“Tick, tock, tick,” the clock on the wall ticked steadily. I stretched and opened my eyes. She's there, looking at me with her beautiful black eyes. Uncontrollably, I started to smile. It's a bit strange, but fine. She returned the greeting with a smile. Ugh, why does my chest hurt? Could it be that everything was just a dream? Am I still dreaming?
“Good morning,” she said, smiling.
“Good morning... How did I end up here, haha?”
“Hah, well, you weren't feeling well last night. You said your head hurt, so I brought you here to sleep it off. You agreed and I just brought you, haha.”
“Hmmm, interesting. Did we happen to watch a movie or something, haha?”
“Noo, why, hehe,” Victoria asked in surprise.
“Oh, just asking randomly. I had a really weird dream, haha... I'm slowly recalling last night's events... My head got foggy at one point in the evening... But never mind, anyway. Hah, thinking about it just makes me laugh.”
“What did you dream about, dude? Tell me quickly so I can laugh too, haha.”
“Hahah, nothing special, I'm telling you. Some Jackson's castle was mentioned, fields, corn, a train, some nonsense, ahaha,” I said, hoping she wouldn't think I was crazy.
“What nonsense, it seems like interesting stuff to relax your brain.”
“Well, more or less,” I replied, with a smile on my face again.
“Although, nearby there's James's castle, not Jackson's. I don't know about Jackson's castle. It's close, about thirty kilometers away.”
“Seriously? My mistake, I meant that castle or rather dreamt about it. Strange... I've never heard of it before, and it's found its place between the backlights of my brain, at the threshold between darkness and light.
Goodness, how weird this is. Am I still dreaming? Let's change the subject a bit and see where this coincidence will take us..."
“What a picturesque presentation, a feast for the ears, haha.” And indeed, for the eyes too, hehehe.
“Of course, haha. So, who was that old lady rocking in the wooden chair in the corner of the room, your grandma?”
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Which woman is he talking about? It can't be... “Which old lady? There wasn't any old lady last night. I never met my grandma on Dad's side, and Grandma Gulla died when I was little, so I don't remember her. My mom told me a bit about her. She told me how Grandma Gulla used to rock in her chair all the time and tell me stories. She used to take care of me when I was home alone. My parents would be working, and I would spend hours with Grandma Gulla, who would rock me in the crib and tell me stories. That's what Mom says,” Victoria reminisced for a moment.
“I don't know what I saw anymore... How is this possible? My eyes are slowly failing me... Maybe my mind after all? Let's go downstairs, and I'll show you that chair in the corner of the room.”
“Let's go.”
..//..
“Are you kidding me? Someone moved it.” It must be! What the hell is going on?
“I'm telling you, there weren't any chairs last night. Come on, let me show you.”
Through the narrow hallway, they were passing. On the floor, a dark blue rug with lace at both ends covered the light bamboo parquet. On the right side hung a chandelier suspended by a chain on the edge of an icon, while on the left side, on the wall, stood bulbs connected in a swaying row. Each bulb was covered by a white skull with black eyes and a creepy smile. The creepiness was diminished by a silicate prosthesis on golden teeth. Through these teeth, a yellowish light emanated.
Eyes gleamed with darkness, while the back of the head and temples shone with a dirty white. Manuel's gaze lingered a bit on these glowing little devils. They passed the hallway. Soon they found themselves in front of white doors covered with black mesh. While a whirlwind of eerie feelings swept through Manuel, Victoria, with a breeze in her heart, reached out, intending to open the doors. The doors swung wide open.
A medium-sized room. Faded orange walls. A small wooden bed lay stretched against the opposite wall. A large dresser adorned the left side of the room, and next to it stood a nightstand. A lamp of Chinese porcelain stood silently on the motionless small table. It was pear-shaped, with two large black roses painted on its body, with large thorns and a tiny green stem. An oval mirror in a wooden frame was built into the oak dresser. Below it were two drawers, and below them were two small doors.
“Grandma used to keep her makeup on that dresser. I have a similar one in my room now, just made of particleboard. They make those things all flimsy now. Come, let me show you.” Why on earth did I mention makeup? As if he cares... Ah, stupid me...
Before I left this wasteland, I noticed some of its peculiarities that gave it a charm of creepiness. Above the mirror hung a picture of an older woman. It had a black frame around it, covered with a silk scarf.
“Who's that?”
“My great-grandmother Heredith. Mom says she was respected by many, especially Grandma Gulla.”
“Okay, interesting...”
“Let's go up to my room.”
“Let's go.”
..//..
Victoria once again opened the door with authority. After all, she was in her element. Performing the usual and everyday action of pressing the handle of one’s door was just as easy as speaking one’s native language. The inner side of the giant wooden cuboid gradually changed its positional angle, sharpening it.
After two seconds, the angle was large enough to reveal the wooden rim with roses, after which the whole rocking chair was clearly visible, balanced on its two arched legs, like sleds trampling on the purple tufted carpet scattered on the floor.