Chapter 12 – Souvenirs
"What's the matter honey? What's been bothering you lately?" Asked Irvina worriedly while her delicate fingers help her husband on putting the clothes she brought.
"Huff… it's nothing to be worried about dear, I'm just having some difficulties with one of my merchandise" Assured Lenfort to ease the worries on his beloved.
"What is it? What is this merchandise that you're having problem with?" Irvina wanted to know more regarding the thing which made his husband delaying his returns for a week longer than usual.
Lenfort move his steps in the direction of his backpack near the entrance door which others also didn't aware before due to the soaking wet condition of their husband-dad. The backpack isn't huge, it's proximately the same size to a hiking backpacks back on Arston old place. Lenfort opens it and takes something out. He then turns around to show the item which have been causing him headaches this past three weeks.
What they see is a doll, with an appearance of a little girl around four years old with a golden long hair, pale blue eyes and a delicate face. There's no doubt if the doll could grow , it will be depicting a lovely woman. It was made of weird fabrics, the hair on the doll's head is so shiny, if someone didn't pay much observation, they could mistaken it for a gold thread.
It immediately made Arston turns his head to his left, where the little girl is standing. She tilted her head to the side as asking 'what?'.
"Daddy!!! Can I have the doll? Pretty please… it's so pretty.. " shrieked Amanda, wanting to have the doll.
"Sorry buttercup,… but this doll is not suited for children" Lenfort apologetically turned his excited daughter request down but he realizes the words he used was kind of creepy.
Irvina smacked the back of her husband's head lightly and said "your dad meant that the doll is from his friend and needed to be returned later" Irvina made a white-lie with smile on her face and patting her disappointed daughter's head.
"Yes… yes, it has to be returned to my friend buttercup, Hmm… I brought you some other toys though, one for each" Lenfort plays along with the excuse and takes another three objects from the backpack. Two of them are stuffed animal in a shape of a puppy and a lamb. The other one is a book with purplish cover. Lenfort keeps rummaging his backpack, as if he can't find the thing that his looking for.
"Huh? I swear I brought that other one, could I had left it behind?" Lenfort scratched his head since he couldn't find what he's looking for.
"What is it supposed to be darling?" Irvina tried to help looking for the item.
"It's also a stuffed animal, but in a shape of a white kitten" Lenfort replied, still trying on remembering where he put the stuffed animal.
Arston turns his head again and sees the little girl hugging the white kitten doll tightly to her chest. As she's afraid that Arston might take it from her. Arston returns his gaze to his parents, where now the backpack now is completely empty . yet still no sign of another stuffed animal.
Seeing the boy returned his gaze to the two adults, the little girl heath a sigh of relieve. Not long after hearing the sigh, Arston felt a breeze of wind tickling his left cheek.
"Sh/t I just knew I'm going to be in for a trouble after seeing this little girl" sighed Arston quietly.
Following the unsuccessful search for the missing toy. The two adults look at each other. Signalling the other with heir gaze.
"is this one of the troubles that doll caused you? Irvina gives a queering gaze both to her husband and the doll he brought home.
Lenfort gives a blink signalling the word "yes" and move his sight to his three children, gesturing to her wife that it's not suited for the discussion.
"Kids… why don't you three play at your room sweeties?" Asked Irvina sweetly to her children.
"Mom… I want the puppy one… Manda snatched it from me!!!" pled Anya to towards the UN to bring down justice upon her little demon queen.
"No fair!!!! I got it first!!! It's mine!" defended the little demon queen from the tyrant's accusation.
Irvina massages her forehead then threatens the warring faction " you can just take turn on playing with it, hey…. Hey… if you two keep pulling it, it'll rip! You girls better stop it right this instance! Or Arston will have more desserts tonight"
The pulling stops yet the glaring remains. Both then go upstairs. Irvina then turns her sight to her son.
"mommy can I read here? It's dark upstairs" Arston replied his mom gaze with a reasonable excuse.
Irvina gives it some thought then nodded
"Okay dear, you just concentrate on the book okay…"
Arston too nodded his head. And pretended to be absorbed on his new book. Meanwhile, Lenfort starts on retelling his three weeks of weird and tiring experience.
"It all started when an adventurer showed up at one of my shop branches dear, he sold some goods like jewelleries, vases, and this doll. He claimed that he found them from a ruin exploration with her party. My employee who was stationed there happily accepted the goods with reasonable prices. Not long after, a mother with her daughter bought the doll, and came back a few days after, asking back her money and giving back the doll, she said that her daughter started to talk to herself when playing, even laughed at times. The mother also mentioned that she saw a little girl with the same appearance as the doll, she got scared of it thus returning it. That branch's employee of mine then sent me the doll over. I tried to sell the doll at the capital. Yet, same things kept repeating, someone bought it for their kid and returned it with the same experience" Lenfort gave a summary of his three weeks away from home.
"So, this was the reason? This doll is cursed?" Irvina wanted to make sure her speculation while caressing the doll's golden hair.
"In short, yes dear, some kids who went to the main shop with heir parents also asked of who's that little girl, but when we adults look at the kids' were pointing, there's nothing, there's just an empty space with some rugs and cabinets holding items for sale. Both of the guards that I hire and the city guards, also reported that they seeing this little girl, they asked me whether I'm bringing my daughter to my shops, which I certainly replied 'no', they said she sometimes stood behind the shop windows, waving her hand at them, and sometimes she can be seen in the mirror's reflection, smiling, yet, once they turn around to check, there's no one there and her reflection also gone." Lenfort confirmed his wife's guess.
Irvina then turns her head to their son, there she only sees her son who's so into the book, reading it carefully. She gives a chuckle and said "Hehe, I think those people were just hallucinating, just look at our Arston, he's not seeing anything right? Otherwise, he surely already launched a bunch of queries owing to his curious nature"
"Maybe you're right dear, huff… perhaps … " Lenfort was trying to give another acceptable explanation when his wife put her index finger on his lips.
"enough thinking dear.. you're surely tired, and you know me too also lonely. This three weeks felt like an eternity"
The two started on their flirting and ask their son too play with his sisters.
Unbeknownst to the adults, their son was actually listening to his father stories. All the while, he kept ignoring the little girl who's started talking to him.
"Hi…. What's your name? I'm Renica, nice to meet you…, uh.. what are you reading?, can I join please…, are those two your sisters? They're so pretty, is this your home? Where is your room? can I sleep in your room? I promise I wont snore or noisy, I…"
The little girl barraged him with questions, to which he ignored them all. So, when Irvina told him to go upstairs he happily obliged. But the little girl who claimed her name is Renica followed him. Unlike the saying from his old place, the one saying that spirits usually float, doesn't apply to this Renica. She walks just like any others do.
Once Arston arrived in front of his room, he opens it and slams the door at her face. The girl then knocks the door furiously with begging tone.
"Please let me in, I'm scared to sleep alone, and it's cold , I promise I'll be good, I won't snore or sleep talk"
The banging of the door is audible from Anya and Amanda's room, thus they come out to check what's going on. Yet once they open the door, the knockings are gone and what they see is only their opposing faction leader's face, a frown soon takes form on their faces.
"What do you want?" both of them yelled simultaneously.
The two got confused by the same thought they had, and yell another sentence "mind your own business!" followed by the slamming of their doors.
The begging paused for a moment, but soon replaced by crying.
"Please let me in….. I…. I… I'll listen to your rules, p… please….. Your sisters are so scarry…I don't wanna be alone…. "
Arston's ears started to get heated, he then asks
If I let you in, will you stop that crying of yours?"
"Mm… Yes…. I… I'll be quiet…. I promise" replied the girl amidst the sobbing.
"fine… you can enter, it's not locked" Arston agreed after a sigh.
The girl called Renica then passed through the door and wanted to hug him but he stopped her by placing his hands Infront of him.
"If you could just pass through, why didn't you just did so?" scolded Arston to the girl, still trying to hug him.
The girl stops her effort on hugging the boy and shyly replied.
"Umm… mommy told me to always knocks and ask for permission before entering"
Arston facepalms himself across the face.