Warm blow of wind carried throughout the rooms.
Something rustled in the corridor as the big wooden door was slammed shut. This caused a small commotion to form around the person who had just arrived. An adolescent girl and her three brothers surrounded their mother, helping her to carry the heavy bags to the kitchen as she took a small breather, perched on a stool.
She was a rare guest at her own house, always working hard to afford to keep her big family happy and fed. Whenever Kathryn would come home in the broad daylight, it was truly a special occasion for everyone at the Olsen household.
After relaxing a bit and contemplating her job schedule, Kat finally got up and made her way to the kitchen.
There was a round white box with a small ribbon. Four pairs of curious eyes peeked at it from across the dining table. Jeffery, the oldest of the three brothers, puffed his cheeks a bit, extending his fingers to touch the ribbon, but in the end refused to undo it, directing his gaze at his mother.
- "Ma... Uh, what's it?"
Kathy gave out a small exhausted sigh and smiled at him warmly, picking up the box.
- "Oh, it's a secret. No one should mess with it until Sunday or your mother will be very upset."
- "A secret... Well, I guess it ain't no food..."
Jeff's sister, Susan, gave him a small tug on his cheek.
- "You've got a one-track mind for sure, Jeff-Lee."
- "Come on, Susie, don't be mean to your little brother."
- "Oh, this little? You mean this fella? He is twice my size!"
- "Ha-ha, well, that might be true."
Kathryn put the box inside the fridge and then patted her daughter on the head.
- "You just have to wait a bit. It is a special one. I think you will like it."
Waiting, however, was sure tough for some.
Jeff couldn't help but wonder about the contents of that mysterious box. Well, at least he wasn't alone in this boat, as his younger brothers - Jack and Steve, also crossed the kitchen quite often, giving the fridge an intense stare. They were a naturally curious bunch of kids and unlike Susie, who had some common decency, they were known to be a lot of trouble. Unless their father was at home, that is.
Two steps forward, one step back. Jeffery would hesitate, look around, open the fridge and close it right away. A tiny peek won't hurt anybody, right? Nobody will know.
There were two plates of a hot dish, a jar of pickles, and some bacon. The peculiar box stood in the far corner of the fridge that was adorned with a thin layer of rust. Mayonnaise, a tomato, a bottle of milk, and a few cans of soup. Some of those were no longer good. Maybe, macaroni and cheese in a stainless steel container were alright.
Looks like a fine dinner. For two.
One shelf was entirely empty. Jeff's stomach rumbled.
At that moment, he felt like the sight of the fridge was making him devastated, but the boy couldn't quite grasp as to why. It looked kind of lonely to him. He closed the fridge.
Everybody joined in the kitchen for supper and surely enough, it was mac'n'cheese, to pretty much nobody's surprise. It was a staple. A modest portion served with sliced tomatoes and pickles; Susan cooked when mother wasn't around.
Jeff ate the entirety of his plate and yet, he didn't feel full. To be completely honest, he never did, but today that feeling caused him more unease than usual. Although he couldn't admit it, his sister's words got to him, and it was quite bad. He really did think about the food most of the time. Not only that, he ate more than the others. He had a chubbier face.
Jeffery pinched his cheek and frowned. Despite all the pent-up heaviness inside, he still thought of opening the box. Just to see what it is. If it was something tasty, he would be so happy. So happy, he thought.
At night everyone slept soundly, except for one brown-haired boy, who clutched the pillow close to him, looking at the window. What a beautiful moonlit night, too bad, he wasn't the kind of person to admire it.
"Upset... mom..."
Rustle-rustle. The sound of raccoons rummaging through garbage. Click! Tap-tap.
For two days straight, an entity of unknown origin has terrorized the Olsen family. Everybody tried their hardest to ignore it, brushing it off as some weird noises from the street, yet one night Kathryn decided that she had enough.
Tap-tap, cre-e-eak.
Mother rubbed her eyes intensely, getting up from her bed.
- "Oh, Lord forgive me. I am going to end that nasty rodent."
She took a newspaper, folding it into a tube to use as a "weapon of extermination". The lights being switched on woke up the others and prompted them to join in on the hunt. I mean, what if that's a skin-walker?
Carefully making her way down the stairs, Kat held the weapon ready, just in case of an ambush attack. Steve, being the witty and kind of sceptical boy he was, stopped behind everyone and started counting. Counting what, you may ask? His siblings.
Either his suspicions were correct, or one of them was kidnapped by a witch. Secretly, he kind of liked the latter option.
Anyways, the moment of truth has come. Jack went in front of his mother, holding a hockey stick in his hands akin to a spear, and carefully switched on the kitchen lights.
- "Whoever or whatever you are, you better reveal yourself!"
Five people stood in the kitchen. The fifth one with a sizable piece of cake in his palm and frosting all over his face. He froze still, eyes wide open like a deer in headlights. Jack pulled his stick down, bursting out laughing.
- "Oh, it's just you! Ha-ha-hah."
Jeff's face has never looked that pale before. He quickly wiped his face with the sleeve of his pajamas and hid his arms behind his back. Steven approached him, eyes gleaming with smugness.
- "We got you, no need to hide. Nasty criminal!"
The bigger boy felt his heart jump in his throat. He desperately tried to come up with some sort of excuse, but all in vain. He knew just how much he screwed up and that made him disgusted with himself.
- "I am sorry."
He hung his head shamefully, fidgeting with his fingers, still sticky with the sweet dessert.
- "Jeffery! Oh my goodness... I thought it was some pesky rat!"
Kathryn gently pushed Steve aside and rubbed Jeffery's shoulder. Much to his surprise, there wasn't a single hint of rage present on her face.
- "Mama... Aren't you mad?"
- "Oh no, silly! Although, I would appreciate you not rustling in the kitchen like a wild raccoon at night."
- "B-but... I opened the box... And I ate the cake... I eat too much..."
Jeff's eyebrows furrowed together as his mother took out the remnants of the cake from the fridge and handed the box to him.
- "I wanted to make this a sort of surprise... I guess, with kids like mine, I should be the one prepared to be surprised."
- "A surprise?"
- "Yes, yes. Do you know what day's today, dear?"
Boy's drowsy gaze searched for the calendar on the wall as he squinted as hard as he could.
- "Today's July."
- "Yes. Today's the 20th, Sunday. Do you know which very special boy was born on July 20th?"
- "Uhh..."
It didn't take too long for Jeffery to piece everything together as he lightened up. Although he still felt guilty for going against his mother's words, a smile formed on his face.
- "It's me."
- "Yes, yes. Happy birthday, little troublemaker!"
Susie, Jack, and Steve eventually joined in chanting:
- "Happy birthday! Happy birthday!"
- "T-thank you!"
- "And don't you dare feel guilty for eating the food. Take anything you want. "
Mother looked Jeff in the eye while messing his hair. He was smiling wide now, warmth spreading through his heart. The boy hugged his mum, and a bunch of his siblings squeezed around. Even though they often fought, they still were the closest people in the whole wide world to each other.
Then Jeffery realized that he was happy, he was truly full.
Because his heart was.
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