"Leeann! Leeann!" Leigh shouted through the crowd. The market place was packed and there was no way that she could find her missing sister. "She should be here somewhere," she told Andrew, her husband.
The two pushed their way through the crowd, looking far and looking near in case Leeann passed them by.
"Maybe she already went ahead," Andrew said.
Leigh sighed. "You're right, maybe she did," she answered, knowing very well that her sister was not a patient one, who would wait as Leigh and Andrew sold their vegetables.
_
Leigh and Andrew then took a trek across a stretch of land before reaching the home or rather castle of Philipp Rothenberg, the only structure that was built in the center of green fields, miles away from the rest of village.
Leigh
Maybe old Philipp wanted to be a hermit, building his home so far away.
On the other hand, one can not really be a hermit with the amount of servants old Philipp has. Enough servants that the back of the house always seems as if it had festivities of its own, complete with meats roasting on bonfires and people milling about sharing the latest gossips.
_
Nicolette looked at her new-born twins sleeping peacefully in their crib, like angels, she thought. She felt her husband's breath on her shoulders and felt his arms around her, catching her in an embrace, she smiled.
"They are lovely," her husband whispered into her ear. He kissed her cheek and held her hand as her led her to their bed.
They held hands as they fell asleep.
Suddenly a little boy came in the room and whispered something into her husband's ear. He opened his eyes, patted the boy on the head.
"Father, will mama be visiting me today?" the boy whispered.
"I don't know," his father answered before closing his eyes once again.
The boy ran off.
_
And slumped against the front door of Philipp Rothenberg's castle is Leeann, along with three discarded bottles of vodka on the floor.
"Leeann!" Leigh breathed.
"Leigh, fancy meeting you here," replied Leeann with a lazy smile.
"You think they'd let you in the main entrance?" Leigh asked as she pulled Leeann up to her feet. "The servants' entrance is at the back."
"The servants' entrance?'" asked Leeann in feigned surprise. "How interesting!" Leeann managed as Leigh pulled her to the back of the house, which is quite a walk considering how big the house is.
"It's the countess!"
"The countess!"
The servants whispered to one another, as Leeann, Leigh and Andrew passed by.
They were sat at the cleanest table and served freshly squeezed fruit juice.
"The countess! Di you hear that?" Leeann asked Leigh, amused. She looked at the bottle of juice the servants gave her and frowned. She began pouring the juice out and replacing the bottle with the content of another vodka bottle which she produced from the folds of her dress. "Aha!" She breathed with a smile.
Leigh
There are five of us in the family, all girls. Four of us are in good marriages. Our husbands may not be rich, but they are respectable.
Leeann is the youngest of us sisters. She is the only one who remained unmarried. Even so, she is the one who inherited titles, as well as riches, from our relatives, including the title countess.
She is also the mother of Philipp Rothenberg's only son and heir, Leander, named of course, after her.
Andrew
It's a shame. Leeann is the prettiest among Leigh's sisters, with blonde hair, blue eyes and porcelain skin. Except whenever I see Leeann, her hair's always a mess of curls with flowers and leaves, and her eyes looked like a wild animal's.
She never got married because she was considered as ruined. She however, doesn't look at her ruin as such a bad thing.
_
Leeann went into the servant's kitchen that smelled like potatoes. Leigh and Andrew waited outside.
_
Leander
I always worry about my mama. She doesn’t live with me or my mother and father in the castle. Actually, I'm not sure where she lives.
I rarely see her. But she does drop by sometimes, we'd meet in the kitchen next to the maid's quarters, where all the peeling and chopping of potatoes are done. I don't like that kitchen so much, it always smells funny. But I like meeting mama, so I'd go there everyday to see if she dropped by.
Today is one of those days when she dropped by.
Leeann leaned against a kitchen counter, waiting for her son, Leander. Just as she was getting bored and frankly, a bit tipsy, Leander burst through the door and stopped in front of his mother, giving her a toothed smile.
"Hello, dear," Leeann said as she moved to touch her son.
Leeann
I touch the air next to my son's cheek. I am afraid that my long nails might pierce his pale skin.
I have always been afraid to touch him.
When I first held him in my arms, he was so fragile that I was afraid that I might crush his bones in my tight embrace. When he first opened his blue eyes like sapphires to look at me, I wanted to take them out and keep them in my treasure chest. When I first touched his golden hair, I wanted to rip it out and spin it into the gown that I never worn to my wedding.
I have always been afraid to touch my own son, because I am afraid of what I might do when I do.
Leander
My mama never touched me, only the air next to me.
Her hands would move towards my face, but instead of feeling the warmth of her fingers as she caress my cheek, I would feel nothing. Sometimes when I am a good boy, she'd move to pat me, but I never felt the weight of her hands on my head or her fingers running through my hair.
Sometimes I wonder whether I am real or if she is real. Because I never felt her touch.
All I know of my mother is her intense and at times crazed eyes, blue like mine. And the smell of alcohol in her breath.
"Mama, Father and Mother had twins," Leander said.
"Oh, that's interesting," Leeann answered in a drawl.
Leander opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a slim finger in front of his lips. "Your father and I never had that kind of relationship," she answered the question on his mind and then took a sip from her bottle filled with dark liquid.
Leeann
Yes, Phillip and I never had that kind of relationship. Why would I then, be jealous of his Nicolette and their new-born twins?
I already have my Leander and he is all that I need.
"He is all Phillip needs", Leeann added to her thoughts.
Leeann gave Leander a smile, before she turned to leave.
"Good bye, mama."
Leeann waved her hand in response and stepped out of the kitchen door. |
Submission Name: All I Need
