The door to RaRa's room slammed open.

 

What's up with this family and slamming open doors? 

 

The irrelevant and random thought came bubbling to the top of Gill's mind. It was gone as quickly as fear took over, listening to RaRa's mother stalking the room.

 

RaRa's fingers tightened and her grip turned painful.

 

"Where is my beautiful, perfect daughter?! Come outttttt!!"

 

Lightning flashed.

 

Rara, huddled behind the umbrella like a lost kitten, gripping the umbrella and praying. Despite her tightly closed eyes, tears leaked like a tap and rolled down her cheeks.

 

Aunty reached behind the umbrella and pulled a crying RaRa that had gone limp.

 

"Why are you hiding, my darling? You have been so good of late. Come. Let me reward you. Let me reward us both. For we have both worked hard this week."

 

RaRa shivered and her tears poured down her cheeks in endless rivets. She did not want to. 

 

With her back to RaRa, Aunty scooped something from a bottle followed by a liberal amount of honey after. Aunty paused, staring into the air. She quickly came to herself and once again took a few more scoops from the bottle followed by more honey. The milk had become more like a desert than a drink.

 

"Come my beautiful daughter. Your favourite."

 

RaRa, afraid, but unwilling to disobey, stretched out her trembling hands to take the cup. A small sip. Sweet. Very sweet. Just the way she liked it. But also strangely gritty. RaRa stopped.

 

"But you must drink more, drink my dear, to be the most perfect of daughters."

 

RaRa continued unwillingly. Slow sip by slow sip. A fearful look on her face all the while. 

 

Sleepy, sleepy. The cup fell from her fingers. 

 

Aunty stared at the cutely sleeping RaRa collapsed into a pile of arms and legs.

 

She picked RaRa up, put her to bed and pulled her duvet up to cover her.

 

"It's good for you. You will grow tall and beautiful. You will be perfect.  You will be able to find some rest since you have finished it. I will be able to get some rest too."

 

Aunty got into the bed with RaRa, just like she used to. She pillowed her head with her hands and fell asleep.

 

The flash of a lightning and the boom of thunder brought Gill out of the latest vision.

 

"Who is it, who is it? Is that you my daughter?"

 

Gill was stunned by the knowledge the latest round of visions had brought. It couldn't be. Aunty loved RaRa so much. Aunty was devastated by RaRa's death. What was going on?

 

"Are you back? Come out, come out wherever you are, you know I don't like games."

 

Aunty always had an uncanny radar when it came to finding where that latest mischief would take place. She started pacing the room. Spot on in sensing that here marked the spot for mischief. 

 

Gill and RaRa clutched each other. Determined to stay hidden and quiet. They could not get caught. They must not get caught.

 

"Who is it? Who is it? Is it you, my darling?

 

Is it you, my dear, dear, daughter coming back to torment me? Make me pay?!"

 

There was a pause. Followed by a thud that sounded as if someone had fallen to their knees. Soft sounds of sobbing could be heard, accompanied by the sound of rain.

 

"My daughter, I am so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen. Mommy couldn't help it. I love you. I am so sorry. Mommy is so sorry. All I wanted was for a little bit of rest. Mommy is so tired. So tired of everything. I am so undeserving of you, of this life, of everything. My sweet, smart, sunny daughter. I love you. Mommy is sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't deserve you. My darling daughter…."

 

RaRa looked up and started to reach towards Aunty.

 

"My daughter, my daughter, my darling daughter. I am sorry, it was a bit of rest, just for a bit of silence. A tiny little bit… a bit… of… I am sorry. Sorry. Mommy's sorry and didn't mean to do it. A bit… a bit." 

 

RaRa looked torn and utterly devastated. She let go of Gill and started to move as if to comfort Aunty. 

 

Gill reached out toward RaRa and his sleeve brushed against the edge of a box flap, producing the tiniest of rasp which sounded as loud as a canon in the silence of the room. 

 

Gill stopped. Unfortunately it was too late. Aunty seemed to have the hearing of an elephant and the sounds of weeping abruptly stopped. 

 

In the silence, the pattering of rain against the window panes sounded like bullet shots.

 

Aunty got up and started to shuffle towards where Gill and RaRa were hiding. She started opening boxes

 

"What is this…  Where are youuuu?" Aunty started cooing as she opened and discarded boxes.

 

Gill and RaRa huddled even closer to each other, with Gill trying his best to silently cover them both with an empty box.

 

With each box that Aunty opened and violently discarded, her voice got angrier and more triggered. 

 

Gill and RaRa were so scared and felt so cornered, they had no idea, just how they could escape this situation. Going out to explain to Aunty was now out of the question. She was highly unlikely willing to listen to Gill, much less believe him. She was also not her usual quiet if not stern self either. 

 

This was neither a sight that Gill had ever seen, nor a situation he had ever encountered in his relatively short life. He had no idea how to counter nor react. RaRa was so mired in her fear that she could not move much less react other than to cower and shake. 

 

Was there nothing that could be done? How would they get out unharmed? For it would seem that they would not leave unscathed. 

 

Aunty's voice alternated between a sing-song tone and angry shouting. Sometimes changing between both tones so quickly that it was almost as if two people were within the same body.

 

Aunty was almost upon the area they were hiding. 

 

A huge crash suddenly resounded through the house.