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 Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:15 pm
A discovery.... With a heavy sigh, Alice looked at the stairway to the attic, willing herself to take the first step. Though armed with a flashlight, the dark stairway glared down at her forbiddingly, and her feet wouldn’t budge. Damn my fear of the dark, she thought, not to mention the ghosts. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of them. Alice was born in the rural outskirts of Barton town and spent most of her childhood there, living with her grandparents, as her parents had died in an accident when she was quite young. A place where fears and superstitions still thrived, they had been ingrained into Alice from when she was very young and still remained with her today. She thought she had left all of that behind, when she moved from her rural childhood home, to the large city of Durem. She proved herself wrong, however, several years later, when she received word that her grandparents had died and left her their rural home to her. 30 years old, unattached, and unhappy at her job, Alice didn't find it difficult to return to her childhood home. It took her a several hours standing outside, however, before she would even enter the house, fearing that it would contain the spirits of her grandparents. Once she had managed to convince herself that at least the main part of the house was not haunted, she slowly began the process of going through each of the rooms in the home and going through her grandparents’ things. Some of it she sold, and some she kept, moving to other rooms, while adding her own things to the mix, slowly making the house her own. She made a point of avoiding the attic, having feared it as a child and knowing that’s where the majority of the clutter would be. There were also the creepy clanks she kept hearing from up there. The logical, adult, city girl side of her told her that it was just the old water pipes. Her superstitious upbringing, however, would not let her push aside the thought that perhaps the ghosts of her grandparents were here after all…they were just hiding out in the attic. Eventually, she ran out of things to rearrange, to sort and to sell. It was time to face the attic. Alice put it off for a few more days, before finally garnering the courage to stand where she was now. A trashbag was draped across one of her shoulders, a kerchief was around her neck, and the beam of her flashlight illuminated the steps in front of her, as she turned it on, lighting the way (in her mind) to certain doom. Determined, Alice forced herself to put her foot on the first step, which creaked ominiously. Startled, she withdrew a moment, before taking a deep breath and trying again. This time, she was expecting the creak of the stair and only winced, managing to make it up the next step. One by one, she made her way up the stairs, finally making it to the door at the top and opening it. The door's movement of the air disturbed the dust in the room and several clouds of it rose up into the air, making Alice cough momentarily, as she moved the flashlight around, looking for the light (and any ghosts). After a little, the light shone on a pullstring, attached to a light on the ceiling. She made her way over to it and pulled on it, crossing her fingers in hopes that it would work. Not having been used, in a very long time, the light took a moment to work, flickering several times, before finally staying on. Seconds later, the clanking sound occured and Alice whirrled in the direction of it, shining her flashlight on the area, her heart racing. After a couple moments of standing there, watching the area and seeing nothing, Alice calmed down a little and sat down on one of the trunks surveying the job that lay ahead of her. The attic was fairly large, and was almost completely full of boxes, trunks, furniture and other random items. Everything that her grandparents (and probably her great-grandparents) had accumulated in their lifetimes, but had not left down in the main part of the house. All of the surfaces had accumulated a layer of dust, some places thicker than others. It was obvious her grandparents hadn't made their way up here for several months before they died. Ugh....good thing I wore my junk clothes and brought a trash bag, she thought, looking at all the dust. Her quick assessment of all the items in the room told her it would probably take her several days to get through everything up here. She didn't fancy the idea of being up here that long, but she would do what she must, despite her fears. A small part of her also hoped that this "adventure" would help cure her of her fear of the attic, but only time would tell her that. Well, I guess I better get started then. This trunk I'm sitting on is as good a place to start as any. With another heavy sigh, Alice got off the trunk, and kneeled on the floor next to it. She pulled the kerchief around her nose and mouth, before opening the trunk, so she wouldn't have to deal with another coughing fit, when the dust was disturbed. When the kerchief was in place, Alice opened the lid, and glanced inside. Hmm...some old clothes... Reaching inside she picked up one of the old-fashioned dresses. It was faded with age and had several large holes where moths had gotten to it. The style and fabric told her that it was probably her grandmother's, from many years ago. Although she could never remember her grandmother being that skinny. After glancing at it for another minute, Alice shoved the dress in the trashbag next to her, finding the material beyond repair. Several more joined it, while the others in the trunk seemed undamaged or had only small holes that could be fixed. She made a mental note to buy moth balls the next time she went into town, so that the remaining dresses would not be damaged. Maybe some antique dealer would be interested in them. Alice certainly had noo use for them, and there was no point in them just taking up space in the attic. Alice moved onto the next trunk and so it went, for several hours, with her jumping at shadows from time to time, when the pipes creaked or she heard any other strange sounds. Anything that looked interesting or valuable, she set back in the boxes they came from, tossing other things into her garbage bag. She was about to start another trunk, when her stomach growled, reminding her that it was probably lunch time. Knowing she would have to fight herself to get back up here again, Alice didn't want to leave, while she was being productive. She knew that she should eat though, and vowed to head downstairs after dealing with the trunk in front of her. Opening the lid revealed lots of old, large sheets of paper, yellowed with age. Some of them were illegible, the writing faded away, but many of the others appeared to be old maps of the area. Recognizing the history that lay within this particular trunk, Alice proceeded cautiously, not wanting to damage any of the documents. As she went deeper into the trunk, she found a few leather-bound volumes and a cylindrical case of some kind. It reminded her of some of the tubes she had seen people protect artwork in. Before she could open it though, her stomach let out another loud protest of hunger. Groaning, she got to her feet, giving in to her stomach's demands, but not before taking the leather-bound volumes and the strange case with her. Maybe it would give her something to read while she ate, and anyways, she deserved a break. Maybe she would find something interesting in one of them? With a shrug and the items tucked safely under her arm, Alice made her way downstairs.
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Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:31 am
What is it? Alice set the items under her arm on the countertop, while she went and heated up a bowl of soup. While it was cooking, she flipped though the leather-bound volumes, discovering them to be written documentation of the goings on of a railroad in the early part of the previous century. She was glad to find them in good condition, the leather having helped protect them. The maps in the trunk made more sense now. They were probably a layout of the area's old rail lines. While they were only mildly interesting to her, because of their history, she figured there would be others that would greatly appriciate being able to study the documents. Soon, the timer for her soup went off, and Alice went over to turn the stove off, serving herself a bowl. Slowly, she sipped at the warm liquid, easing her growling stomach. When she was finished, she washed her dishes, and her hands, before picking up the strange case. Maybe it was another map? She took it over to the couch with her and got comfotable before opening it. Alice's fingers found the strap securing the lid and worked to undo it so she could discover the contents of the tube. After a moment, she had it undone and lifted the lid to look inside. She didn't see anything but a single, seemingly unremarkable sheet of paper or parchment. Tipping the tube sideways, Alice eased the document from the case, noticing how yellowed and fragile it was. With great care, she unrolled the parchment, only to discover a strange drawing. A loom? She blinked in surprise. Why was a picture of a loom worthy of preserving? Maybe it was because of the age...it was obviously considerably older than any of the other documents in the trunk. How had her grandparents aquired something like this? A confused expression on her face, Alice gently rolled the drawing back up, and replaced it in the tube, before sealing it again. She would have to take this with her to the antique dealer in Barton, when she made the trip next week. Maybe they would know what it was?
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Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 12:33 am
9/30/06
Dear Journal,
Well, I've been living in Grammie and Popper's house for a few weeks now. It's been hard, going through all of their stuff and the memories of my childhood. With time, I've slowly been bringing my own stuff in and making this place my own, though still keeping some remiders of how the place looked when they were alive.
I finally convinced myself to work on the attic today. I've been putting it off. You know, with my fear of ghosts and all. The stuff up there is so old, it wouldn't have surprised me if it had been haunted. Fortunately, nothing got me, while I was up there. The pipes just made noise occasionally (at least I hope it was the pipes...).
It was worse than I expected up there in terms of mess though. There must be several generations of clutter, furniture and family history up in that room. I only made it through a few trunks before lunch time (partially because it took so long to convince myself to go up the stairs. A lot of stuff I just threw out. If it didn't look in halfway decent condition, or didn't look like it might have some historical or sentimental value, I didn't see the sense in keeping it. It was just adding to the clutter. I really want to see that attic cleaned up, so that maybe, I can turn half of it into some kind of office space. Maybe doing that will help me overcome my fear of the attic. I'm sure putting some better lighting in there, and maybe painting it a brighter color would help...
Anyways, I digress. In the last trunk I tackled before lunch, I found some old maps, some railroad records, and a strange case. While I thought the maps and such were interesting, I have no use for them. I figure a collector, or library or something will get much better use out of them. The case on the other hand, was most intriguing. It was really old. Like REALLY OLD. I wonder if it was stupid for me to have even touched the thing. Anyways, what's done is done. I pulled it out of the case to look at it, and it had a drawing of a loom on it. Seemed like a really odd thing to preserve for all of these years. All I can figure is that it has some kind of historical significance. But I still wonder how Popper got it and why he has it. He wasn't much into ancient history that I knew about. Maybe it was just left here from another generation and he knew nothing about it?
Anyways, I plan on making the drive into town somtime next week, so I can go by the antique dealer and see if they're interested in any of my finds from the attic. I'll see if they can identify it for me then.
Guess I better get back to the attic,
Alice
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:40 pm
A change and a new arrival Nara and Mr. Mysterious were once again headed out to some poor victim's house. Dr. Smith had triumphantly come to them with the address of a possible owner only the night before. From wills and records he had followed one scroll down from the middle ages to now. Slowly the cab pulled up infront of a house stuck way out in the country. "Ya wan me ta stay?" The driver asked.
Nara shook her head and payed the man, as Mr. Mysterious collected their things. The hooded man escorted her to the door and knocked upon it. With a happy sigh Nara glanced around her. Fresh air, little noise, perhaps they should move the library out into the country.Alice had been doing some more cleaning upstairs that morning, and had come down to take out some of the trash, when she was surprised to hear a knock at the front door. Who would be coming to see her out here? Trashbag in hand, and rumpled appearance, Alice wandered to the front door and looked out though the peephole. A man and woman stood there, neither whom she recognized. I wonder what they want? she thought, as she opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked, using her free hand to brush a few strands of stray hair behind her ears. "Hi! I'm Nara and this is my partner." For a moment, Nara fumbled around in her pocket, before digging out a buisness card. She handed it over to the woman. "We're part of the Gaian Branch of the Royal Library of Alexandria. We've traced an ancient scroll to this house. It's a very important historical artifact. Do you, by any chance, know of it?"Alice set down her bag of trash, and took the buisnesscard, looking it over. She didn't know there was a branch of the Alexandria Library here. She looked over the top of her glasses at the pair as Nara asked about a scroll. The scroll she had just found in the attic a few days ago? Seemed like an awfuly big coincidence. But, if they were who they said they were, it wouldn't hurt for them to look at it at least. Maybe they could tell her what it was? "Well...I did come across an old scroll in the attic a couple of days ago...." she said. "I was going to take it into town to have an antique dealer look at it. I have it just over here in the living room, if you'd like to come in?" She opened the door wider and stepped aside, to allow the pair past her. "Sorry about my appearance, I was just cleaning more out of the attic," Alice said as she lead them into the room next to the door, where the scroll case sat on the coffee table in plain sight. "Thank you very much," Nara replied polietly following the woman into the room. Silently her partner followed, closing the door behind her. Curiously the relic looked around the room, as her palms began to tingle. "Then it's a good thing we came when we did. In addition to their sheer age, these scrolls were from the ancient Library of Alexandria before it got burned down," Nara commented offhandedly. She smiled at the woman's next statement. "Of course," came the prompt response.
Her eyes drifted onto the scroll case and she moved closer to it. "Ah, do you think you could take the scroll out of the case?" she asked, staring intently. Alice was a bit surprised at what Nara had to say about the scroll, as well as her request. She had no idea that it was that old! She looked at the scroll case nervously and unconciously took a small step backwards. "Are you sure? Don't you want to be the one handling it? I don't want to damage it. I'm sure you know much better what you're doing. I'm lucky I didn't hurt it before." Nara smiled at the woman's concern. "True, but it's your scroll. I'd feel better if you were the one to handle it. Besides, it looks like part of a collection I've seen. The paper they used is pretty durable," she explained. True as everything went. Nara just didn't finish the explaination. She couldn't touch it or it'd do something nasty. She didn't know what and certainly didn't want to find out.
As the two were speaking Mr. Mysterious moved slowly towards one side, glancing around as if taking in the room. His hooded form covered where his eyes truly laied though."Hmm....I suppose..." Alice's gaze was drawn to the side momentarily as she saw Nara's partner move a bit. She didn't recall the woman mentioning his name, but he didn't look like the most friendly type, so she decided to let it pass. Turning back to the scroll case on the table, Alice reached for it reluctantly. She undid the catch and after giving Nara a bit of an "if you're sure" kind of look, began to slip it out of the case. "There's not too much to it, just a picture of a loom, which I thought was a bit odd..." The itch was becoming nearly unbearable. Clenching her hands Nara smiled reassuringly at the woman. "I see. Do you think you could spread it out on the table there?" The relic pointed, moving closer to the table.
Mr. Mysterious moved in closer as well, nearly at a sixty degree angle from the two. The gentleman shifted slightly.The woman's requests continued to seem a bit odd to Alice, who would have thought a person from this library would have been eager to get their hands on the scroll itself, instead of looking at it from a distance, on top of a table. She finished pulling it out of the case and unrolled it, glancing at it for a moment, letting her eyes rest on the loom before leaning over to set it on the table. "As you wish," she said with a shrug and put it down, stepping back a bit, so that the pair could have a better look. Alice just sincerely hoped that this type of handling wouldn't damage the artifact. There was some shuffling about as the two jostled into position. But as soon as they were.. A green light shone from the crystal embedded in Nara's chest, piercing through the shirt. All sensation drained from her hands as they dissolved into mist. The green mist wrapped around the three, linking them in a triangle. After the space of no more than three heartbeats a thump was heard on the table.
Suddenly the mist dissapeared. Staggering a step back, Nara bent over trying to catch her breath. Revealed, the thump had turned out to be a very young girl, four at the oldest. Nervously Nara watched the woman.The pair moved slightly and then suddenly, there was green mist swirling around the three, a thump and the appearance of a young girl on the table. It all happened so quickly that it took Alice a moment to process what had happened and react accordingly. She took in the fact that there was now a toddler sitting on top of her living room table, where seconds before, there had been a scroll. Tearing her eyes away from the girl, Alice glanced at the man and woman who had walked into her life only about 10 minutes ago. They didn't exactly seem surprised by the turn of events. Was she just imagining things then? She couldn't imagine that the appearance of a child would be normal to these people... "Is...there....is there really a child on my table...where my scroll used to be, or have I just gone completely nuts?" Alice asked, in a shaky voice. For a moment Nara considered running out the door and dissapearing. But only for a moment. "Yes," she replied simply, searching for a nice easy explaination. "She was sealed inside that scroll for a while.. Ah, we can take her back to the Library or you can take care of her... If you like." Nara avoided the topic of explainations. One day she'd figure out a good way to explain everything but that probably would be a long time in coming.Alice took a deep breath and thought a moment before responding. Ok...so there had been a child inside that scroll of hers and she was now in her house. Now Alice had the option of keeping the child, something she certainly hadn't thought would happen to her today. Well....Alice was getting a bit lonely here, all by herself. And she had talked about wanting children, when she was younger. After looking at the small girl a moment longer Alice had made her decision. "I'll...take care of her," she said with a nod, before giving a nervous smile and reaching to pick up the toddler. "Any chance you can tell me how or why she was in there though?" she asked Nara. Nara smiled with relief. She still didn't have to take care of any of the kids. Cute as they were, it was just.. awkward. "Great!" She enthused, regaining most of her energy. Said energy dipped for a moment as she pondered the woman's question.
"Well, the only person that knows why she was sealed is...her. All we know is that some time ago an Eygptian god decided to offer it to select people. Most of the information was lost when the Library of Alexandria got burned down." Nara shrugged. "I was sealed in a scroll once and that still the extent of what I know."
The relic nodded at the girl. "What are you going to name her?""I see..." Was all Alice said to Nara's explaination, her mind burning with more questions, but she was unable to form them. She was sure they'd all pop to the surface as soon as the woman and her silent partner left. "A name?" With all that was going on, that hadn't even crossed her mind. She looked at the small girl and shifted her weight in her arms. "I think I'll call her Maggie, after my grandmother who lived here." Alice said with a nod and a smile. Nara smiled, memories tinging it with the barest hint of regret. "That's very sweet of you," the young woman murmmered. Glancing over at her partner the relic nodded. "If you need anything, just call that number. You'll be patched through to the Musaeum." The two waited a moment, silently communicating. "Ah, and before we go. There's going to be a Halloween ball in a couple weeks. Why don't you come?""Um...sure," Alice replied to the invitation. She wasn't the most social creature, and Halloween kind of freaked her out, but maybe it would be fun? "I'll just have to come up with something to wear. I haven't done the Halloween thing in quite some time. But I hope Maggie will like it. Where is it, and what time?" "Library, Oct. 31, 5 ish," Nara replied. With a wave, the relic followed her partner out of the house."Ok. I'll be there," Alice said as she led them to the front door and bid them farewell. She raised one of Maggie's small hands and waved it for her. "Goodbye. Have a safe trip back," Alice called after them, before shutting the door and looking at the child in her arms. What had happened in here today? With a confused laugh, she hugged Maggie and headed to the living room to sit down and think about what to do.
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:38 pm
10/04/06
Dear Journal,
Today has taken a completely unexpected turn. Do you recall that scroll in the case, that I found in the attic a few days ago? Well....it's no longer a scroll. By some means, I have yet to understand, the scroll has become a three or four year old girl, that I have decided to call Maggie, after Grammie.
It all started when I was taking down a bag of trash from my attic cleaning job, and there was a knock at the door. There was a man and woman there, that I didn't recognize. The woman introduced herself as Nara. The man...well I still don't know what his name is. Nara just introduced him as her partner. That's just as well, he kinda creeped me out anyways. I don't think he said a single word the entire time they were here.
They said they were from the Gaian branch of the Library of Alexandria, that they had traced an old scroll here, and asked if I knew anything about it. I thought it a strange coincidence that they showed up on my doorstep, days after I found the strange scroll in the attic. Figuring it couldn't hurt to let them have a look at it, I let them inside so they could see.
Shortly after taking the scroll out, they asked me to set it down on the table. The two others moved into what seemed specific positions, and a moment later, there sat Maggie on my coffee table.
I'm a bit overwhelmed by all of this. I don't know quite what to do with a three and a half year old girl, but I guess I'd better figure it out soon. I think she'll be ok sleeping in her clothes tonight, but tomorrow I'd better make that trip into town that I've been putting off. And maybe I'd better call Michael...
Alice
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:52 pm
Explainations Alice wound her car through the streets of Durem, arriving much later than she would have liked. She had called Michael that morning, asking if he would meet her for lunch at Brawley's, their favorite hole-in-the-wall diner in downtown Durem. Of course, she had convienently failed to mention that she would be bringing a toddler with her, as she hadn't quite figured out how to tell him that she was now an adoptive mother. She was supposed to meet him at 11:30, planning on getting there early to take care of some shopping for Maggie and try and sell some of the finds from the attic before lunch. However, Alice had forgotten to take into account that laws required toddlers to be in carseats. Knowing she couldn't leave Maggie alone to procure one, Alice spent a great deal of time that morning using pillows and other various items to jury-rig a kind of padded/ raised seat for the tiny girl. Maggie took most of the jostling and reorganizing without protest, seeming to be a fairly easygoing child so far. Now she was napping in the backseat, the motion of the car having lulled her to sleep, despite the fact that it was her first ride. Now it was 11:00 and Alice had half an hour to kill before meeting Michael, but that wasn't really enough time to accomplish anything of note, downtown. She parked a couple of blocks from the restaurant, knowing there was a baby supply store in the vicinity, though not sure of it's exact location, never having needed to go in. She unstrapped the groggy Maggie from her "carseat" and plucked up the courage to ask a passing stranger where the store was, determined to at least get a stroller before meeting up with Michael. Alice wasn't going to make Maggie walk all over downtown and didn't have the strength to carry her around all afternoon. Locating the store only about 20 minutes before she was to meet Michael, Alice went through a fairly rushed purchace, probably buying a more elaborate model than she needed. As soon as the transaction went through, she plopped the now alert toddler in the seat and left the store, with the clerk that had helped her smiling happily. The store had been a few blocks in the opposite direction of the restaurant, and Alice ended up powerwalking the distance, barely making it on time. Michael had arrived early, and was already standing outside Brawley's when Alice rounded the corner. He smiled when he saw her approaching, with her usual slightly frazzled look, but his brow creased in confusion when he noticed seconds later that she was pushing a stroller. He waved as she approached, and Alice nodded in response, waiting until she was closer before speaking and letting go of the stroller a moment to give him a hug. "Hello Michael," she said with a nervous smile as she stepped back, wondering what he thought of her bringing a toddler on their "date." Michael returned the hug warmly, raising an eyebrow as she pulled away, and his gaze drifted to Maggie in the stroller. The toddler was smiling happily up at the two adults, almost as if she wished to say something. Alice hadn't heard her speak so far, but judging by the age she appeared, it was likely that she had the capability, but had just been silent up until this point. "Who's the kid, Alice?" Michael asked curiously, scratching the back of his head. A hint of irritation could be heard in his tone. "Got stuck babysitting today or something?" Well there it was then. He was already asking about Maggie, not that Alice had really expected differently. I mean who wouldn't ask? With a sheepish grin, Alice pushed the stroller towards the open door of the restaurant. "Um....not exactly. It's kind of a long story. Mind if I explain after we sit down?" Michael shrugged his shoulders in a way that said he really didn't have much of a choice and followed her into the resturant. The were quickly were seated, along with a highchair for Maggie and as soon as the hostess left them, Michael started to poke at Alice again. "So....?" he said, his meaning clear, looking at her directly as he picked up his water glass. "Well...." Alice started, still not quite sure how she wanted to present this information. Stirring her water with her straw, she stalled a few seconds, while she thought. She wanted to be straightforward with Michael, because lying or hiding things never solved anything in the end, even if it seemed easier at the time. On the other hand, she didn't want to scare him off either. She glanced over at Maggie, who was currently occupied with a paper placemat and a few crayons that the hostess had been kind enough to give them. This wasn't exactly going to be easy, and she cleared her throat before continuing. "This is Maggie," she said glancing up at him. No reaction, safe to continue. "She kind of....came into my possesion early yesterday afternoon." Michael's brow creased again. Ok... now he's confused..."Came into your posession? What in the hell do you mean by that?" Michael pressed, his voice slightly raised. He put the glass he had been sipping from down on the table rather harder than he had intended, startling Maggie and earning a frown from her. "Well..." Alice looked down at her lap, pretending to adjust the napkin she had placed there. "I mean that I take care of her now. I'm...her mother." As soon as she said it, she knew how true the words were. Even though she had taken care of the child for fewer than 24 hrs, she couldn't imagine letting someone else take her and claim her as theirs. Michael's eyes opened wide in surprise and he sputtered into the glass of water which he had picked up again. It took him a moment to speak, coughing to get the liquid out of his airpipe. "You're...her mother?" He slouched back in chair, apparently in a slight state of shock. His gaze traveled over to the little girl who had no idea that her sudden appearance into Alice's life might be a bit of an obstacle. Maggie tilted her head at the man, looking back at him, as if trying to decide what she though of him. Michael looked at her for a moment longer, before breaking the gaze and turning back to Alice. "You want to explain what's going on here?" he said, in a rather prickly tone of voice. "I know we were talking about a more serious relationshp, but I don't know that I'm ready or willing to get involved in anything that comes with a ready-made family." Just then, the waiter approached and asked for their orders. Alice was relieved by the moment to collect her thoughts, that the interruption afforded her. How could she explain the strage, yet amazing thing she had experienced the day before? It's not like things of that nature were commonplace. Would he believe her? As the waiter walked away, Michael slowly turned his gaze back to Alice. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "From the look on your face, I don't think I'll like what I'm going to hear." Was her fear of inadequately being able to explain what had happened that apparent? Alice shifted in her seat uncomfortably for a moment, before finally starting to explain her experience, Michael sitting across from her, listening silently.
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Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 1:31 am
Shopping Expedition It hadn't been easy telling Michael about Maggie or how she had come to be her mother. Michael had remained silent the whole time, the occasional nod of the head or eyebrow quirk were the only indications that he was listening. By the time Maggie was done explaining everything, they had received their food, and were halfway though eating it. Michael leaned back in his chair at her final words. He let out a sigh and rubbed his face with his hands, before finally speaking. "This...is a bit much for me to deal with right now, Alice," he said, reluctantly, casting a glance at Maggie who was using her fingers to shovel mashed potatoes into her mouth. Alice followed his gaze and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Her smile quickly disappeared again, however, when she looked back at his expression. "I need some time to think about things before I can say more definitively where I am willing to go with this relationship. I'm not sure that I'm ready to take on the responsibilities of a father. Let alone be a father to a child that is not mine." He let out another sigh. "I'm sorry Alice." She nodded, biting her lower lip lightly. It had been her hope that Michael would be happy about this, and that he would be just as excited as she was. In retrospect, she knew she had been hoping too much, but it was too late for that now. Michael asked for the check and kindly paid for them both, perhaps as a way of softening the blow. As soon as the bill was cleared, however, he took his leave. Alice sat there several moments longer just sipping her water and thinking, before finally looking over at Maggie. The little girl was occupied once again with the crayons the hostess had provided, but looked up at Alice after a few seconds, a pleased grin on her face. That was all it took to get Alice to smile back at her. Taking a deep breath, she set her glass down on the table, before pushing her chair away from the table and standing. She leaned down over the high chair, positioning herself to lift the toddler from the seat. "Well Munchkin, shall we see if we can find you some clothes, a car seat and maybe a few other things?" she asked, not really expecting Maggie to respond as the girl had been silent thusfar. She wondered for a moment, whether the young girl even knew what a car seat was, aside from the makeshift job she had done to get the two of them into Durem in the first place. Alice picked up the stroller, from where she had left it, near the entrance, and plopped Maggie into the seat before heading out the door. An hour and a half after she had entered the resturant, Alice once again found herself wandering the streets of Durem. She headed back to the store where she had purchased the stroller, this time at a more leisurely pace. She pointed things out to Maggie along the way, hoping that if she got the girl excited about something, that maybe she would talk. What little she knew about child development told her that she should at least be saying some words by now. They arrived at the store with still nothing that resembled a word from the mouth of the small girl. Alice sighed inwardly, and reminded herself that she should probably wait a few days, at least, before worrying. After all, if what Nara said was true (and how else could one explain Maggie's appearance?), then she had been sealed away for a long time and many of the things of this day and age were probably strange to her. They spent a good half an hour at the store, before Alice finally selected a car seat model that she liked. Then, they spent another hour, wandering the aisles, Alice picking out clothes, toys, and all the other things that Maggie would need. She also picked out a cute princess Halloween costume for the toddler. Halloween wasn't one of Alice's favorite holidays, but she wouldn't allow herself to be a "stick-in-the-mud" and spoil something that Maggie would probably have a lot of fun with. After all, what kid doesn't like free candy? All this shopping was tiring to the toddler, however, and she soon fell asleep again in her stroller. Alice smiled at the sight of her little girl dreaming, her thumb in her mouth and her hands clutching the blanket that had appeared with her. Eventually, she finished her shopping, and by the time she left the store, the sun was starting to get low in the sky. With the help of an associate, she set up the car seat and strapped Maggie in, managing not to wake her, before loading the remainder of the purchases in the car. Again, when she was heading away, she left some very happy sales associates, who were more than happy to help her spend her money. Alice didn't really care about that though. She had never been one to spend much of her salary, when she was working, so most of it had ended up in a savings account. Plus, with the monatary inheritance her grandparents had left her, in addition to the house, she wouldn't have to worry for quite some time. At least until Maggie was old enough to go to school. As she drove home, Alice thought of Micheal and wished she knew what he was thinking right now. She really did like him and didn't want to lose the possibility of a relationship with him. However, she also knew that the sudden appearance of Maggie was really a shock to him and kind of scary. She sighed, hoping it was not enough to drive him away completely Maggie slept the whole way home, and Alice gently removed her from the carseat, and laid her on top of the bed in the master bedroom. She had purchased a bed for Maggie, but it wasn't set up yet, so this would have to do. She made a barrier around the girl with the pillows she had made the carseat with earlier, so she wouldn't roll off the bed. Once satisfied that the toddler was secure, Alice headed back outside to bring in the rest of her purchases.
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Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:18 pm
10/15/06
Dear Journal,
A lot has happened since I wrote you last.... The day after I wrote, I took Maggie into town and got her a stroller, car seat, clothes, etc. I even got her this cute little purple and blue princess outfit for Halloween. I hope she likes it, she was asleep when I picked it out.
While we were in town, I had arranged to meet up with Michael at Brawley's. I told him about how I'm a mother now and all the circumstances surrounding it. He...didn't take it as well as I would have hoped. He didn't sound like he was happy about the addition of a child into the equation that was determining whether we would should start a relationship. He seemed sorry to say that at least, but I haven't heard from him since. I haven't given up hope yet though...
When Maggie first arrived, and for a few days after, I never heard her say a single word. She never even cried! I was getting to be a bit worried that she might not speak at all, but I didn't need to worry, it turns out. About five days after she came into my life, she came up to me and said, "Me hungry." I was so happy that I picked her up and gave her a big hug right there. I'm nott sure she understood why I was suddenly so excited, but that's ok.
Ever since then, she has been talking more and more. All I can figure is that she took so long to speak, because she was just getting used to her new surroundings. I frankly don't blame her. It must have been quite a change! I'm just glad I don't have to worry about her in that regard anymore. And she's started calling me Mama!
Well, I'd better go, Maggie's tugging at my sleeve because she wants to play. I'll update with more when I can.
Alice
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Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 4:19 pm
Halloween Alice wandered into the house, a little after midnight, Maggie asleep in her arms. The little girl was still dressed in the princess dress that Alice had purchased a few weeks before, and had a tiny smile on her face. They had gone to the party that was being hosted by Nara and her partner, whatever his name was. Alice had left a message for Michael, inviting him to join her, but hadn't recieved a response. She was disappointed, but had partly been expecting it as she hadn't heard from him since he'd met Maggie. If she didn't hear from him soon, she'd know it was time to move on. Once at the party, Alice had been introduced to a professor of sorts, who was apparently in charge of the library, and met a few other people. They didn't stay very long, however. Maggie seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the people in costume, and Alice wasn't having a particularly good time. She had never really been one for the party scene. She had seen a flyer for a "safe" trick-or-treating event at the mall, where the kids could go from booth to booth in a well-lit, superivised area. They also had games and other activies for the kids. Deciding that she didn't want to have gotten herself and Maggie dressed for nothing, Alice drove over to the mall to check it out. When she got there, Alice was very happy with her decision. The food court was all decorated and had lots of things for Maggie to explore and places for her to get some candy in the Halloween trick-or-treat tradition. There were a lot more children her age to play with as well, which is something Alice knew she should get the opportunity to do more often. It was hard though, because their house was so isolated. After about an hour and a half of collecting candy, jumping in the inflatable castle, getting pictures taken, and having fun, Maggie started to get cranky. They stayed for a few more minutes, but soon Alice picked up the toddler and started heading out to the car, despite the girl's protests. Alice could tell that she was just tired, and it didn't take more than ten minutes for Maggie to fall asleep, once they were on their way home. She peeked back at the little girl asleep in the carseat, every few minutes, a smile unconciously spreading across her face. Alice hadn't realized how lonely and relatively meaningless her life had been before Maggie had been unexpectedly thrust into it. Even though she'd only had the toddler for a little over a month, Alice couldn't imagine life without her now. Eventually, they pulled into the driveway. Yawning, Alice carefully removed Maggie from her carseat before carrying her upstairs to bed. Soon after, she headed to her own room and removed the 50's poodle skirt attire, that had been her costume for the evening. With a smile, she crawled into bed and feel asleep almost instantly
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 11:05 pm
Trying Again He was late. Alice fidgeted as she looked at her watch, waiting in the lobby of the resturant. Michael had called her a couple of nights before, just shortly after Halloween, telling her that they needed to talk. He invited her to discuss things over dinner at a nice restaurant, but requested that she leave Maggie with a sitter if possible. After a few phone calls, Alice had been able to find someone who could watch Maggie for a few hours and called Michael back to let him know that she would be able to make the date. She had looked at Maggie with an almost guilty expression, wondering if she was being a bad mother by choosing to go out with a man who had not reacted so well to Maggie's presence. The toddler had no idea what was going on in her mother's head, however, and wandered over, clinging to Alice's leg. Maggie smiled at her. "I love you Mommy," she had said in her innocent little way. Now Alice wondered if there had been a reason for her guilt, seeing as Michael didn't even have the decency to show up on time. Of course, the moment Alice thought this, Michael appeared, slightly out of breath. As soon as he spotted her, he made his way over. "Sorry Alice. I got caught behind an accident off of Main Street," he said, looking Alice over, and smiling eagerly as he approached. Alice had gone to a little bit of extra effort tonight, doing her makeup and wearing a form-fitting black dress that revealed what figure she did have, even if it wasn't much. She tried to smile back at him, but suddenly felt naked under his gaze. "You look nice," he said, sitting beside her to wait for their table. "Thank you," Alice said quietly, blushing as she dropped her gaze and fiddled with an imaginary loose string on the hem of her dress, before letting the conversation lapse into an uncomfortable silence. Why am I acting like this? she wondered. It's not like Michael and I have never gone out somewhere nice before. Alice knew why, she just wouldn't admit to herself that she was afraid that Michael had brought her here to break up with her, or to tell her something else she wouldn't like. She wasn't optomistic enough to hope that this dinner was an apology for the way things had gone a few weeks ago and that Michael would actually be interested in having Maggie be a part of their relationship. Soon enough they were seated and Michael ordered them a bottle of wine. After the waiter walked away to retrieve the drink, Michael looked across the table at Alice, who had continued to be silent. "You're quiet tonight..." he said, in a voice with a hint of caution. "Maybe I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop." The words flew out of Alice's mouth unexpectedly, the tone bitter. As soon as she'd said them, her expression changed to one of shock and embarassment, her face reddening at her outburst. She hadn't even been sure that's the way she felt until the words had flown out of her mouth. Carefully, she raised her eyes to look at Michael's expression, fearing what she would see. Michael's expression was more one of surprise than anger. Alice figured that was because he wasn't used to hearing her say things like that. She was usually pretty quiet about her feelings if she thought it was going to make waves of any kind. Michael raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze, before sighing. Shaking his head he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples before speaking. "I had kind of hoped that we could have a nice dinner before we would have to talk about anything serious," Michael said, clearly unhappy at the sudden turn of events. "What else did you expect to talk about, after what happened the last time we saw each other, Michael?" she asked quietly, back to her rather soft-spoken self. Alice secretly wished that the waiter would hurry up with the wine. She had a feeling one or both of them would need it before the meal was over. “Look, I’m sorry about how I acted a few weeks ago. I really am. But what kind of reaction did you expect? I mean it really wasn’t something I was going to immediately mentally prepared for. You sprung something rather major on me, with no warning.” He looked across the table at her with a raised eyebrow. “Well maybe I was hoping for a little support from the man that I’ve been dating and talking about taking the next step with. I…” Alice trailed off, noticing the waiter approaching with their wine. He quickly poured them each a glass, before replacing the cork and placing the bottle in the bucket of ice beside the table. “Are you two ready to order, or shall I give you a few more minutes?” the waiter inquired politely. At the question, Alice realized that she had not even opened her menu. She sheepishly looked up at the waiter, her fingers groping to open the pages. “Uh, can we have a few more minutes please? I don’t think I’ve quite decided.” “Of course, ma’am. Take as long as you need.” Alice caught the hint of annoyance in the waiter’s voice that he was trying to hide, and the brief flicker of his eyes towards the busy waiting area in the lobby. “We’ll be quick, I promise,” she said, and sent a meaningful glance to Michael. She hoped he got the message that they should order before continuing their conversation. The waiter nodded and moved away to refill another table’s water glasses, before Alice leaned over her menu, Michael doing the same. A few minutes later, the waiter returned and took their orders; Michael getting shrimp scampi and Alice getting stuffed chicken marsala. As soon as the waiter was out of earshot, Alice turned back to look at Michael. “Now…where were we?” “You were telling me why I should have been ok with the little one’s appearance, the first time I saw her,” Michael said, the words carrying a bit of sarcasm. “Ah, yes,” Alice said nervously, having lost some of her bravado in the lull of the conversation. She picked up her wine glass and took a swig before continuing, hoping the alcohol would make her braver than she usually was. “I guess I was just hoping that you would be just as excited as I was to have her in my –our – lives. I mean, I was scared at first too, but now I can’t imagine life without her.” Alice watched for Michael’s reaction to that last statement. Michael looked down and rubbed his hands together, as if considering something difficult. Alice started to prepare herself for the worst and fidgeted in her chair while she waited for him to speak. He spent a good several minutes that way, before looking up at her. "Does she really mean that much to you?" Michael asked in a tone that told Alice nothing about the intent behind the question. She watched him for a moment trying to glean anything she could from his expression, but learned nothing. "Yes, yes she does," she said nervously; not because she was unsure of her statement but because she knew that the next words out of Michael's mouth would determine the future of any relationship they could have. He reached across the table and took Alice's hands in his. "I don't want to lose you, Alice. I know we haven't had any kind of serious relationship yet, but I saw possible future for us." "Saw?" she asked fearfully, at hearing the past tense. Michael raised a hand to quiet her and continued. "Up until a little while ago, that didn't include a child, at least not for a ways down the road. So naturally, I was shocked to hear that you were suddenly a mother, not even the length of a pregnancy or something to help me get used to the idea." Alice pulled her hand away, looking down, her shoulders slumped. This is it. This is where he dumps me.Michael let her take her hand back, keeping an eye on her. He knew how this had to sound. Taking a breath, he plowed on. "It scared me, it still does. However, I can see how truly important she has become to you, in this short time. I realize now that any future with you has to include her. That means....that I'm willing to accept her entrance into our lives, and hopefully in time, I'll come to care for her like you do." Alice looked up at him, blinking back the tears that had started to form, when she though she was going to be dumped. She just stared at him a moment, letting it sink in, a smile slowly creeping across her face. Finally she flung herself out of her chair and embraced him, laughing before kissing him excitedly.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:56 pm
The Beach (in progress) After working things out with Michael, Alice thought it would be nice if she took a vacation with Maggie, to let her nerves ease a bit. It had been a long time since she had been to the beach and she thought that Maggie would enjoy the sand and the water. She wanted to make sure that ther little girl had fun, so she packed all sorts of shovels, buckets and other castlebuilding supplies, as well as an excessive amount of sunscreen. Alice knew she had packed too much, but she didn't want to leave anything they would "need" for the weeked. She booked a hotel room at the casino on the Isle de Gambino with a view overlooking the beach. They went shopping at the hat rack and Gambino outfitters, getting them both new swimsuits and hats before finally making their way to the sandy beach. Alice must have looked a sight trying to carry all their beach supplies, their lunch and a shade umbrella. Maggie on the other hand had a huge grin on her face and happliy trotted along next to her mother on the way to the water. There were so many people! And there were other kids to play with! And the sand and the water! She was nearly overwhelmed at everything there was to see. Eventually, they found an unoccupied spot decently close to the water, and Alice set up camp. Maggie scurried around the edges, trying to help, so that they could get to the water more quickly, but she more hindered than helped the process. Finally, with their spot adequately staked out, and Maggie all decked out in a hat, sunscreen and water wings, Alice took the toddler's eager hand, and was lead as quickly as the her daughter's legs would take her towards the water.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 8:58 pm
Playdate in the Park Alice pulled into the parking lot in the park, smiling as she looked at Maggie babbling away to herself in the rearview mirror. While the little girl had been rather quiet for the first several days, she was now a bit of a chatterbox and often sang along to the kid's song tapes that Alice had purchased for the little girl. Currently she was singing along to the itsy bitsy spider, which happened to be one of her favorites. When the song was over Alice turned off the ignition and got out of the car, opening the back door and retrieving Maggie from her carseat. Maggie smiled happily when she saw where they were. She always had fun at the park. "Can I pway?" she asked excitedly, wiggling in Alice's arms as she was set down on the ground. There were a few other kids on the playground and Maggie was eager to join in on the fun. "Yes, yes, just a minute," Alice laughed, trying to keep a hand on the little girl while also picking up the blanket, picnic lunch and toys she had brought for the afternoon. "Take my hand and we'll walk over there together." Maggie obediently took her mother's hand and walked beside her, trying her best not to run ahead. Papina looked up from her spot in sunlight. She was sitting on the ground with both hands and feet firmly in the dirt. Mommy had finally caved in and allowed her to go out, but now she had to call every half-hour or so to let her Mom was ok. She sighed and looked around yet again for any "scary-looking people who might want to harm you." Geeze, her mom gets scared at just the wrong time! She saw no one scary and tilted her head back so she could enjoy the sunlight some more. She didn't have to call for another... 15 minutes or so... Alice and Maggie wandered over to a shady spot on the grass, near the playground and set up the blanket, before Alice gave Maggie a pat and told her she could go play. Laughing excitedly, Maggie took off at a run toward the slides, while Alice looked on, watching carefully. Out of the corner of her eye, Alice saw a girl on the grass nearby, who had a distinctly green color to her skin. She tilted her head as she studied the girl, who looked vaugely familiar. Another scroll child perhaps? That's the only reason she could think of that the girl would look that way, and also look a bit familiar. Perhaps I saw her during the Halloween party? Alice thought to herself, before turning her attention back to Maggie. The little girl had gotten to the top of one of the shorter slides and waved at her mommy, grinning. Before going down, Maggie used her higher vantage point to look around, and spied a rather strange looking girl. Curious, Maggie slid down the slide, laughing, before walking towards the girl with green skin. Papina felt like she was being watched and pried one eye half-way open to see who it was. Hmm... They felt... familar. Like Reign and Isdra and Codi all did. Was this another scroll child coming towards her? She closed her eyes again and kept her posistion. She didn't want to scare the kid off, after all. Another... 12 or so minutes? She'd best call soon, or she'd get yelled at and told to come home early. The phrase "Better late than never" did not apply in this caseAlice kept a close eye on Maggie as she approached the other girl. She almost wanted to call to her and tell her to come away, and not bother other people, but she was curious how things would play out. It would do no good if she didn't give Maggie some independance in making friends, and besides, Alice wanted to satisfy her curiosity about the green-skinned girl. Maggie stepped closer, drawn to the older girl, for reasons that her young mind probably couldn't understand, but there was something about the girl laying on the grass. "Hewwo?" she asked quietly Papina opened first one eye, then the other, and turned her head towards the voice. "'Ello," she responsed softly. No use beating around the bush. She was never good at it anyways, but she might as well keep that soft voice. "What do you want?" Maggie shrugged her little shoulders, looking at Papina a moment, before looking back at the playground equipment. "Want to pway?" she asked, not thinking that because this girl was quite a bit older, she might not want to play with her. Papina regarded the girl in front of her for a moment before pulling one hand out of the dirt, shaking it semi-clean, pulling a cell phone out of her pocket, and looking at it. "A moment please." She rolled her eyes as she flipped the cell phone open and started dialing. "I have to call my mom and let her know I haven't... like... died or anything like that." She put the phone to one ear and waited for the phone to pick up on the other end. "Hello. Mom? Yeah. Yes, I'm still here. No, I haven't met anyone who might want to hurt me." She rolled her eyes upwards, leaned back, and continued, "Yes, I'm fine. No, you really need not come over here. I'm fine. Really I am. Yes, I'll be home before sundown. Yes, yes, no, yes. May I hang up now? Yes, no, no. Mom? Yes, no. I'm hanging up now." She pulled the phone a little from her ear. "Yes, yes, no. Bye Mom. Yes Mom. Bye Mom." She quicky shut the phone, ending the call. She grinned at the girl in front of her as she tucked the phone away and held out her hand. "I'm Papina, and I'd be glad to. And you are?"Maggie looked curiously at Papina's dirt covered hand. Her mommy never let her get that dirty. While Papina was making the call, Maggie sat down in the grass and watched a ladybug that happened to be passing by. Her attention was brought back to Papina, however, when the older girl snapped the phone shut. "Maggie!" she responded excitedly to Papina's question. She'd made a friend! Grabbing Papina's offered hand, Maggie got to her feet and tried to pull Papina towards the play equipment. Papina chuckled to herself and "allowed" Maggie to pull her as she quickly got her other hand and feet out of the dirt, pushed herself to her feet and followed after. "So what do you want to do first?" Alice smiled at her daughter's antics, pleased that the older girl was humoring Maggie. She settled down on the blanket to watch them, pulling a bottle of water and a book out of the bag next to her. Maggie paused when they reached the sand surrounding the play area and thought about Papina's question. A moment later, her face brightened and she grabbed Papina's hand again, dragging her towards the blanket where Alice sat. "We can make a sand castle! My mommy has toys!" Papina fought off a roll of her eyes and hid a grin behind one hand when Maggie suddenly pulled her in a different direction, but still went along. "Sand castles it is, then." Sand wasn't as good as dirt, but she could stand being covered in it for awhile. Alice looked up from her book and smiled as she noticed the two girls approaching, Maggie dragging the green-skinned girl behind her. "What can I do for you girls?" she asked laughing, before looking at Papina. "I hope Maggie's not bothering you?" "We want to make sandcastles Mommy!" Maggie said, releasing Papina's hand and giving Alice a hug, before going to dig in the bag next to Alice. "She isn't bothering me at all," Parmida responded, grinning at Maggie's mom. She released Maggie's hand when she let go. "I'm Papina. What's your name?" She didn't hold her hand out this time. There was no guarentee that there would be no reaction this time. "I'm Ms. Harper, though I suppose you can just call me Alice. Ms. Harper is so formal," she said, making a face, before smiling back at the girl. "It's nice to meet you Papina." Maggie was still digging through the bag and Alice turned to help her. "Sandcastles is it? You'll need a bucket, and shovels," she said, pulling the items from the bag and handing them to Maggie. "Thank you Mommy!" Maggie said happily, putting the shovels in the small pail and picking them up in one hand, before grabbing Papina's hand again, pulling her back towards the sand by the play equipment, laughing. Papina gave Alice an apologetic look and said, "Nice to meet you as well, and thank you," before Maggie took her hand and dragged her off again. "So what kind of sand castle do we wnat to build first?" she asked Maggie. A quick check at the phone showed that she still had plenty of time before the next call. Maggie thought about it as they walked over to the sand and she sat down in a patch that looked good for sandcastle building. "Hmm....a dollhouse?" she asked tentatively, looking at Papina for approval Papina was about to point out that a dollhouse wasn't exactly a castle when she saw Maggie look at her for approval. "Well," she began nervously, "Do you think we could build one?" She'd never built a dollhouse out of sand. This would be an interesting experiance. "I don't know?" Maggie shrugged, but didn't seem terribly bothered by the idea that they might not be able to do it. Instead she reached for the bucket and a shovel and started dumping sand into the bucket. Papina blinked at that, but picked up the other shovel and started to scoop sand into the bucket too. Might as well. It could always end up as a sandcastle anyways... When the bucket was full, Maggie pressed down on the top for a minute, trying to pack the sand together, like she had when she was at the beach. When she tipped it over to let the formed "tower" out, she was perplexed to discover that the sand hadn't stuck together and was now more of a hill than a tower. "What happened?" she asked looking at Papina, clearly confused. Papina blinked. She'd never been to a beach before, so she didn't know what was wrong either. "I dunno..." She murmured. "Maybe we need something to make it sticky so it sticks together?" She didn't think her mom would let her use glue... Maybe water would work?"Like what?" Maggie asked curiously. Water didn't occur to her at all, as she didn't even remotely associate it with anything sticky. "Maybe... water?" Papina offered. It was the only wet thing they could easily get at the moment. Speaking of, water sounded pretty good now. She could use a drink...
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