BLACK-WHITE CASTLE Chapter 4

        The way back home from the patch was not far, so long as I used short-cuts. As I started walking back home, my stomach growled, but I didn't want to lessen the strawberries I had just picked. I turned back and made my way back to the patch, I picked three, because the strawberries were large in size, that was all I could hold with my right hand. Just as I was about to turn back, I saw the strangest thing. A grey strawberry, it didn't have any color but grey. As I stared at it, another strawberry caught my attention, it had a grey fingerprint on it.

 I felt so scared, I stood up immediately and started walking fast, and before I knew it, I started running with all my might, I ran as though I was being chased by some sort of wild beast. I ran faster and faster until I had reached my mother's garden in front of the house.

 I pushed the door open, entered and locked the door shut. I checked the large clock hung on the wall next to the dining table, the time was 7:09 in the morning, and I had left 6:30am.

   ' Thirty nine minutes isn't too long' I thought as I tried to still my breathe.

  " ..Alice...? ..back so soon.. ?" I heard my mother's voice from her room. Mother sounded half asleep, maybe she had just woken up.

  " Yes, mother". I said with a happy voice. I was home after seeing those strangely colored strawberries.

    ' Home sweet home' I thought.

   ' Maybe I should check the patch tomorrow, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things '. I thought.

  " Where did you go?". Mother asked with a low tone of voice.

  " I went to pick some flowers, mother". That reminded me, I had not checked the basket since I came back. I looked down to my right elbow, where the basket hung, it did not look like it had spilt anything, the white cloth was still tucked in.

 I removed the white piece of cloth, only to reveal one of the strawberries had the grey fingerprint on it, That sent shivers down my spine. Would I have to stop going to the patch because of this strange unlikely sight?, or would I just eat it, so long as it was a strawberry.

 I picked the strawberry with the grey fingerprint from the basket, headed to the kitchen with the basket still hung on my right elbow, and the strawberry in my left hand. I took out a sharp knife - sharp enough to split a strand of hair- and put the strawberry with the grey fingerprint on the kitchen table, then used the knife to cut it open.

 When I cut the strawberry into two, I saw inside the strawberry was completely grey. I felt fear, cold sweat dripped down my cheek. As soon as I tried to move away from it, a sweet smell came from it, the scent of lavender and rose mixed with a tint of something else, I couldn't guess what the scent was, but it was lovely and soothing, it was the most amazing thing I had ever smelled.

 As I inhaled more of it, I felt dizzy and faint. Was the scent of the strawberry causing it, no, that's impossible, it smelled too good to be the cause of this, then what could it be?.

 Everything faded into pitch black...