2025-02-22, 12:27 AM - Word count: 1284
(This post was last modified: 2025-02-22, 12:38 AM by SleepyPlayz. Edited 1 time in total.)
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A backpacking trip was perfect around Europe, but Zoe knew that would have to wait. Agustin said he wasn't ready, and she wasn't going to force him. She had a smile on her face, going at it solo. Her first stop was Milan, but she took a break over at her grandparent's house to admire the scenery there. Germany was pretty, and she was sure the lights would bring some peace to her soul. She called up her grandparents, a cheerful voice coming from across the line.
"Zoe, bist du das?" (Zoe, is that you?) Her grandmother replied over the line.
"Ja, ich bin's. Es tut mir leid, dass ich mich seit meiner Abreise nicht mehr gemeldet habe, ich hatte viel um die Ohren. Ich wollte dich besuchen, wenn auch nur für ein oder zwei Tage. Ich hatte eine kleinere Reise mit jemandem geplant, aber sie haben mir abgesagt, also dachte ich mir, dass ich es alleine mache. Darf ich in dein Haus?" (Yes, it's me. I'm sorry for not contacting you since leaving, I've had a lot on my mind. I wanted to visit, if only for a day or two. I had a smaller trip in mind with someone, but they canceled on me, so I figured that I would do it alone. Am I allowed in your house?) She answered back. Her grandmother was so sweet, she didn't want to hurt her. She figured that telling her at least some of the things that have been going on could help her. The voice across the line responded, happily.
"Ja, natürlich, meine Liebe. Komm, du bist immer willkommen!" (Yes, of course, my dear. Come, you're always welcome!) A smile crept over her face, at least she had someone else to fall back to.
Some time after her flight to Berlin, she found herself driving in a taxi towards her grandmother's house. She was a widow, living alone. Something similar happened to her grandmother's husband about 12 years after having Zoe's mother. Maybe that's why she was always so sour. She didn't care about that right now, honestly. She wanted to keep her mind off of everything. Her eyes glanced outside, a setting sun creeping down a building an orange coloring the sky. Fixated now, she started to remember. About 10 years ago, Zoe and Jackson were in a taxi cab, radio blasting German music with Jackson's crappy singalong session. He wasn't nearly as good a singer as he was a football player. He messed up words constantly, sometimes even changing them around and creating whole new sentences. Her and the driver, while being a bit embarrassed, were also having a good time. With memories of these trips filling her heart, a bit of nostalgia washed over her. She looked beside her, though this time there was no one. She looked down at the seat in front of her, then back outside. She let out a sigh, missing those days.
The colder atmosphere around the world hadn't helped much with her mood, and it was pretty cold outside. She as bundled up in some warmer clothes, but somehow, she still felt cold. She couldn't quite understand it. She chuckled softly to herself. When would she understand herself, to be honest?
By the time Zoe arrived, it was half past 10PM, and though the front lights were on, a thought that she should just book herself a hotel crept into the back of her mind. Maybe she wasn't up to seeing her mother's... well, mother, again. She didn't know what to really say, nor do. She couldn't properly express how much she was feeling, but it all bottled up. Maybe she should relax at a nearby hotel.
That's when the door opened, and Kirsten walked out the door. She was an aide, and she recognized her. It was some weird paranormal type of feeling, or well... it was. She didn't know what to really say. She looked at her hand. She was holding something, she couldn't make it out with the darkness. A twisted thought entered her mind.
"Uh, hallo?" Absolutely no response. She was ushered inside by hand signals that she could somewhat make out. She nodded, following the girl inside. Once inside, the girl spoke in a whispered voice.
"Zoe, sie ist eingeschlafen. Bitte mach nicht so viel Lärm. Sie sagte, du kannst oben schlafen." (Zoe, she's fallen asleep. Please don't make so much noise. She said you could sleep upstairs). She nodded quickly, before opening the door and walking out. She wondered what that was. Maybe some sort of weird reaction. Zoe walked upstairs with her backpack. She had a soft smile. Alright, she'd be happy to sleep somewhere comfy, at least. She cracked open the door to the upstairs bedroom, then entered. She closed the door behind her and made herself comfortable, her bag placed next to the bed and her mind attempting to get clear. She laid down, then slowly started falling asleep.
She woke up, feeling weirdly isolated. Where was she? It was busy, for sure, but she couldn't hear the commotion. It wasn't quite, but it wasn't loud. The consistent sound of nothing when there was clearly something started to bother her, slightly annoy her. She marched her way into this crowd, demanding attention, mostly because she wasn't sure what was happening. No response. Wading through the crowd some more, and she'd spotted her uncle. He was talking to a supermarket employee. She pushed through an infinite wave of people who couldn't seem to see her, and attempted to enter. That's when she realized the door was locked, and wasn't able to open. She knocked, to nothing. Maybe this was some sort of private meeting. It would be kinda rude to intrude on something like that. She thought about it. Suddenly, a voice. Sam's, or Jackson's? She couldn't tell from the echo. She could make out words, though.
"Get out... not welcome... leave..." and things like that were being echoed to her. Hm...
Her alarm soon sounded. She woke up, feeling... confused and kinda lonely, honestly. Her feelings were everywhere, and she was in multiple different pieces mentally. She took a deep breath, as if that was going to help any. She got up, unplugging her phone and setting it nearly beside her. She didn't know what to say now. Maybe she shouldn't say anything.
"Ah, wenn das nicht Zoe ist! Ich habe auf dich gewartet." (Ah, if it isn't Zoe! I've been waiting for you). Broken from her deep thought, she looked up. What...? Oh, right. She wasn't at home. No wonder it felt just a little bit chillier. She chuckled, half nervous and half just to get out a noise.
"Hallo, wie geht's es Ihren?" (Hello, how are you?)
"Ich habe eine Menge Dinge aufgeschoben. Aber ich habe ein Frühstück für dich. Eier und Toast, etwas Einfaches." (I've been putting a lot of things off. But I have breakfast for you. Eggs and toast, something simple.)
"Danke."
This convinced Zoe to get out of bed and follow the old woman down the stairs. Her mind wandered as she descended, the room only getting chillier. Maybe that was just because of the house's structure, actually. Never mind her comment.
"Sagen Sie mir, warum sind Sie so früh am Morgen so trübselig?"
"Uh... um... Nun, Sie sehen..."
[to be continued next week]
(oops accidental post, give me a bit longer @-@)
A backpacking trip was perfect around Europe, but Zoe knew that would have to wait. Agustin said he wasn't ready, and she wasn't going to force him. She had a smile on her face, going at it solo. Her first stop was Milan, but she took a break over at her grandparent's house to admire the scenery there. Germany was pretty, and she was sure the lights would bring some peace to her soul. She called up her grandparents, a cheerful voice coming from across the line.
"Zoe, bist du das?" (Zoe, is that you?) Her grandmother replied over the line.
"Ja, ich bin's. Es tut mir leid, dass ich mich seit meiner Abreise nicht mehr gemeldet habe, ich hatte viel um die Ohren. Ich wollte dich besuchen, wenn auch nur für ein oder zwei Tage. Ich hatte eine kleinere Reise mit jemandem geplant, aber sie haben mir abgesagt, also dachte ich mir, dass ich es alleine mache. Darf ich in dein Haus?" (Yes, it's me. I'm sorry for not contacting you since leaving, I've had a lot on my mind. I wanted to visit, if only for a day or two. I had a smaller trip in mind with someone, but they canceled on me, so I figured that I would do it alone. Am I allowed in your house?) She answered back. Her grandmother was so sweet, she didn't want to hurt her. She figured that telling her at least some of the things that have been going on could help her. The voice across the line responded, happily.
"Ja, natürlich, meine Liebe. Komm, du bist immer willkommen!" (Yes, of course, my dear. Come, you're always welcome!) A smile crept over her face, at least she had someone else to fall back to.
Some time after her flight to Berlin, she found herself driving in a taxi towards her grandmother's house. She was a widow, living alone. Something similar happened to her grandmother's husband about 12 years after having Zoe's mother. Maybe that's why she was always so sour. She didn't care about that right now, honestly. She wanted to keep her mind off of everything. Her eyes glanced outside, a setting sun creeping down a building an orange coloring the sky. Fixated now, she started to remember. About 10 years ago, Zoe and Jackson were in a taxi cab, radio blasting German music with Jackson's crappy singalong session. He wasn't nearly as good a singer as he was a football player. He messed up words constantly, sometimes even changing them around and creating whole new sentences. Her and the driver, while being a bit embarrassed, were also having a good time. With memories of these trips filling her heart, a bit of nostalgia washed over her. She looked beside her, though this time there was no one. She looked down at the seat in front of her, then back outside. She let out a sigh, missing those days.
The colder atmosphere around the world hadn't helped much with her mood, and it was pretty cold outside. She as bundled up in some warmer clothes, but somehow, she still felt cold. She couldn't quite understand it. She chuckled softly to herself. When would she understand herself, to be honest?
By the time Zoe arrived, it was half past 10PM, and though the front lights were on, a thought that she should just book herself a hotel crept into the back of her mind. Maybe she wasn't up to seeing her mother's... well, mother, again. She didn't know what to really say, nor do. She couldn't properly express how much she was feeling, but it all bottled up. Maybe she should relax at a nearby hotel.
That's when the door opened, and Kirsten walked out the door. She was an aide, and she recognized her. It was some weird paranormal type of feeling, or well... it was. She didn't know what to really say. She looked at her hand. She was holding something, she couldn't make it out with the darkness. A twisted thought entered her mind.
"Uh, hallo?" Absolutely no response. She was ushered inside by hand signals that she could somewhat make out. She nodded, following the girl inside. Once inside, the girl spoke in a whispered voice.
"Zoe, sie ist eingeschlafen. Bitte mach nicht so viel Lärm. Sie sagte, du kannst oben schlafen." (Zoe, she's fallen asleep. Please don't make so much noise. She said you could sleep upstairs). She nodded quickly, before opening the door and walking out. She wondered what that was. Maybe some sort of weird reaction. Zoe walked upstairs with her backpack. She had a soft smile. Alright, she'd be happy to sleep somewhere comfy, at least. She cracked open the door to the upstairs bedroom, then entered. She closed the door behind her and made herself comfortable, her bag placed next to the bed and her mind attempting to get clear. She laid down, then slowly started falling asleep.
She woke up, feeling weirdly isolated. Where was she? It was busy, for sure, but she couldn't hear the commotion. It wasn't quite, but it wasn't loud. The consistent sound of nothing when there was clearly something started to bother her, slightly annoy her. She marched her way into this crowd, demanding attention, mostly because she wasn't sure what was happening. No response. Wading through the crowd some more, and she'd spotted her uncle. He was talking to a supermarket employee. She pushed through an infinite wave of people who couldn't seem to see her, and attempted to enter. That's when she realized the door was locked, and wasn't able to open. She knocked, to nothing. Maybe this was some sort of private meeting. It would be kinda rude to intrude on something like that. She thought about it. Suddenly, a voice. Sam's, or Jackson's? She couldn't tell from the echo. She could make out words, though.
"Get out... not welcome... leave..." and things like that were being echoed to her. Hm...
Her alarm soon sounded. She woke up, feeling... confused and kinda lonely, honestly. Her feelings were everywhere, and she was in multiple different pieces mentally. She took a deep breath, as if that was going to help any. She got up, unplugging her phone and setting it nearly beside her. She didn't know what to say now. Maybe she shouldn't say anything.
"Ah, wenn das nicht Zoe ist! Ich habe auf dich gewartet." (Ah, if it isn't Zoe! I've been waiting for you). Broken from her deep thought, she looked up. What...? Oh, right. She wasn't at home. No wonder it felt just a little bit chillier. She chuckled, half nervous and half just to get out a noise.
"Hallo, wie geht's es Ihren?" (Hello, how are you?)
"Ich habe eine Menge Dinge aufgeschoben. Aber ich habe ein Frühstück für dich. Eier und Toast, etwas Einfaches." (I've been putting a lot of things off. But I have breakfast for you. Eggs and toast, something simple.)
"Danke."
This convinced Zoe to get out of bed and follow the old woman down the stairs. Her mind wandered as she descended, the room only getting chillier. Maybe that was just because of the house's structure, actually. Never mind her comment.
"Sagen Sie mir, warum sind Sie so früh am Morgen so trübselig?"
"Uh... um... Nun, Sie sehen..."
[to be continued next week]
(oops accidental post, give me a bit longer @-@)
