105 DAYS

Chapter Six - Edith

Edith picked up the new leaf that had fallen in her garden. It was a new and different type of leaf. The front of it was dark green and the behind of it was even darker. But as it had dried now and only a thin line of colour is visible now, she couldn’t be sure of the texture. But even the shape of it was different. It was not
pointed like many leaves but it had a circled shape of edge. It was blunt and the circled shape had been pointed in two different places. It was very odd sort of leaf
and Edith had never seen it in her garden before. She picked it up and put it in her trouser pocket. She should add it later to her collection of different leaves. Edith cleaned the garden and she took all the dried leaves to the compost bin. She didn’t burn them as it would emit more carbon dioxide and Edith who loved the nature was completely against it.

Edith placed her gardening tools at the shed and made way to her room. She actually tiptoed. If her mother heard or saw her, she would call her to help her with
the breakfast. Edith successfully reached her room and she went inside and closed the door. But she was not careful enough and the door closed on her fingertips. She let out a howl but she quickly stopped it and put her hand in the bucket of water in her bathroom. Her mother heard her and she knew that Edith would have done
some stupid work and had hurt herself.

“Edith”, she called her. “Come and help me with the breakfast please”.

Edith cursed herself for not being careful and ending herself in trouble and more work.

“Ok mom” she answered her mother. Edith placed the leaf carefully on her treasure box over the other collection of her precious and different leaves. Edith had about 30 different leaves and all of them were collected from her garden. Edith
was a very good gardener and since she was a little girl, she loved nature. Her love for the nature was the reason that she had become a good nature scientist. She was a scientist who did researches about trees and flowers. She wanted to learn new
things every day. She wanted to live green and, in the attempt, to live green she wanted to know more new and important things about the nature. She had her
masters in this particular piece of science and she was on her way to have her PhD also. But before that she learnt that she should have more experience in the field
and for now Edith had postponed her dream to achieve it after about five years.

Whenever Edith found new and different type of leaf or flower, she collected it and added it to her treasure box. Later she google searched or asked her professors or her fellow scientists in the lab more information about it and she
studied it thoroughly. Within just a week of time after finding the new piece of material Edith would have known all she had to know about the new piece of wonder. From the bark of tree to the end of leaf she knows all about trees and
flowers. She knew which flower was the reason to make differences in fragrances and what type of leaf could cure even the rarest of disease. She was a master in her field.

“Edith” the shrill vociferation brought Edith back to reality. She placed her treasure box carefully under her bed and sauntered down the stairs. Her mother
was giving her a dark look as she walked to the kitchen.

“What were you doing upstairs all this time? I had to do the breakfast all alone. You are not a kid yet to be called to prepare the food. You are a girl, aren’t you? It’s your job to make the food and to clean the house and to look after the kids.” Her mother, Susannah paused herself to catch some breath.

“Sorry mom” Edith replied slowly and slipped behind her to prepare the table to have breakfast. Edith made sure to not to stand near her mom for more than two seconds as it would made her remember the morning’s incident and she would start shouting at Edith again.

Edith was the eldest of the family of four kids and her twin brothers and sister were still teenagers, so Edith was the one who had to be responsible and motherly
character for her siblings. Her parents were both Asians and they had moved to America when Edith was just a little girl. But her mother was still living like it was
early 20’s. Edith was not allowed to go anywhere alone till she was 20 and even though she is literally an adult now she still lives with her parents and she even had a curfew. If Edith ever came home late at night (past 9pm) she was sure to have a day long lecture from her mother on the next day. But her brothers were free to roam around wherever they needed. Sometimes the pressure will be so unbearable to Edith but as she had been doing all her life, she grinds her teeth and accepts the rules her mother says.