Chapter 1: A House in Melbourne
“I never thought that this incident could become so big.”
Twisting her finger again, which was encrusted with a small ring engraved with silver—Sarah Madeline chuckled.
“It’s like… like getting the biggest jackpot of your life. But this jackpot is dangerous if you let your guard down a little. ”
She said her home was located in the center of Melbourne. Busy like how a big city should be. Gone early in the morning for work, then open the door again when the sun is already shining an orange light at the horizon.
“As an unlucky typewriter, I get to work on the spot—not online. Left by taxi at nine and returned by taxi at seven. Like that, every Monday to Saturday. ”
Her daughter, Daisy Madeline, is nine years old. The only one she has. No husband.
“I adopted Daisy three years ago from an orphanage in Adelaide. At that time, I was in the worst condition of my life—the smoking frequency was increasing and I rarely visited my mother’s house in Sydney. My internet pals said it was probably due to being alone for too long and have no one to talk to. But now, Daisy is my answer. ”
A quiet residential area, with low security facilities, is the reason Sarah can’t leave Daisy alone. She thought about entrusting her daughter to a day-care by spending about 45 Australian Dollars per day—but her best solution then to hire a housemaid who is also a baby-sitter. It saves her around 50 Dollars less than having to come to day care every day.
“Wasting time. A neighbor recommends Mrs. Grace to me. She is a recently married twenty-six-year-old woman and had experience with babysitting toddlers during the previous two years while still living in Perth. I provided a roof for her to live in, and let her return to her own house twice a week. That’s fair enough.”
Sarah’s minimalist home is divided into 2 floors—Daisy’s room is adjacent to her bedroom downstairs, along with the kitchen and dining area. There was only a small garden in the greenhouse and a laundry room adjoining Grace’s room, upstairs.
“Sometimes Daisy will go up to the greenhouse to water her rose garden or just play there with Mrs. Grace. There are huge glass windows that provide direct view access to the terrace and yard.”
It was an ordinary day then. Maybe mid-August, Sarah said while continuing to twist her fingers, when the jackpot hit her door.
“Summer, August 2012. I remember taking a full week off so I could finish my chores in peace at home, because honestly—haha, working on deadlines with the fuss in the office was a bad idea. So. I stayed all day in my room, while Mrs. Grace accompanies Daisy to play around the house. They respect my privacy and I like that.”
Sarah used to put her hands on the computer, on the keyboard and mouse. She works fast and stops just to stretch or check one or two notifications from Facebook or Twitter.
“Yes, it seems impossible if you don’t indulge in entertainment. On Facebook, online friends provide good humor. Sometimes they send cute animal pictures or links to cooking videos.”
Another thing with that day. Coinciding with the last sheet of her work, Sarah received an email.
“No, not from a familiar email address. The address is [email protected]. It was like a spam, and of course I ignored it.”
Just a greeting: good evening, Mrs. Madeline! Fill in the email that doesn’t even have a subject. And even placed as a priority message by Yahoo!. Sarah moved it to the Trash column of her Gmail.
“The next day, I work again. The next day, the next day, until the last day of my break time. And then, my daughter suddenly came to the room. Mrs. Grace was there too. Her face looks so pale. ”
Sarah said, at that time she did not predict anything.
“Daisy approached me, then said with an innocent face. ‘Mommy, there’s this weird guy who’s been standing outside since three days ago’.”
Despite doubts, Sarah stepped outside. Ensure. And yes, there is. A tall man in long black coats, baseball caps, hands into coat pockets and has an European faces. He looked directly at Sarah.
“At that moment, I thought: oh, is it time to move?”
***
To be continued.
