House of Aunts

Chapter 6

 I woke up and I was crying. What happened to Gong Gong? Why didn't I ever go see him anymore? Or Aunty Seven and her sisters? I didn't understand. I had had a dragon pearl, a long time ago. Where was this? I sneaked out of my room, and passed Aunty Seven's room. I had to be quiet because somehow, all of my aunts had keen senses and were able to tell if I woke up all of a sudden.

I walked down the stairs, thinking that I should go hug one of my aunts to comfort me. But then, I stopped. I didn't want a hug this time around. I wanted to find the pearl. More importantly, I wanted some answers to the visions that I'd been having lately. They were memories, right? Why had I forgotten them, and why was I suddenly remembering them now? What was going on? I decided there and then that I would venture to the attic, where some of my aunts kept their old stuff. Maybe the pearl was there, and some answers.

The door was locked. Aw, man! But it made sense. Aunty Lotus never let me go anywhere that was dangerous. I tried to jiggle the doorknob again, but nope. It wasn't going to budge. I ran to the study to take a paper clip, and when I looked out of the room, Aunty Qin was staring at me.

"You're not asleep, little one," she said.

"Uh... sorry."

"You have school tomorrow and you need rest."

"But... I woke up from a dream and felt sad."

"Oh? What is this dream about?"

"Did you bring me to see Gong Gong?"

"My father?"

I nodded.

Aunty Qin seemed like she was deep in thought. She stood like this for a long time, while I shuffled my feet and sweated. She rubbed her chin, even though she had no beard. While it would make me laugh normally, this time, I was worried. Eventually, she sighed.

"Yes, I did. But that was a long time ago."

"He was a dragon, wasn't he?"

"What do you mean?" she stepped back, and laughed. It was a hesitant chuckle, one that made me suspect that she was lying.

"Oh, silly girl. You have such a vivid imagination," she said, while ruffling my hair. "Now, let's go back to sleep. It must've been the stories about the dragon kings, so you mixed everything up.

I wanted to say that she was lying, but I didn't dare confront her. After all, dragons weren't real, were they? At school, we weren't allowed to write such fantastic things, and stories about magical animals and families were always on television and created with special effects. But when Aunty Qin said there was no such thing, her words felt hollow to me. She must've known something. But all she did was lead me back to my bedroom, and then gave me a glass of water to sip on while we talked about the moves we were going to practise in the morning.

Just as I closed my eyes, I thought I saw her outline shift in the shadows. I wanted to call out to her, but I fell backwards, letting sleep claim me, and I tumbled back into those memories once more.

In the morning, nothing felt amiss, and it was as though nothing had happened at all. I trooped down to breakfast, where Aunty Lotus declared this to me.

"I will drive you to school from now on."