A Loop?

Emma feels scared as she once again decides to walk from school to her home. She does this three or four times, but each time, she finds herself back at the enormous house.

"What in the world is happening? I have been walking for so long. How can I end up at Mrs. Clara's house every single time?" she thinks to herself as she stands in front of the gigantic gate. "Am I dreaming? How can I wake myself up? This seems impossible. How can I keep ending up here?"

The sky is still overcast, but it doesn't seem like it will rain. The air is cold as she enters the garden of the house once again. She goes to the shed and sits on a chair, closing her eyes in an attempt to sleep.

After some time passes, she opens her eyes and finds herself still sitting in the chair. She stretches her arms and thinks, "I had a weird dream. Time to go back home." To lighten the dull mood surrounding her, she starts humming. Slowly, she walks past her silent school and continues on her way.

Humming 

"Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmmm..." 

"Hmm Hmmm Hmm..." 

Terror fills her once again as the enormous house comes into view. Her eyes widen, and she clenches her teeth. "It WASN'T a Dream! DAMN IT!" In a fit of anger and hopelessness, she kicks at the air. 

"How am I going to get home?" she cries, tears once again streaming down her face. Weeping, she asks, "What do I do?" 

"I wonder if Anton got home. I've been trying to calm myself by saying he must have been helped by someone. But what if he is lost?" 

She walks and stands in front of the giant gate, facing it directly. She glares at the gate. "If only you had been closed from the beginning, I wouldn't have to deal with this. I could have taken Anton home, enjoyed a good meal, and talked to Mom, apologizing to her and Dad for causing a scene this morning. I would be chatting with my sister about Emilia's actions." 

"I wish I could see them. But what's the point? I've been saying from the start that I want to go far away—somewhere to live alone, doing the things I like. A place where people wouldn't know about me or my past. I could freely play with everyone, share my opinions on life, and laugh with them." 

"What's the point? Everything is over. I can't find my way back home. Nobody will care about my absence; they already have two children to care for. People usually don't even have three kids. My parents must have pitied me and kept me. People at school also don't like me."

Thinking about everything, she enters the garden of the house. "Well, my life doesn't matter much. I'll have to go on looking for Anton. Only then can I go home."

She walks toward the main door of the house and looks at the rusty lock. "How can I break this lock?" she wonders. She searches for large rocks in the garden, her legs getting scratched in the uncovered spots. "Hmmm." She picks up a medium-sized rock. "I don't think this will work." She throws the rock aside and finds one slightly bigger. Frustrated, she kicks the rock and thinks, "Why are there so many useless rocks in this stupid garden? Oh! This one will do." Finally, she discovers a rock the size she had been searching for. "It's heavy. Ugh. How do I move it?" Gathering all her strength, she pushes the rock and rolls it along the small pathway that connects the main door to the gate. She slides it until she reaches the main door and attempts to pick it up. With all her remaining strength, she lifts it and slams it onto the lock. The lock shows a slight dent. Undeterred, she raises the rock again and strikes it. The lock now has dents on both sides. "I swear, if it doesn't break now, I'm gonna…" she mutters, swinging the rock once more. The lock is in bad shape. Huffing for breath, she sits down, looking up at the sky. 

"Why is this sky so dull? Huff, huff… I can't give up." She stands, gripping the rock with both hands. Summoning the last bit of her strength, she strikes it down again. 

"Yeah." Huff, huff… "I did it!" The rusty lock looks ugly, with the upper part shattered as if a huge beast had stomped on it without realizing. 

"Yeah! I did it!" 

She tosses the rock to her left, grabs the large door handle, and pushes the door open. 

Coughing, she steps inside the house, which is cold. A spacious hall greets her at the entrance, and long stairs lead to the second floor. 

"It used to be so clean and cozy when Mrs. Clara lived here; now it's full of dust and cobwebs. I hope I don't see a spider jump out at me."

She ventured further inside the house, moving around to the spots where she used to play when Mrs. Clara lived there. The house had two kitchens, one on each floor. As she explored the kitchen, she found everything covered in rust and dirt. The fridge was in poor condition, and when she opened it, an awful stench wafted out. Reacting quickly, she slammed the fridge door shut. 

Leaving the kitchen, she made her way to the room where Mrs. Clara had lived. It was empty. She proceeded to the other rooms but found nothing of interest.

She walks up the stairs and finds herself in a hall. At the center of the hall, she sees a piano. 

"I remember Mrs. Clara would sit at the piano while I listened beside her," she says, tears streaming down her face. 

There is a tiny door leading to a balcony at the front of the hall. She opens it, recalling, "She was waving to me from here in the dream. I miss you, Mrs. Clara." 

She sits at the piano, placing her fingers on the keys and attempting to play a tune. However, no sound comes out. Sighing, she stands up and looks around the entire floor and the rooms. A sense of emptiness washes over her.

Returning to the ground floor, she walks toward the door that leads to the shed. 

"Ugh! This door won't budge. I need to use more force." 

She pushes with all her strength. "Open, damn it!" 

Finally, the door swings open, and she tumbles outside, landing on the ground. 

"What happened?" she exclaims, clapping her hands together to brush off the dust as she tries to get up. But what she sees terrifies her, making her whole body shiver. 

Before her is a beautiful lawn in the backyard, adorned with a stunning blue sky and bright sunlight. In disbelief, she asks, "What is this place? Did I somehow pass through a portal?" 

She walks toward the garden, feeling the sun's rays on her skin. Strength builds up inside her as she approaches the house, where a garden filled with various beautiful flowers, including stunning tulips, catches her eye. 

"This feels like a dream. I- I want to live in this dream forever. It's so mesmerizing, just beautiful," she thinks to herself. She walks over to the area where the tulips grow, reaching out to touch one when suddenly, someone shouts, "Who are you and what are you doing in this garden?"

Emma looks up to see a tiny girl, her height matching Emma's, walking closer. The girl has red hair, beautiful blue eyes, and radiant skin. She wore a green dress and had an empty basket with her.

The girl asks, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"Oh—h-h," Emma stutters, taken aback.

"What?" the girl presses.

"I love tulips!" Emma exclaims.

"You LOVE tulips!?" the girl laughs* So do I! I also love tulips," 

"Haha. And you would be?" Emma asks, curious.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Hi, I am Frieda. And you would be?"

"I am Emma."

"Nice to meet you, Emma. How did you end up here? Are you lost?"

"Haha, no I—"

"If you are lost, you can go to the Helpers Association. They can help you find your mom and dad and get you home."

"Really?"

"So, you were lost?" Frieda laughed.

"No, I..." Emma replied, embarrassed.

"There was a boy who lost his way yesterday. He still hasn't been able to find his parents. I hope he's okay. I remember his name was Anton!"

Emma, in disbelief, exclaimed, "That's my brother!"

"What? So you were searching for your brother? You should have told me that first! I will help you. Just follow me. Anton must be at the Association."

Touched, Emma said, "Thank you."

"Oh, you don't need to say thank you. I am your friend, and there are no thank-yous between friends. Let's go." 

Emma smiles at Frieda and Frieda smiles back at her.

Frieda takes Emma's hand and leads her out of the garden, closing the gate behind them as they head to the Helpers Association.