I'm staying where I am! GO GET IT!”

“NO!”

“YES!!!”

“NO!!!”

“YES!!!!!”

“You're hopeless!” Asha shouted angrily at her, then tore out of the house. Asha wished that she could run away from that place forever and just live a normal life. The flowers bloomed in other people's yards, filling the air with fragrance. Other children laughed and played in the park. The apple trees now had small apples where the pink petals had been. Life shouldn't be beautiful, Asha thought.

“Hey Asha! How's old Florie doin'?” Heather sneered.

“The usual.” Asha said, wondering why she was even asking.

“HA!” Heather laughed, got on her bike, and biked away. Asha watched her go sadly. She'd much rather get bullied by Heather than go back to Aunt Flora's. Asha walked slowly down the road, thinking. What if I ran away? Asha thought. But even the prospect of it made her even sadder. Picking food out of trash cans, sleeping in boxes.... no way. Asha thought. Her stomach grumbled menacingly at the thought of it.