The little house in the woods

By the time I started making my way back home the sun had started to go down and the light in the forest started to become more dim. I continued along a well-maintained dirt path until I saw our house peeking out from the trees. The mountain we lived on the steep was still heavily forested on the lower sections because of this my family had lived on the lower sections of this mountain for more generations than I even knew.

Our house was quaint by almost anyone's standards, but it was very comfortable to live in. It was a small Cottage that was painted a light sky blue and had white decorative trim. It really did look like something I had read about in a fairytale book. The building itself had only eight rooms, well nine if you were to count the outhouse outback, but since that was not attached to the house, I was not counting it. You would first walk into the living room when you entered our home the kitchen was off to the left, and the dining room was through the back of the kitchen. Those three rooms made somewhat of an L shape if you were to look at them from above to the right of the entryway was the washroom, and a small closet where we put our coats and other such things. towards the back of the house where the bedrooms. Mother and father had their own bedroom and all three of my brothers shared one room. even though they all shared one room, it was the largest bedroom in the house and they had dividers in there for privacy. I had my own room, but it was the smallest bedroom in the house. The only reason I had my own bedroom was because I was the only sister. if I had had some more siblings who were girls as well we would've shared a room father probably would've had to extend the house a bit. Luckily, that never became an issue.

As I grew closer to our home, I heard mother scolding, Mike. "I told You not to go to that part of the woods! It's very muddy after it rains and now you're getting dirt all inside the house!" I heard Mother yelled as I walked through the door.

As she continued to fuss at Mikey, I walked into the kitchen. I'm placed my wicker basket on the counter and started to sort out my hall for the day. I had managed to find everything I was looking for and a few things that I could use later down the line.

"Susan, you got your dress all dirty and you have mud on your face! Where did you go?" my mother yelled, fussing at me as well.

I knew I was not meant to get muddy, but it was the only way to get all the herbs that she and father asked for. I knew once I explained this she would calm down because unlike Mike I had a real reason for getting dirty.

"I was getting the green bat wing in the strawberry grass that you and father asked me to find. Due to the recent rains the places to find them were rather muddy. I'm sorry, mother I tried to stay as clean as possible." I calmly explained.

"Oh right, I forgot we asked you to do that today, well wash up then. Even your blonde hair has turned brown." I smiled at her and went to washup like she asked me to.

"Why does she get off scott free and I get yelled at?!?" questioned Mike.

"Because she had a real reason for getting dirty and what were you doing?"

"Ummm…"

"EXACTLY! now go outside and chop some wood for the fire. After that you'll probably need to reheat your dinner."

"Mother!"

"Excuse me?"

"…Yes Ma'am." Mikey said, and then went out to chop the wood as he was told. It may sound like a punishment, but truth be told we needed a lot of wood chopped and he knew he had to chop the whole pile before he got to eat dinner, which would take him past sundown to do.

I smiled as I walked towards the washroom to clean up. I close the door behind me and looked in the mirror above the wash basin. my mother was correct although my hair was always a dirty blonde. I was Certainly living up to the dirty part of that name. I saw myself in the mirror, my pigtail braids covered in mud, my bright blue eyes standing out in stark contrast against the mud smears against my face.

I used a cloth sat on the counter and some water to clean my face and hair. It was not bath night so this would have to do for now. opened the Bottom drawer of the Counter and grabbed the clean clothes I had put in there that morning. I changed into them and then put my dirty clothes in the basket to wash tomorrow.

"Sue, could you please set the table when you're done washing up?" Mother called to me.

"Yes Ma'am." I called back.

I quickly finished cleaning up, then left the washroom and headed towards the dining room to set the table for mother. I set six spots because today everyone was going to be home. Mother and father were both on the mountain right now, so there wasn't anyone missing.

Father, Ray, and Ben all came in through the door one after another and headed to the washroom. Father went in first and Ray and Ben waited outside for him to finish washing up before they could have their turn. They have been out cleaning up debris on our walkways from the recent storms.

Once father was done Ray went in and father joined me in the dining room. He sat down at one of the heads up the table in his usual spot, and I sat in my normal spot to the left of him. shortly after Ray finished in the washroom and said at the other end of the table.

In most families, the mother would've sat there, but my mother prefers to sit to the right of father And since Ray is the eldest son, he gets to sit at the other end of the table. Which I had no problem with I like to sit near your mother and father, though the other brothers have pestered him for that spot more than once. He had offered it to me, but I declined. I believe he just offered it to me to try to get the other brothers to stop fussing at him for it. because if I sat there, they wouldn't dare make a fuss. They know I would put them in their place.