“Is she asleep?” the woman said from the corner.

“She just laid down a bit.” he answered and she sighed slightly.

“You are here, so she may rest much better. Since Miss Suyi got married, she has not had anyone to talk to.” she said, “Let me show you to your room.”

He nodded and followed her up stairs to the second floor. She showed him to his room at the far end of the east wing. He walked in and saw his luggage already beside his bed.

“Thank you…” he said.

“Anne.” she answered with a smile and he nodded.

“Thank you Anne.” he said.

“Dinner will be ready soon. Be down by six.” she said and left, closing the door behind her. He looked round the room before going for his luggage. After arranging his cloths in his wardrobe, he took a shower and laid down a bit. It did not take long for sleep to tempt him into its embrace. He woke up to ringing and shot up from bed slightly. He looked at the clock on the wall to find it was six. He went down stairs and traced the dining room. When he walked in, he found his aunt already seated and Anne entering from the opposite door with a casserole.

“Little Jun, come sit.” Mary Wu said and Jun took a seat opposite her. Anne placed the casserole down and made a plate for Mary before taking her seat beside her.

“Thank you, Anne.” she said and started eating. Jun made himself a plate and started to eat. For some reason, he felt Anne was quite familiar. He kept glancing at her as he ate then paused by the picture of young Mary Wu behind her.

“Anne, where are you from?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Mrs. Wu found me at an orphanage in Kent and brought me home.” she said.

“I’m sorry.” he said and she laughed slightly.

“She has been my foster mother for as long as I can remember.” Anne said.

“Doesn’t she look like me in my younger days?” Mary Wu asked excitedly, “The government had just started to debate better integration of Asians that year. A black woman single mother of an Asian child, they paraded me as the only Bailey incident survivor. They took me to Kent to open a charity in your Grand Uncle’s name. I paid a visit to the orphanage and saw her.” Mary Wu said.

“It is good you found me Mary, who knows where I would have ended up if not.” Anne said and Mary smiled indulgingly.

“Anne; after the maid who saved your life.” Jun said with a smile.

“Yes.” Mary nodded, “she had no family, no one to remember her.”

Jun looked between them for a few seconds and continued eating, his thoughts conflicted. As dinner continued, Mary asked more of his school life and he indulged her with answers. His stories were wild and lively, cracking up the entire table. After dinner was done, Anne cleared the table and he helped his Grand Aunt back to her room. After tucking her in, he left her to sleep to the sounds of whiteheads. He was worried about her health. She moved slowly, as though her entire joint hurt. He had to find time and look into that. As he left her room, he could not help feeling as though watched. He closed the door behind him and went out just in time to see Anne leaving.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“You don’t stay around?” Jun asked her.

“No, I live in a cottage on the south side of the property.” she answered. Jun pulled out his phone and stared at the transparent squared device with a sigh. He tapped on the surface and it sprung to life.

“No signal in the house?” he asked. Anne chuckled as she tied her scarf.

“Mary never liked those things. She picked this place because of this. No TV, no internet, no signal, no phones, oh, except the one in the east sitting room. The thing is ancient but you can still make calls. That’s why I don’t live here.” Mary said and opened the door.

“Goodnight.” she greeted and he nodded.

She closed the door behind her and before he turned away, he heard a click sound and paused. She locked it? He went towards the door and found the door easily opened from the inside.

He made his way towards the east wing, trying to find the sitting room she had spoken off. After a while getting quite lost, he found a sitting room he was not quite sure was the one she had been referring too and paused. Not all rooms were lit so he had to take a lamp with him. Almost about to move on, an ancient telephone by the corner told him which sitting room this was. He looked at the buttons and pulled out his phone. With his phone for memory, he keyed in the number he wished to call and picked the phone from its rest.

After a few rings, the other side picked.

“Hello?” a groggy voice answered.

“Hey” Jun asked.

“Jun! What happened man? You were supposed to call me hours ago.” the person answered.

“There is no signal in the house; I had to some use some ancient thing.” Jun answered.

“Jun, so how is your famous grandaunt? Does she sound like she does on TV?” he asked and Jun sighed.

“She sounds like a normal grandaunt; old and filled with stories.” he answered.

“You’ve gotta take a picture for me, man. I told my Ma that my best friend is a Wu and she did not believe it.”

“Did you ask you Ma about what I told you or did you immediately go out for some party the moment you got home?” Jun asked.

“If I went out, I wouldn’t be back at this time. I would have, but my Ma’s is the famous dragon ears, man. You move and she can hear you, no matter how big the house is.”

“So, did you ask her?” Jun asked impatiently.

“Yeah, I said it was for you and she asked how a Wu would not know such a thing and did not believe me.”

“Focus.”

“That’s what I’m saying man, My Ma says the black pearls of Little creek are only three in the world. They are famous because they were mined black but when some idiot polished them, they were white inside.”

“White?” Jun frowned.

“Yea, word is, it was black because of the oil spill that had filled the creek during the oil war, killing all the oysters. When someone pulled out three pearls from the creek three hundred years after the solar revolution. The old man made a big deal out of it, but very few people have actually seen the black pearl. He gave the Russian president passing by or something.”

“Myth.” Jun scuffed.

“ Man, you should just ask your aunt this, should she have one?”

“Why?”

“After the fifth great war, Russia gave New America one. Ma says that the government gave your grandaunt theirs after she survived the barley incident. Oh Yeah, did you ask your grandaunt all the juicy details about the incident? I’m on the side that believes that the incident was not an Asian rebel attack. Your grandaunt should know…You live on a farm, Jun. birds singing at night?” At the words spoken from the other side, Jun paused. He could also hear the sound of birds over the phone, but none in the sitting room.

“Whiteheads..” he whispered and immediately a light click sounded over the phone.

She was listening, Jun thought as he immediately put down the phone.