Trudge, trudge, trudge down the hill Mona went. She could still hear the school bell in the distance ending the day. Their uniforms rustled from all that laughter and yelling, which were so noisy to her. As she walked by, everyone around her was chatting. About her? No. No one talked about her. Mona often glanced down at her plain, black loafers. They weren’t dirty or anything, but sometimes there was no point in looking anywhere else.
“On your way home, dear,” a voice said. Mona looked up and saw Miss Eva holding a small box.
“Oh. Hi.” Mona said. She continued her trip down the hill and noticed Miss Eva tailing her.
“How’s your mother these days?”
“Fine, I think. She jumps from one shift to the next.”
“No worries, dear. Once she gets that promotion, she’ll be relaxing more at home. You’ll see.”
“Yeah.” Mona has heard that line for more than a year.
“Anyway,” Miss Eva said, now blocking Mona’s path, “I made a little something special for you and your mom to enjoy.”
Mona surveyed the box. “What is it?”
“Why a strawberry shortcake, of course. You said you never tasted one so I went ahead and made it for the both of you.”
Mona smiled nervously, “You didn’t have to do that. Plus, I doubt my mom will have time to eat it.”
Miss Eva shoved the box into Mona’s hands, “Nonsense. I know she won’t be able to resist. Now run along home and put it into the freezer before it melts.”
Mona just stared at the box. A warm, fuzzy feeling stirred within her, and a tiny smile slowly graced her face. She lifted her head. “Thank you.” Then she continued down the slope. A quick look back, and she could see Miss Eva waving goodbye with a caring grin on her face. As Mona reached the outskirts of town, she thought to herself, Even if she does have time, it’s more likely mom will just eat it by herself. On this bright, sunny day, somehow, she felt cold again. Finally, she neared her log cabin, a quaint nook with the woods at its back. Big enough for a family of four, probably. As she opened the door, a column of black and white fur jumped on her legs.
“Hey, Shasta. Was your day as boring as mine?” Mona gave a pat on his head and showered his face with kisses. Shasta noticed the box and took a sniff. “Not for you, dummy. But I wonder if a strawberry is okay.” Mona stepped inside her house and headed toward the kitchen. After a quick web search, she plucked the smallest strawberry from the cake before placing it in the freezer. Mona teased poor Shasta before he sat his rump down in dismay. “Haha. Here you go.” Before closing the freezer, she noticed, “There’s not much in here. I could cook something heavy, but if I’m having cake, I should probably choose a healthier option. Like a sandwich or something. What do you think?” Shasta stared at her with his baby blue eyes. “Ugh, fine. I’ll eat the boring sandwich. Let’s head to the garden.” Mona ran up the stairs into her room and tossed her uniform aside. She changed into comfortable khaki pants and a loose purple shirt. She slipped on her plain blue sneakers before grabbing a wicker basket and heading out the back door.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
In the yard, there were small scattered patches of fruit and veggies. Shasta darted towards the shed and reappeared with a watering can. She gestured towards the hose, filled the can, then let Shasta carry it towards the plants. She tugged lettuce and tomatoes from their roots and placed them in her basket. Then, watched as water was sprinkled from the watering can. “There you go, guys. Drink up. I need you to grow big and strong for mom.” Shasta sniffed the plants. “Do you have anything to say the garden?” Shasta tried to bite one of the apples. “No! Get over here.” She redirected him by the scruff of his neck and headed back inside. Mona spread the ingredients out on the cutting board while Shasta tried to open the cupboards. “You want wet food, huh.” She took out a can and watched it slop into the metal bowl. “At least one of us should have something nice today.” As Shasta choked down the slimy meat mound, Mona returned to assembling her simple sandwich.
----------------------------------------
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. It’s 4:30 P.M. Stomachs full, Mona and Shasta rested on the couch to the tune of the clock. “I bet mom will be home by nightfall. She’ll probably eat the cake while I’m sleeping. Or bring it with her to the next shift.” Mona’s mom was always working and moving around. Roaming this house alone was basically routine. Shasta whined on top of her chest as a gloom stormed over her head. Sometimes, Mona wondered if she even remembered what her mom looked like. Or maybe she’s just being dramatic. She let out a chuckle. No matter what, she won’t cry. What good would that do? If she wailed at the top of her lungs, would her mom come running back to her? No. She had to work. No way around it. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. “Shasta, what time is it?” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Only 4:35?!” She hoisted herself up and crisscrossed her legs, “It’s only Friday, but I might as well finish my homework. It’s only 9th grade stuff anyway. And then later, I can throw the ball around outside.” Bark. Bark. Shasta wagged his tail.
MOOONNAAAA.
She swiveled her head towards the back door.
MOOOOONNNAAAA.
“Am I going crazy or did you hear that too?” Shasta gave a low snarl. Mona tiptoed towards the backyard and peered out the window. No one there. She took a deep breath and creaked the door open. No one there.
MOOOOOONNNAAAAAAA.
“It’s coming from the woods.” Shasta gave a worried whine. “What am I supposed to do? Not find out why the forest knows my name?” Woof. “Come with me if you’re scared.” Mona grabbed her shoes and phone and dashed into the woods with Shasta at her heels.
Mona, over here.
She weaved through the trees.
Mona, come find me.
She chased the voice to a large tree with a hole at the base. She circled the tree and noticed one of its uppermost branches had snapped off. She knelt down and saw that a bunch of leaves formed a blanket inside the hollow. Shasta sniffed then growled. “What’s wrong?” Mona carefully shuffled her hands through the foliage. For a moment, she could swear her hands went through the ground. SNATCH.
“Wha—! Something grabbed m—” Mona’s whole body plunged into the dirt. She could hear Shasta’s frantic barks above. She peeled her eyes open. She was falling?! Falling through a tree-like tunnel with rainbow leaves decorating the sides. THUMP. She landed on her stomach on a pile of rainbow leaves. She lifted her head. The tunnel was gone, and the roof of the hollow was visible again. She crawled through the hole, a bright light blinding her vision. As Mona peeked her head out, she was met with a fair-skinned boy with shaggy red hair.
“Heyo! You must be Mona. I’m Peter. Thanks for coming.”