Chapter three: South Park
Author: AYAotD
Date:
The house wasn't the only large thing his family had inherited, he soon learned. The house it's self sat on a large piece of property overlooking a nearby river. The way his mother had explained it to him (as he had been trailing her constantly around the house as she cleaned and unpacked), The house and property had been in her family for years, dating back to the eighteen hundreds, even. She added, however, that she was going by word of mouth only, as she had yet to find the time to do any kind of research on the matter.
"Tweek, dear, if you're so interested, why don't you go look yourself? It's a lovely day outside after all." She said finally, exasperated, after he had tread on her foot for the third time. He flinched away at her tone, and her face immediately turned apologetic.
"Dear, you're jumpier than usual, and all things considered, that just can't be good for you…or for me." She added the last part under her breath, but he heard her anyway. He flinched again, feeling guilty. She didn't seem to notice and continued, pushing him gently down the hall and out of the kitchen, where she had been arranging pots and pans. "Some fresh air will do you some good." They reached the back door, which Tweek hadn't actually known about before. His mother leaned around him and opened the ornate, light blue and white painted door, effectively cutting off his escape routs without being obvious about it.
He had to give her points for knowing him well enough to plan ahead like that.
"Now, you run along." She told him, pushing open the storm door for him as well and placing a hand on his back firmly. "I'll have dinner ready around six thirty, so come back a few minuets before so you can wash up, ok? And don't get lost."
"Lost?! Oh sweet Jesus, I could get lost out there?!" He yelped, craning his neck back as far as possible to look at her. She winced at her word slip. His eyes were wider than usual, the dark circles under them standing out starkly as his perpetually pale face drained of any color it might have possessed. His lower lip trembled.
"Well, the property is large, but it's mostly fields, so you'll be able to see the house at all times, anyway." She amended. "Just don't go to far into the trees and you'll be fine. No go." and, that said, she gave him one final, firm shove out the door.
Tweek stood for a moment, swallowing a brief wave of panic, forcing himself to stand still and not go running back for the door. His mother had a lot of work to do, and he was sure that he was just getting in the way. He had a habit of doing that.
He shivered in the cold Colorado air, thankful that he hadn't removed his heavy coat when they had arrived at the house. With his almost nonexistent body mass, he was sure it wouldn't be hard for him to catch phenomena or something and die. He was used to the slightly warmer, less snowy climate of Denver, after all.
He glanced back at the house. Through the small box window over looking the sink, he watched his father slip up behind his mother, wrapping his arms around her waist. She giggled soundlessly, turning halfway in his father's arms and batting at his shoulders. It was like watching some strange pantomime, this silent play going on before him, and for a moment he could only watch as his mother and father leaned in together and kissed.
Then he snapped out of it and decided that the really didn't want to watch whatever they were going to do next. Stuffing his hands into his pocket to keep them warm, he headed off the porch, making up his mind to head down to the small town at the bottom of the large, swooping hill the house was perched on.
South Park, he believed was the name.
He'd never heard of it before, but, compared to Denver, it promised to be small, quiet, and all around dull.