Day of the Dead.

Day of the Dead

“Today is the day”

“Hello?”

She woke up in a fluster.

Must have been a dream, she thought.

Cindy untangled her arms from around her pillow and blew a breath as her mouth twisted to the side.

Her eyes peeled open to glance at the time

5:15

She groaned lowly

Just a few more hours, she thought. Closing her eyes and drifting off.

———

Today is the day, Cindy thought

“What does that mean?” she whispered to herself as she walked to her garden down the bare dirt road path.

The weather was a little warmer than usual in spring for Arkansas, but it was nothing special she thought and shrugged her shoulders lightly.

Cindy looked up at the sky with squinted eyes as her arms shielded the sun while resting on her forehead. It was a sunny day, partly cloudy but that didn't bother Cindy at all.

She smiled, she loved sunny days.

The garden looked especially nice today. The crops danced in the wind as the breeze blew her hair all around as well. She could smell the fruits in the air.

Her mouth watered a little. “Yum” she whispered slowly, eyes closed,cheeks blushed by the sun.

Her eyes opened slowly as she took a few steps further into the garden.

Within this moment Cindy’s squinted eyes turned into the size of saucers.

A shrill escaped her lips as her body leaped forward in a rocking motion.

The newly found corpse stared back at her as it danced with the previously calming wind hosted into a group of corn stocks.

The smell intensified as the wind blew a little harder, making her ginger hair temporarily cover her eyes and the smell of decaying flesh and sweet spring fruits mix.

Cindy could barf, and almost did as her eyes welled up with tears.

She turned around and ran back towards her home.

The dirt path seemed to be much longer now.

Cindy huffed and puffed as her chest rose and fell rapidly, the wind slapping her in the face as she ran in the opposite direction.

What was next? She thought

A twig snapped as her ankle rolled beneath it.

Cindy was never one to be clumsy. In fact she made it her goal to be precise in everything she did, so falling was something she made sure not to do often and here she was falling into the floor of a dirt road with a whisking corpse close behind her.Today was quite a day but it was well far from being over.

Upon making it to her home Cindy stopped and took in a deep breath.

The red house stared back at her standing out in the low weeds and plants around it.

On days like this Cindy’s grandmother would have had a few freshly baked pies sitting in the window seal awaiting to be cut.

“ Don't take too long Cindy. I wanna make more pies before dusk comes”

Cindy would travel up to the garden and pick all the fruits she could hold, but mostly her favorites so grandma would have no excuse but to make a couple for her.

Cindy almost felt at peace for a moment while thinking of this memory. Nowadays she was the only one making pies and leaving them to be cut in the window seal, and now this

She thought.

Cindy ran up the steps into the barren home, shutting the screen door tightly behind her.

“Grandma!”

“Grandma, where are you?!” Cindy exclaimed, running through the many doorways of their ancient farm house, but no answer came after.

“Grandma, there’s something in the garden!”

Cindy paused as she came upon the dusty mirror hanging from the wall in between her and her grandmother's room.

Sweat covered her face as small ginger curls clung lightly to her cheeks and forehead. Tears actively streamed down her face but she could feel nothing.

She laughed lightly to herself, she felt ridiculous and now looked a mess.

She knew her grandmother wouldn't be much of a help, and thought for a second if it was something she should even stress her out about.

Cindy’s grandmother had become bedrinded within the last five years of her life, so every duty around the house and farm was Cindy’s job.

It was just the two of them, and they promised to have each other.

“Grandma, are you okay?” she questioned while wiping the stinging tears from her face.

Cindy made her way into her grandmother’s room slowly. She could not lie and say she wasn’t a little nervous to see what her grandmother would be doing at this time. The way her day was going she wasn't sure what she would be in store for.

To her dismay she found nothing.

No grandmother insight but rather a small breeze creeping through the white paint chipped window, blowing her grandmother's pear green curtains throughout the room in her direction.

“Grandma?” she cautioned

She stepped further into the room soaking in her grandmother's lost presence.

The oatmeal she served to her everyday was sitting untouched on the nightstand, as well as the sundress she laid out on spring days for her to get dressed up in.

Cindy sat puzzled. Her grandmother could barely stand let alone walk away.

What is the meaning of this? She thought

Panic filled her head as she thought of all the terrible things that could have happened to her grandmother, but no thought made any sense.

“ I was only gone for 30 minutes” Cindy whispered so low it sounded as someone else spoke the words for her.

It was true, Cindy had only been gone for 30 minutes. The dirt path to the garden was only a fifteen minute walk but Cindy had stopped to collect a couple rocks on her way there.

“This is all my fault!” she croaked, tears now pouring more rapidly than ever.

Just as Cindy thought her day was at a peak of decline, the melodic sounds of sweet songbirds echoed throughout the house.

Cindy sat in shock as the doorbell rang again and again.

No one had ever come to visit the farm, not even a distant relative or a lost out of towner. At least not in the last couple of years, Cindy thought

Today was more than an odd day.

The ringing stopped after the third sound of singing birds silenced.

Cindy was far too afraid to move, she let out a shaking breath unaware that she had been holding it in since the ringing had begun.

“Hello?” she called, immediately rolling her eyes.

Like a mass murderer would answer back, she thought.

Cindy sighed at herself.

Maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought herself to be.

Maybe this was the day where all her strength would be tested evenly. Either way Cindy knew this couldn’t or wouldn’t be the end of her story.

Just like lightning Cindy bolted up and headed to the kitchen.

Whatever it was that wanted her or her family, wouldn’t get it without a fight.

Grabbing a perfectly sharp knife from the raggedy kitchen drawer Cindy smiled down at it. Her grandmother usually used this knife to shuck corn on days like this but today she didn’t know what it would be used for. She would watch her grandma sharpen this knife time and time again and knew it would be far from dull.

Grabbing the knife Cindy made a quick slight on her skinny, rosey, paled pinky finger. Gasping as she dropped the knife quickly, staring at the stinging cut and vibrant sight of her blood hitting the tiled floor.

Cindy knew this was a crazy thing to do, but she just needed to know she could still feel something.

Picking up the knife Cindy darted to the front door ready to pounce on anything standing behind it.

Cindy sprung the door open with all her might and lunged through the black stained door frame.

She looked up at the sky puzzled, as the porch around her seemed completely stilled.

The previously huge sun now only peaked from the corner of the sky as dark greyish clouds began to fill the atmosphere.

She could smell the rain coming.

Cindy wanted to call out, hoping maybe it was just her grandmother playing a silly joke on her but she kept her mouth zipped instead.

Looking down at her feet Cindy was met with a medium sized package simply wrapped in brown paper.

Cindy's eyes widened as she thought of all the things it could be. She hunched down lightly to kick the strange package and sighed in relief when it did not explode.

The closer she got the more interested she became. Examining the package furthermore all fear flew out the window as Cindy thought this could be the missing clue in wherever her grandmother would be.

Cindy gasped as a small white note peeked out from the side of the package. Cindy quickly grabbed the note and held it to her chest for a quick moment.

“Please God” she whispered to herself. She had nothing left to say, hope was the only thing driving her for now.

Cindy flipped over the note mentally preparing for what it could say.

To: Cindy... It read

Today is your lucky day :)