Journal, Day 116

The elder female has primarily been ill, having acquired some form of infection from her schoolmates. She forgot to inform the benefactor that she would be staying home today, which caused alarm when her place of education called the benefactor inquiring about the lack of her presence. Later, she communicated to the benefactor excitement that she found a moving picture about vampires that she did not know they owned. The benefactor reminded her that it was, in fact, a holiday gift for the elder female from three years ago, of which the elder female had no recollection. Hopefully the elder female’s excitement will help her health so she may return to regular life sooner than later.
 
This week has been a rollercoaster for all of us, navigating the ebb and flow of the days. It has been frustrating for the benefactor, who has often felt as if she speaks to ghosts. Apparently, only the youngest female can see her. On multiple occasions, she has asked for the children to complete specific chores, only to have them stare at her in a blank stupor, as if she asked them to perform high level arithmetic in their head while balancing on one foot. The result is a never-ending litany of requests that go unanswered until the benefactor rightly becomes vexed. In particular, it drives her mad when the elder children leave piles of washed and dried laundry on top of the machines, allowing it to sit quietly in the dark, for weeks. At last count, she reminded the elder female to remove her clothes 7 times. Then, when she perhaps asks in a tone that is less than congenial, she is brazenly asked to ‘chill’. It makes the benefactor ponder if the elder children, specifically, truly desire a shorter life. On the other hand, the younger female is still untainted by such apathy. Generally, she eagerly helps, going above and beyond, such as bravely emptying her brother’s pants pockets to assist with the wash. However, she even revolted this week, highly upset that the benefactor had the gall to separate her socks before washing them, as she had to sift through clothes to find them right before she prepared to leave for school.
 
Yet not all is lost. The younger male brought the benefactor a gift of picked flowers, all his own motivation. She was quite touched by the gesture. Sensing her possible ascent to full fury, the elder male also provided sweet overtures, buying the benefactor a specialized holiday wine flute, and building her a fire. The thoughtfulness was only slightly complicated by the fact that he still builds fires improperly, with paper placed under wood in flat sheets, and large chunks of burning ash were carried into the air, at which point the benefactor reminded him his method is not safe when living in the desert. Again, for the third or fourth time (she’s lost count), she demonstrated how the fire was to be created so as not to burn down their surroundings. However, she appreciated the kindness and thought that came from the elder male’s heart, which, in the end, matters most.