A strong vibration shook my body. Even though it was hard to open my eyes, I still tried slowly.
My head felt heavy, yet also soft.
Wooden wheels rubbed against the road, the hinges creaked. Behind the wall I could hear the breathing and the hoofbeats of the horse pulling this wagon. The sound of many people talking could be heard.
It's very crowded this morning, different from the village.
The morning sunlight shone through a small gap in the wooden cabin wall.
Even though I was still half asleep, at that time my uncle came to pick me up with his horse carriage. Early morning in the village, we departed toward the city of Vlaghju.
From outside the sound of people talking gradually began to fade. The vibration of the carriage decreased, it felt like the road was getting smoother.
Since earlier my head had been resting on mother's thigh, her hand stroked my chest repeatedly. My eyes looked at her face, mother was blankly daydreaming toward the stacked suitcases.
"Mother?"
My voice tried to call her, letting her sink in her thoughts disturbed me. Mother blinked quickly several times and began to look at me. She smiled quickly, but I knew there was something behind it.
"Still sleepy?" mother asked.
The drowsiness in my eyes seemed to disappear somewhere.
"No, not anymore," I replied.
"We have arrived in the city... and now are heading to your grandmother's house," mother said, clarifying this journey.
I just stayed silent listening. Meanwhile mother began to look at the thick cloth that was blowing, the city road could be seen slightly through the gap.
The city road made me realize. For the first time I was visiting grandmother's house. Several times I had asked to go there, but father only agreed without doing anything.
Slowly the speed of the horse carriage felt slower. My eyes glanced through the gap of the cloth, the road with different stones, looked neater than the city roads. On the side of the road, green grass looked as if it formed a boundary.
Mother turned to me and reflexively my eyes met hers.
"We have arrived," she said with a smile.
Seeing mother's smile with the dimples on her cheeks, I couldn't hold myself from smiling as well.
Our carriage stopped, making me even more certain. We had arrived. Mother stood, her head under the cabin roof. The suitcases began to be lifted slowly by her.
I hurried to help lift one suitcase that was not as big as the others, toward the thick cloth which was the cabin's exit. Mother went out first, pushing aside the thick cloth, the morning sunlight entered briefly.
One suitcase was still left near the cabin exit.
My feet stepped toward it, the sound of my shoes could be heard touching the floor. As I got closer I could hear mother speaking, her tone slightly different.
My hand quickly pushed aside the thick cloth, trying to look outside.
The sunlight outside dazzled my eyes. My eyes closed for a moment before opening wide again. The stone road earlier shifted my attention, a wide yard with green grass, a fence that separated it from the outside road.
A large house with the same yard and fence could also be seen not far from us.
"Sinhart!"
Suddenly a familiar female voice called me. Reflexively my head turned, at the lower right from the end of the cabin where I stood.
A girl stood near mother.
Her hair was brown like a tree trunk. Thin eye bags that looked familiar. Her shirt was slightly loose, the collar tied with a string. The long pants she wore had folds at the knees.
Even though it wasn't high, I jumped down from the cabin while gripping my suitcase. Even though it felt heavy, my feet landed perfectly on the stone road.
"Ascella," I greeted her.
Ascella's smile made me feel something familiar.
My eyes shifted to mother who was walking, and slowly began to disappear as her body passed the corner of the carriage. It seemed mother was walking toward the front.
"It's been a long time since we met Sinhart," said Ascella. Her voice felt close.
My eyes quickly realized Ascella standing in front of me. Ascella was slightly taller than me.
"T-true...," I replied.
It had been quite a while since we met, I didn't know what to say.
"I think the last time was when... I came to celebrate your birthday in the village."
Ascella's finger rubbed her chin slowly, her eyes looked to the side.
"If now it's the month of Ruke... and your birthday is in the month of Studeni then...,"
I couldn't believe Ascella was actually thinking about it.
"That means it's been four months, right," Ascella continued.
"I think so—" I replied.
I wanted to say something but, suddenly from the direction of the cabin right behind me.
The sound of a suitcase hitting the stone road. Instantly I turned quickly. A girl slightly taller than me and Ascella, was seen lifting the remaining suitcase with difficulty.
Her pink hair was neatly tied. She wore a brown dress that hung down to her ankles.
"H-heavy... s-so heavy, how can Sinhart lift it so easily," said the girl.
Who is she?
"Ah that's Ghyna," Ascella explained casually.
Ghyna, could she be Ascella's older sister. But, grandmother once said her older sister looked very similar to Ascella herself.
Ghyna stepped forward quickly, though slightly swaying from carrying the suitcase. She extended her left hand toward me.
"My name is Ghyna... nice to meet you, Sinhart," said Ghyna with a smile.
There was no other choice, I could only smile.
"Nice to meet you Ghyna...,"
Our hands shook briefly.
There was something strange, from within me.
"Ghyna can be said... how should I put it." Ascella began rubbing her chin again.
"I am an adopted child of Regina Sevilla, the current head of the Sevilla family," Ghyna said, cutting in.
Adopted child, as far as I remember someone in the village once told me. An adopted child is a child who lives in another person's house.
"Yes, you could say it like that too," said Ascella.
"Sinhart!"
Mother's voice called me from the front of the carriage. I hurried to step forward.
"Just leave the suitcase, I will take it inside."
Ghyna held my wrist that was gripping the suitcase. Stopping my step for a moment. Without thinking I gave the suitcase to her, then immediately continued my steps.
Even so, at that moment my ears heard a loud sound hitting this stone road.
"Yes mother,"
Right after passing the corner, my eyes looked at the large house in front. Its windows were bigger than my house in the village.
"Sinhart...,"
Mother stood near the carriage, right beside the empty driver's seat. My steps stopped right in front of her.
"This house is very big, mother,"
My head looked up observing grandmother's house.
Mother's hands held both of my shoulders. Mother began to kneel and her face moved closer. My gaze shifted toward her.
"Listen mother wants to tell you something,"
There was no smile and her gaze felt strange.
"Sinhart knows uncle Grats right,"
Yes, I know. Of course.
"Mother together with your uncle, will now go to the city of Miosmo," mother's words felt different.
It felt like something was being hidden.
"Did something happen to father," I asked.
Mother stayed silent for a moment and began to smile. There was no answer, but I knew something happened to father. Mother couldn't hide it and I didn't want to ask further. If I asked, the atmosphere might become bad.
My body was hugged quickly. A warm and soft feeling filled my chest.
"Starting today listen to grandmother and Aunt Riana okay," mother said softly, but clearly heard in my ears.
"Don't be picky with food... eat regularly,"
"...Also use your time to study here, father once said that grandmother's books are very many then," mother's words stopped, after a loud crash was heard from the direction of the house.
Mother turned back, while I had already looked toward the terrace of the house. Ghyna had fallen with both suitcases in front of her.
"Sinhart, you should help Ghyna," mother said.
My feet stepped forward toward the terrace, after two steps past mother I stopped for a moment and looked back. Mother's face smiled at me.
This time that smile truly looked like my mother's.
"Be careful on the road mother,"
My steps returned toward Ghyna. I could see Ascella laughing at Ghyna there, making me smile slightly. My feet climbed the terrace steps, without thinking further about what would happen to mother in the city of Miosmo.
-When I Open My Eyes: My Journey Begins-