"No, it was a spontaneous decision to just come over today. The servants made you sound so interesting that I didn't have the patience to still wait for another day. I love being surprised," Mishka responded to Rose's question.
"You're very interesting. You decided to surprise yourself by paying me a visit?" Rose asked with an amused smile on her face. She looked pleased with Mishka's statement.
She then began to make tea in an elegant, white teapot with golden patterns printed on it.
"Well, yes. You see, there's this strange program that my grandmother began to watch on TV and it plays on a Thursday, when it's family night in. So, ideally we all stay home and watch TV together.
But, last week it was just my grandmother and myself and I was really shocked when I saw what she had decided to watch," Mishka responded as she accepted the cup of tea offered to her by Rose.
"Oh, you're still standing? Sit down, my dear," Rose remarked.
"Thank you," Mishka responded with a slight blush as she pulled out a wooden chair for herself. She had not been so sure about how she should conduct herself in a stranger's kitchen.
"So, why didn't you tell your grandmother that you weren't comfortable with the show?" Rose asked with a curious frown.
"Oh, she was enjoying it so much, there was no way that she was going to change the channel," Mishka responded, waving her hand to explain.
"So, you just watched anyway?" Rose asked with a frown.
"Well, actually, I just slipped out because someone had suddenly decided to invite me to a dance event," Mishka responded.
"Oh, then you didn't suffer for too long," Rose responded as she passed the sugar and milk to Mishka.
"No, I didn't but I know that she's fascinated by the show. The servants later told me that you also watch the show with her in the mornings sometimes? So, I just wanted to know why you love the show so much and then maybe I will understand why my grandmother loves it so much," Mishka explained.
"So, that's why you popped in," Rose responded. "It's rather nice to have a show discussion with someone younger, right here in my own kitchen," Rose remarked as she began to cut the scones in half.
"Yes, well, I thought that you and my grandma might have even more in common than just that show. I don't really know if she has any other friends around still," Mishka responded.
"That's so nice. A young person like yourself who is interested in her grandma's interests," Rose responded as she offered Mishka a scone which was covered with butter and strawberry jam.
"Oh, thank you. This is so fresh," Mishka responded with a broad smile as she began to bite into the scone.
"My grandmother is not so easy to figure out, so, it's very important for me to get to know her better by chatting to a friend of hers," Mishka responded.
"Yes, it's important to know about one another's interests as a family which lives together, otherwise everyone is just wrapped up in their own world," Rose responded with a pensive frown on her face while she made her own tea.
"You see, the show is actually about witches and I am very afraid about that side of life," Mishka responded with a nervous giggle. She hoped that Rose would not become irritated with her way of reasoning.
"So, you're afraid of witches," Rose remarked as she stirred her tea thoughtfully.
"Oh, yes. They dress strangely. In a way that frightens people," Mishka responded in between chewing.
"Well, maybe that's only for when they perform rituals, otherwise they look like any average person out there. They can even be friendly," Rose responded with a shrug.
"So, should I be afraid that my grandma is not just watching these shows, but she might also be well-informed about such things?" Mishka asked with a frown.
"Why does it fascinate her so much when it's all about people who are dressed up in horrifying costumes?" Mishka asked as she studied Rose's face.
"So, you're very curious about your grandma. Is it for her own safety or sanity?" Rose asked as she looked directly into Mishka's eyes.
"Well, both. She seems to be the only one in the house who's following the show. The servants are now having nightmares because of it. They can't help watching it while they're serving her in the TV room," Mishka responded in a flat tone as she kept her eyes on the scone in her hand.
"So, you really want me to tell you why your grandma likes the show," Rose responded as she buttered another scone for herself.
"But, what about you? Are you also having nightmares about it?" Rose asked without taking her eyes off her scone.
"Does she know the answer already?" Mishka asked herself nervously.
"Is she testing me? Surely it now does sound as if I wonder about her identity. What if she's offended?" Mishka wondered without looking at Rose.
"I actually did have one, but I wouldn't be so concerned if it was only myself.
I would really like my grandmother to watch something else for her own emotional wellbeing," Mishka responded. She took another scone from the server plate on the table and kept her gaze away from Rose.
"Well, if your grandma thinks that you don't like the show, then she will simply start watching it on her own, somewhere else," Rose responded in a smug tone of voice.
"Like a naughty child?" Mishka asked immediately.
"No, like an adult who loves what she's doing because it works for her," Rose responded with a tight grin on her face.
"You mean it's an actual part of her life? Witchcraft?" Mishka asked with her eyes stretched wide. "I was thinking that she's merely into fantasy for entertainment," she added.
"She's too clever to waste time. One should be resourceful in life and even one's entertainment should be useful," Rose responded. This time it was she who avoided Mishka's gaze.
Mishka felt cold suddenly. She began to shiver, so she decided to change the subject.
"I think that there's a way to find out if your son made it," she stated.
"Oh, do you think so?" Rose asked, raising her elegant grey brows.
"Yes, there should be," Mishka responded as she studied the teapot. It was unusually elegant for such a farmhouse kitchen.
"But then, Rose herself is full of surprises," Mishka told herself inwardly.
"He was tall, talented and handsome," Rose stated as she stared at the tea in her cup.
"Actually, we can try social media," Mishka stated, trying to draw Rose out of her wondering thoughts.
"Oh, are you talking about modern technology?" Rose asked, staring at Mishka curiously.
"Yes, of course. It can be very useful in tracking people down," Mishka replied as she tried to smile optimistically.
"Oh, I thought that you were talking about staring into tea leaves in a cup," Rose responded with a sigh.
"Is she actually disappointed? Would she really prefer fortune-telling?" Mishka asked herself.
"Oh, goodness! Does she think that I'm also a fortune teller? Does she think that I'm following in my grandma's shoes?" Mishka wondered in shock as the realization hit her.