#captivelines

With quiet steps she walks behind the seated stranger, gingerly extending a hand to touch her shoulder. Her voice trembles at first, but she gains courage as she starts to speak up. 

❝ Um... ❞

kano plans his returns in that window gap where everybody has cleared out... everybody had left that morning, at separate times. 

somewhere in the backroom the hatch closed, loudly with no one in the house. curious enough, if everyone had set out like they planned ...that would mean a thief be in the house. 

like any smart upstanding no. 3 holding down the house - kano takes a bat with him, trudging quietly down the hall. worst comes to worst, he can ask someone to do the reprimanding of the whole household for him. he doesn’t make those kinds of speeches, and no one will listen because it’s kano. 

--he can always explain later.

tapping the bat on his shoulder, kano gives it a test swing, landing without a sound in his open hand. another thump, another crash. kano taps at the door’s frame impatiently, ready to jump the burglar in mind when --adding to the racket, a sweep of what sounds like immediate downpour,

hundreds of ...beads?...  rolling across the floor, passing his feet. 

kano peeks in. sure enough, the craft department pillaged, china cabinet ravished, and... from the telltale corner comes a peep, two ...distinct brown boots... waving in the air, huge, full skirts wedged inside a storage chest of what would have otherwise been a spotless getaway.

just --what is she doing?-- 

...kano sighs, dragging the wooden bat along on the floor, tracing his path to her. she’s almost got her way out of it, and he lets her because it’s ...it’s a common, marry thing, but - kind of a rare sight for him to see. 

it takes forever, but she manages to wriggle herself out the hatch. kano gives her time to sit up, --and not much more. the instant she gathers her bearings, “boo.” 

he sprinkles invisible “dust” in her face, --sending her back, showing off all fingers as he’s got nothing to hide from her. 

“how long’ve you been in there?” he jeers at her, and he would continue to if he could, --but the surprise sent her tipping back. “-- n- now, now. don’t have such a scare.” 

“it looks like? --just you and me.”

captivelines ✧

✂ - a vivid memory

The day his mom died.

      She had been sick for a long time, not that anyone knew. Her decline was subtle. Her skin was paler, her hair was lackluster. But her eyes, they were always warm. The same deep green eyes he had.

      Even if she had told anyone, there was nothing that could have been done. They were poor. They made enough to just barely cover their bills and to put the minimal amount of food on their table. His father’s shop was at a rapid decline as bikes weren’t as popular as they once were. Not that it helped that most of their extra cash went towards booze for his old man.

      The day she died was the day his world came crashing down. She had been feeling unwell and had decided to stay in bed. Souda, the helpful seven year old had offered to stay home and take care of her, but she would have none of it. So he left. 

      By the time he returned she was gone. Motionless in bed with no one around. She had died alone and left him with his father.