The house - part two

Part Two – Narmer

“From your life”  Narmer said his voice echoing through my mind,
“I don’t understand” I frowned looking around me at the silent woods “How can you save me from my life?” I held one hand fisted at my chest while the other was hanging by my side. My heart had begun to race so fast that I thought it would jump straight out of my chest.
“There is nothing to be saved from?”

“Of course there is my sweet, there is this to be saved from. waking up every morning to cook for your father and brothers. Walking down to the river for fresh water because your father is to cheep to get plumping installed like the rest of the town. catching the fish for supper. Picking up the washed clothes and starting a new batch. Doing all the house work while your brothers just sit there and watch, and then make it messy once more just to see you reaction.”

A tear started to roll down my cheek, ever since my mother died I have had to do everything by myself. My father doesn’t think that any of the boys should help because it is not mans work. Apparently a mans job is just to make a woman’s life harder, or at least that is my brothers jobs in life. I know other families who share the work evenly there daughters are even schooled along with the boys while the boys help with the house chores. But my father is old fashioned and he refuses to back down. Granted I can win some battles like choosing my own clothes. But that’s more of a money issue and money is what makes my father breathe. Don’t get me wrong I love my brothers and father, but I resent them also. Wouldn’t you?

“How can you save me?” I asked once more, though this time I wasn’t confused this time I wanted to know how I could get away. Narmer smiled, well I assumed he had smiled for I could only feel his thoughts in my head and that’s what it had felt like.

“Simply answer my call” 

“Your call?” I was once again confused, I must seem slightly simple to you but I assure that is not the case. Everything had happened so fast that day that I couldn’t keep up with the events. I had forgotten all about the house and the call from within the call I had denied for so long. It just didn’t occur to me to connect the two. I think about it now and I see how silly I had been. But when something as strange and otherworldly happens like another person talking in your mind it is pretty easy to forget everything else, wouldn’t you agree?
Narmer just smiled once more, he seemed to have the patience of a cat waiting for a fish to jump out of the stream. 

“Have you not heard my call all this time? Each day as you walk past I called to you, did you not feel it?”

I frowned once again and turned around looking back up the hill towards the old house, and again the stupidity came out.
“You’re a house?” Narmer laughed so hard, it wasn’t a mocking laugh just the laugh of someone who has been thoroughly surprised. It was an infectious laugh and I started to smile which turned in to little giggles. In the end I was standing on my own at the river’s edge in a fit of laughter. We seemed to laugh for hours but in truth it was only for a couple of minutes. Narmer started to calm and control himself again which I was thankful for, for it helped me to gain control of myself aswell. But I still stood there with a very large grin on my face. I was defiantly no longer afraid.

“No my dear one I am not the house, but I am within it”

“Of course” I said “How silly of me” without thinking I started back up the hill towards the house. I was halfway there when I suddenly realised what I was doing. And I stopped.

“Why did you stop?”

“I don’t know who you are” I answered

“I told you, I am Narmer Requiem” 

“No that is not what I mean, you are a stranger to me I do not know you, I do not even know what you are” I said continuing. “You cannot be human. For how can you speak to my mind. How can you call to me without uttering a sound? What has such a power as you have?” I stared at the house, “Come out and show me who and what you are”

“I cannot leave the house yet my sweet”

Narmer said with such sadness in his voice that I felt horrible for even asking it of him.

“Why not?” I said curiously and again came such a sad feeling with the reply

“If I was to tell you, you would not enter of your own free will, and I do not wish to force you,” 

He stopped and I heard a sigh in my mind

“Please trust me my sweet I will not harm you,” 

I kept staring at the house and I saw a brief shadow move across the window on the top floor. I am not sure how long I stood there staring, but it was a noise behind me that finally made me move I turned around and found a cat clawing at my bucket. It looked up towards me meowed. I am not sure why then or even now but that single moment changed my life forever, I walked up towards the house and entered. Actually it wasn’t even that easy I stood wrestling with the door for about 5 minutes, I called to Narmer to help me. But he wasn’t that much of a gentleman. Well to be fair to him he said.

“I cannot leave the room I am in”

I rolled my eyes, once I finally pushed the door in; I stumbled in to the house coughing at all the dust that I had just disturbed. I walked towards the stairs and looked at them, “They don’t look very strong” I said.

“They will hold”  Narmer said confidently.

I climbed the stairs a step at a time, first testing them with one foot and seeing if it would hold. I managed to make it up in a record time of 5 minutes. I turned right at the top and walked into the hallway. I headed right again moving to the room at the front of the house where I saw the shadow.  I pushed the door open, and this one moved easily like it hadn’t been rotting for over half a century. The door opened and there he stood, Narmer in all his dusty glory.
My saviour. My Damnation.