"Hey Ester, tell me about the dopp... dopplelganger? I remember you mentioning them before" Hawnlica enquired

Ester focused her gaze from the closed door onto Hawnlica...

"Oh hello dear" Ester greeted with closed palms "you're Dawn, my Baara's daughter" She enquired.

"No" Hawnlic used her fingers on one hand and index finger on the opposing hand as she explained the following...

"I'm Hawnlica, your great grandson Gordan's daughter, your granddaughter Dawn's granddaughter, your daughter Baara's great gran daughter and your great great granddaughter" 'I do this every time'

"Yes darling, you repeat yourself each time you visit; it's not a becoming trait" the elderly woman informed her in abrupt yet polite manner.

'This happens sometimes too – I always end up looking like a fool' Hawnlica thought.

"So, what have you been doing with yourself dear?" Ester asked.

"Well, remember we spoke last time, about your past and that... well, I did some research!" Hawnlica started with growing enthusiasm "I couldn't trace your family, or your first husband, but I did find evidence of the rival traveller family who you said cursed you – there's blogs on the Internet about gang members claiming to be a circus act using prosthetic's and props to get away with robbing passer by's on the outskirts of Nancy - documented word-of-mouth, but it's something!"

"Young lady, slow down and catch your breath, you're bordering on hysterical" The old lady ordered at a slow pace "Go and get yourself a glass of water, fainting was quite a pandemic amongst us".

"Oh, I don't want one, I'm OK" Hawnlica assured while toning down her excitement.

"Go and get yourself a glass of water" Ester insisted "From the kitchen, and get me a carbonated orange juice"

Taking the hint, Hawnlica stood up, gave the old lady a thumbs up, then left the room.

Stood outside a door with her arms crossed in a dull hallway, Hawnlica huffed.

"Good grief, today better be worth it, she's at her worst" Hawnlica muttered under her breath as she headed towards a source of great noise; clanging emitting from double doors.

She knocked and waited for an answer.

"Can they even hear me above all that racket?" her question was soon debunked, as the door was yanked open by a 'dinner lady'- a husky and frazzled looking woman dressed in an outfit reminiscent of a school lunch lady.

"Erm, Hi, can I have a glass of water and a fizzy orange, I... I didn't want to disturb you, it's just, I have, one of, those, relatives". Hawnlica nervously uttered.

"It's fine" The dinner lady responded in a very soft spoken voice before disappearing back behind the door, reappearing within the minute with the drinks in two pint glasses.
"The cleaners will pick them up later" she assured before hastily moving back through the door.

With glasses in hand, Hawnlica turned to head back to Esters room, however, before she even completed a full revolution, she caught something out of the corner of her eye – the vague glimpse of a small person, a child? - wearing yellow, with noticeably thick mosey blonde hair, running vertically across the hall from the direction of either room 3 or 5 straight into the first on the hall; Esters room?

"ESTER" Hawnlica exclaimed assertively as she entered Esters room and bumped the door closed "I just caught you running Ester – costume shop wig, the yellow pinafore, you stand out like a bride who turned up at a funeral!"

"I, I don't know what you're... I can't hear you dear; I think I dropped my hearing aid" the woman uttered.

"Where? Outside your room, when you where running? Don't give me that, you don't wear a hearing aid; remember the family curse you told me about on your birthday, that we're all "Exceptionally healthy but exceptionally unlucky" – totally believable by the way" Hawnlica recalled.

"My first husband put that curse on me; he was a demon you know" the old woman said matter-of-factly.

"I thought he was a politician" Hawnlica enquired.

"Sit down dear, help yourself to chocolate and sit down" Ester ushered as she gestured towards a wooden chair beside the small kitchen unit.

The draining board displayed a bright coloured, very stand out, plastic container of chocolates.

'They were NOT there when I left this room, I guarantee it!' Hawnlica recalled to herself 'still, I'm not saying no, they're brand-name after all

Will'o'Stars ©