It was there I sat with my eyes closed tightly. Upon the wooden swing my grandfather had built on the porch when he was a young man of twenty, I felt another sit beside me, but I didn't open my eyes. My body was tensed like that of a snake wrapped tightly around its prey.
"Amy?" My cousin, Cindy, asked. Her voice was trembling ever so softly.
Slowly, I opened my dull green eyes and turned away from the scene of the setting sun to look at her. Cindy was a somewhat plump girl. Her hair was bright red and her eyes were a warm brown. I hated her.
"Are you going to come inside soon?"
I turned the question over in my head and gave her a warm smile that never reached my eyes. I wasn't sure when I had stopped smiling naturally. Maybe it was after my brother, Aaron died in that accident all those years ago or perhaps it had something to do with the departure of my late mother, Jill. It didn't matter anymore, though. It was all in the past.
"Yes, I'm just waiting for the sun to finish setting. I'll meet you inside soon," I told her, my whole body hoping, wishing that she would leave me alone.
Cindy took the hint not much later and got up from the swing. As it gently rocked back and forth I watched her retreat into the house before finally breathing a deep sigh that had held itself within my lungs. Whenever she came around I found myself holding my breath. It was as if I was waiting for her to deliver news of my father's death.
I turned my attention back to the scene ahead. The way the sun set was no match for words. The warm orange color layered itself against the blue sky as it darkened and the yellow that complemented the orange made my heart swell. Since when had the setting sun caused such heartache?
At eight that evening, I had retired into the pale white farm house my great grandfather built. The interior of the house was average. The living room had a brick fireplace with a maroon colored couch placed just a few feet away from it, a large chair with gold lining to the left of the couch, and another to its right. A coffee table filling the rectangle within the room's design.
The dining room across the hall had a similar set up without the fireplace. Its chairs and table were made of hard pressed oak. The table -which sat within the square of the four chairs-, had a white lace cloth placed on top of it. Even though Cindy hated it, I adored the cloth that was so neatly places on the table. It added to the beauty of the crystalized centerpiece.
"Have either of you girls seen my pocket watch?"
Hearing the question, I walked to the back of the house where my uncle, Jonah often worked. He had a home of his own along with his daughter, Cindy, but had often spent nights at my home. They said it was what my father requested of them, but I knew better. Even though my father had gone off to war, I knew that he would never ask such a thing of Jonah or Cindy. At least, not after the stunt they pulled with my Aunt Mary, but at my young age of sixteen I wasn't allowed to back talk my elders. I was just glad they only made it a habit of coming over twice a week. I was sure it would have been more than that if not for my cousin Joel on my mother's side of the family. He was a nice guy who looked out for me after my mother died.
"Did you check your pocket?" I asked, reaching the room just minutes before Cindy.
Out of all the rooms in the farm house, I had a special connection to the study where Jonah worked. It was where I had learned to read and write along with other little memories I had stored. My favorite memory being the time my brother and I convinced our parents to bring us to the carnival.
"Don't you think I checked my pockets already, Amy?" Jonah asked skeptically. He always thought I was a little denser than others.
"Check again," I told him, my dull green eyes staring at his vibrant brown ones.
My stare came off as a challenge and under different circumstances, Jonah would have slapped me, but he accepted the challenge with a sneer. Without breaking our eye contact, he slipped his hand into his front left pocket. The scowl that found its way to his face made me take a step back as he removed his watch from the said pocket.
"I believe you're getting old, father" Cindy said from behind me, the faint sound of controlled laugher filling my ears. Why did she have to be so close?
"Well, yes" He replied, glancing at the watch in his hands "Perhaps I should retire for the night."
"That sounds like a good idea, Jonah. Can I suggest that you do it at your own house?" That is what I thought of saying, but I kept my mouth shut and nodded my head once before leaving down the hall.
Deciding that going to my room was better than staying up and listen to Cindy chatter away; I opened my bedroom door and walked inside. My room was neat and organized. My bed sat against the wall on the right of my window while my dresser was on its left. The rocking chair my mother used to put me to sleep was in the corner. On my bed was a box with a pale green ribbon.
As I closed the door, my eyes stayed glued to the box. Never before had I seen it so I was overcome with both curiosity and suspicion. At first I wondered if perhaps it was a gift from Jonah or Cindy, but that wasn't exactly likely. Jonah hated me and Cindy feared me. Neither of them would have bought me a thing, much less a box with a ribbon.
With slow steps I made my way over to the box, but stopped short. As I stood mere inches away from the item, I thought about several other things that had to done and I did them. I tidied my room, had a snack, took a bath, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, dressed for bed, drank some warm milk, and then finally faced the box head on. I stood at the foot of my bed where the box sat. Why was it that I was so hesitant to open the damn thing?
I had to shake my hesitation off. When the clock turned ten I finally mustered up enough courage to remove the ribbon and lift the lid. What I found inside was a small bottle and inside that was a small bead. I thought that it was some type of joke. I placed the vile back into the box and spotted a piece of parchment folded neatly against the inside. I couldn't belive that the joke came with paper. I assumed it said something stupid, but opened it anyway.
Dear Madam,
This gift is sent to you as a path to freedom and hapiness. Take care of it well and it will in turn do the same. This is no joke. The bead within the bottle needs to be submerged in water for two days. When it comes to you make sure to have its clothes waiting and a meal prepared. It will be your family as long as you care.
Sincerely,
Glass House
I looked at the note countless times before finally setting it down and picking the bottle back up once more. What exactly was I supposed to dress a bead in or feed it? Perhaps I had finally lost it after all those years.
With the bottle in my hand, I walked over to the window and opened it. The warm, April breeze blew in as I climbed out said window and landed with my feet on the grass. I was glad that I had moved the flowerbed I got from Joel onto the other side of the house the day before. I would have been heartbroken if I ended up landing on it.
Water...
Flattening out my night gown, I thought of where I could place the bead for two days without something happening to it. In the house, would have caused commotion and the pond had fish swimming around in it. A half smile formed on my face as I realized the perfect spot for the bead. I wasn't sure if it was a real smile and in all honesty I didn't care.
I ran across the field to the well my father used when watering crops and looked inside. I had thought wrong when I assumed the moonlight could allow me to tell if our well had dried up. Picking up a rock with my free hand, I tossed it within the circular structure and waited for the splash. I was lucky enough to get one. I pulled the cork from the bottle and turned the bottle over, allowing the bead to fall into my hand. It felt cold against my skin, but at the same time it felt warm and somehow reassuring. I reluctantly dropped it into the well.
"How many times do I have to tell you: Girls do not leave the house in their sleepwear?"
I jumped at Jonah's sudden voice and turned on my heel to face him. He was madder than usual. I wondered if Cindy had complained about me not being in my room. She often did that when she would try and annoy me. That's when I remembered the box and note. Had she peeked inside? I hoped that she was wise enough to keep her nose out of my business.
"Sorry Uncle Jonah," I said, down casting my gaze. As I looked at my feet I told myself that I needed to wash them, "I had thought that I saw someone near the well."
My lying was horrible, but he snorted. "I don't see why anyone would want to be near that thing. It's been dried up for months."
And he thought that I was the idiot? I stifled a laugh at his ignorance and departed from the well first. Hurrying to the house, I slammed open the door and startled Cindy. With eyes full of murderous intent I stared at her as I walked by. I first went to the bathroom to wash the dirt from my feet and then I was off to my room. Pushing open the door that had been left ajar, my eyes fell to my bed. I let out the deep breath I had been holding in. I pushed the door close with my back until I heard the click of the latch push into place. I took a moment after that to contemplate if I wanted to lock the door or not. I decided not to.
Walking over to my bed, I picked up the letter that sat in the same place I had left it. I wasn't sure why I wanted to hold the note. It was nothing special and yet I held it close as I went to the window and closed it. Once it was locked, I decided to grab the box and place it on the cull.
Glass House...?
I thought about what kind of name Glass House belonged to as I slipped under the covers of my bed. My dreams had soon come before my thoughts got far enough.
The next day I hurried around the house. Cindy and her father had left that morning so I was left to clean and polish the house. Though it would have usually been quiet, I had the sound of birds singing to keep me company. I paid attention to their songs every once in a while as I cleaned. My mind was so wrapped around the thought of the bead. Had I truly left it in a safe place? How was it possibly going to come up from that well?
Bumping my arm against the vase Cindy had left near the edge of the counter, I jumped as it fell against the floor, its glass shards shattering against the wood paneled floor. An unwanted scream past my lips as I was startled by the crash.
“Amy?” I heard Joel call from the front of the house. I could hear his shoes slam against the floor as he ran.
“I’m in the kitchen!” I told him, getting on my knees to pick up the larger pieces of glass. I could feel a few of the smaller pieces push against my skin.
My cousin made no waste in time as he came to the doorway of the kitchen. I could hear him pant lightly which meant he had to have run from a greater distance than the front door. I felt bad for making him worry.
"What happened?"
I shook my head and placed two large shards of glass in my palm, "I dropped Cindy's vase. She left it on the edge of the counter."
I could feel Joel's eyes on me as I picked up the last of the big pieces. It wasn't until I threw the glass into the trash bin that my cousin finally spoke up.
"She should have known better."
Looking up at Joel I gave a half-hearted smile. Joel was a tall man with short brown hair and beautiful grey eyes. Even though we were so far apart in age I felt like he understood me the most. If I could have chosen who would live in the farm house with me, Joel would have been on the top of my list.
He smiled back at me and I almost felt like hating him. Why was it so easy for a smile to reach his eyes? I thought that I may have been broken.
"Go wash the glass off," He ordered, snapping me out of my thoughts.
It took me a moment to register what he had said. When it finally hit, I nodded my head and walked my way softly out the kitchen. I couldn't see all the glass so I wanted to make sure I didn't imbed any within the undersides of my feet. As Joel and I passed each other, I felt him give my shoulder a squeeze. I almost stopped right there. The feel of a strong arm giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze reminded me of my father's hugs. I missed him very much.
"Hurry up or I won't take you to the market."
My eyes grew wide and I looked over my shoulder. I had been to the market many times in the past, but never had I gone with Joel. My brother had gone with him once before, though. It was during a festival in March. I remembered being mad at the both of them for going while I was sick.
I suppressed my smile and nodded my head before running down the hall to the bathroom. I washed the glass off my knees and feet before heading to my bedroom. I hadn't noticed how wet the end of my skirt had gotten from the water and waiting for it to dry would have taken forever.
Facing away from the window, I looked at the end of my bed and removed my dress. After I placed a new one on, I left the room to brush my hair. I had to go back inside not long after that for my shoes. That's when I saw another box on my bed. This time it had a pale blue ribbon.
I backed out of the room and pulled the door up gently. When I heard the latch click, I removed my hand from the door.
"Are you ready?" Joel asked, poking his head around the corner of the kitchen as I started walking.
With a nod of my head, he walked out of the kitchen and extended his hand to me. I hesitantly took his hand and together we walked out of the house and to the market.
As we walked down the dirt road I couldn't help, but wonder: Who was Glass House?