TWO

The shock Layla is feeling cannot be overshadowed by the joy trying to creep up in her heart. When Layla lost her mother, she had not expected the overwhelming, lost feeling that she now constantly dealt with. 

Her mother had never really been in her life much, neither was her father.

 Her parents had split up before Layla was born and he only contacted her once every month, to find out that she was doing okay.

 Her mother was able to provide financially for their family but that meant Layla spent less time with her, as her mothers job required all her attention. The little time they spent together, when Layla was not at boarding school, consisted of weekends and school holidays.

 Her mother took a week off of work during her school holidays and it was always filled with fun and joy, however, she missed her mother dearly all year long.

As Layla grew older and started living on her own, while going to college, their relationship dwindled for a few years. Her mother was diagnosed with advanced Huntington's disease in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Layla had never heard of the disease before.

When her mother relayed the news to her about the diagnosis, Layla was convinced,  that it was something her mother would soon be rid of. 

Her mothers failing health landed her in the hospital and the limited spaces at the hospitals at the time meant she wouldn't be able to have a full stay at the hospital. The doctors sent her home after a couple of days with medication to help alleviate her symptoms but they advised Ms Kurst,  that she had a late diagnosis and in this pandemic she is more vulnerable than any other person.

When Layla sat at her mothers bedside watching her sleep and trying to make sense of it all, she turned to the internet for any ideas on how they could prolong her mothers life. As an academic researcher Layla put her skills to work and started her research on the disease.

At the end of reading all the articles she could find, that were scientifically related to the disease, Layla knew her mother didn't have much longer. Her mother had already started displaying Covid-19 symptoms after coming home from the hospital and she didn't want to go back - she adamantly refused.

It was a matter of days until her mother had taken her last breath. The cause of death determined as Covid-19, as many others.

The speed in which her mother fell ill and passed, was too fast for Layla to wrap her head around the situation.

That's why she stopped everything and came to this cabin. 

Her mother had never told her about it before her death, but she was still grateful to her mother for giving her an escape plan.

But, woah, this place is giving her the creeps.

She had never been one to believe in ghosts or typical traditions of her ancestors. She was advised by her elders to do a cleansing of the cabin where her mother had passed to she give her spirit guidance home, as per tradition but Layla had never grown up participating in traditions and felt like it was a waste of time.

That was, until today. 

Layla had never wanted to be involved in any paranormal activities and definitely didn't look for it. Not even when, her cousins tried to get her to play "pinky, pinky" in the bathroom late at night during their sleep overs.

Feeling as if she wasn't alone and could never see who was with her is what made her so scared. If she couldn't see "it", where could "it" be.

Ghosts are not always friendly and horror movies tend to commonly depict that. So if this is her mother- is it her mother as she knew her before? or her mother as an angry ghost?

The thoughts in her head kept going on and on... drowning her brain in words, calling her to sleep.