Mrs. Phee Phaw

Dedicated to those who have a lost family or a hard backstory. I hope you find your way back to a happy life.

Note: Sometimes it’s hard to realize some of us have lots of privileges, because they seem normal to us. I hope that this story may help you see that we don’t define other people’s lives. We are privileged, some people aren’t much. What your eyes haven’t seen yet is that every person’s life will never be the same, or easy, somehow. Life in other families is hard.

Chapter 1: Nick
I live in Ohio, I’m eleven years old and my name is Nick Lee Collins. Mrs. Phee Phaw is my neighbor and lives in a big house with vines all over it. She is very mysterious. Nobody ever talks to her, she lives alone and people believe she does witchcraft, you know, ’tis because she’s kind of weird.
The thing is I’m interested in knowing more about this old woman, because whenever I ask my parents ’bout her they just say: “I don’t know, she’s just a strange woman.” And that’s not the answer I’m lookin’ for. This is why I’m bound to solve this “mystery”, I want to know her past life, backstory, I want to know more about her. However, my parents always warn me to stay away from her, but I guess I’ll have to break the rules. Real detectives like me, I mean Master Lee, always take risks.

Chapter 2: Breaking the Rules

I had to lie to my mother. I told her I was goin’ to play with my friends, but I wouldn’t. I’d go to Mrs. Phee Phaw’s house somehow. I walked along the sidewalk, till I was in front of her home. She had a small gate on the path that led to her garden, so I thought that it’d be the most decent option to knock on. With my fingernails, I did a twinkling sound that made my ears wiggle.
There was no response. With my hairs popped up, I made my way through the gate, my conscience told me now and then: “You have to take risks.” I wasn’t sure of that risk, either way or another, I was goin’ inside my suspicious neighbor’s house.
Suddenly, I felt someone was watching me, I looked down and saw the biggest eyes that could’ve ever looked at me, it was Mrs. Phee—”How are you?” she interrupted my thoughts and I jumped.
“Sorry if I scared you,” she said. “I heard someone make a strange sound at my gate but I just ignored it. I was cutting these bushes.”
“I guess it—it was me,” I told her. “I—I—I’m Ni—Nick Lee. I ju—just wanted to, a—ask you—a—a—a rare question,” I said, ashamed.
“Come on, don’t talk like a scarie,” she said. “Come inside and have a hot chocolate to take that lump off your throat.”
She began walking toward the door. What could I do? I just thought of bad or scary things that could happen to me in there, but my conscience said: “You have to take risks.” She was a total stranger to me.

Chapter 3: The Confession

I had stepped in already. It actually wasn’t that weird of a house. However, it was an 1800s-style home. It was bigger than my house by far; it had three floors, mine only had two. I still felt nervous, but the house wasn’t that bad. Mrs. Phee Phaw came with the hot chocolate, I have to agree it smelled pretty good. She sat on the chair opposite me while we exchanged looks.
“Thank you,” I said.
“So what was the question you asked me?” she told me.
“Hum,” I sighed, “my question was that, well, you know, why are you…”
“Spit it out!” she exclaimed.
“…so lonely,” I continued.
There was a short lapse of silence. “Oh dear child,” she said. I didn’t know what that meant. “It’s a long story to tell,” she continued. “I was literally born an orphan, well, my mother gave birth but she didn’t want me.” She left me one day at the orphanage staircase, and I was just a small, defenseless baby. “I still remember the horrible, clumpy oatmeal that they gave us every single day. However, I had nowhere to go.”
But everything changed when I was 18 years old. I still remember the stern and severe words that said: “You’ve to leave tomorrow morning, you’re too big to be in here.”
“That day,” she said, “I felt everything fell down. And well,” she told me, “I don’t really know my real name. They called me Phee Phaw, a particular name, because they say that when I cried on the staircase, it sounded like: ‘Phee, phaw, phee, phaw…!’ So after that, I wandered along the streets for a bed to sleep on. But I found this abandoned house with everything in it, so I stayed. I started babysitting to get money, and the job worked. I married a man, and I had two daughters. Sadly, my man left me, but I stayed with my daughters. But life separated us. They had to take care of themselves since they were ten; I was too busy working. I’m not sure I was a good mother. They left the house when they were 20, in search of a better life. One day I stopped my work because I realized I had grown old. Gratefully, the people that I worked for leave me some money every week; sometimes I see them, but whom I never see again is my daughters. Besides, people think that I practice witchcraft because I’m weird (I dropped my hot chocolate accidentally on my shirt, that scared me). But I don’t. That’s why they’re scared of me and I’m lonely.”
Mrs. Phee Phaw drank her hot chocolate.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
That night I went to bed thinking about my neighbor. I’d never have imagined that. She’d really had a hard life. Although, I still had one more thing to discover: her real identity.

Chapter 4: The Plan of Nick

I woke up with a plan in mind. What if we did vandalism… somehow we had to sneak into the National Register, where people kept all their data as a citizen. I had thought over for a better plan, but I got to the point where I actually think there was no better option. It wouldn’t be that difficult—I guessed?
It was just 10:00 am but sooner or later I had to tell Ms. P.P.,… that sounds silly—I’ll name her with some respect: Ms. ??? or just I’ll say: my neighbor.
I waited till momma made some lunch, because soon midday and hunger would arrive. As I was eating the food, I asked mom if I could go to play soccer with my friends 30 min right after lunch. (I’d never tell her I was going to Ms. Phee Phaw).
Mom sighed. “Nick,” she said, “I don’t know, I have been feeling that you’re like going to play outside very often. Is it that you’re hiding something away from us?”
At that moment the phone rang, mom stepped away to answer it. I was saved by the bell. Mom was literally a lie detector, or was it that I couldn’t hide a lie? Anyway, I didn’t want to try it. I jogged away to my room after I had swallowed the food. I didn’t want to answer mom, I dared not.
For thunder! It had started to rain! Couldn’t this day be worse? I would have to escape from home late at night and go to Ms… whatever. I knew that I could go tomorrow at noon—but what if mama came out with the same question? No, No, No!! I wouldn’t even try going tomorrow, it would be way too risky. Yes, I know that “you have to take risks in life” but NOPE! NOPE!, not in this case. I’d better go to sleep now if I wanted to have energy. Mom thought I was sick (I wasn’t), so she had given me some pills.
Pip-pip — Pip-pip — Pip-pip. I couldn’t believe it. I had been asleep since 3:00 o’clock? I’d put an alarm at midnight to go—escape from home. I looked at my clock—indeed, it was 12 pm sharp. I slipped out of bed and put my slippers, a sweater, and put on a T-shirt and black pants.

Chapter 5: Six Doors

I opened my window, it was chilly outside. I figured my way out of it, and once my feet touched the damp grass, I raced to my neighbor’s house, which looked very creepy at night.
The house had no security at all, but I didn’t expect the front door to be open; it was the only secured part. I managed to open a small window and slip into it, it led into the kitchen. It was so silent, that my feet’s screeching sound was the only thing to be heard.
As I went upstairs looking for her bedroom, I got tangled up. There were 6 doors, which one could it possibly be? I went to open the first door on the right side, the wood screeched on the floor as it opened, it gave me the creeps!
Suddenly, as I put one foot inside the room, I felt somebody’s presence behind me. I looked back… a shadow aiming a gun at my forehead, suddenly I felt pain in my right arm, a faint voice saying “You loser!” all the lights went on, but my eyes went dark as I fell backward.

Chapter 6: Sorry, I Didn’t Know It Was You…

I woke up from what had seemed a long dream, as I slowly opened my eyes. I saw my arm wrapped up in bandages, a soft red going through them—blood. I had been shot. I tried to move it, but it hurt. I was lying on an old mattress, definitely not my bed.
Then, I heard a woman crying. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was that terrible pain in my right arm. Then I remembered something else: I was in Mrs. Phee Phaw’s house! Yes, I had tried to sneak in to tell her about my plan.
“Hello?” I said very faintly. The woman came running to me; indeed, it was my neighbor.
“Nick, Nick! You’re alive—you are alive!!” she said, wiping her tears away. “I’m so sorry, I confused you with a robber. I thought I had lost you, that you were dead. You’ve been asleep for 1 hour!” She took out a gun and threw it into the fireplace. “I’m so dumb,” she said as she watched the gun burning. “I didn’t see it was you.”
I slowly sat up. I told her about my plan; it was 12:50 still. We still had a chance. “But what about your arm?” Ms. P.P. said.
“Nobody cares,” I told her, “I will just put my jacket on to hide the injury, but we have to leave now if we want to get to the National Register, otherwise it will be too late.”
I looked at my clock, 12:53; we had to hurry up, morning was soon coming. While Ms. Phee Phaw got ready, I took a lantern and put on my jacket. My idea was to get to the roof of the building, and with a small pocket knife cut a hole. I had never, ever done vandalism, but I guessed it could work out, it had to.

Chapter 7: Vandalism

We were now on our way to the National Register, it was at least half an hour from where we started. “I see it,” I told Ms. Phee Phaw.
Now we were standing in front of it. “How are we supposed to get to the roof?” my neighbor said.
I gulped. I didn’t know how. “Um,” I said, “I don’t—”
“I know how!” Ms. Phee Phaw interrupted. I felt relieved.
“Do you see the tree you have at your back?” she asked me.
“—I mean… yes—” I replied, a bit scared about her plans. She continued, “That tree touches the National Register roof, so maybe you could climb it all the way till you get to the roof and climb on it.”
“Won’t it be too—” I stopped and remembered that “you have to take risks in—”
“You have to take risks in life,” Ms. Phee Phaw said as she interrupted my thoughts; she read my mind.
“I guess I’ll try,” I said. “But wait, what about you?” I asked.
“I’ll follow you as you climb,” she said. “I did rock climbing since I was 5 years old, so it’s not much of a matter.” I smiled, very surprised by the fact.
As we started climbing, I had to start to get used to that dirty, damp, clumpy feeling in my hands. I also had smashed quite a couple of insects. I had to tell Ms. Phee Phaw to slow down a little; she was an amazingly good and fast climber. In the dim darkness, I barely got to see the National Register rooftop getting nearer and nearer every time.
“Let me help you,” said Ms. P.P. as we both climbed onto the roof. I took out my pocket knife and tried to make a square through the roof. It was useless.
“That won’t cut through the ceiling, not in years. Come with me, leave that alone,” my partner said atypically. We went down a water tube that was at the side of the wall, till we got to a window.
My neighbor took my pocket knife from my trousers, she cut a square in the window, glass shattered as it fell to the grass. I looked at my clock: 1:20 am, we still had time.
We found a way to get inside without cutting ourselves inside the building. Files and files were kept in cupboards labeled A-B-C-D-E-F and so on.
“Let’s look for the letter A—through the files,” my companion said. “My mother was called Amy, or that’s what they had told me in the orphanage.”
I had found it. She was called Amy, there was no register of a dad. “I found it, I found it!” I exclaimed.
Ms. Phee Phaw took the paper away from me and put it in her pocket. “Follow me,” she said quickly.
“But—why?” I said. She pulled at my arm. It was too late. Now I understood the reason. A policeman, a TV advertisements guy with a camera came in, followed by more policemen.
“Don’t—” the policeman got shocked. “The—the WITCH!!!” he cried, full of fear. Everyone else didn’t even dare to breathe either. Ms. Phee Phaw stood in front of them and said: “If you don’t go away now, it will be tasty to make you into french fries!!”
Everybody started yelling and running, except for the TV advertisements guy, who fell to the ground unconsciously. My neighbor took the pocket knife and stabbed it into the camera. “Run, Nick!!” she said, “to the roof!!”
This time I immediately obeyed her commands, and ran after her.

Chapter 8: You Have a Name, You Are Not Alone

We were the only ones left in the place; by now we had found a safe way to get down the rooftop. It was 2:30, we had made it. However, we first needed to get to Ms. Phee Phaw’s home to check out the National Register paper we’d found. The sky was still dark, streets were silent, our shadows gleamed in the light of the moonlight.
3:00 o’clock. We had arrived at Ms. Phee Phaw’s house, we were sitting down at a table, my neighbor took the paper out. She unfolded it, putting it wide open on the table.
“So,” she said “…yes, my mother was called Amy. I don’t have a father register? Well, incredible,” she was talking to herself. “Nick, this is what is called a Symbiotic Family Tree,” she told me. She continued: “So, my mother had one daughter, which is me,” she said, as she put on her glasses “…that means my name is: Mary Lee Collins?” She stared at me, “that can’t be, it just can’t, those are your last names.”
“They are,” I said, confused.
She continued reading: “So, this says I had two daughters,” “I have,” she said in the lowest voice. “One called Sara Lee Collins, and the other called Bety Lee Collins.”
“But—” I said.
“Wait,” said Ms. Phee Phaw as she continued reading: “Here also says that Sara had a boy called—”
“Nick Lee Collins,” I said, interrupting on purpose.
I continued, “Ms. Phee Phaw, it is you, it matches, your name is Mary Lee Collins! You are my grandma, you are my mother’s mother, my mother always thought you were dead, she seemed mad at you.”
Ms. Phee Phaw started crying. “I know, I knew it! I was never a good mother, I just thought I had been good!” she said with a mix of emotions and tearstaining. Suddenly, we heard cries, cries of my mom and dad yelling my name.
“It’s time to confess,” my GRANDMA said.
We went out of the front door, back to my house. The reaction of my parents as I walked into my house with Mary L.C., I will never forget.
“Nick!! Nick!!” my parents shouted out as they came into the living room. “What are you doing with her?!” they cried in terror and confusion. I exchanged looks with my neighbor—Ms. Phee Phaw—My GRANDMA. It was time to tell the truth.
Once we had told the story, shown the paper and the evidence, my mom asked in disbelief: “If you are my mother, then show me the third of a circle that you, my sister and I used to have. It would make an O shape.”
Mary L.C. lowered her shirt and took out the necklace, it was kind of black by now. Mom ran toward her mom, with a big smile on her face and tears of happiness coming down her cheeks, she hugged her.
Days after, my aunt Bety came, we had a small banquet, a celebration. I remembered the first day that I had asked my grandma, “Why are you so lonely?” Well, now she’d never be it again, she would never answer the same way. I looked at my clock: COMPLETE family time…

THE END