Chapter 3
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I would have to start school in a couple weeks, since we had to fill out all the paperwork and stuff like that. So I was going to be stuck here with nothing to do. I decided to wander around a little bit more as the movers continued to haul in furniture. I told Mom that my bed was starting to get uncomfortable, so we left it at the old house. The truth was I didn’t want anything that reminded me of home too much. Well, my old home. The last owners had left some stuff behind, like wardrobes and bigger furniture, but that was pretty much it. It looked like this room hadn’t been touched really. I opened up a few of my boxes and dusted off a few shelves and inside the dresser. Periodically I sneezed like a cartoon character since the amount of dust bunnies that had built up could have combined into a small mountain.
Once that was taken care of, I dug into my stuff and pulled out my books and placed them orderly onto the shelf. I brought my favorites and donated a lot of my other ones to the shelter before we left. Then my notebooks full of writings and poems and stories. If it wasn’t reading, it was writing. Typical introvert hobbies. Also my diary that I wrote in fairly religiously. I liked to document what was going on and what I thought or felt because looking back on things was kind of cool. It allowed me to laugh at myself or bring up fond memories. Next I made the bed and put my comforter over it, and put my diary next to my pillow. Mom knew better than to read it. She respected that privacy, and I was grateful for that. I pulled out a few knickknacks and spaced them out on the dresser, then began taking care of my clothes. The room got kinda cold, so I threw on a sweater. I would have to ask for a space heater or something, this house seemed pretty drafty.
That went well, so I decided to explore the house a little. It was pretty old I guess, built over 100 years ago. There were some cool old details around, and I liked the charm of it. But somehow it kinda felt sad, like a heavy blanket over your back.
“Over there...oh, a little to the left...hmm, no no, against this wall!” I walked past what was going to be the living room and saw mom directing the movers, who looked like they were about to drop the couch. “Perfect!” Mom finally made up her mind and the men left the room to get more things as she unpacked a few little things. The TV was set up, and I saw my TV being taken up to my room.
“On the wall opposite of my bed please.” I asked. One of them nodded.
“You aren’t as picky as your mother, that’s for sure.” The other laughed. I cracked a small smile and then went into what looked like a random closet space. As I turned on the light, I glanced up and noticed a tied string and an odd indent in the ceiling. I jumped a few times, unable to reach the string, until I grabbed a chair from the dining room. I pulled and coughed as a ladder folded down and released dead ladybugs and dust all over me. I brushed myself off and curiously climbed up.
