114 When

The Little Red Haired Girl

114 When

“When does a house become a home? A house is a house, you knew it would get completed eventually. A ‘Home’ is what? explain the difference because I ‘m not computing it please” Brain asked Body. Brain was aware of Body’s musings whilst still in this incessant darkness of the Pumphouse.

“Do I have to?” muttered Body “Do you not know?”
“If I did I would not be asking” Brain retorted.
“It’s a difficult sensation to explain. It is a feeling of belonging to a space.”
“You bought it, so why wouldn’t you feel as if you belonged in it?”

“When I walked in after the holidays with Friend, I felt like I owned the space, not the house, the space. It was filled and placed with my things.”
“As anyone does?” Brain did not understand.
“No I can’t explain it” Body was frustrated. “It’s not the house, it’s not the things in it, it’s the space. The wholeness of it and my body actually being in it and part of it. Specifically mine. Like cheese and tomato in a sandwich, is generally accepted to be a good combination but the tweaks to that combination are ones own. Some enjoy black pepper with it, or some prefer mayo or mustard, or even something sweet like a chutney. Some enjoy something even more different like sweet with the savoury like a little sugar or honey.”

“Yuk” the Little Red Haired Girl exclaimed.

“Everyone is different child with different likes.”

“How does that explain the difference between a House and a Home?” Brain got back to the point.

“Well I guess I’m trying to explain what the sensation feels like when you walk into a ‘home’. The sandwich is made just to your liking and it feels complete. Even if you know the bread might be yesterday’s, or the cheese not a good cheddar at least you have made it to your liking as best you can, and all the preparation of it makes it worthwhile. Everything (within reason of course) is as you would like it and has been made or put together with consideration and to the best of one’s capabilities given the ingredients you had. It’s yours, it’s unique and it’s home like a favourite comfy jumper it just feels and fits right and makes one’s skin feel warm.”

“Ok if you say so, but really it’s just bricks and mortar.”
“Not so” cried Heart “Home is where the heart is.”
“Even if Noswads not in it?” Brain enjoyed the pain it inflicted.

“Even without Noswad. I am still learning, and yes, that part is painful after all the plans Noswad and I made, but I am learning that I can be my own ‘home’.

“Why were you musing about it anyway Body?” called Spirit.
“Because it follows our previous discussion on the spare key” Body confirmed.

“What? I cannot see any connection there in my synapses?” remarked Brain as ever arrogant.
“That’s because you ignore me” Body was quick to respond. “I am saying that in our absence for two weeks, someone else had been in the house. Tiny things that were out of place that my eyes did not see at first glance but the placement was awry. Not in the usual plane or place.”

“Not so everything was in order” Brain was boastful.

“On the surface and at first glance yes, but little things were not as I would have left them.”
“You are not that precise anymore Body, you are getting old, more lazy and definitely more clumsy.” Brain was harsh.
“Ok. Just like your ignorance of me, the body you live within, and your memory loss as it gets worse I guess.”

“Now just a minute…” Brain started but was interrupted by Spirit.
“Shut up Brain. Body is correct, I sensed a past presence too and also an aura of a different nature and pattern. I felt we were being watched too.”
“What are you both suggesting? Friend had the spare key and she was with us in the UK? Different geographic locations but she was in the UK.”

“And who did she say she had left the spare key with in case there was an emergency at our house?” asked Body.
“Husband of course which made sense. He was the nearest to our house and had stayed in Portugal. He would have been on hand should there have been a fire or a burst pipe. Perfectly logical” Brain confirmed.

“If he could be trusted” called Spirit.
“Why would we not trust him?” cried Heart. “They were our friends.”
“Were’ being the operative word” Body concluded.
“Why would there be any possible motive for someone being in our house whilst we were in the UK?” Brain asked.
“We don’t know!” Body and Spirit called together.

“All I know is that I noticed odd little placements” Body reflected.
“And I sensed a different aura and presence like we were being watched” Spirit recalled.
“It’s like the tablecloth” the Little Red Haired Girl suggested.
“What do you mean child?” cried Heart.

“At my party. I helped Nana set the table with pretty paper plates with flowers on them. We had to count the places on the table to make sure there was enough paper hats.”
It was Body’s turn to sigh. “What of it child?”

“Nana put the plates down and I followed her with the hats, one for each plate, but when I looked back there was some plates missing and Nana said it could be made right and not to worry coz they weren’t missing at all.”
“Why child? What had happened?” cried Heart.
“They was just underneath on the cloth, from my shoulder.”
“What? That makes no sense to me. Can you explain what you mean” Brain demanded.
“I was little so I couldn’t reach proper but Nana made it right again. Made it look pretty again.”

Body raised raised its eyes and arms in a motion of ‘I don’t know’ and Body told Brain to stop it. “Give her a chance and don’t be so impatient. What do you mean child? we are not understanding.”

“Nana went to where I would be sitting coz it was my birthday and I was to be sitting at the top of the table and she pulled the cloth and it made all the plates go back into the right place and the hats I put on them too. It made it all right again. It was like magic coz I counted them and they was all there. All in the right place. The tablecloth had been all folded where I caught it on my sleeve.”
“Ah I see. You rucked the tablecloth in you attempt to reach the plates as you walked around it to place the hats?”
“Yes. It made the cloth all rucked up, like too short for the table, but Nana pulled it smooth and the plates was still there!”
“That was good then” cried Heart.
“Yes. Nana said things were not always what they seem.”
“A useful piece of information then” Brain scoffed.

The Little Red Haired Girl said nothing.

“I think the idea is Brain that one’s body has a sense and memory of space even if the eyes cannot see it. It should not be misjudged or overlooked” sighed Soul.
“I will excuse the pun” laughed Spirit
“Thank you but it wasn’t intended” Soul wished it was free from this darkness. “But because of Body’s own sense of space when she returned to the house, and felt that items were misplaced or that she was being watched, we should not ignore the lesson or ‘overlook’ it.”

“And what would that lesson be oh worshipful one?” Brain sarcastic as ever.

“Blind faith” Big voice said. “Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith, a path previously untrodden, to see the whole picture from a higher viewpoint. It requires Faith.”