4:30 P.M
Everyone is supposed to feel better when they are inside the grocery store, right? I guess I was overwhelmed by the number of people inside the local grocery near my place.
"Hey Tinny, what would you like to have for dinner? Lulu beamed.
"Barbecue is good Lulu, I think?" I said while scratching my head.
Lulu frowned as we stopped in front of the meat section. She stared at me and gave me one of those stares Ma would give me when she found out I couldn't even cook a single dish without burning it or making the soup look like a witch's hex.
"Tinny when was the last you cooked something decent for yourself?" She asked as she crossed her elbows.
Honestly, Lulu actually looks cute when she is upset. But then, it wouldn't also be a good idea to make her feel upset or mad.
"Umm, last Christmas, I guess?" I replied. I began to fidget when she suddenly raised her brow.
"And when was this 'last Christmas'?" She asked, her tone sounded she was unconvinced about what I just told her.
"When I was 17?"
Her blue eyes widened and a smile was formed on her lips. She suddenly started to giggle when she finally got my message. I swear I felt my cheeks were heating up and maybe right now I kind of looked like a tomato. I suddenly pulled my hoodie down to hide my face while I tried to tell her that everyone was already looking at us.
"Hey, Lulu can you please don't laugh at me," I swear t would be a great help if she wouldn't.
"Pffft, okay I'll stop." She said while wiping a tear from her eyes.
"Shall we make pasta instead? I mean at least I can cook pasta." I told her as we continued to walk on the silent store.
"I'll supervise your cooking so that I won't upset my own stomach. Okay?" I only nodded as I picked up a can of chopped tomatoes and placed it in our cart.
When we arrived at the dairy section because Lulu insisted that I have to put lots of cheese on my pasta she accidentally bumped into a very tall guy who was reading the labels. He turned at us and I found him strange and he smells strange. Like he was somehow different from us? He was almost 7 feet tall and he has a scar on his right eye down to his cheek. He suddenly smiled at us but I am not quite sure if it was friendly or a sarcastic one.
"Sorry," Lulu said while her eyes are still glued to the man's gorgeous face. Okay, he is gorgeous, I mean, anybody could see that.
"Oh, no worries love." He said as he diverted his eyes on Lulu.
What I didn't realize was that we were both staring at each other. Oh great, I guess that's the reason why he smiled or maybe I am just making assumptions inside my head.
What if you weren't?
I suddenly felt Lulu's tight grip on my sleeve and her fingers on my face.
"Tinny! Are you okay?" she asked, her face was filled with concern and curiosity.
"I'm okay Lulu," I told her even though I am getting goosebumps with our brief encounter.
"Oh yeah, the guy Mr. Bealdor, he said you look sick." She said while cradling the brown paper bags in her arms. I took the other paper bag from her hand and tried my very best not to trip on anything while I was looking at her.
"Wait, he did?" I asked. That's weird.
"Yeah, he was actually concerned for five minutes before I told him that you were just spacing off." I suddenly pinched her cheek as I took out my car keys.
As we walked out of the grocery store, I suddenly stopped when I saw a lady who was wearing a dress that was similar to the fashion of the ladies in the Victorian era.
"Good evening, you have such lovely eyes," she said as she passed by in front of us.
I tried to return the compliment back to her by telling her that her dress is really beautiful. But when I turned around, she wasn't there. Lulu on one hand was staring at me with a weird expression on her face.
"Tinny? You're doing it again." She told me as we continued to walk towards my car.
"I just saw a lady who was wearing a dress similar to the ones women wore during the Victorian era." Lulu looked at me and just smiled.
"You're too gifted to see ghosts from England." She said as we drove out of the parking lot.
I wonder if I am too gifted to even notice her fangs when she smiled back at me.
6:30 P.M
"You must be imagining those things in your head again." Lulu said as she took another bite of the spaghetti I cooked for our dinner (Under Lulu's "supervision").
Cleo looked up to our table and began to meow loudly.
"Hooman, I want another bowl of meatballs."
Lulu began to give him a belly rub and Cleo begins to act silly as she continued to rub his belly.
"I guess it is the first time that Cleo appreciates your cooking," she said as she lifted him up and placed him on the vacant seat next to her.
I stared at them as I drank my Coke down.
"Thanks for supervising me," I told Lulu as I continued to eat the pasta on my plate.
She slowly diverted her gaze towards the window and started to hum softly. She suddenly stopped humming and smiled at me.
"It's strange isn't it?" She muttered while she was holding her fork down.
"What's strange?" I asked her as I stood up and picked up her plate.
"You noticed weird entities but you didn't notice the cool costume that Mr. Bealdor was wearing." She said as we continued to wash the dishes.
"Eh? He was wearing one?" I asked.
Lulu nodded and slowly patted my head.
"Hey, if you got problems or if you are seeing weird things, just tell me okay?
I only smiled as we continued to wash the dishes.
The wind continued to howl as I walked on what I think was a corridor that was in a state of dilapidation. While I was walking I saw a woman whose face was blurred but I know that she was a woman because she was wearing a red dress. She suddenly runs as she tried to hug me then the walls began to crumble and she disappeared along with the debris that was being blown by the wind.
I was alone in what seems to be an exterior of an old castle. The moon wasn't blue or white, but its color somehow reminded me of blood.
"Thig dhachaigh,"
Come home.
The wind continued to dance above my head while it blew the debris up in the air. The night was bloody and the ground began to rumble.
"Ruith, ruith..."
Run, run...
I suddenly ran as fast as I could and followed the wind as creatures dark like the night sprang from the ground and began to chase me.
"Help, help me..."
But no one seemed to hear me, I couldn't scream but I kept on running until I stumbled on what seemed to be a root of an old tree. Its branches seemed to sway calmly with the wind.
"Thig dhachaigh..."
Come home...
The tree whispered as its branches rose towards the heavens.
"Thig dhachaigh..."
"Hooman, wake up!" Cleo said as he continued to bury his face on my shoulders.
I rolled my eyes and started to cuddle him real close to me. I didn't notice that it was raining outside. While the world outside my window was roaring and clashing like warriors on a battlefield, something sweet and warm wafted to my nostrils.
"Hooman, something weird was at the window a while ago," Cleo said when he finally calmed down.
"What do you mean Cleo?" I asked as I snuggled him a bit too close.
"I saw this weird pair of red eyes with huge claws. It was trying to get inside the room."
I suddenly noticed the candle that was placed near the window.
"You know you should get one of those candles. Good thing your friend placed it there. It seemed to have prevented the creature from getting inside."
I stood up and examined the candle that was brightly glowing on top of the cabinet.
"When did Lulu placed it there?" I asked Cleo
"She went in there when you were sleeping. She even rubbed my back and told me something that was quite pleasing but I couldn't understand it." He said.
I suddenly stood up and went to check if I locked the door properly.
"But I locked the door," I told Cleo.
Cleo only shrugged and began to move beside my pillow.
"I don't know about that," He said.
"But whoever it was, that person was definitely worried about you," Cleo muttered before he fell asleep.
I stared at the candle for a long time before I decided to just ignore the strange events that Cleo and I encountered for tonight. I continued to stare at the ceiling for a long time, still contemplating the way that guy smiled at me.
You should sleep...
A voice that I am quite sure is not one of my inner voices told me.
What if I don't want to sleep?
You must reserve your energy for the challenges you will face tomorrow.
"But I can't sleep," I whispered.
The light from the candle glowed even brighter and the smoke from its wick slowly rose to the ceiling and began to hover above my head. I was alarmed at first but as I stared at it for a long time, my eyes became heavy, until I didn't realize that it was already nine in the morning if Lulu didn't knock on my door.
"Tinny, wake up, it's already late."
I rubbed my eyes slowly and immediately checked if the candle was still there. It disappeared, but does it matter? I guess it does if it was Lulu who is experiencing paranormal activities like this one.
"I'm up," I said as I began to fix my bed and pretended that everything was just another bizarre dream.