slumber.
She was a middle-aged woman with brown hair and hazel eyes, she was the first to emerge from her room.
"Wake up, children," she called out, "I'm going to prepare breakfast."
In their modest home, with only two bedrooms, one for the parents and the other for their six children.
The scent of fresh bread soon wafted through the air. The door to the children's bedroom cracked open, and the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.
The kitchen echoed with the clatter of pots and pans as breakfast was prepared. Amidst the cheerful sounds of giggling and chatter, the children enjoyed their simple meal of bread, eggs, and milk, enough to satisfy their hunger. However, the mother noticed the absence of one of her daughters.
"Where is Patricia?" she inquired. "We didn't see her," came the response. "Maybe she's outside, as usual."
The mother left the kitchen and hurried towards the door, calling out, "Patricia! Where are you?"
As she stepped outside, she spotted her daughter. "There you are! Come here quickly. You must eat something before your siblings finish all the food." "I'm coming," Patricia replied. As she pinned the white linens to the clothesline, a gentle breeze tousled her blonde curls. Her blue eyes wandered across the expansive green field, soaking in the tranquil beauty of the countryside.
In the serene countryside backdrop, Patricia appeared almost ethereal, like a living embodiment of a pastoral painting. Her cascading golden locks captured the morning sunlight, shimmering like spun gold. Once she completed her task of hanging the laundry, she hurried back indoors.
"Where is the breakfast?" she asked eagerly. The mother sighed, "I told you to come in earlier. You know your siblings. They are like a swarm of locusts."
Among her four sons and three daughters, most had brown hair and hazel eyes, except for Patricia and her twin brother Patrick, the only blondes in the family.
Patricia could only manage a piece of bread, which left her feeling annoyed. "Patrick! How could you not save even a small egg for me?" she exclaimed.
Patrick defended himself, "Why are you blaming me? I'm not the only one who ate!"
"But you're the eldest!" Patricia retorted.
Patrick countered, "I'm not! Did you forget about Paola?"
Frustration mounting, Patricia replied, "I didn't, but she doesn't count because she's married."
The mother intervened, her voice firm, "Stop, both of you... You're almost nineteen years old, yet you still quarrel like children."
Patrick sighed, then rose from his seat. "Parker, Paul, Peter, follow me. We're going to chop some wood and sell it for today," he declared.
As the four brothers exited the house, Patricia sat beside her five-year-old sister Paige to eat what remained.
"Paige, dear! Did you eat something? Should I bring some milk?" Patricia asked.
To her surprise, Paige handed her sister an egg, saying, "I kept it for you..."
Patricia hugged her adorable little sister and planted a kiss on her cheek, saying, "Oh, dear, you're the only one who thinks of me." She then ate half of the egg and passed the rest to her sister, adding, "The food will be tastier if we share it."
This was the typical morning routine in the Smith household. The girls assisted their mother with household chores, while the boys worked to earn some money. As for their father, he was disabled, unable to walk due to an accident. Nevertheless, his wife took excellent care of him.
After the boys left, she brought breakfast to her husband and then helped him outside. The father couldn't help but feel frustrated.
"I'm sorry, Elli. I'm such a burden on you and the children. I should have died long ago," he lamented.
"Don't say that, Charlie. You're a big support to us. The children love you so much," she reassured him.
"I wish I could walk again on my feet. Our children deserve a better life," he expressed his longing.
"Yeah, I know, but we must accept our fate," she responded with resignation.
As the night fell, the children reconvened for dinner, and Peter began sharing an intriguing tale they had heard in the village.
"Hey guys, we heard a very weird story when we went to the village to sell the wood," he said.
"Really? What is it, Peter?" Paige inquired.
"The townspeople keep talking about a very powerful hunter roaming around while hunting rare beasts," Peter explained. Suddenly,
Patricia choked on her food, coughing uncontrollably. "Patricia! Are you okay?" her siblings exclaimed.
"I'm...I'm fine..." she managed to respond weakly.
"Peter, keep talking about this hunter! Who is he exactly?" Patricia pressed for more information.
"No one knows his true identity because he disguises himself," Peter explained. "But they say he possesses immense strength. He can catch a beast with his bare hands, and he can defeat a whole army on his own."
Patricia screamed out without hesitation, "THAT'S NONSENSE!"
Everyone stared at her in surprise and confusion. "Did you hear about him as well?" they asked, puzzled by Patricia's outburst.
Patricia forced a smile to conceal her nervousness. "No, of course not... How could I? The story seems a little bit exaggerated," she replied, attempting to downplay her reaction.
Meanwhile, Peter, the fifteen-year-old boy, had already become a fan of the mysterious hunter. "That hunter is amazing. I wish I could meet him someday," he expressed enthusiastically.
Sensing the need to change the subject, Patricia redirected the conversation. "So, how was your day? Did you sell all the wood?" she asked.
Patrick responded, "Yes, we did. Today we managed to earn a lot of money."
"That's good news. Tomorrow I will prepare a feast for all of you," Patricia declared, trying to shift the focus away from the unsettling tale of the hunter.
After dinner, the exhausted siblings retired to their room to sleep. However, at midnight, Patricia's eyes snapped open. Carefully avoiding making any noise, she crept out of the room and made her way to the kitchen. "Where is he?" she wondered silently.
Suddenly, she heard Patrick's voice from the shadows, asking, "Are you ready for tonight's mission?"
Comments (0)
See all