chapter 4

Just like the pictures of houses I've seen in most of my textbooks and those mother teaches me during study, our house was not much different from them except that ours was made of wood, it's floor was equally tied with smooth fine wood. I wondered why every thing around us is made only of wood.

Mother dropped me in our wooden bathing tube, I wished she could just allow me bath myself moreover am turning seven soon but maybe she doesn't remember, I quietly watched her remove my shirt and made to remove my short before I held on to my short tightly.

 " I can remove my short". I blunted out thoughtlessly , she looked up at me and smiled and in just one count my short was off my waist. 

 "My little boy now thinks he's all grown up " she said laughing, I made a face showing more of "of course I am " but I didn't say a word since no one else baths me other than her, she proceeded with bathing me while I sat quietly imaging when I will really grow like papa Jesse and start bathing myself ,as I swam in my ocean of thoughts I also watched jack squatting at the entrance and with that sight I wondered why mother never bathed him aside me.

 "Your uncle Ivan is coming today with your new books ".

 "My alien uncle!" I exclaimed excitedly almost forgetting about my grief over pesi's disappearance, slowly I sat back in the tube as the whole of the excitement vanished rapidly. Mother continued scrubbing my delicate skin with Sponge more like an iron as I let the stubborn tears flow down my cheeks mixing with the water.

" Hey! cheer up, pesi will be back before you even know". She said on noticing the tears on my face. 

 "Your uncle and papa Jesse are both arriving soon ". She added excitedly to cheer me up, I saw how excited she was and gave a smile, she must have really missed father alot . I knew well enough that all of her excitement was just to pacify me, knowing we both are the only ones in the wood and needed to keep each other's company.

 Immediately after my body has been rinsed off fume I got off the tube without waiting to have my body dried up with towel, I rushed to my room straight to the wardrobe without much stress I wore my little pink short and raced out of the house with jack barking after me which attracted the attention of mother who rushed outside. 

 "Where on earth are you off to again?" She yelled to my hearing.

 "Just wants to play with jack in the as we await the arrival of papa Jesse and uncle Ivan " I answered without looking back to give a proper response. She said no word again knowing I was actually heading to the farm to catch grasshopper, that has always been my way of getting ride of my loneliness and most times grief.

 I was actually after a very big grasshopper with the help of jack when I heard mother's call.

 " Mel ! Ur uncle Ivan and papa Jesse are here." She announced knowing fully well that I can hear her from the farm.

Instantly I raced out of the farm almost forgetting I was with jack, I stopped immediately only to see jack still after the grasshopper that we were both chasing. 

 "Jack let's go " I said and took off again, jack instantly ran after me as we indirectly competed on who to reach home first, I was a bit disappointed seeing that jack could run four times faster than I could. I almost wore a gloomy face before I sighted papa Jesse and uncle Ivan.

 "Papa Jesse..... Uncle Ivan..." I screamed happily running towards them. They both turned in my direction stretching out their arm for an embrace. Happily I hugged my father who threw me so high in the air ,I felt butterflies in my stomach but I didn't think I care since I have always enjoyed it. same second father dropped me I ran into the waiting arm of uncle Ivan who equally threw me up higher than my father did. I saw mother making attempt to catch me, out of fear that I might fall but uncle Ivan caught me even before she could reach me. 

This made me laugh so hard that the fears on mother's face vanished as she heaved a sign of relief and gave the lightest smile ever.

 "Won't you at least give me a warm welcome back hug?" Father asked her as she walked up to him with out a word and embraced him, this time her face turning red.

Mother is really fair and anyone can tell when she's about crying or wants to cry, I got scared on seeing the moodiness on her face.

 She has missed father a whole lot but instead of being happy for seeing him she's crying, probably she wants to tell him about what happened today.

 "Alien uncle my pesi has gone missing " I said aloud to the hearing of papa Jesse who turned to look at me. 

 " What happened to him?" Father chipped in with a weiry look, I knew the consequences of what happened but I rather report myself than allow father find out himself.

 "Let's go in first then we can discuss that later" mother said taking the bag from him as she led the way. Uncle Ivan carried me and strolled along.

Mother served everyone water except me, I guess the water was refreshing because father and uncle Ivan heaved heavily after drinking it. I suddenly felt thirsty but I couldn't stand from uncle Ivan's lap since that would be my only place of refuge if eventually mother tells father about my disappearance into the wood earlier that day and also that pesi went missing because of that. I thought maybe I should sleep since there's no way he would wake a sleeping child just to punish him, slowly I closed my eyes gently drifting off to the other side of the world full of Unrealistic human and peace. 

 "Mel did what!"

 I jerked at once from uncle Ivan's leg subconsciously on hearing father yell,one can learn a nice dancing step with the sound of my heart beat. 

 Mel.....! He called with an unreadable look walking up to me, already am fully awake shivering in fright. Uncle Ivan simply held me to his chest maybe to protect me from father while mother tried many times to talk but ended up saying nothing. 

 "Papa Jesse am very sorry!" I said with a trembling voice as I watched him approach me,surprisly he squatted in front of me with face full of uncertainty.

 "Am really sorry papa Jesse !" I repeated a second time with tears already flowing down my cheeks. 

 "Hope you didn't get hurt " he asked worriedly inspecting my whole body,I was so perplexed that I couldn't say a word other than to watch him turn me over and over on uncle Ivan's lap.

 Is he really not going to punish me even after all his threats if ever I enters the wood,I wondered almost happy but still scared.

 "What if he punishes me after alien uncle goes ". I thought letting the tears stream freely down my jaw. 

 "From now hence you will be joining me to the wood each time I go there " father anounced, my joy knew no bound as I jumped off uncle Ivan's lap and hugged my father, my mother said nothing even though the fears on her face were readable. I didn't want to think about that not now my dreams might eventually come true.

 "At least I would be able to get my pesi back"

I muttered excitedly before uncle Ivan brought out the text books mother is been talking about. Mother, father and uncle Ivan have been my teachers ever since I turned three,mother teaches me languages which she claims I ought to know, father on his own side teaches me crafts while uncle Ivan once In a while comes around to teach me arithmetics. I have always wondered where he lives and why he never sleeps in our wooden house. Apart from the human drawings from my text books and my dreams, mother, father and uncle Ivan are the only true human I have ever seen. 

At that moment I wished I would one day find myself amongst so many people like me. I didn't voice it out since I don't want father to get angry at me for wishing to mix up with evil and dangerous humans.

 I just can't wait to be out with him in the wood.