Sam raised the airpod and looked around before sarcastically saying, "Thanks. A lot." Clearly embarrassed, she entered the house.
Sam might have felt embarrassed enough to leave her new home for a couple of days, but it is undeniable that she had found the previous incident a tad bit exciting. It was one of the small things that kept her mind occupied. Although she had not met her neighbor-or neighbors, she wasn't sure yet-Sam had a feeling that they weren't snobbish. What kind of person would even take their time to return a lost earbud to a neighbor they also have not met? Some snobbish rich man probably would not.
She couldn't remember how her neighbor sounded like as she only heard a faint "Hello". It was hard to tell. And even if she was interested to know, showing up at their yard to introduce herself really was not part of her plans. Her only plan up to now was to stay at home and try to forget her embarrassing performance.
Brahms, on the other hand, had no plans of forgetting the woman he laid eyes on that afternoon. When he saw the smile on her face and heard her voice, he was utterly dumbstruck. He had never seen a woman do such a thing before. In the Heelshire mansion, he was locked up. He only saw women dance on the telly. Never in real life. Greta never danced nor sang so loud and so lively, nor did the previous ones who had been to the house. He had never seen such grace, cheerfulness, and beauty in a woman.
She was a breath of fresh air.
He smelled her, too, even from a distance. Her fragrance was alluring despite it reminding him of the flowers that the groundkeeper used to grow in the garden. How he wished he could smell her and see her up close. And if he was lucky, he would like to touch her, too. Maybe feel her. But that was difficult.
Brahms had never left the house for a long time. Regardless of being capable of defending himself from anyone who might attack him or report him from the authorities, he just had not explored the world outside yet. It was dangerous especially when he exposed himself to people. He did not want to hide underground this time instead of the walls. But this woman...she was making him do things he had not done before.
Like walking up to her cottage and smell her up close. Clearly impossible and yet...he had to.
Brahms, who had read hundreds of books and watched crap telly to keep up with the outside world, had decided to change his approach. Romantic comedies would be shown on some channels. But of course, romcoms aren't like real life. Although he would've tried this with Greta, he never had the chance considering being forced out of the walls by her ex boyfriend.
But Brahms knew he had to do what he knew best. And that was to approach her carefully. Because although this girl seemed different, they were all the same, he thought. They would all stare at him with wide eyes and run away. So he'd rather find a different, indirect way to get to her.
The following morning, Sam stared at the folded paper on the desk as she drank her coffee. She found it a few inches away from the door. The wind must have blown it away before she got home. It came with the airpod, she thought. At first, she believed it was just some paper that flew her way until she picked it up and unfolded a note.
In print, long strokes of handwriting, the note said: "This belongs to you."
Sam could remember the message without even looking at it but could not help but unfold it to read again. She tried to make up of the handwriting, wondering if it was written by a man or a woman. But either way, she hoped it was someone friendly and not someone who had fun embarrassing her.
Later that day, she was craving cookies and remembered the little bakery shop in town. This gave her the motivation to finally leave the house after a while. Maybe, she could hang by the lake as well and spend a little while there. She had nothing else to do anyway. And it seemed like a better alternative than dancing in the woods in front of a stranger.
In the bakery, she had to wait in line. The Hagen Bakery boasted of the best cookies in town which explained the long line and she didn't mind. It was not as if she had anything else planned throughout the day. As she stood in line, she looked around the store, gazing at the figurines and the butterfly decorations hanging from the roof. When her eyes looked below it, she saw an array of hardbound books. Beside it was newspapers hanging on a rack. When the line got shorter and she got closer to the newspaper rack, she browsed through it aimlessly until a photo caught her eye.
The batch of newspaper was the last of it. It was also dated almost a month ago. Sam immediately picked it up and read through the headline. Apparently, the mansion next door had been left abandoned and unclaimed.
Nobody wanted to buy the house considering gossip. Nobody even bothered to demolish it.
Sam was perplexed. If the house had been abandoned for almost a year, who had seen her, then? Maybe someone who was also passing by?
"Hello, what can I get you?" the young lady at the counter asked, tearing Sam's gaze away from the newspaper. She shook her head, "Sorry. Can I have two cookies? One chocolate chip and one classic for here." She could smell the newly hand baked batch that was being carried out of the kitchen.
The cashier nodded while pressing on buttons, "Anything else?"
Sam looked through the glass, grabbed a bottle of cranberry juice, and placed it on the counter as well.
"Anything else?"
The question hanged in Sam's head. She stared at the menu and thought for a split second. Then, she glanced at the cashier. "I'd like a box of the classic cookies."
"For here, as well?"
She smiled at the cashier, "No. To-go."
After spending some time at the lake, listening to a new song released by one of her favorite artists for a whole hour, Sam decided to walk home. She had not brought her bicycle with her. She decided to walk home and burn all the calories she devoured after eating two cookies. She carried the box of cookies with her and started walking.
She gazed at the trees, the birds, and the long stretch of road that led home. It was empty halfway through. Trees on either sides got taller and fewer. It might have looked like a ghost town but she still preferred it than her previous home. It was still far from the life she had known. Far from danger, far from fake people, and far from people who never really cared about her.
She tried her best to brush off that traumatic night. She was just glad she wasn't hurt. She should forget now. It was over. Being away from the city would guarantee safety in a smaller town, she thought.
But not far from a creepy mansion. But then again, she was not even sure if it was creepy. She had indirect contact with someone from there, maybe, and they weren't exactly hostile. It was best if she found out for herself.
Before she headed to the mansion, she went in her house to grab a pen and the paper she received. Behind it, she wrote, "Thanks. Now I can listen to music again. But not twirling around like an idiot. Here's a thank you."
Sam paused and thought for a while. Was she going to write down her name? Did she have to? Were they even interested?
"Just to be sure," she thought, then wrote down her name.
Sam brought the piece of paper and the box of cookies with her. She made sure the GPS was turned on so she would find her way back. The GPS could not find the mansion, so she had to make sure she knew her way to it. Finally, after seeing the sight of the mansion behind the tall bushes, she let out a sigh of relief. The cookies were not going to waste.
Sam stopped before taking another step. Once she took that step, she would be standing on someone else's territory. She did not like asserting which meant she did not like going to someone's house uninvited. But she was already there and had spent a few dollars. Why did she even buy it in the first place? Courtesy, yes. But did she really think this through?
Shaking her head and rolling her eyes at her indecisiveness, Sam finally took a step forward. Then, she went on to walk towards the mansion's front door. It was huge and wide. The mansion was old, as well. The walls needed painting and the roof looked like it was deteriorating. She read that it had been abandoned for God knows how many years, but if she were to bet, she'd guess it was at least five. But of course, she'll only know the truth by asking the owners themselves instead of believing the rumors that went around town and was imprinted on the town's newspaper.
Maybe it just needed to be renovated and people still lived in it. Maybe the family does not have enough money to spend for a renovation considering its size. She'll know once she knocked.
So, Sam did. She knocked twice, thrice, yet no one answered the front door. She began to feel nervous. If she knocked at an abandoned mansion, then it surely would be creepy how someone saw her dance in the woods. There was no one else but her and the people who supposedly lived there.
She knocked one last time. No answer.
Slowly, Sam placed the piece of paper under the box of cookies and left.
