The Oracle: Chapter One

"Dear Diary, Another boring day, as usual, the day repeats itself like a never ending cycle of complete and utter boredom. But one thing I do enjoy is the solitude of peace and soft sound of spring water that only I knew of. Even grandmother doesn't know about this beautiful place that I discovered when I was 5 years old. Anyway, at home, as usual, Mom isn't home because of her part time job at the hospital, and dad, oh dad is on another business trip. This time, it's In Korea. But, as always, he never fails to bring home toys (that i find pointless, as I'm 15!) For Mao and I. And my precious little brother, being the cute nerd that he is, locks himself in his room either playing video games or studying. Grammy made me a beanie for Christmas, it was so cute, and it matches my sweater. At school, Linda is getting prettier by the day. Of course! Boys are drooling all over her and she loves all the attention she can get. That saves her the trouble to find help for organizing school events. She took me shopping for shoes today. She loves to shop, and I secretly hate going with her, which I pretend I do not. Elie on the other hand often goes to the library; she seems very busy recently because the science fair is close by. Sigh, i rarely spend time with them. And..... Dan. Oh, Dan Chen. The cute guy-next-door-nice-guy. I saw him at lunch today. He seems so refreshing and cool. He's always surrounded with friends. I made an attempt to talk to him but urgh, Wendy Soon just had to arrive at the perfect moment. So, i decided to skedaddle and sit with Linda and Elie.

That's about everything that happened today, besides boring lectures and a stack of assignments given by Professor Mike Chan waiting to be done when I get home. I’ll end here for today.

Haylin got up from under the tree where she was sitting on as she brushed off the dirt from her jeans. She loved the feeling of sitting quietly outdoors and writing her thoughts on her diary. Haylin was a rather pretty girl for her age. She had long thick black hair and big brown eyes and has a very fair complexion. She was a naturally slender girl.

It was almost sundown, 4 hours after school has gone by and she has spent almost 3 hours by the small spring. It was her favourite place in all of Haeion town. She found the place accidentally when she and her family went camping when she was 5. She got lost for hours because of the dense trees surrounding the forest. She saw a squirrel and started chasing it down the hills. The squirrel went inside a huge trunk trapped between two giant boulders surrounded by thick vines, moss and tiny pink and green flowers. She followed the squirrel inside and kept crawling forward. It took some time before she was able to see a light at the end, and when she did, she was in awe of what she saw.

She saw a beautiful garden, full of flowers, vines and trees. Hues of purple, pinks, oranges and red mesmerized the eyes of the 5 year old. The garden was surrounded by a huge mountain stretching to the sky as if it had no limit. At the corner of the garden lies a small spring. A beautiful hue of green and blue as the spring water rushes down from the mountain cracks. The splash of the water created a small rainbow with light colours. The place was small, no bigger than two classrooms combined. But, it was beautiful. She decided to keep this a secret, a secret that only she will know, even Grammy will not know if this. It will remain a secret as long as she lives.

She got out of her secret haven. It was dark and foggy outside. Fortunately, her parents found her. Worried, they asked her where she had been. She just told them that she was fine and kept wandering around, hoping to find them.

It was getting dark as Haylin was rushing home. It takes about one hour by foot from her secret garden to the road. By the time she got to the road. She waited impatiently for the bus.

"Urgh, i have to prepare dinner for Mao and myself. Mom and Dad won't be home for tonight. For goodness sake! Where are you bus?!"

Five minutes later the yellow bus arrived.

"Hop in little lady!" Says Joe, one of the bus driver in Haeion Town. He was a big man with huge stomach and nearly balding. He drove around a bus for 20 years for a living.

"Haha! You’re five minutes late Uncle Joe." Haylin said with a huge grin.

"Old seniors moving too slow little lady, cut me some slack here!" Joe pretended to be upset and suddenly he said "You spend so much of your time in their little lady, what in tarnation are you doing in that creepy little forest? You'd get yourself killed in there." Joe asked worriedly.

"I love it in there. Don't worry; I just spend my time sitting under the trees reading my books all afternoon. And besides, it's near the road. So, I’m safe." She said with a cute smile while she was giving Joe $1.00 for the bus fare.

"Okay, but be careful now. You hear?"

"Yes, sir!" Haylin replied as she made a saluting sign like a soldier.

"Alrighty! We are ready to go, so sit on tight." It takes about 30 minutes from the bus stop to her house. So Haylin usually rereads her diary along the bus ride.

"Oh heavens! Look at the time!" it was 8 o'clock when haylin checked her watch. She quickly went out of the bus while saying goodbye to Joe. She ran towards her house. Her house looked vintage yet modern. It was a beautiful wooden house with concrete walls and a huge roof. The gutters were getting rusty because of the harsh weather conditions. But, the white paint was continuously maintained. She hurriedly went inside the house passed the living room and into the kitchen while shouting "Mao! Are you home? I'm sorry I came home late without telling yo-" she stopped and saw Mao washing the dishes. Mao is Haylin’s 10 year old brother who has his mother’s features. He has a well-kept brown hair and brown eyes behind those thick glasses. Some say he’s the mini version of their mother. He loves video games, painting and enjoys math.

"It's okay; I knew I couldn't depend on you so I made dinner earlier this afternoon. I ate ahead coz I still need to do my homework. I left yours inside the cupboard. Just heat it in the microwave; you can do that yourself, right?" Mao said as he was drying the plates and putting them on the shelves.

"Mao, I’m sorry... I... had some stuff that I need to take care of. This was my turn to cook but.. I... “As he was drying the last remaining plates, he said "Nah! That’s okay; just make it up to me tomorrow dinner. And by the way, Grammy already ate and I bet she's sleeping now, she just finished a ton of sweaters earlier and I'm guessing she's tired. And Mom just called and said she'd be home by midnight and don't bother waiting up. And Dad, Ummmm... he sent us these dolls."

"How... nice... uhhh.. And thanks for dinner Mao." Haylin took the doll as Mao placed the remaining three dishes to the cabinet. The doll is a cute Japanese doll with beautiful silk red dress with sequences and gold collar. Mao went upstairs after bidding goodnight to his sister. Haylin sat down on their dining room and found her dinner was waiting for her. Mao made mashed potatoes and chicken soup. A simple yet it had complex taste. Mao was always the preferred chef in the house and Mom favours that a lot because it saves her the trouble of cooking at home if ever she will have to do overtime at the hospital. After Haylin finished eating, she cleaned her dishes and placed them away on the cabinet. She turned off the lights in the living room as she went upstairs taking the doll with her.

She passed by her Grammy’s room to check up on her. It was 11 o'clock in the evening. She carefully opened her Grammy’s bedroom door as silent as she possibly could. Like a cat approaching a mice eating cheese. She noticed that the desk lamp was still on and as she searched for her grandmother, she found her still awake and knitting a small bracelet made of yarn and colourful beads.

"Hello Haylin, nice of you to stop by my room. Look, I made something for you." Her grandmother said while proudly showing Haylin the unfinished bracelet she made. Her Grammy is an 80 year old woman with long silver hair that she always neatly done in braids.

"Oh, that looks wonderful Grammy. But, it's already late; you should go back to bed. It's not good for your health." Her grandmother smiled putting down her bracelet.

"You worry too much child. I'll be fine. It makes me happy doing these kind of things." Haylin patted her shoulder.

"I know that Grammy. But I can't help but worry. The doctor said you shouldn't stress your body so much."

Her grandmother suffered from a mild heart attack last winter and her family kept worrying ever since; especially Haylin because she was the closest toward her grandmother.

"I know, I know darling." She reassured her and began going towards her bed. She loves Haylin so much she listens to her. Haylin went with her grandmother and tucked her in bed.

"Your birthday is on next month dear and you're turning 16." Haylin looked up to her while they were sitting on her bed. "I know grammy. But, I don't think of celebrating or anything."

Her grandmother giggled. "Nonsense child. You should. It's an annual event you know, birthdays, they're kind of an annual thing and since you're so good this year, you deserve a celebration." Haylin smiled.

"If that makes you happy, then why not. Linda might be eager to organize the party since it's her forte after all." Her grandmother grinned as she slid onto the covers as Haylin happily tucked her in.

"Invite your closest friends. We will just have a small celebration and invite only those you care about." Puzzled, Haylin nodded as she carefully tucked her in. "Okay Grammy. But now, you get some rest okay?" Haylin reached for her cheeks and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She turned off the lights and walked towards the door.

"Goodnight love. And I know this will be a party that will change your life forever." Before she could answer, she turned around and saw her grandmother fast asleep. She closed the door quietly and went inside her room. Her room is close to Mao and her grandmother's room. She heard a small sound coming from Mao's room as she washed her face and tried getting ready for bed. He must still be playing that Guns grenade game again. Haylin thought as she changed in her pajamas. Oh well. She thought. She turned the lights off and slid into her bed. She tossed and turned until she found a comfortable position. She thought about today. Her trip to her secret sanctuary, she thought of Mao, Linda, Elie and even Dan. And finally she thought of her grandmother, wondering what she meant by those last words that she said before she slept. Before she could even think about it, she fell soundly asleep.