The Deal

The Red Bat

I am almost decapitated by a flying plant this morning.

It flew right off the staircase as I was walking down the hall towards the kitchen where I heard Niall come in, would've landed right on my head if I hadn't stopped to tie up my old sneakers.

The clay pot shatters as it hits the ground only a foot ahead of me, soil spread on the ground like gruesome blood, the plant beyond repair. An innocent causality in the silent war with a certain relative of mine.

"Good morning to you too, mom."

Now, it's not every day that my mom's ghost tries to kill me. Only every now and then when I'm not doing something right and on special occasions. She must be very upset today, whether it's because of me or some happenings in the underworld I can't be sure.

It's with a deep sigh that I reach down, my back groaning in protest, to pick up the broken pieces.

It's only then I notice what plant it was.

My beautiful white lilies that had once been drinking up the sunlight from the sky window are now shattered on the ground. Lilies signify innocence, purity, and chastity and these ones are now destroyed beyond repair.

"Subtle touch, mom."

My cheeks blaze the whole time I clean up the mess -hoping beyond belief that she is just an all knowing spirit and didn't actually witness Harry and me defiling her kitchen table the other day.

The lilies suggest otherwise, however.

I don't have time to dwell on my mother's knack for holding grudges because my point of interest sticks his blonde head out of the archway leading to the kitchen.

"Bloody hell," the Irish accent is thick this morning as Niall rushes towards me, eyebrows arched with worry, "Break a mirror lately? Step under a ladder? How'd this happen?"

His sneakers squeak against the hardwood as he grabs a broom from the pantry and sweeps the soil into the dustpan I hold for him. I know that Niall doesn't fully believe in all of the things I do, so he wouldn't completely understand. But, I tell him anyway because there is no other explanation.

"It's just mom saying hello."
He pauses in his sweeping, but continues rather quickly, used to my dead-mom-turned-ghost references, "Some greeting."

"Yeah, well, she isn't too happy with me." I laugh under my breath, though the sound is strained. She hasn't been happy with me for a long time.

Niall looks at me curiously, tossing the poor plant into the bin by the door before following me back into the kitchen.

"What for?"

I hide my blushing cheeks with my wall of blonde hair, I don't believe in lying or concealing the truth, but I'm already keeping the affair with Harry from them. So, what is another half-truth?

"When isn't she angry with me?" I don't even give him time to reply before I am spinning around to face him, arms crossed and accusatory, "What are you doing here?"

He holds up the shiny silver key I gave to him after the accident. He needed it in order to take care of me when Nana couldn't, and much later, when I couldn't sleep alone for fear of nightmares.

He's used to more times than I would like to admit.

"Yer Nan ordered me to bring over some groceries and by the allergy attack I got from coming in here, I'm glad she did."

He swipes his finger against the counter piled high with full grocery bags, coming back with a finger covered in dust. I simply roll my eyes at him, walking over to help him unpack the groceries.

He always says that my Nan makes him bring food over, makes him check on me. He claims that she is constantly worried about my being alone, but the one time I brought it up to thank her she had no idea what I was talking about.

That's just who Niall is. Always doing nice deeds for others and then brushing it off or denying it like he had nothing to do with it. A softie at heart.

I believe that's why he befriended the weird girl at school who carried cloves of garlic in her pocket and got in trouble for releasing the frogs we were to dissect in year nine.

Frogs can be symbols for prosperity, wealth, friendship and fertility. In some cultures, the frog is believed to be a mascot for bringing good luck to one's home.