grabbed Sakura's arm with the other. The old woman obviously found it difficult to walk such a long distance on yielding ground. But she still insisted on it every day.For some reason, that was the part of her job that Sakura disliked the most. Although the lake was beautiful, they made these daily walks nervous. Every time she looked over the green-blue water of the lake, a shiver ran down her spine, no matter how warm the day was.
Now she was helping Mrs. Uchiha avoid a thick log that lay on the bank. The old woman looked absent-minded and looked into the distance. "Mrs. Uchiha, are you not feeling well?"

Mrs. Uchiha continued to stare across the lake and didn't seem to hear her. "This is where I lost my Masao," she said in a soft voice.
"Masao?"
"My son. He was only three. If only he hadn't run away from me then. He couldn't swim." She turned to Sakura and sighed. "Sometimes I feel like I can see him out there somewhere. So many years have passed and I still see him." She clutched Sakura's arm tighter.
"When did that happen?", Sakura asked carefully.
Mrs. Uchiha did not reply. She was silent for a long time, then took the path back to the house. "Let's go back in. It's time to read."

"Nicholas Nickleby" by Charles Dickens had chosen Mrs Uchiha to read aloud. That was a pretty big tome, and Sakura was sure it would take them all summer to get through it. That year they had read another Dickens book at school. Sakura thought it was okay, but it wasn't exactly what she would choose for herself. So she was surprised to find that she really enjoyed Nicholas Nickleby and enjoyed reading it. Part of the book was actually quite funny.
Mrs. Uchiha sat bolt upright on the black leather couch while Sakura read, and stroked Kumiko, who was lying next to her and looked as if she was also listening carefully to Sakura. Every now and then Mrs. Uchiha closed her eyes. Sakura wasn't sure if she was indulging in the whole story or if she was dozing a bit, but she definitely read on.It was so quiet in the house. The only sounds were the purring of the cat, Sakura's voice, and the clock.

"Sakura, I'm a little chilly." Mrs. Uchiha's sudden remark threw Sakura out of rhythm. She thought the old woman had fallen asleep. "Would you go upstairs and kindly bring me a sweater? You're in the closet."
"Yes, of course," said Sakura, closing the book.
"I find it so difficult to get up. And then to climb the stairs!" Said Mrs. Uchiha. She had said that at least three or four times that afternoon. "Those are the legs. Otherwise I'm in very good shape, but my legs don't want anymore."
"Yeah, she's really in good shape," thought Sakura as she ran up the stairs. "That skin. Her face is almost as smooth as mine. How does she do it?"

Sakura ran down the dark hallway into Mrs. Uchiha's bedroom and looked around. The room had dark blue wallpaper with little white stars that seemed to blink.There were two wardrobes on the wall opposite the bed.
In which were the sweaters now?
Sakura decided on the right wardrobe first and opened the top drawer. How strange! The whole drawer was full of black candles, dozens of long black candles.
Sakura took one out. She smelled it and was surprised by the sour smell it gave off. Somehow old and musty. The wax felt hard and smooth in Sakura's hand. And the wick was just as black as the candle itself.

"What strange candles," thought Sakura and picked up another one. "What did Mrs. Uchiha need it for? And why did she hide it in a drawer in the closet?" A loud noise startled Sakura, and she let the two candles fall. Her heart pounding, she turned and looked at Kumiko, the black cat who was staring at her with big green eyes.
"Okay, okay, Kumiko. Don't be upset. I'm coming.Sakura put the candles back in the drawer, found a sweater in the drawer underneath, and hurried to take it downstairs to Mrs. Uchiha. But all the while she felt the cat's eyes fixed on her. She seemed to be accusing her of sneaking around and seeing something that was none of her business. Her look was like an accusation, a warning ...
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So that's it, I hope you enjoyed it and you leave a commi ^^
Positive or negative, depending on how you found it. Of course, I am also happy to receive criticism!
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TenTen01