Persephone

“Persephone!” My boss calls out.

“Yes,” I answer lazily.

“Did you send out the daisy for Mr Adams?”

“Yes, I did ma’am,” I reply, this was the fifth time she was asking me and frankly, it was starting to annoy me.

“Good, now I need you to start with the Ramirez flower arrangement,” she says as she steps out of the supply closet.

“Of course, Mama June.” I nod with a smile.

Mama June is a 55-year-old woman, who is forgetful and partially blind. She took me in less than three years ago. My adoptive parents were getting a divorced and I was not doing so well until she stumbled into my life, well I stumbled into her shop thinking it was a bar.

Since then, she has been taking care of me, she calls me her godchild from heaven, she treats me like one of her grandchildren and I love her the same way I love my grandmother.

Her small weak figure walks past me, she is pale, much paler than usual. She grabs onto the counter and puts her hand to her heart.

“Mama June,” I called out to her.

“I’m okay baby child don’t worry,” she says and carries on walking towards the front of the shop.

I go about my business and carry on working, as the day goes on, I keep begging Mama June to go home and she finally does go home early to get some rest because the poor woman works herself too much and I hate seeing her do that, so I am left alone to finish up some orders for the next day.

Later that evening I put together the last arrangement when I realise that I am out of Petunias, I sigh, now I must go out to the garden in the back. I slip on my jacket, put on my garden boots, get my basket and scissors, and go out the back door.

I walk down the small path to the petunia section; thank God that place had lighting wise I would have ruined all the flowers by now. I am afraid of the dark but more importantly I am afraid of Mama June.

I kneel in front of the Petunias and carefully cut them and put them in the basket. Just as I am about to finish, I hear rustling. I look around and see nothing, my heart starts beating fast.

Must be squirrels, I think.

The rustling gets further away, and I see a flash in the distance. I get up and walk towards the flash of light. I know what you are thinking, do not go into the light. Well, I cannot help it, I need to know what is happening. As I get closer, I see a door.

Why the hell is there a door on the ground?

I peek inside but I cannot see anything, it is dark, I get my phone out of my pocket and turn on the flashlight. A flight of stairs heading deeper under the ground.

Do not go down there, Persephone! My brain says.

I scoff, I am going down there.

I go down the stairs and the further in I go, the warmer it got. Suddenly I reach another door.

Girl, you are going to die tonight!

I turn the doorknob and open the door. I am in a room, someone’s bedroom, a man’s to be specific. The entire room looks like a room from Game of Thrones, a massive bed with four poles and white curtains, big windows, a shelf of books and skulls, medieval paintings.

I love it! Whoever lives here has a profound sense of style.

I continue to walk around the room and see a picture of a man, he is gorgeous, piercing green eyes, tattoos covering his body, chiselled jawline, he is a dream.

I would jump him any day; I think to myself.

I continue to look around when I hear voices coming from the other side of the room. It sounds like people having sex. I cringe, this was awkward.

Bed creaking, girl moaning, boy grunting. It is simply weird. So that is my queue to leave, I walk back to the door and close it, feeling sad for some reason. A part of me did not want to leave, I wanted to stay there, I feel a sense of peace as weird as that sounds but it is not my home, I must leave.

I close the door and go back up the stairs, out the door and close it shut. I stand there for a moment.

Why the hell was I getting emotional over this? I scold myself, Get a grip!

It felt like home though.

Oh, get over it and get back to work!

I sigh once more and walk back to my basket, I pick a few more petunias and make my way back into the shop. I put together the last arrangement and I clean up my workstation. I close shop and make the five-minute walk home, I live by myself in a small apartment, in the nice part of town.

Two weeks after Mama June employed me, she gave me my first paycheck and the keys to my own apartment, she thought that I needed to stay close the shop just in case she had an emergency and needs me to be there.

I get to my door and see a letter on the floor, it’s from my dad, I unlock my door and go back into my apartment and lock the door again, I throw my bag on the floor and make my way into the kitchen. I open the fridge and take out some leftover Mac and cheese, warm it up and go to sit on my couch.

I switch on the TV and realize that it is 23:39 in the evening, how did time fly so quickly? I finish eating and head straight to bed, I had to be up early in the morning to take the Ramirez flower arrangement to the wedding venue before 09:00 am.

I take a quick shower and jump into bed and before I can fall asleep my phone rings, it is Papa June.

“Hello,” I answered groggily, rubbing my eyes.

“Sorry to wake you dear but I have sad news,” Papa June says worriedly.

I sit up on my bed, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Mama June, she’s had a heart attack.”

My entire world is shattered.

“But she’s okay, she’s being taken care of,” Papa June replies.

I sigh, “Do you want me to come over?”

“No, no, I’ll be alright dear, Hermes is here with me.”

“Okay, I’ll come by in the morning to see you both.”

“Thank you, Persephone, now get some rest, we’ll see you in the morning.”

He hangs up the phone and stare blankly at it, letting out a sigh of frustration, I put my phone on the bedside table and lay back down on my bed, staring at the ceiling my mind can’t help but drift back to the underground palace.