Dusk Town

Chapter Two

The day after the Halloween my mom came into me while I'm watching and explained my "Moon Theory". She said that I am special to the moon that's why it keeps on following me and I should not be worried by it because it serves as my light at night. Those were the reasons why I became obsessed with the moon until I reached grade one. Our teacher explained to us the phenomenon of why the moon keeps on following people. Those were the words that she used to convey that the moon is so far away from us that the distance we observe the moon from stays the same and the angle we observe the moon from is not altered by the distance we travel. Good thing that I didn't get the chance to tell my classmate about it.

I went back inside because it's starting to get really cold. I am living alone so I can't afford myself to get sick. While I'm preparing for bedtime, I was thinking about all the things that I want to do while being here. I have three months, it could be less but still that's a lot of time. Clearly, no one is here with me except our caretaker who is also a family friend. He stays in a house not far from here. I saw him a while ago and he just smiled at me. I feel bad that I forgot his name. I should ask him tomorrow.

I heard the doorbell rang continuously and it only indicates an urgent matter. There's no other person who could have done it except the caretaker. I stood up and checked myself in the mirror if I have any boogers. I caught a glimpse of the clock and to my surprise it's already past 12 in the afternoon. Why did I overslept? Perhaps that's the reason why this old man is waking me up.

"Hi, um, good afternoon, what can I do for you sir?" I asked politely.

"I'm terribly sorry for waking you up but when I looked at the clock and noticed that you're still not up, I got worried that something might have happened to you. Are you okay, Quinn?"

Oh, he remembered my name! I scratched the back of my head and told him, "I'm alright. Thank you for worrying about me, I just overslept. I forgot your name sir, I'm so sorry."

He chuckled. "It's fine. My name is William. It's been a while since I saw you. I am glad that you decided to visit. Sorry I didn't get the chance to say hi to you when you arrived yesterday. I'm quite busy maintaining your dad's garden."

When my parents were still alive we often go here during holidays just to have a quality time together. It was one of my precious memories with them. My mother would teach me how to bake cookies, father would help me and Max to learn how to ride a bike. There's a beautiful waterfalls near this cabin and we would go there to swim if it gets too much hot on a summer day. My dad likes to grow plants as well as Sir William. Maybe that's how they got to know each other. Everything seems so perfect back then. I didn't noticed that I was spacing out until Sir William snapped me back to reality.

"Quinn? Quinn? Are you okay?" He asked.

"Oh sorry, it's just a... habit that I can't get rid of."

"I see. It seems like you still haven't had your breakfast. Here have some bread. I have to go now anyway."

He handed me the loaf of bread and it smells like it just came out from an oven. Breakfast seems like not a problem to me anymore.

"Are you going home now? Would you like to join me for breakfast? I can cook if you wa---"

"It's fine. I've been discussing this matter to your brother so I guess I should also tell you. I'm going back home, permanently. Your family have a special spot in my heart so making this decision is difficult for me but I want to spend more time with my wife. I'm no longer young so I want to use it as an opportunity to treasure my family because who knows I might be gone tomorrow. I will pray for you and your brother's health. Take care of yourself."