The House In The Forest

Chapter XXV

Chapter Twenty Five

Rubin was a small city that smelled of rain that never seemed to arrive, that never changed, nor did it stop being quick to be noisy around me when I was here. But, stepping foot back in this city for the first time in almost a year, there was a sense of joy and excitement in the air.

Grandfather called me as I stepped out of the train station. "Al, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm running late, do you think you can get home on your own?"

"Of course Grandfather, I have to stop by somewhere anyway," I told him, looking around the small city. Not much had changed, though the sky wasn't plagued by dark storm clouds anymore, I suppose some things had changed.

For example, if you stop by the historic downtown you can find a charming bookstore. And inside said bookstore, there'll be a very beautiful girl to greet you, with striking blonde hair and brown eyes you can drown in. But, I recommend you don't, she's not very fond of people staring at her for too long without saying anything.

And you know, they say in this town there's someone living in a really beautiful house, hidden away in the forest. Nothing was really normal in Rubin though so it shouldn't surprise you, seeing as the town had many strange things that had been reported over the years; neighborhood cats you swear exist but can't find, meeting old men who know things they shouldn't, lakes that never freeze, flowers mysteriously appearing on graves that aren't visited often enough, and a sense of safety that seems out of place. It's an old town, almost ancient, and being in the middle of nowhere, perhaps that's normal.

Really, no matter how boring a small town in the middle of the boondocks might seem, give them a chance first, you never know what might be waiting for you.

The sound of the bell above the door echoed through the small building, a girl in an apron spinning around quickly to greet me.

"Albert! Welcome home! To Rubin, not the bookstore, you don't live here," she laughed awkwardly, before smiling and running to me.

"I'm home, to Rubin," I spoke, holding out my arms for her to fall into, "Did you miss me?"

She just gave me a narrowed eyed stare. "Did you miss me?"

"I did, you were rarely out of mind."

To that response, she just smiled in a giddish way, her lips curled up like she wasn't sure if she wanted to smile or laugh. She seemed to remember she was at work, so she took a step back, smoothed out her apron and picked up the stack of books on the table near the entrance. "Now, if you excuse me I have books to take to the counter and wrap up, I can't be flirting during our busiest work hours."

Watching her hurry to the counter was enjoyable, she was so serious about her job she was so proud to have, though I think she just enjoyed being surrounded by books and being able to afford cute clothes and coffee.

"Oh, Giselle," I called, making her stop and glance back at me curiously, "I love you."

Rubin was a town where the days were long, people were curious, and the roses never truly died.