4

The house Manon had decided her and Jaques would stay in for the night was as unassuming as possible. The grass had grown as tall as the three stairs leading to the front door which stood open, almost to invite them inside. The living room windows had been blown in, shattered glass littered the filthy carpet. Manon held Jaques hand, guiding him carefully through the main floor and listening intently for any signs of life. There was a kitchen to their right, Manon checked the cupboards hoping some scraps of food had been left behind to no avail. She didn't feel disappointed, she checked more out of habit than anything else. A staircase to the basement at the back of the kitchen looked a little too sinister for her liking. She stared into the darkness, afraid she might catch a glimpse of something that had nested below. Shaking off her distraction, Manon exited the kitchen and checked the hall connected to the living room. There was a bedroom on each side of the hall, and a bathroom beside the bedroom on the left. There was some gauze and half a bottle of rubbing alcohol in the bathroom cabinet, Manon smiled at the find and wrapped the bottle in a piece of fabric before tucking it into her bag.

The bedrooms were empty save for a dirty mattress in each room and more broken glass. Manon brushed her fingertips against the wall as she walked the perimeter of the room. The closet door hung off it's hinges, a dresser inside had it's drawers either torn out or empty. Manon knew it wouldn't be safe to stay somewhere so open. “We'll have to try another house.” She said to Jaques, giving his hand a light squeeze before giving the room one last look. Her gaze passed over the closet before snapping back. She stepped closer, looking at the ceiling inside the closet and noticed an indent that lined the top. An entrance to the attic.

Manon climbed on top of the dresser and pressed the palms of her hands against the ceiling of the closet. She could tell it had been a long time since it had last been opened as the wood separated and a cool draft hit her face. She poked her head inside the entrance and looked around. Sun drifted through the room through small vents on the front and back of the attic. There was old furniture covered in sheets and an impressive royal blue trunk pushed against one of the walls. Manon smiled at how serene it felt, then climbed down from the dresser so she could lift Jaques inside, after she pulled herself up into the attic she closed the entrance.

There was a pull-out couch under one of the sheets. She carefully unfolded it as if she were afraid it might break if handled too rough. As well as the couch there was an old armchair with a high back and a coffee table with little drawers along the front. One of the drawers had wrapped hard toffee inside, Manon handed one to Jaques who happily accepted it. Manon set her pack on the floor and pulled out both a can of corn and canned meat. She smiled at Jaques and gave the cans a bit of a shake. “I think we should celebrate this find!” She exclaimed, opening the food.

The two spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the shelter they had found. After a satisfying meal, Manon flipped the locks of the trunk against the wall and lifted the lid. The smell of wood and fabric filled the air, it was slightly musty but not unpleasant. Manon sifted through the contents of the trunk: a thick, warm blanket which she put aside, candle holders, some toy cars, which she handed to Jaques who quickly scurried off to push them around on the floor. Lastly, Manon pulled out a book that had been laying on the bottom of the chest. There was an illustration of a small boy sitting on the floor of a messy bathroom, bold blue letters read across the top:

LOVE YOU FOREVER

She flipped the pages quickly and looked over at Jaques. He played with the toy cars she had given him, pushing them back and forth while making small noises to himself that resembled a car motor. She approached him and crouched down, showing him the book. “Do you want to read this book before we go to sleep tonight?” She asked, smiling. He looked up at her and nodded, his eyes looking tired. Manon noticed his exhaustion, but also noticed it was a different kind of tired than when she had found him. A kind of tired that came from a full day, not stress. She lifted the boy from the floor and carried him to the pull-out, laying him on the mattress and covering him with the heavy blanket from the trunk. She laid beside him, bending her knees to give the book something to rest on. She began to read.

“A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang...” Manon's vision became partially blurred as she felt tears well in the bottom of her eyes before she continued, singing softly to Jaques.

“I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,

as long as I'm living,

my baby you'll be”

That evening, they both slept peacefully.