C2 A TYPICAL DAY

THE HYBRID'S CURSE

BY JINX

CHAPTER 2: A TYPICAL DAY

Shortly, after Ayla, brought her mother, back, into the house, they lived, in. she ventured back, to her house duties, as she started tackling them, one by one. She arranged the fire place, adding more woods, so that it could burn more brightly and heat up, the whole place. She swept, mopped, arranged the pantry, washed all the plates and pots under one hour. She was super-fast doing house chores. She didn’t know, why. She considered it a gift as she still had to trek to school, but she doesn’t get tired easily. Hell, she rarely gets tired. But she has chalked it up, to being the sole provider of both her and her mother.

As she was sweeping, she paused, lost in thoughts, again. How on earth did her mother raise her, if she doesn’t know how to take care of myself. Why don’t I know, my father? Was I left to the mercy of, my deranged mother all these years. She knew as from the age of 5, she was the one talking care of, my mother, but who took care of her, before that. It was baffling.

A loud noise emanated from, the parlor, startling Ayla, as she dropped the broom, out of shock.

Something must have happened to her mother again. Rushing, she was in time to see, her mother almost thrust her hand, into the burning furnace.

Mother, no! she yelled as she rushed to hold her, but she was too late, as her mother hand was pleasantly burning, the smell, of roasted skin, filling the air, but she didn’t flinch. Instead she cackled and smiled like a child, watching the hand burn. Ayla dragged her mother, out of the fireplace as she hurriedly dropped her hand in a basin of cold water, left on the table. As the fire quenched, and a sizzling sound was heard, Ayla immediately wrapped the hand in a towel, as she scolded her mother crying,

Mum, why on earth would you do that to me, why burn yourself, and you re laughing. She said as she wiped the hand, even scared to look at the gravity of what she had done to herself.

Her mother just looked, at her and looked away, angry that her daughter had stopped her from having fun.

Mother, this isn’t games, you were literally, on fire, and now, you are mad at me. She said exasperated, but her mother didn’t say anything as she focused on ignoring her.

Angrily, Ayla said pulling away at the towel. She couldn’t believe her mother.

Okay, fine, have fun your own way. I don’t care if you kill yourself in the process. She said pulling harder at the towel, as her mother hand fell off from, it as she turned to run away before she paused dead, in her tracks.

What on earth? She looked back and saw that her mother’s hand wasn’t burnt at all. It was as if, nothing happened to it.

Impossible, Ayla said as she squatted back down, confused on how to explain, this strange phenomenon. What on earth just happened to her mother.

Mother, are you seeing, what I am seeing. She said poking at her mother’s mysteriously healed hand, as her mother grumbled.

Surely, I must still be sleeping, this has to be a joke. She said holding her mother’s hand as she caressed it, it was real, and hot. She looked back at the fireplace, in confusion. She edged closer and carried her hand. She could feel, the heat burning her hand already before she even reached near it. But the pain was real, her mother plunged her hand into the fireplace for minutes, her hand burning, but nothing. Yet, the fire is burning me, maybe I saw wrong. Maybe she didn’t put her hand, in it. Maybe I just assumed, fearing the worst seeing her there.

This could be fear, she said to herself.

But as she turned to face her mother who had stood up, and walked out of the parlor, she heard a loud ringing in her ears, tearing away at her ear drums, as she pressed her hand s trying to shut out the screams. It was like a thousand banshee screaming directly, as blood began to flow from her ears.

She collapsed to the floor, and immediately she opened her eyes, she was in front of her bathroom, mirror, panting, as if she had run a marathon race. Startled she looked at the mirror, her eyes, fading, a bright green color as it returned to the usual brown. What the hell just happened. She looked at her hand. Her tooth brush was clutched tightly as toothpaste was all over the brush.

Was she brushing her teeth? But how. Was it a dream, and she got lost in her thoughts, imagining that her mother had burnt her hand, and yet didn’t at the same time.

She was confused, what the hell was happening to her?

But what is real, and what isn’t real again, she had no idea. She needed someone to talk to. Because she was definitely going crazy.

Bringing the brush to her teeth, she brushed slowly staring at her reflection, in the mirror as the same pale and haunted version of her, stared back, at her, doing the exact same thing, she is doing. But as soon, as she bent down, to spit out the paste in her mouth, her reflection, still stood erect, smiling as blood flowed from, her eyes, as she watched the original version of her wash her face with water, before disappearing like a puff of smoke.

Tormenting her, was fun, now, it was time for her to go. She didn’t want the fun to end. She would come back, once again, when she was in a joyous mod.

Ayla raised her head, and stared at her reflection, in the mirror. As she checked her teeth and tongue, before pointing the brush at the mirror saying,

Today is going to be a good day, for me. I just know it.