Framed.

*

Christmas was around the corner and everyone was getting excited and counting down to the Day.

Parents are procuring dresses for their kids and some kids are already planning on their gifts for their mom,dad,uncles and all.

The shops in the street already have Christmas lights hung on top of their shops,just around the inscriptions of their names.

The kids moved around with their Christmas hats and toys.

The street was always lively,and buzzing, especially in the evening.

Everyone was happy,but Everyone is not Dora.

Growing up as a child with no parents,she has experienced the bad side of life.

She has understood the meaning of Happiness and she knows it wasn't for her.

Only people that grew up with their parents and have all the life to themselves deserve happiness to her.

She had not any friends and know not,any of her family.

How would she even know that when she doesn't know her father's nor her mother's name.

She was alive as Dora thanks to a kind woman who picked her up from where she was dumped and gave her Dora as a name and this woman is in the sick bed today.

So,why would she be happy.

She was just eight years old when she started to work as a cleaner for the rich people next gate.

Life hasn't been easy on her.

Instead of showing its aesthetics,it only shows its ugliness.

There are sometimes she wishes to die,but she took pity on the poor kind woman.

"One day,I will kill myself,when this woman is no more"she seldom tells her play buddy,Katie,who is a white furry cat.

The cat will meow and come to her to rub his head on her body, waging its tails.

She hates herself and think she doesn't deserve such kindness exhibits by the woman towards her.

She helps her,but she only wish for her, death!,so she(Dora)can die.

She will give a smile,one that contains sadness and unworthiness.

There are days she went on starvation. The woman has been the one helping in putting food on the table before getting sick..but she?

She's been jumping from one job to another and she hasn't stack up any reasonable income yet.

The unreasonable one was always used to pay for the room the woman was administered in on a daily basis.

Adding to her frustration,the woman has refused to open her eyes and even talk. The doctor is asking for a huge amount of money for her to be operated on.

The woman has no relative,she would think, as no one has came visiting. She hath no child and husband died!.

Dora will pick up a rope, heading to the tree but Katie will always block her,with tears in her eyes.

Then,she will realize,yet again,that she is an ungrateful fellow.

She is planning to abandon her helper! Who has no one but her!.

"I don't care if I go to hell,I just want to leave this hell"she sobs.

She has wandered around in the street like a lost sheep and sometimes, almost miss the way home but with Katie, the news isn't a bad one.

"Open your goddamn eyes,old woman. If you die,i won't bury you. Get up and be good. You might really die!. I don't have the amount the doctor is requesting for"she will say, passionless,by the old woman sick bed.

She was just being truthful. She won't bury her, but, instead,take her own life.

She is only living because of her.

"Will I ever get a cause to be happy?"she turns to Katie,on one of their wandering in the street.

"No. Will i be pushed to be happy no matter what?"she added.

"What will make me happy,out of my own will?"

She stared out curiously at the cat, expecting an answer,as if expecting it to talk!.

She raised her eyes up to the sun that blinds as she mumbles,"nothing".

Her gaze diverted to the cat who was looking up at her with soft eyes and for a moment,it made her cringe!.

"I've always mistake you for a human,but,now,I think you really are"Dora voiced out.

Katie meows.

"Or...are you my mother?,father?"

Katie's eyes furrowed up and Dora widened her eyes and dramatically clasped her hand over her mouth.

"My mother,are you?,my father, are you?"she teased.

Katie made an angry sound and ran away.

What?

What's up with her?

"Wait..Katie,wait!..wait for me!"she quickly ran after her.

On getting home,Dora slumped on the bed alongside Katie.

She breathed out.

"That was close"

The woman's husband must have been nice to have secured such a nice place for him and Katie!(the old woman)

She gave the cat Katie because she seems to be Katie's(the old woman) like.

Something that has never happened came in the next minutes. There was a knock on the door!.

Unbelievable!. This is the second time this has happened. The first was years ago when a neighbor came to invite Katie to one of the street meeting.

"Are you thinking just what is going on around in my mind?"she whispered to Katie.

The knock came again.

"Should we open up?. Is that nice?"

The knock came around again, this time,harder.

It seems the person at the door is losing his or her patience.

"Who?!"she asked but got no reply.

She got up from the bed and walked stealthily to the door.

She checked through the hole and saw a guy, standing there in the front porch,with a red cap and a box in his hand.

She turned the keys in the keyhole and the door opened.

"Hii!."

"Uhm..is this.."

"Katie's home?,yes!"she chips in. Getting hopeful that the old woman has a relative after all.

The guy scoffs and stared at her weirdly.

"Actually,no. I wanted to ask if this is where Dora resides"

Dora paused and looked the guy from his up to his down.

"Aren't you Katie's relative?"

"I'm just a delivery guy"

"Ohh. But I have nothing to deliver"she mumbled innocently.

The guy sighed.

"Since you have no idea,here."he thrusted the box in her arms.

"I will need you to sign here also"he brought out a jotter and a pen and proffered it to her.

She collected it from him, reluctantly.

"What do you say I do?"She look confused more than ever as she stared down at the jotter in her hand.

"Sign!. Sign it!"the guy pointed to the jotter.

"What's the meaning of that?"

Damn it that he has to be polite to customers so as to keep his head off from getting fired.

"A sign..."he placed his hand on his hips.

"A sign is like giving your assent to something, like, your consent by writing down your name or nickname in a unique and hidden form"he went on to explain.

She gave a nod and wrote *Dooraa* in a slant style and shade it a little and gave the jotter back to the owner.

"Thanks a lot, ma'am"he smiles and scurried away.

Why did he smile?. Wei..rd.

She shut the door and turn just to find Katie before her.

"You scared me!"she clutched the box to her chest.

Katie coo.

"Well,it seems we have a package here"she placed the box down on the table.

She made to open it but Katie grab her hand and shook her head.

"What?. "

Katie nudge her head to Katie's frame and Dora immediately got the message.

"We should tell Katie first?"

The cat meows.

*

Mateo heads to the commissioner's office and on getting there,he placed a soft knock on it.

"Mateo?"

"Yes,sir"

"Come in"

Mateo pushed the door open and steps in.

He shut the door and saluted the commissioner.

"Any update?"the commissioner asked immediately, disregarding the exhibition of respect.

"A news came to us few minutes ago. Mr Rodriguez's right hand was cut off and it was delivered to a house. I and my team have tracked down the location and we are getting ready for the capture"

The commissioner's eyes rolled up.

"That's good!. I knew I could always count on you."

"We will be in our way now,sir"

"You're dismissed"

Mateo gave a salute and went out of the room.

He marched to the room where his guys are and claps his hand.

"Okay, guys,guys.. let's be on our way!. We can't afford to lose track of the culprit."

"Yes sir"his team chorused and they all rushed out of the room.

*

"Old Katie. A delivery man came by and drop a box. Katie said to inform you before we proceed to open it."Dora plays with a strand of her hair using the tip of her finger and locking it.

"But,I felt it's not necessary tho. I mean..,you just lie down on the bed without saying anything. Can you even hear me?"

Dora sighed softly.

"I will be on my way now. This is the first time a thing of such will come into the apartment and, I'm quite nervous and..eager,at the same time"she mutters.

She stood up and gave the woman one last look and something pushed her to peck her forehead. Something she has never done before.

She suddenly felt a feeling of loss but she waved it off and left the hospital.

Dora's eyes and Katie's peered down on the brown box as they both sat across each other around the table when they got home.

She slowly removed the cover of the box and something wrapped in a nylon shows up.

"Okay..."she drawled as she raised up the nylon and began unwrapping.

As she get the nylon off the thing,she screamed in fright as a bloody hand drop on the table

A rush of horror ran through her veins as her mouth almost tear off.

Whattttt??????!!!!!

It wasn't long before she heard the siren of the police and soon,a bang on the door of the apartment.