"I almost fell down a well today." Hildaline said, iching the rash on her hand.
Johanna, Hildaline's mum, sat at the kitchen table, typing on her laptop.
"I could've died." Hildaline continued, glancing to her mom, who was deep in thought.
"That's nice, dear." Johanna mumbled, very focused on her work. Hilda frowned, tapping her foot on the linoleum.
"Mum! I'm so bored!" Hildaline groaned, looking out at the rain, that pitter-pattered, dropping onto the soggy dirt.
"Find something to do. Preferably inside, I don't want to have to clean up mud already." Mum said, not even glancing up.
"You're no fun." Hildaline mumbled, walking out of the kitchen.
The main foyer was spacious, and the carpet smelt of dust. It seemed to be full of dust as well, as Hildaline took a step, and it made her cough.
Ding Dong
The doorbell rang, as Hildaline fanned away the dust.
"Please get the door!" Mum shouted, and Hildaline nodded, going to answer the door. She was greeted by…
David!
"David? What are you doing here?" Hildaline asked, noticing the boy held something behind his back.
"So I was at my friend, Frida's, she lives in the same building as my Grandma and-"
"Hurry up, it's REALLY cold and REALLY rainy." Hildaline shivered, pulling her yellow coat closer.
"Okay, okay." David took a doll from behind his back.
"What the-" Hildaline gasped, looking up and down the doll. It looked exactly like her. Uncanny, from the bright teal hair, to the yellow rain jacket. Hildaline frowned, peeking under the jacket of the doll. A red sweater! And a teal skirt!
"Yeah, it looks exactly like you…" David said quietly, watching Hilda compare her outfit to the doll.
"Where did you get this?" Hildaline asked cautiously.
"As I said, my friend Frida-" David was cut off again.
"Who?" Hildaline asked, folding her arms.
"Never mind, it was in my Grandma's house that Frida found." David said nervously.
"Oh…" Hildaline stared at the doll, holding it close.
A short while passed, and Hildaline found herself wandering the house. Her mum suggested counting all the windows, and all the doors of the house. Step by step, she walked, counting one by one, jotting them down in a notepad, her doll in her arms.
"So many doors…." Hildaline groaned, entering the den.
An empty fireplace sat by the wall, a photo on the wall above it, of Hildaline and her mum.
"I remember that day." Hildaline smiled, glancing around the room. Two windows next to the fireplace, and lastly, a small bump in the wall, hidden behind a packing box.
"What the-" Hildaline traced her hand over the bump. A door! Hildaline felt a keyhole, and frowned.
"Muuuuuuuum!" Hildaline shouted.
"I'm busy!" Mum shouted back, from the kitchen.
"There's a little door here, and I think it's locked!" Hildaline yelled. No response from Mum. Figures. "PLEEEEASE!" Hildaline shouted.
After a groan of frustration, Mum came into the room, with an odd black key. She sighed, looking at the bump, and used the back end of the key to tear into the wallpaper, enough to reveal the door.
With a quick turn of her wrist, the door opened, revealing…. Nothing!
"What?" Hildaline stared, seeing dark bricks on the other side.
"They must've filled this in when they split the house, Hildaline." Mum said, closing the door. She gently patted Hildaline on the head, going back to her work.
"Wait!" Hildaline protested.
"No, I've got stuff to write." Mum responded, causing Hildaline to groan.
"She didn't lock it." Hildaline mumbled to her doll.
Later that night, Hildaline and her mum sat at the clear and boring table, eating boring food, such as soggy meatloaf.
"Please finish your dinner." Mum said, her laptop at the table as she ate.
"It's really… chewy." Hildaline frowned, choking down the food.
"Well, this is all we have until I go shopping tomorrow." Mum response. Her eyes were baggy, clearly showing how much she had been working.
"Gross." Hildaline commented. "Can I go to bed now?"
"Fine." Mum sighed, as Hildaline cleared her plate, popped it in the sink, and ran up to bed.
"It's so boring here…" Hildaline mumbled, as she dozed off to sleep.