Chapter 65: A Dream
The elderly woman’s eyes were honestly the kindest that Mira had seen in a while. They weren’t at all suspicious or even anywhere near calculating, they were just so warm and maybe a little bit curious.
Leo tugged hard on Mira’s hand as he started to pull her toward the fence.
"Grandma, this is my new friend! I found her in the woods and she likes the talking stream too. She likes it so much."
Mira couldn’t do anything other than to offer a hesitant but genuine smile.
"Uh... hello ma’am. I’m Lorena. And your grandson is a very talented scout and tour guide."
She felt a little silly saying that, but it was honestly the truth no matter how cringy it may sound.
The woman wiped her earthy hands on her apron more and more while her eyes crinkled at the corners.
"A scout, uh? He keeps calling himself that. He’s like a king crowning himself no matter what anyone says to him. And well, he’s brought home a few lost souls before, just usually of the four-legged variety. This two-legged one is a new species, I’m impressed too."
She added a soft chuckle before continuing. "You can call me Glory."
Leo ran to his grandmother and whispered loudly with his small voice, "She was so sad, Grandma, so I used the scout’s rule."
Glory’s gaze softened even further as she looked at Mira with an automatic understanding in her eyes.
"Oh wow, the scout’s rule is very sacred in this house," she announced. "It means you are now entitled to fresh gingerbread and a cup of tea."
The lump that formed in Mira’s throat so suddenly was not what even she saw coming. The simple and unquestioning kindness was just so much for her now.
"Uh... that’s not necessary at all, I don’t want to impose. I only thought to bring him home since I didn’t know if he was lost or not."
"Oh, nonsense!" Glory said with a dismissive hand as if she was swatting away flies. "You’re even lucky because the kettle’s just boiled, so it’s no imposition at all, it’s more of a rescue mission even."
Leo jumped up and down as he now clutched the hem of Mira’s shirt. "Please! You have to try the gingerbread! I told you that it’s the law, you’ll get punished if you don’t abide!"
Glory gestured towards the cozy cottage with its smoking chimney. "Please, do us a favor and come in, dear. Any friend of Leo’s, especially one found looking sad in the woods, is always welcome here."
Mira hesitated for one final second, just one.
But the warmth and light spilling from the open door was a big contrast to the cold one of the mansion she was coming from. It truly felt like stepping from a museum into a home, so she finally stepped inside.
"It smells amazing," she breathed as soon as she was in, and the cinnamon, ginger, and baked goods washed over her like a comforting blanket.
"That’s the welcome home smell, Lorena," Leo declared like a knowledgeable professor while already struggling to pull his muddy shoes off by the door.
Glory closed the door gently behind them and completely sealed Mira inside a world of simple and profound kindness that she hadn’t even thought existed in all her two lives. At least, for or towards her.
The inside of the cottage was just as charming. It was filled with worn and comfortable furniture and shelves of books.
Leo immediately ran to a wooden box in the corner and brought it over, proudly spilling its contents to Mira.
Inside were an assortment of smooth rocks, bright-colored feathers, and a single shiny button.
"These are my treasures," he explained with such a serious look on his face that it made Mira’s heart swell.
Glory soon handed Mira a very heavy ceramic mug of steaming tea and a plate with a large perfectly shaped gingerbread man.
It had raisin eyes and a smiling icing mouth.
"It’s... so peaceful here," Mira said as the simple normality of it all felt so good that it reminded her of her recent nightmares.
Sitting here in this warm home with a child showing her his rock collection felt like a dream.
A dream she once had with Travis in it. One that she thought she would have in the future because her own small home had been full of nothing but abuse.
But none of that came to pass, obviously.
Glory sat in a rocking chair across from her with her own mug in hand. "It’s our sanctuary," she said with a strength in her voice.
"We’ve actually been here for a very long time. The estate and the woods protect us."
Leo, having finished his presentation, climbed onto the sofa next to Mira and leaned against her side in a way that showed that he was completely at ease with her.
And the simple contact was enough to make Mira’s heart squeeze again.
Glory watched them with a thoughtful look on her face. "You have kind eyes," she observed as she sipped her tea.
"And I’m surprised because not many of the people from the big house have kind eyes."
Mira was just about to ask what she meant by that, as her curiosity had genuinely piqued and she was enjoying this warm moment with the woman, when the moment itself shattered in the twinkle of an eye.
The cottage door slammed shut with a violent bang that made the little house itself shake a little, and at the entrance was a woman standing frozen in the doorway with a face full of stark shock, fear, and so much rage.
She looked young, probably in her early to mid-twenties, with hair the same exact shade as the hair on Leo’s head.
But her eyes were currently blazing and her gaze was locked directly on no one but Mira and on the way Leo was leaning comfortably by her side.
The grocery bag in her hand dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, causing apples to spill out and roll in every direction across the wooden planks.
Her voice, when it finally came out of her, was so low and had such a dangerous tremble that vibrated with fury.
"Get the hell away from my son!"