Taken

Chapter 5

I stand in front of my sister's door, staring at the key hole intently as I try to think of a way to get in. Mother is still gone so I'm alone in the silence once again.

            My three story house is nice, but it's old, making the quiet around me even more noticeable. Apparently it has been in the family for generations which is probably the reason why I can peek through the key hole and see into my sister's room. I blink and close my right eye as I press my face up to the door so I can peer through the small hole. Her bed is still unmade from the night she disappeared and her school books are sitting on her desk. A thin layer of dust seems to coat everything, giving it an old and musty look.

            I hum under my breath as I stand up straight and start to pace in front of the door.

            Where would father keep the key? The bedroom would be too obvious and there isn't anywhere in the kitchen he could hide it without me already having stumbled across it. I scratch my head and think hard. He's always at work and when he's not there he's usually―

            I freeze as a light bulb goes off above my head, making me realize my stupidity.

            His study.

            With this newly realized information, I take the stairs two at a time and turn down one of the quiet halls before sprinting to the end where a set of brown wooden doors sit. I pull one of them open and slip inside, letting it close behind me with a soft click.

            Father's study is the largest room in the house. It's not only a study, but also a small library. Bookcases line the walls, every shelf filled with different books collected over the years, some even being the original copy written by the author. A large mahogany desk sits in the middle of the room with papers and books piled on top, the matching red cushioned chair pushed in behind it. A large floor-to-ceiling window sits behind the desk. It is arched at the top with brown wooden panes and looks out over the garden.

            The garden used to be beautiful with a rainbow of flowers surrounding the natural pond that resides in its center. A small rock waterfall sits towards the back, its contents having run into the crystal clear water with a harmonious sound. A wooden bridge crosses the middle, coy fish having swum around in the water. A stone bench sits at the edge of the pond in a bed of rocks, looking out over the natural setting. Its physical structure is the same, but the majestic feel is long gone.

            Ivy covers the railing of the bridge along with the stone bench. Whatever's left of the flowers is yellowed and wilted. The water is a murky green with fungi growing in it as well as on the stones that surround it. I haven't seen the coy fish much anymore.

            The waterfall still runs, but only at a slight trickle. The rocks are covered in slick green moss and the water falls with a greenish hew.

            I sigh.

            Mother cooks and cleans per the norm, but couldn't she also keep up the garden or hire a gardener? I used to read beside the pond whenever the weather permitted, but now it has lost its appeal.