Chapter Text
“Don’t kids know it’s much too early to be knocking on our door,” Scarlett exclaimed. Her mother, Carolyn could catch that she sounded quite irritated. “What knocking?” She replied, marking off the day on the calendar on the wall opposite of the living room; October 31st, 1986. “They’ve been knocking all day. They knock, I go to check and when I open it, nothing,” Scarlett explained, clearly annoyed by these ding-dong ditchers. “They’re just kids, hun. Plus, we are the new family moving in,” Carolyn pointed out. “But we’re surrounded by wood, no neighbors for miles.”
“What did happen to the family that used to live here?” said a voice, near the doorway of the kitchen. It was Zach, Scarlett’s 11-year-old brother. Being his older sister, Scarlett felt responsible for her brother’s well being. She felt accountable to keep her brother safe since she had failed a sibling once before. Her younger sister, Isabela, Ella for short. She was two years younger than Scarlett. It was 1979, the year of the accident. It was July; the 1st to be more specific. Carolyn and her kids were celebrating Canada day at Cold Lake, in Alberta. Where they lived, before moving to Nova Scotia.
It was quite heartbreaking what happened to poor 7-year-old Ella. She had underestimated the shallowness of the lake when she had climbed on top of the floating dock. Carolyn was tied up with changing Zach’s diaper and making supper with Scarlett, to realize Ella was gone. Ella had hit her head on a rock, and her body had somehow managed to float underneath the dock, face down. It was too late, once Carolyn had realized that Ella was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m sure it was nothing major, Zee,” Scarlett reassured, going over and patting Zach on the shoulder. He had a box full of his belongings in his hand, leaning against the doorframe. Scarlett noticed, in the scattered personal items, was a picture. Of a young Scarlett holding her baby brother in her arms, Carolyn kneeling beside her, and Ella in her father’s arms. They all had smiles on their faces, well those with the consciousness to. He had left shortly after Ella’s untimely death. Too hard to handle, was Scarlett’s thought. Leaving Carolyn, Scarlett, and Zach to move on by themselves. Carolyn realized it was too much, having to drive past that lake every day for the next 7 years. So they packed up their things and left, for a fresh start.
Knock knock knock.