by R Corona
“Good. Head out now, before it gets dark.” His quick smile, like everything else about him, perplexed me. It was the first warning sign; I should have never gone.
***
“That way,” Ette pointed the way. “Two houses before the Magician’s.” The Magician’s House?
“Can I ask you something, Ette?”
“Is it about Kostas?” She walked slowly, feeling deflated and staring at the ground.
“He looked sad, is he alright? Why did he say that he couldn’t drop you off?”
“Promise you won’t say?” Ette covered her face from the sunrays. “He’s my father…But Kostas doesn’t know.”
My mouth fell open, I managed to close it before looking like an idiot. “Didn’t you say you were friends?” Wait. How did Ette know Kostas was her father if he didn’t?
“Mom said that my dad was a caring man, like Kostas. In the future, which I think means, in a long time from now, she said I was going to meet him. He cannot visit my house because evil people follow him and Kostas wants to protect us,” Ette pouted. “Every day my mother drops me off at the Park; so I can spend time with him.” Ette grinned. “I can feel it in my heart, June.”
“How old are you, Ette?” The way in which she carried herself, her poise and tone, gave the impression that she was a smart and mature girl. She spoke with enthusiasm and it felt like she had a gift. Ette could grasp a person’s wholeness with a simple look.
“Six, and you?”
“Fifteen.—when are you going to tell him what you think?”
Confidently, she replied to my question. “I don’t think, I know.” Ette paused just as her glance wandered off into space. Until that moment, I had thought that Ette was kidding. But the tone of her words implied that she was convinced. How she had reached that conclusion, intrigued me—it scared me. What she said next, stung my heart. “A friend told me not to worry; he’ll take care of everything.”
“This friend of yours, do you trust him? Will he tell Kostas, then?” It crossed my mind that someone was feeding Ette’s hopes of finding a father. I had just met her and maybe it wasn’t any of my business but Kostas should have known about Ette’s theory.
Ette shrugged. “It’s here, June.” She ran off.
“But, Ette?”
“Thanks, June.” Ette knocked on the green wooden door until a lady opened the door and waved at me. When Ette entered, I continued the path home but could not dismiss her comments about Kostas. Maybe Ette had misinterpreted what her mom and her friend had said…or maybe Kostas was her dad. The illusion in her face reminded me of myself; of how I used to feel about my parents' departure. Before I could dwell on the past, or hope about my parents’ well-being, a refreshing sight removed any discomfort from my mind. The House. Like no other, its presence relieved my thoughts. It wasn’t its beauty that paralyzed me, it was something else; what it represented, what it held. Actually, there was no sane idea that could give me a hint as to why this, almost heavenly, structure could make me unaware of my being.
That afternoon I intended to find out what was behind its doors. Nothing was going to stop me, not even myself—my legs moved without permission. Closer and closer to the House, close enough to touch the doors. My hands rested upon the moist red wood, I was touching the House! The feeling became more exhilarating when a clicking sound awakened my sense of fear. Someone is opening the door! I had no right, what was I doing there? What do I do? Run away. Yes, run away. Good idea.
The large, red door opened halfway. A purple dress brushed the side of the threshold. Her small, blue eyes lightened at the sight of my face. A giggle made her cheeks blush as brown short curls fell on her face. “Hello there!” The sound of her high-pitched voice numbed me.
“…”
Chapter Three
“Oh my, have I startled you?” The enthusiastic tone of her voice did not ease my embarrassment. “Dear, you look so pale. Come on in and have a cup of water.” Her soft, yet old, hands tapped my shoulder.
Wordless, as I was, and without resisting, my feet took me past the threshold and into an entrance hall. The lady’s purple dress floated in front while I remained a zombie, enchanted by the cream colored walls, and the mirror-like floor tiles. She led me to an open room behind the Hall. There, my senses were awakened. Three large windows ran from ceiling to floor. Sunlight peeked inside; carefully entering through the glass and caressing the walls. For a second it appeared as if the House commanded the sun and its brightness. The windows beamed a steady gush of light; slowly, it floated in the empty space only to blend around me. “Have a seat; I will get some water for you,” said the lady as she walked into another hall.
There were three different openings in the living room; the one from where we had entered the room, the one the lady had gone into and an obscure hall in the middle. It looked more or less like a tunnel. In the center of the room there was a squared table, adorned with carvings along the sides. Five vibrant armchairs surrounded the table. Each one had a different pattern and color. I paced around the table and glanced out the window. Oak trees to the far end of the property were visible from the room. Another garden was planted to the left of my view, it was filled with sunflowers.
A sweet-flowery, warm smell now entertained my nose. The sound of footsteps urged me to turn around. The lady had returned and stood by the side of the table, holding a silver tray of cookies and a glass of water. “Oh, but I haven’t introduced myself, how rude of me,” She giggled to herself. “Take a seat, dear.” The woman sat down after I had done the same. “My name is Ms. Baynes, the Housekeeper.” The smell of the vanilla cookies had hypnotized me.
“Here, have some.” We ate, and I drank some water. “Now that you don’t look so pale, tell me, what is your name, and why were you standing on the front lawn?”
“My name is June Corpelle, I feel very embarrassed about–”
“June?” She stared at me. Something made her eyes glisten, maybe the light. “How wonderful. What a joy!” Ms. Baynes cheered.
“Uhm, Ms. Baynes? What is so wonderful?”
“It’s your name! What else?” The woman smiled. “You have a very summery name and summer brings me joy.”
“Thank you…” From the way in which she treated me, it was certain that Ms. Baynes was a nice lady. She had opened her doors, having known nothing of me. I could have been a serial killer, one who disguised herself as a harmless teenager. Ok, so maybe I wasn’t the criminal type, but, in truth, I was no less than a stalker. My obsession had escalated to a state in which all of my thoughts originated from the House. “There is something I must say. For a while now, this House has distressed my mind. There isn’t a way for me to stop thinking about it. For god’s sake, I even dream about it. The House’s beauty, its grandeur…could it be possible for me to learn more about it, about the builder? –Ms. Baynes, this House is magical!”
“–Magical?” she interrupted my speech. A hint of pink spread on her cheeks.
“Yes, as in beautiful. It isn’t like any other house in town, or in the world for that matter.”
“Oh come on, June. Am I to believe that you have traveled around the world and seen every last house?”
“Ms. Baynes, it’s just an expression.”
“Of course dear.” She giggled. “Many, like you, have come to complement the House. We are used to it. In fact we’ve given tours in the past, but the people are not as interested as they once were. A shame, if you ask me–”
“No you again! You always mess up everything, what’s wrong with you?” A clanking noise came after, almost like pots and pans crashing against each other. Ms. Baynes’ posture stiffened as she quickly glanced towards one of the halls.
“What was…?–”
“Oh no,” the Housekeeper exhaled and rolled her
eyes, bothered by the interruption. “Sounds like someone needs my help. Those two are going to kill each other one of these days,” she whispered and rose from the chair. “Tell you some
thing… June, come tomorrow and I’ll tell you everything you want about the man who designed and built this house. I’ll even prepare a tour.”
“Yeah. Yes, tomorrow’s perfect!”
She walked a few steps behind me, then we heard a loud clash. “Ms. Baynes I know the way out, better check out what’s happening back there.”
“They have done it today, haven’t they? Both will hear what I have to say. This behavior is unacceptable! My apologies. Do come back tomorrow, please.” Her apologies and pleas were not necessary. At that point in my life, I would have given what wasn’t mine only to take another glance inside the House.
An energizing force circled me as the front door closed. Sweat drops of fear ran down my neck. Feet pinned on the grass, hands bound next to my body. For twenty-one seconds, my life paralyzed; my world, my universe became still in front of my own eyes. When my body relaxed, there was an urge in me to go back inside the House, but I left instead.
The forceful feeling dissolved into the air, blowing away from me. So I didn’t question it, because having entered the House was enough to shut my brain out of the real world.
***
Aunt Marcelle was working late, and Leev had been waiting for me on the porch. We sat together for a couple of minutes, staring at the road. Silence captured our words until she couldn’t hold it any longer.
“Are you going to tell me now or later?” Leev asked, still staring.
“Tell you what?” My neck twisted to look at her. It was impossible for Leev to know, a word hadn’t escaped my mouth.
“Don’t you want to tell me something? There’s that look in your face. The one that tells me I’m going to have to guess what’s wrong?”
“Leev, there’s no such look,” I laughed. “But you’re right. Now…I know you won’t be happy about this, well… I’ll tell you if you tell me about your look.”
“Deal, you first” She smiled.
With a hand covering half my face, I began. Maybe her reaction wouldn’t seem so big if I could only see half of it. “Remember that House, the white one? I went inside…”
“You what?” She shrieked, alarmed by the confession. “What if someone saw you, did you take anything? You could have been arrested? June!” Her words impressed me in a horrible way. What kind of person did my cousin think I was? Oh wait, it was Leev; she had a disgusting habit of thinking horribly of everyone.
“Leev are you crazy? I didn’t break in! Gosh, would it kill you to think before you judge so harshly. The Housekeeper, Ms. Baynes invited me in…well sort of. The point is that I’ve never felt so empowered before. The House was like…home. It was beautiful; peaceful. As peaceful as in my dream. It's like a work of art, you should come and see it too; I was invited to go visit tomorrow.”
“Can't tomorrow, tons of work to do. The new trainees have already been assigned to groups and we have to stay after hours to set up a meeting schedule and to inspect our location for reconstruction.” Surprisingly, Leev was not thrilled by her new assignment. “Jeff was named as the task manager for our group and he—something doesn’t seem right about him.”
“You barely know him. Maybe that’s just the way he normally behaves. Or, it could be that he is nervous to be working with you.” I laughed, and gave her a slight shove. “Because you know…you know…he likes you.”
“Oh stop it, June.” Leev did not see the humor in my comments and changed the topic. “—About the House, if you want me to be honest; maybe it’s a good thing. I mean, it’s something new, and you need something new, a goal; an adventure. The House could take your mind off your parents for a while.”
They had slipped my mind. What else was I to do, when my worries were not of importance? For once, I wasn’t going to wait around for that call, or that letter. Enough was enough. My family was Leev and Aunt Marcelle and as much as it hurt, I had to move on. My mind had been beaten almost dead and there was nothing left to be done. If they had decided to live their life without me, then there was no reason for me to think about them or to worry. And, if truly, a tragedy had occurred and they had gone from this world, then I could not do anything either.
“Speaking about parents, June, my mom has been acting weird.” Leev searched for my eyes.
“Aunt Marcelle? Don’t tell me she caught the disappearing bug?”
“No, well, not exactly. She’s been having strange conversations over the phone, it’s mostly whispers so I can’t make out what she is saying, but–”
“You’re spying on her? Leev!” The surprise on my face shocked her.
“Don’t look at me that way! June, she cries after she hangs up the phone every time and yesterday she went for a walk.”
“What’s wrong with taking a walk?”
“It was at midnight. Four hours passed before she returned. Something is not right, I can tell; she’s my mother. But don’t stress…I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
The sky continued to darken as we waited behind the shrubs until Aunt Marcelle arrived. I retreated to my bedroom while Leev insisted on staying up. A funny feeling told me this wasn’t going to end well. If Aunt Marcelle was in some kind of trouble, it was best for Leev to talk to her. But who was I to give any advice on dealing with parents? The night remained quiet while dreams of the House intoxicated my memories. In the morning I went to work; the rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. After my shift was over I walked to the House for my meeting with Ms. Baynes.
***
She was sitting in the front garden; holding a metal box. “Good, you’re here, sit, sit. I’m remembering old times.” The box was full of pictures. “I love looking at pictures of people.” She said, and then stared at an old photo. “You know, pictures tell us stories, they show us a scene and we can imagine the rest. Do you like pictures, June?”
“Yeah.” My bag rested on my lap. “I carry this one with me.” I removed the old cropping from my wallet and showed it to her. “They are my parents.”
Ms. Baynes observed the photo carefully. “Very pretty, you have a wonderful family.” She glanced at me and smiled.
“Thanks.” I returned the smile.
“Oh, this one must be yours; it must have fallen in the box.” She handed me an old photo, it was in black and white and torn on one side. There were two smiling little girls in the picture; one had auburn hair and the other one was blonde. One of the girls looked familiar, but at the moment it was impossible for my mind to tell why.
“No, it’s not mine, Ms. Baynes.” I shyly smiled and handed the photograph back.
“Sure it’s yours,” she insisted.
“I’ve never seen this picture before.”
“But June, look,” Ms. Baynes pointed to one of the girls. “You’re in the picture; this little girl has to be you. She looks just like you. –Here, take it” Ms. Baynes held the picture in front of my eyes.
“Sorry, it isn’t mine. I shouldn’t take it.”
“Just take it.” She laughed.
I grabbed the picture because, in my mind, Ms. Baynes was a little unstable. Taking the picture would make her happy, so I did. The picture was definitely not mine, even if one of the girls did look familiar. However, the Housekeeper kept insisting until the picture had been placed inside my purse. “Now we can begin…First, you should learn about the man behind everything. We cannot start without him, the builder and artist; the one who constructed this house. There will never be such a gentleman in this world.” She sighed. “He built this house all by himself.”
“What do you mean ‘all by himself’?”
“Let’s just say that 'extra-ordinary' is a good word to describe him. His determination is something to be admired. I mean, can you believe that he spent most of the years after his youth building his dream, this dream?” Her eyes wondered around the property. “The man’s energy was poured onto the House. Not a soul was allowed to help, not that anyone would…or could. This House would have never been possible without him.”
“Then, was he an
architect?” Something, maybe everything, about her story seemed too big for my mind to process. “Ms. Baynes, how can a man build a house all by himself –and not to mention, the magnitude and perfectness of the House?”
“You’re right.” She confessed. “It wasn’t a task suitable for any man. Dez was not a simple man in his youth. He was a leader and a Carrier of energy, powerful energy. Before being exiled to this land, Dez ruled, what was once, a great land. By wielding his energy into the House he created a sanctuary for those persecuted by the overthrowing rule.”
“Dez is a strange name. You said he had powers, like superhero powers?” I mocked.
Ms. Baynes wasn’t charmed by my tone. Arching one of her eyebrows, the Housekeeper responded, “Your cohabitation with the ones of this world has tainted the spiritual understanding that should be carried within. A person’s abilities are not to be made fun of. Neither are they to be questioned. —Yet, I understand you are not familiar with the abilities entrusted on those of our kind.”
“Of your kind?” The amusement in my voice did not seem to please her. Not wanting to be thrown out of the House, I played along, pretending all her theories were sane. Ms. Baynes was a storyteller and I was beginning to understand why people in town evaded the House. She spoke of powers, spiritual abilities and referred to her people as being from a different kind. It was conceited to think of herself, and those whom she thought to be like her, as special. Ms. Baynes had no genuine interest in the townspeople; they were simpleminded and would not take her theories, and those of her kind, earnestly. But it was the way in which she regarded the builder of the House that took me aback. The way she boasted about his accomplishments and his supernatural abilities fascinated me.
“There will be enough time to learn.” The Housekeeper paused for a second, shifting her glance to the side, “Yes, and you know what? Dez would love to meet someone who is as interested in his artistic work as you are.”