Kingdom of Arzialla by Marilyn Arias (story reading txt) 📕

The kitten sat down in front of me and gave out another squeak. My hand went to pet it but its ears lowered and it became very defensive.
You should always let the animal smell you first before touching it, my sister’s voice reminded me.

My hand froze in front of the kitten and it leaned forward before sniffing me. It gave a whiff all around my hand before rubbing its head against my fingers. I lightly combed its fur with my fingers and began thinking about my sister. She was so beautiful with her short blonde hair. She loved animals and would always beg dad to keep a stray if she found it. My mind started to wander around and then I started thinking of something that happened not too long ago.
I felt so terrible at myself that I started bursting into tears…

After about three hours, I was beginning to get hungry and the kitten won’t stop meowing so I figured it was hungry as well. I put the kitten in a bag that I found in the alley and I went off to the markets with it. It kept squirming at first but then became still. I could still hear it purring so I figured it just fell asleep.
The markets were much different compared to the ones back home. They were much more noisy, a bit more crowded. I had no money so I’ll have to be slick and steal a couple things.
The first cart I went to was full of fruits. I wore baggy pants so I could stuff dozens of fruits in them if I really wanted to but I wanted to see how good the security was here. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching me and I began picking apples. Once I found a good apple, I glanced side by side once more and sneaked it into my pocket. I did that for a few more minutes while I moved around the same cart. Just while I pretended to check on them, a little old lady came out of a door and saw me. “Is there anything I can help you with, young man?”
“Uh, no. Not really. I’m just looking,” I said just before my stomach growled loudly. I gave out a nervous chuckle.
“Your accent shows you’re not from around here,” she said, ignoring the sound.
“I just arrived here just yesterday.”
“Oh, really? From where?” she sounded interested.
I hesitated, thinking of the tragedy for a second. “I’m from Bulkorae.”
She gasped. “Really? I hear it got attacked by Gavrils!”
“Well, yes…” I said grimly as I placed my hands in my pockets. My fingers felt the smooth skin of the apples and couldn’t help but remember how I’m committing a crime. We just stood there in awkward silence as I imagine she figured this was a bad topic for me to talk about.
All of a sudden, my stomach growled again. The woman noticed and grinned. “Would you like to know something that I barely show anybody?”
“Um… Well, I have to be somewhere though,” I lied.
“It will only take a minute,” she told me.
“Well… um…” I mumbled. Well, worst that could happen is she finds out I’m stealing from her and I go to prison, right? How could she figure out anyways? It’s not like they’re obvious…

“I suppose.”
She nodded her head for me to follow. She took me into the same door she came from and through the house. She came up to another door but paused and looked back at me. “Have you ever fallen in love?”
“Uh, no. I don’t think so,” I told her. Why’s she asking such a random question?

“Well then, turn the door knob and tell me what you see,” she told me.
I hesitated but I took the knob and turned it before opening it. The door lead us back outside, into an alley. “It’s all just another alley. What am I supposed to see?”
“Well, that was very expected. Because someone--” she began saying before she took the door and shut it. “--who has seen the eyes of a loved one would see something much more wonderful. And someone like me who has gone through such grief and pain--” she opened it back up and revealed a rainy world in which was so dark and so… depressing. “--would see this.”
“What is this?” I asked with astonishment.
“I’m not so sure myself,” she said gently closing the door. “My husband and I found it when we moved into this house more than thirty years ago.”
I looked around and found the house very silent and empty. “Where is he?”
“He’s up in the heavens,” she smiled sadly.
“Oh… I'm sorry...” it was all awkward all of a sudden. Suddenly, my stomach interrupted us and growled very loudly. “I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten since I arrived here.”
“Oh, poor thing. Are your parents here? I’d like to meet them and ask them if it’s alright with them to make you something.”
“Um… Well, about that…” I hesitated. “I came here on my own. My family is… gone…”
“Aw, sweety. I’m so sorry. Then where are you staying?” she asked with pity.
“Um… Nowhere, really.”
“Well…” she started hesitating to say her next words. “Would you like to stay here?”
“Why…” I was surprised. “Why would you want to take me in?”
“I’m not positive. But you’re a nice boy and I can’t let someone like you go without a home,” she gave me a smile. “Plus, there’s something about you that reminds me of my husband.”
“Oh, no don’t say that…” I told her. “You’re making me feel bad now.”
“Why? I’m offering you a home,” she asked.
“Well… Would you still want me to stay if I told you I attempted to take these without paying you?” I asked guiltily as I pulled out three apples from my pockets. She was surprised at first but then she looked understanding.
“Young man, you just told me a while ago that you came into Arzialla yesterday alone without a family. At your age you can't find a job to pay for your own meals so I think I’d do the same if I was a young child like you," she told me with a warm smile.
"Oh, but still. I'd only cause you trouble," I told her.
"Boy, nothing would bring me any more trouble than my husband ever did when he lived," she winked.
"Well, um..." I was speechless. I already have someone offering me a roof over my head. This is way too good to be true. "I feel like this is too easy. What's the catch? I have to owe you something especially after attempting to steal your apples."
She sighed but she sounded more like she's about to laugh than as though she's about to give up. Actually she doesn't sound annoyed at all. "If it makes you feel better I'll have you work at my shop and in return, you can live here."
"Deal," I told her. All of a sudden, the kitten moved and gave out another squeak. I pulled the kitten out of the bad and gave a nervous smile,"Oh, and you don't mind having another mouth to feed, do you?"
"No, not at all," she told me. "I love animals."
"Thank you so much," I said as I put it down on the floor. The kitten glanced around everywhere and started venturing around the house.
"Oh! I'm afraid we haven't properly introduced ourselves. My name is Mila. What is yours?" she asked.
"Zelimir."

SOME OF MY MEMORIES HAVE SLOWLY but surely returned, however, some were still kind of unclear. Like once I’d see people, it’d take me a moment to remember who’s who. Especially those that I don’t know very well like some friends at school. I remember family members like Grandmama and my parents and my two cousins a bit faster, though. About a year after the accident, I’ve regained memory of almost everybody that I knew.
But weird things happen and I sometimes wonder if it’s always been this way even before the accident. Like a few weeks ago, I was trying to remove a stain that someone made by spilling something under the couch. While I scrubbed it away behind the couch, I could’ve sworn I saw a little boy peek his little head shyly around the arm of the couch to see what I was doing and then as soon as I glanced over, he hid. I quickly looked over the couch and found nothing there. I think I’m seeing spirits or ghosts. I’m not sure. At first, they freaked me out, like I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. But now, whenever I’d see one I’d just shrug it off and move on. Those situations don’t faze me anymore. It’s moments when I see this mysterious woman. I’d even hear whispers from a woman and I believe its from her. Her face is always a blur but I always recognize her long, flowing red hair. I’d tell my parents about it and my dad would always say that spirits only come to you if they want to tell you something. I tell him the same thing every time, “Dad, if I’m scared of them when they’re silent, imagine if they speak to me or wrote something. I’ll probably go cry in a corner, rocking back and forth if they are able to communicate with me.” It doesn’t seem like she’s trying to tell me something anyways. Afterall, she just appears for a second or two and then disappears for God knows how long.

I received a hunting bow and six arrows as a Christmas/birthday gift. I’ve always wanted one ever since I watched Lord of the Rings last school year.