Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
3
A Monster
When the sun started filling up her room, she finally gave up on sleep. Most nights, she barely slept a wink, so most days, she walked around torturously tired. It was clear already that today wasn’t going to go any differently than yesterday, or the day before that.
After getting dressed for the day, she walked out of her little bedroom to find her grandparents in the kitchen. Her grandfather sat at the tiny table while her grandmother shuffled around in her slippers, throwing things in the tea kettle on the stove.
“Good morning,” she greeted them what seemed to be louder every day when they didn’t hear her walk in. It was a blessing and a curse they had lost most of their hearing. A blessing they no longer heard her nightmares when she actually did get some sleep, and a curse they had gotten old.
“Morning, Eira,” her grandmother shouted, not looking away from her concoction. “Tea is almost ready.”
Eira went to the cabinet to pull out three porcelain teacups. Placing one in front of her grandfather first, she gave him a smile, hoping he’d hear her this time. “Morning, Grandpa.”
Her grandpa just smiled and gave a quick nod, showing that he still clearly didn’t hear her.
She tried not to laugh at his obliviousness. These days, he wasn’t a man of many words, anyway. Hell, her grandma spoke enough for them both.
One day, she hoped to be like her grandpa, just simply happy and grateful to wake up every day alive. Nothing troubled him, and everything was done for him by either his wife or Eira. It never bothered her. She loved helping her grandparents, and nothing fulfilled her grandmother more than caring for her husband.
Her grandfather had spent most of his life on a fishing boat, providing for his family, so his body had given out due to arthritis. Hence the tea her grandmother was still doting over.
“Be careful; it’s hot,” her grandmother made sure to always remind her husband when she was finally satisfied with the taste and began pouring the piping-hot green liquid into his cup. She then went to pour Eira some but quickly stopped when she caught her granddaughter’s image. “This tea won’t help you.”
“It’s fine,” Eira said, knowing what was coming.
Her grandmother went to touch the dark hollow under her granddaughter’s eyes before she quickly remembered not to make contact. “You need tea to make you sleep. Not sleeping makes you look old and ugly. Then you’ll never get a husband.”
“Yes, you must get a husband.” Grandpa nodded in firm agreement.
“I do not need a husband,” Eira told them for the millionth time, not taking any offense to how they were raised to believe. “I have you both, anyway.”
“We’re old and ugly,” her grandma stated. “You can do better. You’re still young and beautiful.”
Eira no longer thought of herself as beautiful, but instead of talking about herself, she laughed, taking the topic off her. “That’s not true, Grandma. You’re beautiful.”
Her grandmother didn’t yell this time, speaking in an octave only Eira could hear. “Okay, only he’s gotten old and ugly.”
This time, Eira had to stifle her laughter, not wanting her grandfather to ask what was so funny.
Sitting down, Grandma began filling up her own cup. “You need to go to the market and get things for your tea tonight. We’re all out.”
Eira didn’t doubt they were, but she knew why she really wanted her to go to the market.
Blowing into her hot cup, her grandmother couldn’t help a sly smile. “And tell Kenji I said hello.”
“Yes, you must go get a husband.” Grandpa nodded in firm agreement, revealing his wife’s true intentions, as if they weren’t obvious enough already.
Oh my.
Refraining from rolling her eyes, Eira got up, grabbed her tote, and headed for the door.
“My bones are telling me rain is coming, so don’t be gone long, Eira, I want you hom—”
“Okay, okay, I got it!” she yelled back over her shoulder, in a rush to get going.
Quickly, she headed into town for the little market she frequently visited throughout the week, thanks to her grandmother. It was as if she fully expected her granddaughter to simply bring a husband home one day.
She scoffed, blowing a raspberry. First of all …
If Eira did want to bring home a husband—which I don’t—it wasn’t that easy. It wasn’t like men just fell into your lap. Well, not a good one, anyway. Plus, her grandparents seemed to always forget two things.
Eira looked the way she did, and she did not like to be touched.
Hell, she didn’t know much about having a husband, let alone having a boyfriend, but she was pretty sure looking and/or touching was frequently involved. Therefore, she was destined to die alone. Frankly, she had come to terms with that years ago.
While she used to dream about getting married one day, like most girls, she no longer did. These days, she only dreamed about finding peace.