So much for not speaking to my mother. I can never manage to hold out for a whole week! But it's kind of a bit nicer not to be mad at her.
Aunt Clarice had to leave today, but she promised she'd be back before I have to go to George. I finished a lot of the books she brought with her, but not all of them. Thankfully, she said I could borrow the rest until she comes back, so I have time to read them.
One of the reasons I am talking to my mother again is that she's in a building mood. Aunt Clarice also brought some lumber with him, and so Mom's been busy building an attic. She's decided that some of the food and supplies we store in the shed should be moved up there so we don't have to walk out in the cold should there be a storm. She also thinks some of the junk we have in the basement should go up there, so I've been organizing a bit.
Good thing about working in the basement is that it's warm down here. That's because it's underground and it's near the heater. I have a feeling we'll get a pretty big blizzard before I leave. I told Mom that and she looked at me kind of funny. Then she laughed. I'll have to ask her about that when she's in a saner mood.
October 3rd
I am writing this by candle light because our power went out last night. We have a small generator behind the house, and in last night's blizzard, it stopped. That means we don't have any heat either. For that reason I'm not writing very much tonight.
I wasn't very surprised when the storm came, but Mom was. She asked me how I knew the storm was coming. Truth is that I'm not sure. I told Mom that I just had "a feeling" and she looked at me really strangely again.
(two a.m.)
I am awake suddenly because I had a strange dream and I felt that I must write it down.
It started with me and Mom. We were here, but she was sort of old. It scared me that she looked older than she does now but I wasn't any older than I am now. There was a man there, too. Someone that I've never met. He was crying. And the room was filled with people that were crying. I kept trying to get to mom, to ask her what was going on, but the other people kept pushing me away. That's when I woke up. I think I'm going to tell Mom about this tomorrow.
October 4th
I told Mom about the weird dream I had last night, and she gave me that same strange look. I asked her why. She just shrugged and told me she'd tell me about it later on, when she wasn't so busy with the attic.
She managed to get our generator fixed sometime last night, so we have heat and power last night. Mom worked all morning on the attic, and it's half done now. She came down to the basement to help me with the organizing.
We found a few photo albums down there, and Mom showed me a couple of photos of my brother when he was first born. He didn't look much like me or Mom. Or anybody, actually. That might be because he was very young then. I stared at the picture for a long time, trying to imagine what he would look like at my age. But all I kept seeing was the same old black and white photograph of a bald baby boy.
Mom told me I could keep the picture, so I put it aside until we were done and then put it in my room. Then she decided to tell me a bit about the strange dream I'd had.
Mom said that she thinks I must get this "future-seeing" ability from my father. That sort of took me by surprise, because it was the first and only time she ever told me anything straight out about my father. Then I realized what she was saying.
"Wait a minute," I said. "I can see the future?"
Mom nodded, and I got all excited. Then she told me she wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but she knew that I inherited it from my father.She told me that I would have to figure out how to use it myself.
October 12th
Today I started packing for when I go to George's. It's half a month away and there isn't much to pack, but I thought I would get a head start on it.
Mom has mostly finished the attic and so now the task remains of moving most of the contents of the basement upstairs. I've been carrying things up and down stairs and organizing all day.
Now it's later, and I am writing again in my journal in the living room, listening to some music while Mom makes dinner. In the process of organizing, we found some old records and a really old record player. It's mostly some ballroom dances, like waltzes and fox trots and that sort of stuff, but it's not too bad.
October 15th
The basement is finally organized and the attic is full of food. Even though I won't be here, it's nice to know that Mom will have enough food to get through the winter, and she won't have to tredge out to the shed through the snow to get to it.
Her project for today has been planting. Yes, planting. She's decided to grow some flowers in the kitchen, and set up a box for them by the window. As long as they are inside and the heat stays on, they should be fine. I wasn't sure about them at first, but Mom seems to be unconcerned. She's got a gift for planting, a green thumb, I guess you'd say.
October 17th
Good thing I finished my reading yesterday, because Aunt Clarice came by today. She brought me a few more books to read while I'm at George's. And she brought Mom a tree.
It's a small tree now but it will probably get a lot bigger. Aunt Clarice says it's perfect for Mom because it's a magnolia tree and she loves magnolias. Which would of course explain how I got my name.
October 20th
I can't believe there's only ten more days until I have to leave here! I don't want to go, but I know that any attempts to argue with Mom will be useless. Oh well.
I'm almost done packing. I only take one bag because that's all I need. I have clothes and other stuff at George's, so all I need to take with me will be a few little things. Like my favorite stuffed cow and an old doll. I'm also bringing a few of my favorite books that Aunt Clarice leant me and, of course, this journal.
Today Mom planted the magnolia tree right in back of the house. It kind of stands out a little amidst the snow and evergreens. Mom says that since it's beautiful flowers are white, they'll blend right in with the snow. I wonder if it will last that long. Mom kept talking about how wonderful the tree is. I'm not surprised. After all, she named me after them!
I told Aunt Clarice a little after that about the future-seeing ability Mom says I get from my father. She seemed more surprised than I was. Seems she's never met my father, either!
She introduced me to the idea of my father having magic. This surprised me! I always thought he was just a "normal" guy. But if I get this ability from him, then perhaps he does - or did- have magic.
I was hoping that Aunt Clarice would give me a hint about my father. But she doesn't seem to know any more about him than I do.
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