“Get up. Your breakfast is on the table and it's getting cold.”
The voice was warm and familiar. Roze opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust fully to the light. It took several moments for her to remember where she was. Her head was sore and her memory was fuzzy. She looked around her room first to try and collect herself. Along the walls were all of her dearest possessions. Various keepsakes and gifts from close friends and family members lined the perimeter of her bedroom. Her eyes finally landed safely upon her morning rouser who stood at the foot of her bed.
“Fern?” Roze blinked the sleep from her eyes and propped herself up on her arm. “Why are you here?”
“To wake you. I already said that. If you’re not out soon, I’m eating your breakfast.”
Roze could only return a befuddle stare as she watched her brother leave her room. Slowly, she crawled out of her bed and made her way to the breakfast table. Already seated at the table as Roze’s father, mother, and brother. Roze took a seat at an empty spot at the table where a plate of food had already been prepared for her. Her father had clearly cooked today as she had a full spread in front of her that included eggs, smoked pork, biscuits, juice, and coffee. Her father always got carried away in the kitchen and overcooked.
“You’ve used half the pantry in a single morning. I hope you planned to go shopping today.” Roze’s mother, June, spoke angrily, but didn’t stop eating the plate of food prepared for her.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done so I figured we could all use a good meal.” Roze’s father, Augustus, replied.
Her parents were sweet and simple. Her father wasn’t particularly tall, but a life of working outside had made him a solid built man. Roze’s mother was no weaker in comparison. She often hid her shape in flowing sundresses, but Roze had seen her in work clothes many times to know that her mother was no stranger to manual labor.
“That’s true, but without Fern here there isn’t anybody to make trips into town as frequently. We need to keep that in mind when it comes to the pantry.”
Roze paused for a moment, confused. “Mom, what are you talking about? Fern hasn’t left yet, he’s right here.” When Roze moved her hand to her brother’s shoulder she was shocked by the emptiness it struck. She turned over to investigate and could hear her mother’s voice.
“Roze… We’ve gone over this. Your brother isn’t here. I know it’s hard to think about but you need to remember.”
“Remember? I remember speaking to Fern just this morning. I remember him sitting down at the table. How can you not remember that?” Roze was growing irritated at the conversation. Her parents were looking at her as though she wasn’t making any sense.
“Maybe because I remember burying all that was left of your brother. I don’t care to keep reliving that memory each time you want to have an episode.”
“Episode? This isn’t an episode and I don’t remember burying anybody. I would definitely remember burying one of my family members…” Roze trailed off her sentence. As the words left her mouth she realized she could remember the deep grave towards the back of her family’s property. She remembered the day her brother set off towards Yellowfield on a shopping trip. She remembered waiting for him to return as the sun began to set. She vividly remembered her father sobbing at the table over the tattered remains of a blood stained shawl.
“Roze please. I can’t do this again with you. I should never have mentioned your brother. I’m sorry. Just eat your breakfast and help your father outside.”
“But Fern was just here this morning…” Roze’s vision began to blur. The mix of confusion, frustration, and despair swirled in her gut like a noxious cocktail.
“Roze! We’re not doing this again today. Now, get up. It’s time to go outside and work,” Roze’s mother was now standing at the table. Her tone had become belligerent, “I said it’s time to get up!”
As her hand reached across to jerk Roze out of her chair, Roze felt her body shoot up. Hazel was standing at the side of her bed with a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you awake this time? You keep opening your eyes but you just go back to sleep. Can you actually get up this time? The rest of the group is already eating breakfast.”
“Sorry,” Roze mumbled as she sat up, “I was having a bad dream. I think I got stuck in it, that happens to me sometimes.”
“Oh, ok then,” Hazel seemed like she was searching hard for something to say back, “Yeah, you kept muttering in your sleep and turning over. I figured you just wanted to sleep by yourself so I went back to my bed.”
“Back to your… Why were you in my bed?”
“Because you told me to. You pulled me in.”
“I did no such thing. Please don’t make assumptions and invite yourself into my space. If you want to sleep closer you can say that.”
“Sleep closer?” Hazel’s face flushed red. Anger? Roze thought. “Who would want to sleep closer to your drunk ass? Next time you decide to embarrass yourself at a tavern, find your own way home.”
Roze wanted to ask what Hazel’s problem was, but before she could continue the argument, Hazel had shifted her cat form and scampered out of the room. With no options left, Roze turned over and screamed into her pillow.
Comments (0)
See all