As I slowly opened my eyes, I could hear the cracking of fire, the squeaking of a rocking chair, and the peaceful humming of an older woman. I could feel the soft, fluffy covers as it hugged my body and the warm temperature of the room. It felt cozy and peaceful. As I fully opened my eyes, I saw the white ceiling. I slowly sat up seeing a living room that was 500 sq ft. Inside this living room, there was a peach and gold vintage style camelback style couch (that I had been laying on) and couch chairs and a loveseat that matched the couch. There was also a sandy beige rug that sat underneath a dark wood coffee table that sat in front of the couch. There was a large window that had beige curtains that were pinned to the side of the window, a large stone fireplace that had a lit fire going, a chandelier that hung in the center of the room and had crystals hanging from it, and a rocking chair that the older woman sat on. The walls were beige and had different paintings hanging up, and the floors were light wood.
I sat up, looking at the woman who had long gray hair, brown eyes, wore a green dress, and had a blanket draped over her legs. She smiled softly as she held two knitting needles in her hands, knitting together a long blue scarf. She looked up at me. Her skin was pale but had no blemishes on it. She said, "It's awfully cold to be out there in a dress without a good winter coat on." I looked down knowing she was right, but not wanting her to know my past and my secrets, I said nothing to respond to her.
She looked down at her scarf she was knitting and said, "Are you hungry?" I still did not respond, but she knew what I did not say. She got up out of her seat, placing the knitting supplies in her chair, went to her kitchen, and came back, holding a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. She walked over to me, handing it to me, saying, "It's hot and fresh. I just made it today."
I took the bowl from her without looking up, mumbling, "Thank you," as she sat back down, and continued knitting, saying to me, "You're welcome."
We were silent as I ate. I still remember hearing her rocking chair squeaking against the floor. As I finished eating, I placed the bowl down on the coffee table, and the woman said, "There's plenty more where that came from, so if you want seconds, help yourself."
I finally mustered up the courage to look at the woman again, fighting all the butterflies in my stomach but not being able to speak.
The woman looked at me. It was as if she read my mind and knew I couldn't find any words to say to her. She smiled at me and asked, "What brings you to these parts of the forest so far away from any civilization?" I looked down, fidgeting, responding to her with the question, "Why do you ask?" She said, "Because you're in the middle of nowhere, wearing my dress, living in my shed, and you almost froze to death had I not found you when I did." I looked at her, saying, "You're the owner of the shed? I almost thought it was abandoned, I've been there for so long." She said, "Ah yes, I've been so tired lately that I haven't been up to going to the shed. You see, I love to garden, but I'm also a very old woman, so gardening takes a lot out of me." I said, "W-Well I wasn't g-going to steal the dress, and I was g-going to leave when the temperatures got warmer, and my dress dried off. I'm sorry I disrupted you… I'll leave as soon as the sun is up." She said, "Now wait a minute, since you were staying in my shed, I take it you have no place to stay. Am I right?" I nodded, and she said, "What are your plans after you leave here? Where will you go?" I held my arm, knowing I had no plans but not wanting to intrude, I said, "I plan on keeping moving." She said, "Then what my child? What will happen when it snows and you have no shelter? What will you do when you're all alone without a roof over your head? You barely survived in the shed." I shrugged, knowing everything she had just said was right. Everything she had said to me was true. I would die out there by myself but I did not want to intrude and then she said to me, "I am an old woman and I can't take care of my garden let alone my house by myself anymore… You see I stay here on my own and my daily chores have gotten to be too much for me… If you agree to help then I'll be willing to allow you to stay here. You'll be safe, and you'll really be helping me out, and when it gets warmer out, if you want to leave, you can leave." I looked at her, feeling as if I had just been given a lifeline. It was my second chance to have a new life, to be at peace. It felt as if my heart could burst from the joy I felt. I asked her, "What is your name," and she said to me, "Evenly." I said, "Well Miss Evenly, you have yourself a deal." Evenly smiled and said, "Now you know my name. What might yours be?" I said, "Maelee," and she said, "Well Maelee, I think we're going to have a wonderful friendship."