Categories > Original > Sci-Fi > Totta and Mesha Adventures
The Hideout
Days had passed since Totta told her mother that she wouldn't go near the monsters again and over time, her mother allowed her to play outside yet again. The snow was melting and new life was springing up from the land. Totta scrapes a hand full of snow from the ground and it was a nothing but wet slush.
“No fun!”
Totta threw the snow back to the earth. She continued to walk around in the garden, picking some newly grown flowers and setting it at the dining room table.
“What fine flowers you found! The red really brings in life into this barren space,“ Mother complimented.
”Yes indeed.“ Totta looked at them satisfied with her findings and went back outside.
There wasn't much to do in the dirt, it was still cold and most of the life that buzzed around only came around with the weather was warmer, but that didn't stop her from having fun. She filled a bucket up with the dying snow and stacked it together, and was was piled up together resembled the appearance of a giant stick. She stuck two acorns in it's eyes with a smile made out of a bent stick. She then put sticks on the side of it. She stepped away from her creation. Sticking out her hands as if they were windows enclosing on the subject, she grinned. She couldn't keep her grin to herself so she ran inside to get her mother and Lissau.
”Mom, look what I made!“ Totta uncovers her mother's eyes.
”Oh dear...that looks like a dead caterpillar.“
Totta laughs at her mother's reply.
”It's not a caterpillar, it's a spider!“
”I don't see a spider. It's a caterpillar.”
“Moooom,“ Totta whines, ”You're supposed to say 'Oh yeah, it is a caterpillar!“
”Oh year, it is a caterpillar.“ Mother lied.
“Oh ma, why think you! You shouldn't have!“
Totta grabs mother in for a big hug but mother becomes limps.
”Ugh,“ Mother cries, ”I can't stand to look at it anymore! It's too cold. I'm going back where it's warm and free of snow-bugs!“
Mother runs into the house, it is upon late notice that Totta see's she's not wearing anything but indoor slippers outside.
”Gee, no wonder you're so cold!“
The excitement has subsided and the only things left to be heard are the cracking of tree branches in the distance. Totta looked high in the sky. The sun was still rising and the the blue hue had faded to white when it hit the trees. The silence of the cold had settled yet again that she was alone. Mother never taught her how to deal with being the only child around. Mother's songs would always be about how much she dreamed of finding a child to take care of and how to teach them to be able to learn the ways in which her parent had taught her but she never said anything about togetherness. After letting the cold breeze pass her by, Totta decided to go back in.
Inside, she was welcomed by the warmth of the fireplace and the flames that allowed mother to to make the most boring of foods taste phenomenal. Totta enters the kitchen and sees mother yet again frying up a delicious meal.
”Mom?“
”Yes dear?“
”Mom, what was it like when you grew up?“
”Well sweety, let me think,“ Mother puts the wooden spoon to her chin as she looked up to the ceiling, ”It's been so long ago, I can barely remember!“
”Did you have any brothers or sisters?“
“Hmm...I think I did. I remember crawling out of the ground and seeing others my age. We were all adopted by a pair who were so determined to share their little home with us. They had created a small patch in the back of their home to be a garden for us to grow. So when it was time, they were right there, ready in the dead of winter to give us coats and shoes with a little warm cup of cider to begin our first days into life. There were about six of us but three ran away so the two that stayed were my siblings Jarry and Paule. Mom and dad, although they kept a persona of happiness and excitement around us, secretly mourned over the ones that had left. That inspired them to ask us if we too felt like running away but none of ever us wanted to do that. We had cake and warm beds to enjoy!"
Mother lit up like a candle in the night. Her energy seemed different when talking about her childhood. something about it made her words dance around the room and comfort little Totta as she learned something new about her mother and how life was before her time.
"So what happened to grandma, grandpa and my Uncles?"
Just the sound of that question made mother's smile leave. She looked down at the ground. The happy words and movement in her as she recited her childhood came to a still.
"My family...were all...," Mother sighs, fading in and out of articulation until she licks her lips and starts again, "One day, we were going out camping. Dad and Jarry were collecting sticks to make a fire, Paule was fishing by the river and Mom and I were making a big tent to rest for the night. All seemed well. The sticks were burned, the fish were cooked and the tent stood high. We ate under the moon and went to bed after telling a few stories by the fire. One of the stories was about a girl with a barbed-shaped scar."
"The monster child?"
"Something like that. He said that the girl had a scar around her neck that looked like a barb. Many people say that she would behead folks and take their bodies but dad said not to worry, that the girl wasn't real and was a spook. But I begin to tremble at the thought of the girl! But father put his arms around me and said "It's only a camp side story, dear. Alas, but I've frightened you enough dear. Let's go to bed." That night, I lied wide awake in the tent. My parents lied beside me and my brothers were at the end of the tent. I felt a little safe after mom nagged dad for telling such a scary tale but I didn't feel safe, it didn't feel safe."
"What didn't feel safe?"
"The woods!" I could feel that there was an evil presence but I couldn't see it. My feet were feeling restless so I got up and out of the tent. The fire was still lit so I went back to the tent and my family was still asleep, but something looked strange, their bodies were shorter and there were tears in the tent."
"..."
"I went up to wake up mom and dad but their heads were missing!"
"What!?"
"Their heads were gone and one of my brothers sat up and turned to me, but he had the scar around his neck. He wasn't my brother, it was the girl!"
"Mom! Wha-"
"She was dressed up as my brother the whole time and creeping towards me, but I darted out of the tent, out through the forest and was stopped by a man who said the forest was on fire. I had never seen them since...That's why I am always afraid for you. I'm always afraid that she will show her face again and do to us the way she did my family."
Totta stood looking away. She had nothing to say.
"I don't mean to scare you Totta, but the world is a cruel place."
Totta folds into herself looking away.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Can we focus on something else?"
"Fair enough. Come here, child."
Mother grabs Totta in, giving her a big hug.
"I promise I won't let her get you."
Totta looks away out the window. Her snow caterpillar was nothing but little hills of slush with sticks sticking out of it. It had seemed like it tumbled over while ago.
Days had passed since Totta told her mother that she wouldn't go near the monsters again and over time, her mother allowed her to play outside yet again. The snow was melting and new life was springing up from the land. Totta scrapes a hand full of snow from the ground and it was a nothing but wet slush.
“No fun!”
Totta threw the snow back to the earth. She continued to walk around in the garden, picking some newly grown flowers and setting it at the dining room table.
“What fine flowers you found! The red really brings in life into this barren space,“ Mother complimented.
”Yes indeed.“ Totta looked at them satisfied with her findings and went back outside.
There wasn't much to do in the dirt, it was still cold and most of the life that buzzed around only came around with the weather was warmer, but that didn't stop her from having fun. She filled a bucket up with the dying snow and stacked it together, and was was piled up together resembled the appearance of a giant stick. She stuck two acorns in it's eyes with a smile made out of a bent stick. She then put sticks on the side of it. She stepped away from her creation. Sticking out her hands as if they were windows enclosing on the subject, she grinned. She couldn't keep her grin to herself so she ran inside to get her mother and Lissau.
”Mom, look what I made!“ Totta uncovers her mother's eyes.
”Oh dear...that looks like a dead caterpillar.“
Totta laughs at her mother's reply.
”It's not a caterpillar, it's a spider!“
”I don't see a spider. It's a caterpillar.”
“Moooom,“ Totta whines, ”You're supposed to say 'Oh yeah, it is a caterpillar!“
”Oh year, it is a caterpillar.“ Mother lied.
“Oh ma, why think you! You shouldn't have!“
Totta grabs mother in for a big hug but mother becomes limps.
”Ugh,“ Mother cries, ”I can't stand to look at it anymore! It's too cold. I'm going back where it's warm and free of snow-bugs!“
Mother runs into the house, it is upon late notice that Totta see's she's not wearing anything but indoor slippers outside.
”Gee, no wonder you're so cold!“
The excitement has subsided and the only things left to be heard are the cracking of tree branches in the distance. Totta looked high in the sky. The sun was still rising and the the blue hue had faded to white when it hit the trees. The silence of the cold had settled yet again that she was alone. Mother never taught her how to deal with being the only child around. Mother's songs would always be about how much she dreamed of finding a child to take care of and how to teach them to be able to learn the ways in which her parent had taught her but she never said anything about togetherness. After letting the cold breeze pass her by, Totta decided to go back in.
Inside, she was welcomed by the warmth of the fireplace and the flames that allowed mother to to make the most boring of foods taste phenomenal. Totta enters the kitchen and sees mother yet again frying up a delicious meal.
”Mom?“
”Yes dear?“
”Mom, what was it like when you grew up?“
”Well sweety, let me think,“ Mother puts the wooden spoon to her chin as she looked up to the ceiling, ”It's been so long ago, I can barely remember!“
”Did you have any brothers or sisters?“
“Hmm...I think I did. I remember crawling out of the ground and seeing others my age. We were all adopted by a pair who were so determined to share their little home with us. They had created a small patch in the back of their home to be a garden for us to grow. So when it was time, they were right there, ready in the dead of winter to give us coats and shoes with a little warm cup of cider to begin our first days into life. There were about six of us but three ran away so the two that stayed were my siblings Jarry and Paule. Mom and dad, although they kept a persona of happiness and excitement around us, secretly mourned over the ones that had left. That inspired them to ask us if we too felt like running away but none of ever us wanted to do that. We had cake and warm beds to enjoy!"
Mother lit up like a candle in the night. Her energy seemed different when talking about her childhood. something about it made her words dance around the room and comfort little Totta as she learned something new about her mother and how life was before her time.
"So what happened to grandma, grandpa and my Uncles?"
Just the sound of that question made mother's smile leave. She looked down at the ground. The happy words and movement in her as she recited her childhood came to a still.
"My family...were all...," Mother sighs, fading in and out of articulation until she licks her lips and starts again, "One day, we were going out camping. Dad and Jarry were collecting sticks to make a fire, Paule was fishing by the river and Mom and I were making a big tent to rest for the night. All seemed well. The sticks were burned, the fish were cooked and the tent stood high. We ate under the moon and went to bed after telling a few stories by the fire. One of the stories was about a girl with a barbed-shaped scar."
"The monster child?"
"Something like that. He said that the girl had a scar around her neck that looked like a barb. Many people say that she would behead folks and take their bodies but dad said not to worry, that the girl wasn't real and was a spook. But I begin to tremble at the thought of the girl! But father put his arms around me and said "It's only a camp side story, dear. Alas, but I've frightened you enough dear. Let's go to bed." That night, I lied wide awake in the tent. My parents lied beside me and my brothers were at the end of the tent. I felt a little safe after mom nagged dad for telling such a scary tale but I didn't feel safe, it didn't feel safe."
"What didn't feel safe?"
"The woods!" I could feel that there was an evil presence but I couldn't see it. My feet were feeling restless so I got up and out of the tent. The fire was still lit so I went back to the tent and my family was still asleep, but something looked strange, their bodies were shorter and there were tears in the tent."
"..."
"I went up to wake up mom and dad but their heads were missing!"
"What!?"
"Their heads were gone and one of my brothers sat up and turned to me, but he had the scar around his neck. He wasn't my brother, it was the girl!"
"Mom! Wha-"
"She was dressed up as my brother the whole time and creeping towards me, but I darted out of the tent, out through the forest and was stopped by a man who said the forest was on fire. I had never seen them since...That's why I am always afraid for you. I'm always afraid that she will show her face again and do to us the way she did my family."
Totta stood looking away. She had nothing to say.
"I don't mean to scare you Totta, but the world is a cruel place."
Totta folds into herself looking away.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Can we focus on something else?"
"Fair enough. Come here, child."
Mother grabs Totta in, giving her a big hug.
"I promise I won't let her get you."
Totta looks away out the window. Her snow caterpillar was nothing but little hills of slush with sticks sticking out of it. It had seemed like it tumbled over while ago.
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