Awaited Magic Part 2:

Ch. 2 Settling & Sleep

“Lilly! We could really use your help outside. I know this house in enchanting but we’ll all have time to explore after lunch okay.” My mother said to me.

Enchanting… What a peculiar word choice.

“Did you know this place was said to be haunted in the description from the newspaper Lilly?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.” I said “It’s old so I could believe some old died here, like a really long time ago. Does anyone else live around here? I asked.

“Well, I did hear there was a family down the valley and near the river. Tomorrow after lunch we can go introduce ourselves.” Dad said.

“Sounds good to me.” I replied

Over the next few hours, we ate dinner, rearranged the sofa and chairs in the drawing room, and finally finished out the night with hot cocoa by the fire place. I still felt that feeling of odd in me that I felt when we first arrived. It’s probably just me not used to a new house with new smells and sounds. A weird sound came from near the stairs. I swear I had just heard something move in there. Like I said, new house new sounds; I’m paranoid. After I had drained all the cocoa from the pink cup in my hands, I got up to wish my parents good night.

“Well, I think I’m off to bed to dream of all the new adventures awaiting us in this house. Maybe I’ll even dream about being whisked off into some alternate reality or fairyland. Goodnight.” I spoke.

“Goodnight sweetheart. If you do get pulled into an alternate reality just make sure to come back at a reasonable hour.” Mom gingerly put.

“Your mom is right kiddo. See you in the morning.” Dad said.

I kissed them both goodnight and walked toward the stairs. As I walked closer the feeling came back bigger than before. Why was this happening now and not earlier when we were placing things in my room. Weird. Putting my foot on the first stair I slowly started to ascend. One foot after the other I continued until I had reached the landing where my room was. Again, I stood there like I had at the front door this afternoon. I shook it off and began to cross the hallway to my room when I heard that noise again. Where was it coming from? Tomorrow was the first day of exploration in this house and I thought I could wait until morning, but the feeling of something different from any other house I’ve lived in kept with me. I couldn’t just go to sleep when a whole playground of a house was waiting for me to come play.

I yelled down to my parents “Goodnight. I love you!”

“We love you too.” My parents say in unison.

I opened my door and shut it behind me so they thought I had gone to bed. Then I quickly ran up several flights of stairs without counting how many I had passed before coming to the very top. There was a door at the top with an iron lock that looked like it didn’t receive refurbishment from the cleaners. I reached out my hand and gently tapped on the door. It slowly creaked open. I stepped inside and found it illuminated by the moon. Slowly, I walked in and took in the surroundings. There were boxes and crates of old things I would uncover later. A few things had sheets over them to keep the dust away from them. As I made my way across the room I was careful not to touch anything because I didn’t want to hurt myself in the dark. Looking around the room I could see the sounds I had been hearing were all in my head and my childish brain was just pulling pranks on me. Why then did I still have this feeling? All of a sudden there was a crash in the corner of the room. To my surprise, a black cat jumped onto the crate nearest to me. I was a little shaken but regained my composure after a few deep breathes.

“Hello. Where did you come from?” I asked.

The cat gave me a look of curiosity wondering the same thing no doubt. I don’t think Mom and Dad would mind having a cat around the house and since it already lives here I don’t think they would put him out on the street; or glade. I carefully made my way back to the door and found the light switch. The lights came on in a dim manner, but I could see well enough to notice the maze I needed to find my way through to reach the far wall with the covered stuff. The cat blinked at me and ran over to greet me. This cat needed a name. Even with the lights on the moon was streaming into the room, which illuminated almost everything the light above me didn’t.

“How about I call you Moon; Since I met you standing in a puddle of moonlight” I asked.

Like before he gave me an assured glare. At least I hoped it was a yes. This attic was exciting to look at potential adventure but it would need to wait until tomorrow. With Moon by my side we traveled back down the stairs and into my cozy little room. My new bed beckoned to me from the door. Today was a great day to move in and tomorrow would also be a great day to discover what lies in that attic upstairs. What other treasure were waiting to be discovered up those stairs?

END PART 2