Narrated by Elizabeth
Today I awoke early and did not see my aunt in my room; I am still adjusting to life here with them. I found a box at my side and, out of curiosity, I opened it. "How beautiful, a telescope. I will be able to gaze at the stars more closely," I exclaimed out loud. My aunt walked into my room, and I ran to embrace her.
"Thank you, I adore it," I told her, and she always looked at me with a smile on her face.
"Come on, go shower and get ready for breakfast," she said, leaving the room.
I headed toward the bathroom but mistook the door and entered the closet—a silly mistake. After finding the right door, I showered and carried out my morning routine. Once dressed, I went to the kitchen. My uncle was already having his coffee.
"Good morning," I said as I sat at the table. "I see you're getting quite accustomed to the house; that's good," my uncle stated while biting into a slice of chocolate cake.
"Well, this is my home now, so I have to make an effort to adapt," I said, pouring milk into a cup. So focused on my breakfast, I didn't hear my aunt calling me.
"Elizabeth, are you listening?"
"Sorry, I was spaced out."
"I was saying that I enrolled you in school, and you'll take the bus from the farm gate."
"I used to study with a private tutor at the hospital; I thought it would be the same here."
Uncle John took over the conversation.
"Darling, it's important for you to interact with people your age."
"Elizabeth, I know you're not ready to go alone, so I will be by your side during the first week." I just nodded in agreement; I do not enjoy being in crowded places.
"Classes start on Monday; you have five days to prepare mentally. Remember, I’ll be by your side until you get accustomed to school."
Even with my aunt joining me, I’m afraid I might panic and not acclimate. I change the subject, hoping maybe she'll forget, and I won't have to go to school.
"Auntie, last night I had the same dream as always, but this time I decided to talk to Athos," I said, waiting for her reaction. She took a deep breath, looked at me, and sat down in front of me.
"What did you talk about?" she asked calmly, a better reaction than I expected. My doctor used to tell me to take more sedatives whenever I had these types of dreams.
"He always asks where I am. I told him I'm at home and that I no longer need to believe he exists, that I’ve accepted reality." I’m not lying; I genuinely want to live in reality. Yet I don’t know why everything draws me back into believing in things that don't exist. My aunt handled my dreams well and told me to just see them as a part of me.
On Saturday, my aunt had to go to town to buy my school supplies and do the monthly shopping, while my uncle took the opportunity to take me fishing on a lake within the property. He brought everything we needed, including lunch, since we'd be there all day.
After arriving at the lake, I started hearing Athos's voice. I tried to ignore it, but it was impossible. I looked around; it was as if the voice was coming from within my heart. This is the second time I’m having these delusions while awake, but I didn’t tell my aunt and uncle to avoid going back to the hospital.
Soon he vanished, and I returned to fishing. My uncle had brought a rifle to hunt pheasants—my aunt's favorite—and said we would have it for dinner if he was successful.
He decided to go hunting after lunch. He handed me a hunting knife.
"Put it on your waist so you don't lose it, and don't play with it. To kill the fish, just hit it on the head with the back of the knife. Be careful when handling the blade."
Before disappearing into the woods, he turned and said, "If anything happens, you just scream, and I'll come immediately." I reassured him I would stay put, especially after catching three fish.
I took the opportunity to glance around without straying too far from the lake. On one side was a forest full of trees; on the other, a thicket with somewhat taller vegetation and many shrubs, with only one trail with sparse plants. I heard a distant noise and became alert as I was alone, but for some reason, I wasn’t scared. I drew the knife and took a defensive stance, readying myself for anything.
I was about to call for my uncle when a boar jumped out of the bushes. They usually don't roam alone, but this one seemed to have strayed from its pack. I didn’t move, hoping it wouldn't attack. Then my fish within the bucket startled it, and it charged at me. My body moved on its own, dodging the attack by rolling to the side and standing up swiftly. The boar turned and came at me again; it was young, with no large tusks, aiding in my evasion.
Deciding to end it during its next charge, I stood still. As it neared, I dodged its head to prevent a bite, jumped over it, grabbed its back leg, tipping it over, and immediately thrust the knife into its neck, slicing the jugular. I let go and took a defensive step back, awaiting its death.
It stumbled towards me but quickly collapsed, letting out its final cries. I sat down with a smile, feeling a perverse satisfaction. I checked to make sure it was dead, dragged it near the bucket of fish, proud and unsure how I had so skillfully wielded the knife. My uncle came running back.
"Elizabeth, are you okay? I smelled blood and ran back as fast as I could." How did he smell blood from afar? That doesn’t matter now.
"I'm fine. You should have seen me; I handled him, only got a scratch," I said proudly. He was looking at me, mouth agape, as if he couldn't believe what I had done. I also didn't know how I accomplished it; it was as if my body moved automatically, and it felt incredible.
"Let's pack up and head home," he said, glancing at the boar.
Once ready, I carried the bucket with the fish and the four pheasants my uncle had caught. Oddly, I noticed they didn't bear gunshot marks but had broken necks, and I hadn’t heard any shots fired. We arrived home to find my aunt already back. She came up to us, examining me from head to toe, and almost yelled,
"What happened? Look at your state!" I looked at her with a broad smile.
"I was attacked by that boar, and I killed it. You know, Auntie, I felt amazing, as if I had found my place in the world." She gave me an angry look.
"Go now, take a bath, change those clothes, and I'll talk to you afterward. I need to have a word with your uncle." Dropping everything from my hands, I obeyed and headed inside, while she stayed behind to discuss something with my uncle.
After my bath, I was told to stay in my room, so I decided to admire the stars.
Narrated by Emmy
"John, what were you thinking? What if she got hurt?" I was furious.
"How could you leave her alone?"
"The place is safe. I never would have guessed a boar would show up there; I only went out for 30 minutes while she fished to hunt some pheasants." He explained, holding me close.
"And it's alright. She only scraped her knee, I'm sorry."
"Look at it from her point of view, she's feeling like the champion for having tackled the hunt. Try not to scold her." He said, stroking my hair. After a long talk and learning how everything happened, I decided it was time to talk to Elizabeth.
"Love, before you talk to her, tell her it weighed 17 kilograms and that it was a good catch."
"Okay, I will." I turned and went to her room, finding her stargazing.
"Can we talk?" I asked. She looked at me with a sparkle in her eye and sat on her bed.
"Of course, Auntie."
"What happened today, can you tell me?"
"Auntie Emmy, I don't know how it happened; it just felt like it was part of who I really am. For the first time in my life, I felt free," she said, smiling in a way I had never seen before.
"Where did you learn to handle a knife?" I asked, even though I knew the answer, but I wanted to make sure she didn’t remember.
"I don't know, it's as if it's ingrained in my body how to act in such a situation." She didn’t remember, which was for the best.
I passed on her uncle's message, and she looked like she wanted to ask something. Hesitantly, I encouraged her to speak.
"Go ahead, I know you want to say something."
"Well, it's just that..." She paused, then continued, looking at the ground.
"It's just that Uncle John went out to hunt, and I didn't hear any shots, and the pheasants were with their necks broken, as if they’d been caught by a dog. I don't know what to think."
John, John, I swear I’ll kill him. Now what do I say? She won’t care for the truth now.
"I think your uncle must have set traps with nooses, so he didn't need to use the gun, right?" I hoped she would believe me.
"So that's how he caught them. I wonder if he would teach me." I sighed, believing she bought my story. I exited her room to prepare dinner. When I entered the kitchen, there he was, John.
"You've gone mad! She noticed the pheasants looked like they were taken down by an animal." John looked at me, speechless.
"And now what?" he asked.
"I made up a lie about a noose trap; she seemed to believe it." In just one day, Everything almost collapsed.
"John, you are forbidden from taking your lupine form near Elizabeth. If she ends up seeing, it could be the end of everything." He nodded, and I heard a noise from the stairs. Checking it out, I suspected it was just my imagination.
Narrated by Elizabeth
I was on the stairs when I overheard my aunt and uncle discussing wolves. It can't be; it's just my imagination. I ran to my room, feeling agitated, so I decided to calm down by looking at the woods. With no certain knowledge of what I heard, I couldn’t get nervous in front of them. I will unravel the truth behind all these mysteries.
During dinner, I behaved as usual, helped with the dishes, and the pheasant was delicious. After we finished, I decided to retire early. With such a tumultuous day and the possibility that what I’d been led to believe was a lie, I was physically and mentally exhausted. Fortunately, tomorrow is Sunday, and I will spend the day by the pool. Surrendering to sleep.
Dream Sequence
I saw Athos wandering the farm and went to meet him.
"Hi," I said flatly.
"Hi, who are you with?" he asked. I never answered, but today, with a hunch that something was amiss, I decided to respond.
"I'm staying with my Aunt Emmy and Uncle John Drummond." He smiled and kept asking questions, and for some reason, I found myself responding. I felt he might clarify things for me.
As always, we played and talked about many things. I always saw him transform into a majestic wolf, a peaceful feeling washing over me without a trace of fear; it felt like I belonged there.
End of Dream Sequence
I woke up early to spend a peaceful Sunday with my aunt and uncle by the pool, determined to enjoy and not worry about anything but having fun...
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