revised excerpt from Of a Flower: Chapter 3
in-progress novel written by Kevin Liang
I sat at the dining table in silence, slouched forward, elbows on the table and my hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea. An empty plate sat nearby, dotted with the crumbs of a pastry. The house also rested in silence, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock. I often spent the evening like this, enjoying a cup of green tea and reading a book.
Except, tonight, I was not reading.
The book was still on the shelf. I had not retrieved it. Instead, I watched the little girl gleefully sipping her cup of tea.
She sat across from me, seemingly oblivious to the fact I was watching. Her entire focus was on the cup of tea I had offered her, occasionally stopping to blow at the hot steam; although, it seemed as though she did it for amusement.
I did not speak, for I did not know what to say. She appeared so pure and innocent, ignorant to the fact she was in a stranger’s house. Out in the middle of the woods. Sitting across from a stranger, drinking what she had offered.
Furthermore, it did not bother her that I was plainly watching her. Every move she made. Nevertheless, the girl behaved as if she was at home. It was a peculiar feeling, as it made me feel like I was the stranger, despite having resided in this house for most of my life. Perhaps it was the flowers the girl had reinvigorated, which bloomed in vibrant and grand manners I had never seen before.
Finally, the girl addressed my gaze and crossed eyes with me. The cup still pressed in front of her mouth.
Unprepared, I awkwardly smiled back. “Is the tea to your liking?”
She lowered the cup and nodded enthusiastically, smiling ear to ear. A pure, juvenile smile.
I laughed a little. “I am glad you like it.” The girl blew at the steam again, watching it swirl into the ceiling, before taking another taste.
Easing myself, I took a sip as well. But I could not help to glance at the girl again, hiding my face behind the cup with both of my hands.
We sat again in silence. What felt like several minutes passed by. Disinterested in my drink, I let myself wander. I stared past the girl and at the back corner flowers.
Eventually she held it towards me, interrupting my thoughts. Fumbling, I set down my cup, spilling a few drops, and reflexively took the cup. She pointed to my cup. I glanced down at my cup, which was still full, then glanced back up at the girl. She nodded, and I assumed she wanted more. I refilled her cup and handed it back. She gladly accepted it and started blowing on the newly generated steam.
Slowly putting down the teapot, I took the moment to talk to her again.
“If… you do not mind me asking..” The girl looks up. “What were you doing out in the forest this late in the evening?”
She placed her cup down and smiled, staring at me for a few moments. Then, as if realizing something wrong, she moved her hands up to her head and closed her eyes, concentrating. Slowly, she began to retract into herself, her arms bunching together and her brows knitted.
“Ah..! You do not have to tell me..” I said quickly, leaning forward and instinctively raising a hand off the table.
The girl abruptly stretched one of her arms forward, waving her hand as if indicating I was mistaken, then went back to concentrating. Eventually she stopped and gradually lowered her hands, opening her eyes and dipping her head low. She looked at me in a sort of apologetic manner.
I was unsure what was going on. “Something wrong?”
She shook her head in defeat.
Contemplating for a moment, I realized, “You cannot speak?”
The girl further ducked her head in shame and slowly shook her head.
She must be mute, I concluded. Or perhaps…
I glanced off to the side.
After hesitating for a few moments, I looked back at the girl.
“You are… a spirit… aren’t you?” I asked in almost a whisper.
She sank backwards into her chair. Flittering her eyes between me and the tea in front of her, she finally casted her eyes down at her lap and timidly drooped her head as if for mercy.
“I see.”
I leaned back into my chair. “I understand now.”
She looked back up at me, her head still ducked down, studying my reaction. It made me feel guilty, as if I was alienating her as a foreign entity. Yes, it is indeed what she is, but it still made me feel guilty.
Trying to comfort her, I smiled. “Do not worry, I have no harmful intentions.”
She raised her head, judging my expression. Reassuring her, I replied with a comforting smile and a slight giggle.
The girl slowly perked up, and a open smile grew across her face. I could tell from the squeaking of the chair that she had started kicking her feet excitedly.
“Are you sure this is alright though? For you to stay here?”
She nodded.
“No one will attack me if you stay here, correct?”
Her expression saddened, but nodded even more enthusiastically.
I smiled. “If you can promise me that, I will let you stay.”
Excitement rushed through the girl. She jumped out of her seat in celebration, shaking the table and rattling the teacups a little. The flowers in the table vase suddenly rejuvenated to full bloom, as if reacting to her excitement. Unexpectedly, I let out a naive laugh, pleasantly surprised.
She hopped around the table. I stood up and slid my chair to the side. “Come, let’s find you a place to sleep.”
Upstairs, I found a small spare mattress in the attic and brought it down to dusted it out on the backyard porch. The sun was no longer visible, leaving only the moon and the indoor lights as my source of light. Cicadas chirped their evening songs and the orbs of light floated around still.
Bringing the mattress back upstairs, I laid it on the bedroom floor, under the single dusty window in the room, across from the door. Whilst I arranged the spot, the girl sat in my bed at the right corner of the room, a single-person mattress with a wooden bed frame. Once I was done, the spirit hopped onto the bedding and laid down on top of the bedsheets. I gently pulled them out from beneath her and, to much of her curiosity, tucked her in. She found a great deal of comfort in this, as she immediately closed her eyes and did not move again.
I went back downstairs to clean the table and fetch my book. At the stairway, I glanced one last time at the shelf of the drawing room, reaffirming the sight of the renewed flowers, before shutting the lights and returning to the bedroom.
I sat in bed, settling into my reading. But just as with the rest of the day, I could not focus, and instead thought about the girl who was sleeping on the floor next to me. I had a moment to reflect now; the prospect of a spirit, as innocent as it looked, in my house, and no less, sleeping next to me. The man’s words returned, echoing anew as I watched the girl. The spirits, I recalled. They may change their mind… And one of them did change their mind. It had approached me, when they never did before, and it was then a matter of whether the rest would follow.
Unable to distract myself, I closed my book and set it upon the bedside table. Turning off the lamp, I rolled into my bedsheets, and after a long while, fell asleep.