In a Home at the End of the World

Bobby Morrow sat on the porch of his Cleveland home, legs crossed in an easy chair, absorbed in a newspaper. It was a bright day, but the boy seemed oblivious to the sunlight. Outside, the sounds of the city-cars, people talking, rustling leaves-were like white noise to him. Bobby was preoccupied with something more important, although at first glance it seemed that his only concern was leafing through the pages of a newspaper completely absorbed in dull news about wheat and trade deals.

He didn't like articles like that. Wheat imports? Who read that? The boy quickly turned the page, where his gaze fell on a series of pictures - Hollywood beauties. That was what caught his attention. Bobby lingered on one of the pictures. It was an actress with golden hair, smiling as if her happiness knew no bounds.

"I guess she never has to go through boring things," Bobby thought, looking thoughtfully at her face.

His gaze slid back to the other photographs, and then another caught his eye-this time of a man he didn't know. He was standing in front of a beautiful landscape, his shoulders back and an expression on his face like he knew all the answers to any questions you might have. He looked confident, mysterious, almost dangerous. He was the kind of man Bobby might want to emulate.

Bobby raised his eyebrows skeptically and glanced at the article that accompanied the photo. It was a businessman or maybe a politician who had long been a figure in public life. However, some strange interest settled in the boy's heart.

"I wonder what kind of person he is?" he thought.

It seemed like a normal photo, but something about it made Bobby feel like things weren't as simple as they seemed.

But then his thoughts were interrupted by footsteps. Bobby looked up and saw a girl coming out onto the veranda, wearing a bright yellow sleeveless dress that immediately caught his attention with its contrast with the green foliage around her. Her long black hair hung down to her shoulders, slightly touched by the light breeze. She moved easily, almost as if she were gliding along the ground, her steps were graceful, although she herself looked a little unusual. It was Emily, the girlfriend of his older brother Carlton.

Emily was thin and leggy, which was emphasized by her style, and had a distinctive, slightly mocking expression on her face. Her mouth was always half-open, as if she was constantly listening for something elusive, almost as if she was missing a piece of the puzzle to understand what was going on around her. Bobby knew that this was not true, she just had a twitch in her face. But he still always found her behavior odd. She was different from everyone else he knew.

Emily, meanwhile, coquettishly adjusted her bright dress, then picked up a comb and began to comb her hair. Bobby, sitting in a chair, could not look away. He had stopped reading the newspaper, having completely forgotten about it. His eyes were constantly following the girl's every movement. It seemed that she knew that he was watching, and it did not bother her. On the contrary, her behavior was such as if she had deliberately decided to give him the opportunity to see her in all her glory.

Her long black hair shone in the sun, like dark threads that absorbed the light. The comb slid slowly through that hair, and each stroke created a truly mesmerizing sight, as if it were plowing the black earth, only not for sowing, but for something else. For something much more mysterious, which Bobby felt was hidden behind her cold but attractive gaze.

She looked at him again, not saying a word, but her gaze was calm, almost playful. Bobby couldn't understand why she was doing this-why she was trying to get his attention this way. But despite his age, Bobby knew in his heart that there was more going on than just brushing her hair.

"What, am I more interesting than your newspaper?" she asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Her voice was light, but there was a hint of irony in it. Bobby winced, feeling his cheeks flush. He looked up at Emily sharply, as if he had just noticed her presence.

"Uh... no," he said, jumping up and down in his chair as if he'd been caught in some misdemeanor. "Just... just looking."

Emily chuckled, but didn't answer right away. Her face remained calm, but there was a playful, mysterious glint in her eyes. She continued to comb her hair slowly, but her attention was clearly focused on Bobby now.

"You really haven't noticed I'm here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and giving him a look that was a mixture of surprise and some hidden amusement. "I'm not some kind of invisible man. Or are you just trying to be polite so you don't have to look at your older brother's girlfriend?"

Bobby's head snapped up, as if he'd been suddenly doused with cold water. He hadn't expected such a direct question from Emily. She stood before him, her long black hair shimmering in the sun, her gaze fixed on him. She looked calm, but there was a twinkle of irony in her eyes, and Bobby immediately felt that he wasn't fooled.

He shook his head nervously, trying to justify himself, but the words were stuck in his throat. He didn't know how to answer. At first it seemed to him that all this was somehow natural, but now, after her question, he suddenly felt how uncomfortable he became in her presence. For some reason, when she looked at him, his heart began to beat faster and his thoughts became confused.

"I..." He took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. "I just didn't want to look like the guy staring at his older sister, er, Carlton's... girlfriend.

Emily chuckled, her lips curling into a thin smile.

"Oh, so you did notice, huh?" she said, not hiding her cheerful interest. "You're not as stupid as I thought."

Bobby felt his cheeks heat up. He didn't know what to say. Emily was older than him, and even though she was Carlton's girlfriend, she always made him feel like he could be her. She was like a riddle he couldn't figure out.