2: Gram'ma

A Chapter by Mikhaela M.

For the past hours, I had been watching lots of suspense movies I hadn't watched before at the living room rather than going upstairs and sleep all night long. Eating a couple packs of popcorns all alone, and drinking lots of canned sodas.

Yeah. So much for a graduation party, isn't?

As the annoying scream of the woman in the movie enveloped the area, I just stared at it blankly. Nothing. I felt nothing. Heck, it didn't give me the feels. I wasn't scared, I didn't feel goosebumps. I didn't feel the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. Whatever people feel when fear is starting to take over them. I didn't even feel the need to pee because of fear.

Sighing, I stepped my feet on the cold floor of our two-story house, getting up from laying on the sofa. I looked around, though I barely even see anything because of the darkness. All the lights are turned off. And when I say all, I meant all. It was only the TV that was providing me light.

I stood up, and had begun to stretch my body and move my stiff neck. Then I started making my way to the main door. I didn't mind turning off the TV, well, it was the only electric appliance that was turned on. At least, I won't make our electric bill go bigger. And it was the only thing that provides me light inside, I didn't want to bother turning on the other lights. If I would, I could just use the brightness of my phone as my light source.

I unlocked the door, and pulled it open. The moment I opened it, I shivered because of the temperature. It was so cold that I regretted wearing shorts and a plain gray shirt other than my pajamas. But I certainly wouldn't like to wear a ToyStory pajama. I just ran out of plain pajamas so I had no choice but that, so I preferred to wear this.

I stepped out of our house, and went down the porch, not caring if I'm not wearing any slippers. It's fine, underneath my feet were only grass.

I didn't restrain from walking, I just went on and on until I was in the middle of our yard covered with soft spring grass. I let out a small sigh, closing my eyes as I asked myself with the same question again and again.

Why is life so boring?

I want to feel something new. Try something different, all this time since my grandmother died eleven years ago, all I feel is nothingness. Not that I am heartless. I love. I love my parents, my mom. My granny. I also hate. I hate Russel for being that drunkard and grumpy guy. But I just don't get it, something is missing. Something I don't know. Something that I don't even know if it exists.

Again, I sighed as I averted my gaze from the moon that was shining brightly on my face. I sat down the grassy ground and lied down, not caring if my wavy mahogany colored hair gets dirty. I closed my eyes for a minute, trying to relax. Cold breeze touched my cheeks and my legs, it was cold but somehow it makes me feel comfortable. Add on the rhythm of the rustling sounds of the trees swinging back and forth because of the wind.

I breathed in the fresh air. It was very peaceful at night. I remembered, the last time I checked the wall clock when I was getting out, it was already past eleven. And by now, maybe it was already turning twelve midnight.

So maybe I should go and sleep by now? Yes, maybe I should. I don't think my body would still go and move a muscle at a time like this. I felt my chest falling up and down, my breathing was already like that one when you're sleeping and having a good dream. I felt so relaxed and comfortable that darkness is already starting to take claim of my sight.

Well, it just started. And that darkness halted and came back to where it came from, my eyes involuntarily fluttered open when I heard rustles of the grass coming from my left. Slowly with my eyes halfway closed, I faced the other side. A small black figure with a thin chain making clunking sounds around his neck, and a mysterious pair of purple eyes came closer to my side.

The sides of my lips twitched, who else could it be?

I reached my left hand for him and scratched the back of his small pointed ears. He winced, and meowed at me. Taking a few steps back. Hmm, I knew he really didn't like the back of his ears being scratched, but I just wanted to do it. I smiled to myself for a second as this cat of mine started meowing like he was scolding me about not touching his ears. I silently chuckled, going back to gazing at the beauty of the moon above me.

The memories of her came rushing to my mind again...

"Gram'ma?" I silently called for her as we just gazed above us. Gazing at the moon. I was a just 6 year-old child back then.

She moved her head to face me, but I just kept on gazing at the moon. "What will the moon look like if we got closer to it?"

"Uhmm.. Well, my great grandmother told me a story when I was your age." Then, I turned my face to face her. And she seemed to know that I will do that kind of reaction because she was staring at me knowingly. I playfully grinned, and she chuckled again. "Oh dear, you really love story-telling, do 'ya?"

I just nodded and rolled, I was at a crawling position, then I rested my chin on my knuckles - both hands - while my right and left foot alternately went up and down. Well, I was six. And I was so childish back then.

"So, okay. How do I say this? Uhm, so... I'm sorry child, I'm not good in story telling. But its not actually a story, it was just an answer I got from my great grandma when I... when I also asked her that question."

"U-huh." I nodded again, smiling childishly.

"Err, so I asked her: what will the moon look like if we got closer to it?

And her answer was, well, its complicated so..."

I swayed my head to the left and the right. "It's fine, go on."

"Okay, fine. I just hope that you'll understand this. So, my great grandmother answered: It's beautiful, Mariella. It's very beautiful," then she fixed her eyes on me, like she was convincing me about it, "you might see the moon from earth, or in pictures, as a plain lifeless planet with holes and so on around it. But this is what you should remember, Riel. If you're a welcome guest to the moon, you might think you don't want to go back to earth anymore. The moon is a Paradise, a Paradise full of wonderful water forms, land forms, trees and plants. A Paradise where beautiful creatures you've never seen before live... There are lots of wonderful things in there, my dear. Everyone would definitely love to live in that Paradise, you must always remember that, dear Mariella." She then removed her eyes from me and stared at the moon again.

"That's the exact thing that she told me when I asked her that. I don't know if it's true or not, but all I know is my great grandma would never lie to me, so I believed her... even today, I still do."

Then silence took over for a minute. "Gramma,"

"Yes?"

I lied back down again on the grassy ground. "I still don't understand your great grandma's answer to you, but I will always remember this moment and the answer you gave me, so when I grow up, I'll try and try and try to understand it."

She laughed silently as she moved closer to my side. She gently pulled my head to hers, and gave me a kiss on the corner of my eye. "Yes, my dear. Yes, you should. Because that's what I also did."

I giggled, "Of course, you are really my granny." Then I hugged her tightly, I don't even know if she's really a grandmother. She still looked like a middle-aged woman. She looked like my mother who couldn't take care of me because of work, just a bit older.

She hugged me back, and tighter than my hug. "Gramma... Someday, can I go to that Paradise as a welcomed guest?" She chuckled again, but louder than before, and she whispered;

"Of course, my dear Morisette. Nothing is impossible, and you must always remember that as long as you live."

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