1 Hey There

"Whose there?!, I said who is there?!. I would scream if you do not come out now! "

"Don't do that Laina, you would only make a fool of yourself" A calm but yet tense voice says from behind the boxes that are further deep In the attic, and I know I am not going anywhere near there.

"How do you know my name?, and who are you?, How did you get in here?. Come out now! "

"Which of these questions should I answer first?"The same voice calls out and just when I have had enough and about to raise an alarm, out comes the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.

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Hi, I'm Laina, unlike every other kid, I'm different. I like peace, quiet, history, books and I also love isolation.

I come from a very small and simple family. My dad is a retired civil servant who now,  runs a farm business where he sells wool, milk, eggs, fish and a whole bunch of other stuff. He has about 20 workers working for him on his farm.

As for my mom, she runs a mini restaurant in the heart of town. My younger brother is just 15 years old. He is the total opposite of me. He loves girls, parties, games, friends and could give anything to do away with studies.

We had to move to the outskirts of our home town when rumors about me became unbareable.

Some say I was born dumb, others say an accident made me dumb, Many say I'm mad or mentally unstable, and many say I am retard, in other words, suffering from mental retardation. And some just say I'm not human..... But Why?

Well its majorly because I do not act, eat, and see life like the other kids do... For example I am 19 years old but still have no interest in any of the boys around. I also do not talk at all when I am outdoors, I only wear the same type of clothes in different colors... Eg, I wear red today,  and tommorow I would wear blue but of the same design and style. I have no reason for doing so really. I just like it, When ever I am bored and have nothing to do... I just look at the sky and my fingers automatically start to drum a unique beat that I have grown to know over the years as my fingers are used to it. Just as my legs to walking and my nose to breathing.

To make it worse or better for me, my eyes.... Well my pupils to be precise, have a unique crystal blue colour. Although my brother and others consider it to be wierd or strange, my parents and I adore it.... Especially me.

Truth be told, I am very capable of talking and doing a bunch of other things. But they are not my type of things. And I am okay with people calling me weird. Cause well.... weird does not necessarily mean wrong.... To me its another way of saying unique.

I sometimes feel like I am Belle. (A cartoon character from Beauty and the beast) who just like me, wants more than the provincial life her small town has to offer.

I have keen interest in fruits and vegetables and that's basically all I eat. Except my mom forces me to try something new. (Another thing people consider to be weird about me)

Like I said earlier, I am not a talker. I keep to myself and I do not have a diary as you may expect. Well maybe I do but I won't really call it a diary. Its a sketch pad. I am found of relaying my thoughts and emotions through paintings and my sketch pads are my most priced, cherished and private possessions.

So you can judge by yourself... Can that be classified a diary?.

My town is a very small and remote town. We are well aware of the advanced technology that lay not too far from our borders but for some reason., we are all okay with the kind of life we live here. Although we know it can be better.

Cycles and horses in place of cars, well that's quite understandable as Brooke Hills is a very hilly and sloppy place and it would do no good if one had a car.(Although our town mayor has one) Usage of legs and cycles are better.

We sometimes have outsiders come to our town to help install a few new things in our town... Like last year, they came to install the new lockers in the school hall way, the electronic boards in classes, the new computers in our cyber cafes. And we also get our cycles from them.

Although movement of residents of Brooke Hills, in and out of town is fully permitted , only a few set of people actually do leave. For personal pourpoese and sometime for business reasons. Like my dad who once in a while goes out of town to trade his products and purchase new ones.

My dad is quite respected in town as most of the restaurants depend on him for the meat, egg and other stuffs they buy from him to be able to cook and run their various restaurants. I honestly dont fancyvtje idea of killing day her animals to feed ourselves. But what do I know? 

Some respect him out of pity and sympathy for well.... You know... Having a daughter like me.... And raising me for the number of years that he has....

Some even go as far as asking him if he feels cursed to have a child like me.

There was this time when they even offered to help him take me to a mental asylum or a rehabilitation center.

But what can my poor dad do?. He just gets angry and tells them to mind their businesses and that as far as he is concerned, He has one of the best daughters the earth would ever record.

You know.. there are days that he actually breaks down and cries.. because of all this... he would stay out of the house and where we could find him for hours so we would not see him crying but when he returns home, his eyes would be puffy, red and wet. But he would still wear the sweetest smile on his face and draw me into the warmest hug.. I have ever been in... Not that I have had many hugs though.. Just from my mom, dad and my stuffed bunny that I have had since I was five and she is still pretty much in good shape... I know I am 19 years but I have a way too strong connection with her to just let her go all because I have grown a bit older.

My mom is a fighter.. A warrior she goes on about her day and she has no reason to worry. She has a very normal and beautiful family and no one is bold enough to tell her anything wrong about me or to even make a sarcastic or indirect comment about me because she would pick it up with them and getting in an argument with my mom is the last thing anyone wants to do.

I love her so much that way, I would love to be like her. Bold, calm, strong, beautiful, intelligent, upright, an activist(well I don't think I want to be that) and independent.

As for my brother Luca, he is friends with the mayors son,  Marcus. I do not know why though, because Marcus is older than my brother and I even. He is 20 and Luca 15. They make an odd pair.

Luca unlike my parents, Was not at all supportive and disliked me( I would not say hate as it is too strong when refering to family. Although you can say he did hate me).

I love books. so when the other kids in town are spending time partying and all of that, I would be up in the town library.. Looking up some history books especially books about our town.

And it's really is fun.. You tend to discover some new things and some odd things..

I remember once when I saw a book in the libery. The book was covered in all sorts of signs and that is basically what was used to write the book. Even the author's name was In signs and I just could not help but pick interest in the book.

I curiously flipped through the book till I till i came across a part in actual words. It read;

" once in a while,

like a shooting start..

The full moon is seen.

That you may be vail.

Ever day,

like the east ward hills,

the elegant sun yields,

that you may stay.

Keep thy stone safe and sound,

for on it lays thine home. "

It was the strangest poetry I had ever set my eyes on... I went over it a few times and could now memories it by heart.

What could it mean?. And who wrote it?. In what language was this written?. All this questions were brewing in my mind. But I'd ask the liberian latter. so I just place it on the table.

I am off to find the history book about our town. I was here yesterday and i stoped at the 25th chapter cause it was getting late and I had to be home.

But not without a history book about Brooke Hills(our town) . A teacher told us something in school about Brooke Hills that i don't think makes sense and I want to look into it myself.

I drop the strange book on the table and go off to the history section of the libary. The poem I read from it is still fresh in my mind so I turn it into a song and I hum it as I search the shelves for the history book.

The shelves are old... Termite infested but well polished and dusted... The Liberian does put alot of effort into maintaining the library although very little fund is allocated to the library.

The books are neat and look new.. Most of them actually have never been touched.

The people in Brooke Hill do not really see books as important and even once tried to pull down the library but the mayor said to leave it be to fufil all righteousness. And for that I am very grateful.

I have found it... The book I was looking for... It is titled 'Brooke Hills'. It contains every little detail about Brooke Hills... From the name, to founder and so much more...

I just hope I find a shed between the truths and lies. I was told in the history class by our schools history teacher, that the third to the last mayor and his entire family disapired.

He said that the family just vanished... They told no one where, when or why they were going.

And the next week, the currents mayors father showed official documents singed by the mayor at that time. The documents said that he willed all his power to the current mayors father.

In our town, a mayor can will his power to a responsible son in-law of his... That has no criminal record. Other wise the people can contest for the position.

This town's history says the current mayors father did not get married to the mayors daughter but rather got her married to his son who is now our current mayor.

There is a lot of mystery around this because.. Till date... She has not been found and no one knows if she left with her family or if the same fate that befell her family also befell her.

The current mayor has a son but is not married and no woman in town has ever come forward to lay claims to the child.

I don't know but for some reason. I feel something is off and this record of history is actually very confusing...

The mayor can't just will off his power if he wants to and why do they have to be related?. We are not under the monarch system of government. And why did he disappear right after signing those papers? I suspect murder, but history says the cops looked into it and found no link to the mayor.

So.... I hope with the help of history to get to the buttom of this although it took place about 15 years ago. As it stands.. I am a very curious person.. But not  curious enough to get attached to others.

When I got back to the table,  the strange book is no longer there. I am the only one in the library and the Liberian is down stairs behind the counter so who took the book?.

If anyone had come here i would have heard foot steps as I am very observant and alert.

I look under the table but it's l not there... I can't start looking for it now as it's getting late... Maybe some other time. I have got to go home.

I would stop here for now... We would revisit this in the course of my narration I hope.

I am here to tell you the story of my life and how I met a Ghost In My Attic. And also the aftermath of that.

Yo! Its Aider again😅. Sorry that i keep bothering your reading by always popping up at the end of some chapters...

But i only do so to remind you to vote and comment... I am an upcoming writer and I need all the encouragement I can get😅, and assurance that some people actually appreciate my work🙌.

Pls endeavor to vote and comment✌🙌😘

So what do you think💁?

Why is Laina so different?

What could that strange book mean?

How did it vanish?

What happened to the Mayor the led the people about fifteen years ago?

And who could Marcus mother be?. 💁

Well lets find out🕵...

XOXO Aider Kwin 😘💖✌