Part 4
The sun dissipated as the moon rose slowly into the sky, turning day into evening. Owls drifted onto nearby trees, their hoots echoing as people passed below.
I lingered near the dining hall, unseen, watching the family eat together. Their laughter and chatter warmed the room, though I remained apart, a shadow at the edge of their lives. Tomorrow, perhaps, something will change.
Later, crickets sang outside while dishes clattered in the sink. The family tidied the dining room as I wandered into the corridor. My gaze fell upon the portrait of my parents and brother. Oh, how I long for them. One day, I will see them again.
Upstairs, a bookcase caught my eye. I traced the spines until my fingers rested on an antique volume—an old Western. I pulled it free and read, losing myself in its pages. Ten minutes passed before Timothy's voice broke the silence.
"I'll be upstairs if you need me. I'll be in my room." His footsteps creaked on the stairs. At the top, he paused. "Suddenly it feels strange up here... but I'm sure it's nothing." He shut his door, though unease lingered in the air.
Memories surged. My mother's voice: "Maribelle, it's time for your violin lessons."
"Be right there, Mother," I had replied, leaving my friends to meet my teacher. Chopin's melodies filled the house as I practiced for an hour, while my little brother played outside. Arthur's laughter still echoes in my mind, entwined with the music.
The present returned. I replaced the book and overheard Serena speaking into a device—her "cell phone." Such things did not exist in my time. How different this world is.
In my generation, medicine was crude, carriages rattled through town, and children often stayed home to work farms instead of attending school. Discipline was harsh, opportunities scarce. Now, education is mandatory, technology abundant, and voices travel through invisible wires.
I am an old soul in a new world. I mean no harm. I only wish to understand this family, to learn their ways, and perhaps to be seen not as a terror but as a presence longing for connection.
Serena still wrestles with what she saw in the mirror. Her mother dismisses it, but Serena knows. If I keep manifesting, perhaps she will understand my intent.
The house settled into silence. Everyone slept. Tomorrow will bring another chance, though I do not know what awaits.