Our Mother's secret

Little findings

"This story is about.." 

"Mum?" Amanda screams. "You are supposed to begin with Once upon a time." She looks so little covered in that white bedsheet with her nice ponytail and cute pyjamas. 

"It's the same thing." Mum tells her. I know she isn't going to let Amanda have her way today because she seem tired by the sound of her voice

"No, it's not." Amanda insisted. She is always like that. 

I smile a little as Mum closes the book in a way of threatening and telling her not to make a noise. 

"Mum, continue!" I say as I am eager to hear the story even though mother had told us this story a thousand time, I also know that Amanda was as eager as I am or even more.

"Alright." My mother agrees and read from the book she is holding. "Once upon a time, in the land of the witches and the fairies. There lived a certain evil queen Delphina who wanted to kill a kind fairy Elvira because she was the purest of all and had something valuable which the wicked queen wanted. She had a pearl which was not just an ordinary pearl, it was the pearl of life, love, death, peace and happiness. Elvira was the guardian of the pearl, it was handed to her by her grandmother who lived a thousand years but was murdered by the evil queen. Elvira was warned by her grandmother that if ever the pearl was handed to the evil queen, then the land and all that is in it would be destroyed. Elvina was a small and harmless fairy and she knew that the wicked queen would come after the precious pearl and would possibly kill her, so she decided to hide the pearl." Mother paused and looked at us. 

"Why did you stop?" I ask still wanting more. 

"Mum! Continue. I want to know where Elvina hid the pearl." 

"Ok." Mum says and glanced at her wrist watch. "But you've heard this story before. Haven't you."

I already know she is leaving soon and I didn't want her to go. This was the statement she usually makes when she is about to leave but doesn't know how to justify it. 

"Mum, come on." Amanda was getting impatient and her face turns red whenever she feels that way. She is still on the bed in her blue sea pyjamas trying to get mum to finish the story. 

"Ok, ok." Mum touches her hair, it looks really messy to me but she is trying to handbrush. That, to her is a way of saving time, when she is late. She continued with the story. "So Elvina went into the evil mountain forest where birds talk, animals fly and where humans die. At first, she was so sacred because tales had it that the forest was so dangerous but she knew that the fate of their land depended so much on that single pearl, so she gathered enough courage and went into the evil mountain forest.The ground she stepped on seemed to be boiling and raging like it was warning her. It made her more scared. Then suddenly, out of the wind that was moving towards her direction came a strange figure. She didn't know what it was and she was sure she had never meet it in her life. It was wearing a long tall hat and had a dispatched face. When it came closer and spoke, Elvina found out that it had disgusting yellow teeth but surprisingly beautiful green eyes. 

"Don't be afraid." The strange figure told her. It moved closer to Elvina and with it's strange and scaring face, it said. "What do you want?"

Elvina was shaking all around her little body but she wanted to ask this strange figure a question. "Who are you?" 

"It is not important. Don't you know that you can get yourself killed? Anyway, am a guardian." 

Elvina was as surprised as her mother was when her father proposed. She was about to tell this ugly figure that she didn't look like a guardian at all when all of a sudden, the darkness around her disappeared like a smoke and she saw a beautiful girl standing right in front of her. 

For the first time, she really observed the guardian who was now wearing a long nice white dress that flowed so freely like the wind. She looked so beautiful. Elvina was afraid of the guardian and of what just happened but she was more afraid of what would happen if the pearl got into the wrong hands. She went to her with a little she got from her grandmother and told her about the pearl and the evil queen who was after her little dear life. The beautiful guardian decided to help her. The Guardian took Elvina to a lonely castle in the mountains where they hid the pearl in a dark cave covered with dead skull and bones where they were sure or at least hoped that nobody not even the evil queen will find it." Mum stopped reading and looked at her watch again. 

"Mum, are you going somewhere?" I ask her and she looks at me even in the darkness and I see a slight suprise on her face. I know she isn't expecting me to notice that, because I was only nine. I also know she doesn't want to leave but she has to. 

"I have to leave. I have work." She says with pleading eyes and hopes that we understand her. 

"What of the story?" Amanda asks as she sits up for the first time since mum come into our room. 

"I have to go now." Mum was trying so hard to convince us. I get slightly angry, in as much as I want her to finish the story, I really don't understand why she has to be at work after the hectic day she had at the same hospital.  

"Again?" I ask angrily. 

"Am sorry, dear. I will tell you girls the story tomorrow ok?."

"That's what you said yesterday." Amanda is visibly sad. She lays on her bed and covers herself with the bedsheet again but this time, to show that she isn't happy. 

I knew deep down that I wasn't really angry about the story but I am more upset that mum has to go out every single day and never has the chance to spend time with us properly. 

"You girls know I love you right?" She says while picking up her ceel phone from the cupboard on her right. She looks deeply hurt and I know she is but she isn't doing anything about that and that was the problem. She takes everything life throws and doesn't fight back. 

"No." Amanda said with rage from underneath her cover. It was like her shield right now. 

"Come on, baby." Mum lays over to where Amanda was and caresses her. I don't want mum to do the same to me so I just leave the room.

I go down the stairs and walk into the bathroom that is usually meant for guests hoping that Mum won't find me. I wait there for a while as part of me is waiting for mum to knock on my door and the other part just wants to leave. 

Five seconds later, I hear her moving towards the washroom and then hitting the door. She is calling my name but I pretend not to hear.

"Hey, please come out. I need to talk to you. It's important." 

I keep quiet but then I put on the shower for no actual reason and sit on the toilet. I want her to go away so I start brushing my hair still not saying anything. I look through the door knob and see her. Her blue eyes shows that she is deeply hurt, I want to talk to her but my little ego won't let me, so I simply ignore 

"I know you just put on the shower for nothing. You know that I need to go to work. Alison?"

I still don't say anything. 

'Ok. Bye. I love you. Remember to lock the door, ok? Amanda bye." 

I hear the front door open and close. I wait to find out if she has really left the house. Then I hear the sound of her car. 

I go upstairs and talk with my sister who is still covered. 

"I don't know why mother goes out everyday." I told Amanda when I entered the room and was sure she noticed me. I go to the wardrobe, open it and close it. 

"I don't get it." Amanda says as she uncovers herself and sits up. "Why do they have to go all the time. I mean Mum and Dad. Dad is always traveling and is never at home, while mum is always at the hospital." Amanda complains.

"And she didn't even finish the story." Amanda was clearly pissed. "I would really want to know how the wicked queen got the pearl."

That sounds weird to me because we have heard that story a thousand times and still she talks like this. I know also deep down that I always get excited when I hear that story. It makes me so happy."

"It's obvious that queen Delphina got to that pearl and used it to destroy the land." I say as I try to use mum's laptop which she had forgotten in our room, it

"Yes but do you remember? Prince George killed her and gave the pearl back to Elvina and she hid it in a place, I can't remember the name, where no one would ever find it. He is so brave." Amanda explain like I didn't know the story. 

I agree with my sister. "Yes." That's all I say as I was pretty engrossed in the game I was playing or at least trying to play. I look at the time. 

"Amanda? It's time for bed. Go brush your teeth." I tell her. 

"You go brush your teeth." She tells me too. She hated brushing her teeth at night. 

"And he is cute too. Every prince I know is cute." She tries to 

"How many prince do you know?" I ask her as I put on my hair net and get ready for bed. 

"Many. I think am going to marry a prince." All the princes in the story that mum tells us are so brave." 

"But they are in a story." 

I know "This story is about.." 

"Mum?" Amanda screamed. "You are supposed to begin with Once upon a time." 

"It's the same thing." Mum told her.

"No, it's not." Amanda insisted.

I smile a little as Mum agrees to her demand. 

"Mum, continue!" I am eager to hear the story even though mother had told us this story a thousand time, I also know that Amanda was as eager as I am or even more.

"Alright." My mother agrees. "Once upon a time, in thr land of the witches and the fairies. There lived a certain evil witch Delphina who wanted to kill a kind fairy Elvira because she was the purest of all and had something valuable which the wicked queen wanted. She had a pearl which was not just an ordinary pearl, it was the pearl of life, love, death, peace nad happiness. Elvira was the guardian of the pearl, it was handed to her by her grandmother. Elvira was warned by her grandmother tht if ever the pearl was handed to an evil person, then the land would be destroyed. Elvina was a small fairy and she knew that the wicked queen would come after the precious pearl and would possibly kill her, so she decided to hide the pearl." Mother paused and looked at us. 

"Why did you stop?" I asked. 

"Mum! Continue. I want to know where Elvina hid the pearl." 

"Ok." Mum said and glanced at her wrist watch. 

I already know she is leaving soon and I didn't want her to go. 

"Mum, come on." Amanda was getting impatient. She was on the bed in her blue sea pyjamas. 

"Ok, ok." Mum continued with the story. "So Elvira went into the evil mountain forest. At first, she was so sacred because tales had it that the forest was so dangerous but she knew that the fate of their land depended so much on that single pearl, so she gathered enough courage and went into the evil mountain forest. She met a witch and she got so scared but the witch told her not to be scared. She came out of her hiding place and went closer. For the first time, she observed the witch and she wore a long nice white dress and she looked so beautiful. Elvira went to her and told her about the pearl and the king beautiful witch decided to hep he. The witch took her to a lonely castle in the mountains where they hid the pearl in a dark basement." Mum stopped reading and looked at her watch again. 

"Mum, are you going somewhere?" I ask her and she looks at me with a slight suprise on her face. I know she isn't expecting me to notice that, because I was only nine. I also know she doesn't want to leave but she had to. 

"I have to leave. I have work." She says with pleading eyes and hopes that we understand. 

"What of the story?" Amanda asks as she sits up. 

"I have to go now." Mum was trying so hard to convince us. I get slightly angry, in as much as I want her to finish the story, I really don't understand why she has to be at work after a hectic day.  

"Again?" I ask angrily. 

"Am sorry, dear. I will tell you girls the story tomorrow ok?."

"That's what you said yesterday." Amanda is visibly sad. She lies on her bed and covers herself with the besdsheet to show that she wasn't happy. 

I knew deep down that I wasn't really angry about the story but more upset that mum had to go out every single day and never had the chance to spend time with us properly. 

"You girls know I love you right?"

"No." Amanda said from underneath her cover. 

"Come on, baby." Mum lies over to where Amanda was and caresses her. I just leave the room.

I go down the stairs and walk into the bathroom hoping that Mum won't find. 

Five seconds later, I hear her hitting the door. She was calling me.

"Hey, please come out. I need to talk to you. It's important." 

I keep quiet but then I put on the shower and sits on the toilet. I want her to go. 

"I know you just put on the shower for nothing. You k ow that I need to go to work."

I still don't say anything. 

'Ok. Bye. I love you. Remember to lock the door, ok? Amanda bye." 

I hear the front door open and close. I wait to find out if she has really left the house. Then I hear the sound of her car. 

I go upstairs and talk with my sister. 

"I don't know why mother goes out everyday." I told Amanda when I entered the room and was sure she noticed me. She is still under her cover. 

"I don't get it." Amanda says as she uncovers herself and sits up. "Why do they have to go all the time. I mean Mum and Dad. Dad is always traveling and is never at home, while mum is always at the hospital." Amanda complains.

"And she didn't even finish the story." Amanda was clearly pissed. "I would really want to know how the wicked queen got the pearl."

That sounds weird to me because we have heard that story a thousand times and still she talks like this. I know also deep down that I always get excited when I hear that story. It makes me so happy."

"It's obvious that queen Delphina got to that pearl and used it to destroy the land."

"Yes but do you remember? Prine George killed her and gave the pearl back to Elvina and she hid it in a place where no one would ever find it. He is so brave."

I agree with my sister. "Yes."

"And he is cute too. Every prince I know is cute."

"How many prince do you know?" I asked her as I put on my hair net. 

"Many. I think am going to marry a prince." All the princes in the story that mum tella us are so brave."

"But they are in a story."

"It doesn't mean that they don't exist." She says. 

"I guess it is possible."

"Of course or have you met an ugly prince before?" Amanda asks me and we laughed. 

Before long, Amanda is sound asleep, I smile at my sister and close my eyes too