Hey everyone. Thank you so much for reading this far into my story, as we continue to follow Cartman onhis adventure. Spoiler Alert: There is also a reference to the film Let Me In in this chapter. If you haven't seen Let Me In, you probably won't notice it, but if you have seen it, you'll probably catch it. If so, quote it in your review. I'd really appreciate reviews and would love to hear your thoughts. I love feedback and am open to constructive criticism. Now without further ado, let's continue on with this story.
A few hours after I arrived at Misselthwaite Manor, I'd finally finished unpacking and getting situated. I lay there in my new bed, gazing at my ceiling fan above me. It was around ten-thirty p.m. at this point, and I considered going to sleep. I still needed to brush my teeth and comb my hair though, so I went and tried to do that before going to bed.
As I looked in the mirror in the bathroom, I saw a car pulling up outside in the corner of my eye. I stopped what I was doing and watched what was happening. I saw two people get out of the car, but I couldn't see them too well, so I went and got my glasses. I peeked out the window, now able to see what was happening. One person, I immediately recognized. It was Mary.
I knew from her appearance and the attire she wore that it was her. She was much bigger now, as I expected. She wore an yellow-orange coat with dark colored stripes, dark brown rain boots, and a crimson winter hat, which looks similar to my old one. The difference was that hers had braids and was only one color. Mine was light blue, with a yellow pom and a yellow stripe at the bottom and it didn't have braids. I've outgrown it though. Her hair also looked much longer than I remembered.
Now, I was waking up again. I was still tired, but I got curious. Since Mary was there, I now had the opportunity I needed to go and try to make amends and restore our friendship. Of course, I wasn't expecting everything to work out right away, but for there to at least be a solid start. I closed the curtains, and left my room to go back downstairs. The hallway was as black as a void. No lights? What the hell dude? I thought. I went back in my room and grabbed my phone to use as a flashlight.
I turned on the flashlight on my cellphone, and trended down that long hallway in the darkness. I figured I'd get something to eat while I was awake. I went into the kitchen, and scanned around for a snack. Just then, I felt a strange presence near me. It was as if someone was watching me. How right I was.
I turned around, and nearly jumped. I saw Mary, just staring into the kitchen at me. I remember thinking of how much she reminded me of the character Rhoda from Shadows In The Dark.
"My gosh, you scared me," I said to Mary. Up until that point, I was so spooked by her sudden appearance that I didn't get a good look at her. I begun noticing how sickly and miserable she looked. Her face was expressionless, full of sadness and anger, and she was nearly as pale as snow, with a hint of yellow. She looked very sick, malnourished, and underweight.
"Hey, Cartman," she said. That was it. I took note of her other features. Her hands were tiny, and her arms looked like twigs. I didn't mention any of this, and tried to continue our short-lived conversation.
"Hey, Mary. It's nice to see you. It's been a really long time. I'm sorry to hear about your parents." I said.
She didn't seem to care, even about that. Wow, I thought. How was I supposed to get through to her? "Hey, I'm sorry about how I treated you when we were younger. I promise to be better from this point on. Can you forgive me for everything?"
She didn't respond. Instead, she told me something else. I wasn't sure what to think exactly. "Just so you know, I can't be your friend," she stated.
What the hell? Why? I was so confused. Her comment made absolutely no sense. I understood her sadness, but the way she was behaving didn't make any sense to me. Why would she say something so dumb? "What? We already are friends, Mary. What are you talking about?" I asked her.
She didn't respond to me, and walked off. I wasn't sure what to think. "Okay, whatever," I muttered, under my breath. Surely she would change with time. She probably wasn't thinking too clearly in that moment. Not giving it any attention, I returned to what I was doing. I took my snack and returned to my room. I closed the door behind me, and sat down on my new bed in the dim light while I ate.
After finishing my snack, I realized I should probably check my phone. So I did. I opened it and saw that I had four missed calls. One from Chloe, another from Butters, and two from Stan. Realizing Colorado was seven hours behind England in time, I figured I'd call them back. I was able to get hold of Butters and Stan, but Chloe didn't answer. My phone was almost out of battery, and I had nothing else to do. So, I decided to go to sleep and charge my phone while I rested.
I went to brush my teeth and comb my hair out like I had planned on earlier, before I saw Mary. I felt so sorry for her, but at the same time, I was confused, and a little annoyed with her. Why in the world would she say we couldn't be friends. Was it because I was older than her? No, I'm only fourteen. She's ten. It maybe a big maturity gap at our ages, but if we had been adults, it would've been totally different. Why would people care if we were friends?
So, I suspected it was probably just her going through trauma, combined with a lack of judgment. She's only ten after all, so it would quite be surprising if she had the same level of judgment and knowledge as I did, but she wasn't dumb.
