The rain hammered down, droplets racing down her face. With a grunt, a young girl dug through the thick wet mud. The girl shivered. Her hands shook as she pushed the mud with a feeble flick of her hands. With a long exhale, the girl stood upright. She looked at the work she had done. The small holes she dug had already filled with rainwater. The girl looked up at the sky. The sky was covered with heavy grey clouds, rain pouring down. The raindrops patted down on her skin. Each drop felt like a cold pinch.
"If you have time to stare at the sky like a slack-jawed moron, you have time to work, keep working!" a familiar voice boomed in the distance. The girl glanced in the direction of the voice. A large figure stood in the frame of a wooden door, yellow light streaming out of the small house.
"Yes father," the girl said, voice shaking from the cold. The man slammed the door shut. With a sigh, the girl pulled the seeds from her pocket and began burying them in the holes she dug. Her nimble fingers pushed the seeds into the dirt, the cold water rose as her hand sunk into the mud. Rising to her feet, she wiped the dirt from her hands and exhaled.
The girl stepped inside the wooden home. Greeted by the warmth of the fire. The yellow hue of the room was calming. Removing the cold, wet clothes the girl shuddered. Her black hair plastered against her head, tips dripping with water. She rolled up the sodden clothes and put them in the woven basket.
"I'm finished, father" the girl croaked. As she stepped around the corner, the smell of alcohol greeted her. She peered at him. Her father was sleeping in his wooden rocking chair, bottles of liquor surrounded him. Some even spilled onto the floor. She sighed. Quietly padding through the small house, she went into her room and closed the door. Quietly locking the padlock with a flick of her hand. The girl threw her exhausted body onto her bed. The rain continued to beat down on the tin roof.
Loud banging startled the girl. Jumping her bed, she opened her door with a swift motion. Her head was still cloudy from a deep sleep.
"Kino! Make dinner, I'm hungry" her father said. Kino nodded, rubbing her now dry and messy hair.
"Yes, father," she said. Exiting her room, she glanced around the living room. The fire still crackled. The warmth tickled her skin. The yellow hue illuminated the room. Her father sat in his rocking chair, sipping on another bottle of liquor. The chair creaked as he rocked himself slightly. Kino shuffled into the kitchen and began to prepare the meal.
"What are you cooking Kino?" her father asked, his words slightly slurred. Kino rolled her head in thought.
"I have some vegetables and some beef. I'm making soup. It's a cold day so I want to make something warm" Kino said, peeling some carrots and dropping the peel into an old potato sack. Her father hummed and slouched in his chair. He took another swig of liquor and yawned.
"Wake me when you finish"
"Yes father"
Kino and her father ate dinner in silence, the soup still steaming. The rain hitting the tin roof like bullets. As Kino sipped her soup, her father spoke.
"How are the crops?"
"Most are fine, but some are getting drowned by the heavy rain," Kino said, holding her spoon to her mouth. Her father frowned.
"Can you fix them?" he asked, Kino hesitated. She tried to predict her father's reaction. Pulling away from his gaze, she exhaled through her nose.
"I can try," she said in a small voice, and there was a moment of silence. Kino's father sighed and ate another bite of beef. The soup dripping into his beard. Kino sheepishly sipped her soup. They finished the remainder of their meal in silence.
When Kino finally finished cleaning up after their meal, she stepped into the living room. Her father's hair was wet.
"Is there water for the tub father?" she asked, her father nodded. Kino left the kitchen and made her way to the outhouse.
The outhouse was a small shack, containing only a cracked toilet and a tin bathtub. The walls were damp, musty, and cracked. It was chilly inside the outhouse. Drafts whipped through the gaps in the wooden door. Kino's skin prickled with goosebumps. Stripping down, she stepped into the tub. It was still warm. She smiled slightly. Submerging her worn, exhausted body into the water, she sighed. Father is in a decent mood today. Staring at the tin roof, she pondered. Kino imagined the buildings she wanted to design, she wanted to design such beautiful monuments, temples and structures. Each structure having its own unique design and story. She mused about design, patterns, materials, and textures. She envisioned a large piece of parchment paper inked with designs, calculations, and measurements.
A crack of lighting caused her to jump slightly. Bringing her mind back to the dark, dim outhouse. Glancing around at her grim surroundings, Kino sunk beneath the lukewarm water and closed her eyes. Kino needed something new, something fresh. Something exciting.