"Stories about Gentle Street is very famous across the country", she started. Noel wanted to spit his tea out and start laughing. If Gentle Street was that famous, he wouldn't come here, away from his parents. But he held himself so as not to annoy the old lady.
"Some say it's a clear myth filled with wonders and magic, while others say it had uphold it's name as everyone here is known for their gentle behaviour...". Noel looked at this woman and then at his tea. She sounded more like she was telling a fairy tale but he decided to listen since he had nothing doing if he was to go home.
"Gentle street is a little town with less than two hundred people so we know everyone and try our best to help each other out in various ways", she said shocking him.
Wasn't she talking about how Gentle street came about?
"I thought you were talking about..."
"There's nothing really special about this town just that we live by our name and there's record of criminal act in this town", she said standing up and moving to the kitchen. After sometime,she came back with the cookies he brought and a cup of milk. "There's a lot of things about Gentle Street that no one knows really", she said and that caught his attention.
"What does that mean?"
"When you enter this town troubled, be sure to leave a freeman ", she said with such finality that he couldn't dare ask further.
"These cookies are really nice, where did you get them from?" she asked and he smiled satisfied. "I made it myself", he said.
She was a nice woman for sure but very strange as well...
***
"What can you do? You don't do us proud ,yet you come home telling us you need money to register for the exams", she spat at him pushing him to the ground. "I always try my best to make you proud. It's big brother that doesn't ", he said trying to hold his tears back and the urge to do what he did to his sister to her... Because after all, he was a monster. The monster that...
"You dare insult your brother? Next thing you'll be throwing him down the window like you did to Gina", she said carrying a horse whip to hit him but, he pushed her away and she fell to the floor.
"I'm sorry... it wasn't...intentional", he said letting the tears run down his cheeks and he took to his heels... away from home...
"Your brother is handsomer and a baddie who gets A all the time", some group of people told his big brother, Austin while they sat waiting for the driver to come pick them.
"He might be all that,but he is a monster", Austin said not looking at him and when they got home... Noel knelt on gravel all night and the next morning he couldn't move...
"You're a monster!"
"You don't deserve to live..."
Noel woke up sweating profusely, it was still 12am in the morning and he wasn't doing anything today.
"Why can't I wake up and it's 6am, why do I always have to wake up by twelve", he said standing up. He had left the woman's house quite late and she had packed him dinner he didn't eat.
I have to eat more and dream less.
He thought, going to the kitchen to make coffee by twelve knowing full well it would keep him awake.
"So much as to being a doctor", he said shaking his head taking out the coffee to do it manually instead of with a coffee maker.
"I should have been an army instead of a doctor. A doctor who doesn't fancy drugs, what a shame", he said pouring it into a cup and putting warm water into it.
"When you enter this town troubled, be sure to leave a freeman "
That thought came to his head for the third time since he left the old lady's house. He just hoped she was right because if there was anything he wanted in this world to happen to him, it was to be happy.
***
"When will you be going home Loui?", Dante, her colleague and friend asked.
"Well I'll just stay for some days then go back home", she said playing with her dark hair that was second to Absalom's own in the holy Bible.It was too thick that it was hard to comb.
"You work too much", she said arranging some chairs in a corner of the room. "I know. I just can't give up what I love doing just because people say it's stressful", Loui said standing from the chair so Dante could pack it.
"Go home "
"it's not even a holiday yet and you all want to chase me home because I overwork", she said laughing...
She smiled,these people had a way of making her feel better. She thought about home - Gentle street. That was another place that gave her peace.
"I really need to go home"she said and started packing the chairs and arranging the place.
***
"Your readers are expecting something from you. They want to read your book so badly that they're requesting for one with more of mystery and of course romance and we believe you can satisfy their needs. After all what can't Loui Darvis do?"Miss Louise said on a video call with Loui.
"But... doesn't a story come out naturally? I don't have any inspiration yet and this book was just recently published ", she complained.
What can't Loui Darvis do? Who formed that saying?
She sighed trying to suppress herself from badmouthing her editor.
"Just give me sometime, Miss Louise, I'll see what I can do ", she said. "Sometime? your readers matter more Loui. If they want you to update thirty days in the month of February,you should do it"
"February has twenty eight days", she corrected.
" I know, I was only exaggerating. But you have to understand that the consumer matters more. I'll give you a month to bring up something. it's big enough ", she said seriously and hung up.
Loui wanted to scream. She loved writing but then, she really needed a month break due to stress and overworking. " They want something more of mystery?" she asked no one in particular and sighed. She needed to rest for a while before she went back to Gentle street... Because it was there she found her peace and inspiration... .
***
"You need to work harder because you're our only hope ", she said. "What about Claire, I'm adopted after all. If you wanted to use someone to make a living it should be someone you don't know ", Loui said and her so called mother slapped her.
"At least you know you're adopted. You should listen and do what we tell you to do", she said spitting on her.
Why do they want to sell me to a rich man to clear their debts? I'll run away.
She ran till she came to Gentle street and it was how her real childhood began... a childhood that took away the sorrows of the past...
"Loui, you need some rest, what are you thinking?" Dante asked entering the room they shared.
"Nothing much, I'll sleep ", she said standing up and falling on the bed without thinking. "Do you know what I think you need?" Dante asked sitting on the bed beside her.
"what's that?" she asked smiling. "Some hot chocolate and Gentle street ", she said and they laughed.
"Really, city life sucks for you. You prefer a quiet town. Every writer likes a quiet place, right?"
"Yeah. I'll go", she said sitting on the bed clutching the pillow.
"But I still need that hot chocolate. Go get it before I tickle you to death" she said making for her. Dante ran for her life.
"She's cute", Loui said smiling to herself.