The blackout continues. With it, our life changed even more. For some days I couldn't write. For most parts of the day, mom stayed with me in the bunker. I don't like to call it a panic room because there's nothing to panic about. Mom is here and dad is too although he no longer switches the screen on. Both no longer work. Dad leaves us for many hours. Sometimes I think I hear sounds. Noises I never heard before but mom says it's impossible. The walls of our shelter do not have ears or eyes. Ears and eyes I never saw in our real home.
"Are we safe here?"
"Yes, dear."
"There are no cams, no drones. Who will watch over us?"
"We will. We'll watch over each other in the same way all those humans did before we lived."
This is what dad said but it didn't make sense. If that's possible why did he want to live here? The pantry, the room always been here. They could have kept us safe instead.
Mom stroked my head while I lay next to her on the bed. The darkness didn't bother me. I knew I could see in the dark. My vision was good enough to find my way but I wasn't sure about my parents. They always took light with them wherever they'd go.
No longer an alarm went off. Not that terrible sound that woke me up and not the daily one announcing daybreak. We stayed in bed longer and waited till dad brought us tea. Tea and this morning warm water to wash ourselves with what he called Palmolive and washing cloth.
"A bit of personal hygiene isn't a waste of time lazy queen," dad joked, "the restroom is behind that screen." He pushed me in the opposite direction and left again.
The screen was a curtain of a material I had never seen. It smelled weird. Dad placed a table, mirror and candle to brighten up the corner. I sat on the stool and watched into the reflector. What I saw didn't look familiar to me. Was this me? It was a bit dark but what I saw didn't look like the face in the photos. It did not look like mom or dad. Was something wrong with me? Mom taught me children always look like their parents.
A sudden scream filled the air. It was as if hundreds of glasses were broken. Who was it?
"Mom?"
I quickly washed my hands and rubbed my face with the cloth. How dirty can one be?
I found mom on the floor. For a second I thought she broke into pieces. She stared at the door. It was open. Someone opened it, someone ran away.
"Mom, what happened? Where's dad?"
She didn't answer. Her head shook in an uncontrolled way. Carefully I walked to the doorway. I had to have a look outside. What had happened? Was mom scared?
"Dad," I whispered, "dad where are you?"
The terrible odour from the wardrobe drifted my way. I held my breath and as I heard footsteps I quickly closed the door. Mom looked as if she met a ghost. Her head kept shaking while I helped her back into bed. Personal hygiene had to wait. Mom needed rest and me. I tried to hold her and stop the shaking while keeping us both warm. The bunker didn't have controlled heath. Here no one would watch over us. Nobody temperatures were checked, no weight control, delivered food or relaxing scents to make us feel better. All I could think of was to stay low. The blackout had been there before. Mom and dad knew and said it was safe here. No one out there would help us till they had collected them all. Those 'they' had they come for dad? Did they find out about the door? Did they try to take mom away from me? It felt like a war inside my head. Every day more questions were born. Questions I wasn't sure mom, dad or anyone else would ever answer. While I laid against mom's back I smelled her nice odour. Mom smelled nice she didn't need a bath. The cover of the agenda stung into my neck. I pulled it underneath my body.
"I love you mommy you can rest now. I take care of you. You are safe with me," I whispered into her ear.
Later we could start the day too. Later I would figure it out. There was no need to hurry. I knew the way out of here and there was always the chimney. The chimney with the stairs inside. Today was just a bad day. It was not the end of the world. All we needed was a good rest and time to think. I felt satisfied I had come up with a plan. A plan that would work. Not long after I fell asleep. As I woke up I heard a voice singing a song in words I had never heard before. It was mom.
Part 1: What's cooking
Part 2: Stretching
Part 3: Monsters
Part 4: Guilty
Part 5: The pantry
Part 6: Trash
Part 7: A good life
Part 8: If you ever read this
Part 9:
