In the middle of the night, Gwen was still awake, busy with her homework. It was Saturday, but she hadn’t been able to do her assignments earlier because she and her parents, along with her two siblings, had been busy settling into their new house.
The place wasn’t scary at all since it was in the city, and they had plenty of neighbors. There were also many people outside in the afternoons, and some youngsters would hang around until 8 PM because of the curfew.
Their new house was quite big. It had a second floor and three bedrooms, one for her parents, one for her two younger brothers, and one just for Gwen. Being the eldest, Gwen worked very hard in her studies to achieve her dreams. She also wanted to give back to her parents.
While Gwen was reading a book, her mother, Alma, knocked on her door. She checked on her and brought her a glass of milk.
“My child, how are you? That looks like a lot.”
“Yes, Mom, it really is. I need to finish this as soon as possible.”
“But you can continue that tomorrow. It’s already midnight you need some rest too.”
“Okay, Mom. I’m almost done. After this, I’ll go to sleep, I promise!”
“Alright, we’re going to sleep now. Make sure to finish that, okay?”
“Yes, Mom. Thank you for the milk.”
“I’ll go check on your siblings first to see if they’re already asleep.”
“Okay, Mom. Thank you, and good night.”
Her mother simply laughed and soon left the room.
After finishing her homework, Gwen started putting her things away. But as she was about to close the window, something caught her attention, a massive, unusual tree in the distance, about a kilometer away from their house. It looked strangely alive.
She stared at it for a few minutes, mesmerized. Suddenly, a loud noise came from their roof, startling her.
“BLAAAG!!”
She looked and saw a black cat that had slipped near the window and jumped away.
“Geez! That cat scared me. I thought it was something else. I should go to sleep.”
After that, she fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from the whole day.
The next morning, Gwen woke up early to continue her homework. She opened the window again and saw the tree once more, surrounded by a garden filled with different kinds of flowers.
Knock… knock… knock!
Gwen was startled by the knocking on her door. Her mother always knocked every morning to wake her up or sometimes to call her brother Angelo.
“I’m here, Mom,” Gwen responded.
She quickly opened the door.
“Oh, you’re already awake. Get ready and come downstairs. Breakfast is ready.”
“Yes, Mom.”
When Gwen went downstairs, she sat at the table while holding her phone. She saw a post about the upcoming Valentine’s Day.
“People with partners can be so over-the-top,” she commented.
“Well, Sis, why don’t you get a boyfriend so you won’t sound bitter?” Angelo teased.
“No. I don’t want to. I want to get rich first.”
“Oh really? When will that be? Maybe when your hair turns white!” he joked, laughing.
“Quiet! You’re at the dining table. Eat properly first,” Alma scolded them.
After they finished eating, her father, Edmon, went outside to get some fresh air. Alma followed him.
“Hon, do you see that tree over there?” Edmon said, pointing at the distant balete tree.
“Yes, I’ve heard some stories about it,” Alma replied.
“They say it brings luck to this place. That’s why when I found out there was a vacant house here, I didn’t hesitate to get it.”
Gwen quietly peeked from the doorway, listening to her parents’ conversation.
To be continued…