I am used to being alone in the house for five years now. Having a house situated in the middle of the forest was never satisfying and happy. However this time, some of my relatives paid a visit. At least, I have somebody to talk with. I have grown tired for days of not sleeping and guarding the house. So this is how it feels, I thought. Then my eyes closed.

I had my first birthday on April 4, 1990 at 6PM, Friday. Dad, as usual, was busy with his work. He seldom got home early and when that happened, he usually came home drunk or upset of his work. He also never failed to punch Mom when he sensed that Mom was having her tantrums again. Mom had the little tendency to shiver once in a while. She became uneasy and Dad found that annoying and incurable.
Meanwhile, Mom was busy preparing food in the kitchen. I was in my bedroom like a usual kid does. Then I heard somebody saying, "You two wait here. Ten minutes left and I'll let you see ky daughter." That was Mom's voice if I was not mistaken but to whom was she talking? I did not know. Few minutes later, Mom came to my room and carried me to the dining room. "Happy birthday Kate!" Mom said while humming the Happy Birthday Song. "Since it is your birthday, I have a little surprise for you," she added. "You're going to meet some new friends." I just looked at her. Mom opened the kitchen's back door. Everything was dark until I saw silhouettes of a big and small figure. Suddenly...
"What did I tell you? Do I have to remind you constantly of your work?" I heard Dad's voice. He was talking with somebody on his phone. I turned my head while he opened the main door and Mom got up to meet him. Dad didn't mind Mom and hurriedly went to his room. When I turned my head to se my two new friends, the kitchen door was already closed. They were gone. Afterwards, dinner was ready and we ate. Dad missed to greet me a happy birthday.
Saturday, 6PM, 4th of April 1999 - Mom was busy preparing food for my ninth birthday. I had with me, Meckie, the dog which Dad had given as a gift during my fifth birthday. We were busy playing in the garden. Meckie scratched off the plants which Mom had just planted for a week and I was running after him.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I heard Mom shouted. Meckie and I hurriedly went inside the house. We checked the kitchen and saw blood written on the floor. The words were: FIND ME.
Where was Mom? I asked myself. Without hesitation, Meckie and I went outside the house and searched the forest for a trace of Mom. "Kate, I know you can hear me. Mom is here." Mom talked to me. I almost forgot, I can talk to her through my mind and animals, too. "Mom where are you?" I replied. There was no answer.
As Meckie and I went through the center of the forest, we met a bear. He was huge. All of a sudden, I remembered one of the silhouettes Mom showed me during my first birthday.
"Excuse me. I would just to ask if you saw a woman who passed by here? She was wearing a-" The bear made me stop. "I haven't seen anybody around here. You've gone off trail kid. Go home." He beckoned us to go. I walked past him and Meckie tiptoed behind me.
The sun was about to set. Noise of crickets and of different animals echoed through the forest. We decided to stop under the huge oak tree. "You're almost there Kate. You're getting near." Mom talked again but I was not able to reply. My feet were weary and so as my whole body. Meckie slept beside me.
I woke up to the tiny beam of sunlight hovering my face, but not just that. Something moved above my head. I called Meckie silently. It continued to move. "Meckie, why are you so - " I opened my eyes and saw a beaver. It was looking at me. "Hello, I'm Jay, the Beaver." It spoke.
H..i.." I hesitantly replied. "Where's Meckie? My dog. Where is he?" I was panicking.
"I don't know. What's a dog by the way?" He replied.
I didn't mind it. Instead, I asked for his help. "I can help you. Just come with me, " he said.
We walked towards the thick trees. Jay brought me to huge hut. He knocked on the door.
"My friend! I have a surprise from you."
A few moment, a bear came out. "You.. You live here?" I asked him. "Yes."
"Come in," the bear told me. I went in and I saw a very big chocolate cake with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE on it. "Where is Mom?" I asked. "She might have escaped. I didn't see her." The bear lied.
"I need Mom. Sorry." I went outside and left the two of them.
"Poor little girl. She doesn't know what's going on with her mother," the bear said.
"Why? What's wrong with her mother?" Jay asked.
"It had been 5 years since Alisa, the girl's mother, had gone mental. She shared to me her husband Bill. She told me Bill stopped loving her as a wife when Bill knew about her condition. Her only consolation is Kate. And now, she's searching for her husband to seek for revenge. She told me not to mention it to you or to her daughter."
Fifteen minutes passed and Kate began to wonder why she's still got no reply, "Mom? Can you hear me?"

I didn't find Mom the day she left the bear's hut and Dad bid goodbye three days later.

I woke up to the tap of my cousin. "Kate, Uncle Tom is leaving. Mom and I will be staying with you until the burial of Uncle Bill tomorrow." "Oh, before I forget. Happy birthday!"

"Thank you. This is the loneliest of my birthdays." I spoke to myself. My aunt and cousin are in the kitchen preparing food. So, I took the chance to go out and smell some fresh air. As I went outside, I saw an eye looking at me through the leaves of the tree.

"Kate." I heard my Mom spoke.

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See Also

• https://steemit.com/writing/@themanualbot/the-puppet-show-find-yourself-at-fakers-directory