(Anabelle POV)
I am currently at my home. Or I was supposed to be. But what is happening here?
I can see my mother beating up Mr. Harry. She is really beating him up. I can see another woman who exactly looks like my mother. She is sitting across me. I see my dead father sipping on tea beside me.
There is a woman who calls herself Mr. Harry's mother. And another woman. Her name is Eris.
What in the hell is happening? It goes back a few hours back.
I didn't have any classes today so I was helping mom at home. Suddenly the doorbell rang.
I went to open the door and I was stunned. There stood my dead father. He has a bouquet of roses in his hands.
"You really have grown up, haven't you, Anabelle?"
I didn't know what to say.
"Who is it, Anabelle?"
Mom came to the door to check who it was. She halted as well.
"I'm sorry for being late, honey!"
This is a development that no one expected. How can my dead father stand before me?
"Ah.. I have a guest with me."
He moves out of the way and I can see another familiar face. It's Mr. Harry.
"How are you, June?" (Harry)
Wasn't he blind? He is walking towards us like a normal person. What the hell is happening?
I look at mom and she was about to fall to the ground. Dad rushed in and caught her.
"I guess we shocked her a little too much." (Harry)
"Be prepared, Harry. You're gonna have a rough day."
What is happening? But dad picked up mom, took her to the drawing room and laid her down on the sofa. One by one everyone entered.
My dead father is standing next to me. Mr. Harry is talking to him. I see three women. One looks exactly like my mother. She looks at me and smiles.
Even that smile is like my mother's. But she feels different. How to say, she seems a bit different than my mother.
"Dad, is that really you?"
I ask the person who looks like my dad.
"It's me, honey. It's me. I am alive again." (Dad)
It's still a bit hard for me to accept but I guess I will accept it for now.
"I wonder, how should I explain it to June?" (Harry)
"You don't have to. I will do the explaining."
The person who looks just like my mother said. She even sounds like her.
"Anabelle, you are wondering who am I, right?"
She guessed it. I guess I am not even trying to hide it.
"I am also June. But I am not your mother. It's a bit complicated. You will have ask your father and Harry about me."
Mr. Harry looks away. He has a face that clearly says he is guilty.
"Well, that's for later. Nice to meet you, Anabelle. I am Harry's mother, Clarissa. I was friends with your grandma as well. How is she doing nowadays?" (Clarissa)
A young woman, not that older than me said that. Is she really Mr. Harry's mother? I will just accept it for now.
"She is fine."
I couldn't say anything more. I mean, in this situation, what am I supposed to say?
"I know that you are confused, Anabelle. But this is something I have to do. Otherwise, someone else might do it. I want to do it myself. I don't want others to ruin it for me." (Harry)
The situation seems serious. But how should I react? Then mom starts to open her eyes.
After opening her eyes, she sits up and stares at my dad.
"Evan, is that really you?" (Mom)
"Yeah June, it's me." (Dad)
"And why is Harry with you?" (Mom)
She looks towards Mr. Harry but stops her words. She saw her doppelgänger.
"Hello, other me. I am June. June Harry Austin."
"Eh!" (Mom)
"It might be surprising to you but I am real. Don't worry about seeing things. Look.."
The doppelgänger goes near mom and touches her.
"See, I am real."
Mom breathes heavily and calms down. I guess she is trying to adapt to this unusual situation.
"If you are me, how are you here? I mean, I don't have a twin sister." (Mom)
"I will transfer my memories to you so you can see for yourself. It's better and faster than doing it verbally."
Mom suddenly closed her eyes and reopened them after a moment. Her expression became grim and she looked very angry.
"Harry, what is the meaning of this?" (Mom)
She asks Mr. Harry in a tone so deep and angry that even I am shaking. I have never seen her this angry.
Mr. Harry is looking around nervously. He is trying to avoid eye contact. But mom goes to him and pulls him by his ear.
"Ouch ouch ouch ouch…June, you're tearing off my right ear." (Harry)
"Shut up." (Mom)
Everyone became quiet. Mom really is angry. Soon it turned into a one sided thrashing. Mom was thrashing Mr. Harry. He didn't even try to resist it. He just let her beat him up.
I was about to go and pull her apart but dad stopped me.
"For my sake, don't do anything." (Dad)
Dad had pleading eyes. What does he mean for his sake?
"You will get a beating like that too if June finds out what you did. Don't worry, I haven't shown her your part, yet."
The doppelgänger told my dad. So, dad is also going be beaten up by mom. This is way too confusing.
"Umm…can I have the context now? It's a bit confusing like this."
"Right! You should know as well since this indirectly involves you too. See her, her name is Eris."
She points towards the mysterious woman who brought mom back home last night. Her name is Eris.
"She is the one responsible for all of this."
Says the woman who calls herself Mr. Harry's mother. She said that her name is Clarissa.
"Hey, you are pinning the blame on me alone? Harry is equally guilty." (Eris)
"But you started it. So Anabelle, the story goes like this.." (Clarissa)
She starts her story. Mom is still beating up Mr. Harry so we have some time before she stops.
The story is kinda like a romance story but ended up being a tragedy.
Mom and Mr. Harry were neighbors. They grew up together, went to school together and played together.
They were practically stuck together. All these times, Mr. Harry believed that they would end up together. He kept appealing to her.
But mom never noticed his signs. They were pretty obvious that everyone else noticed except mom.
Grandma even told mom to be a little more attentive to Mr. Harry. But mom only thought of Mr. Harry as a good friend.
He didn't lose hope. He kept trying and trying and they grew up. Even in high school, he kept trying.
The others knew that they were almost a thing so they kept their distance from mom. No other guy confessed to her and mom wasn't really into another guy anyway.
Still he kept trying and they were in university. The ring that Mr. Harry left by dad's grave was bought for mom. She told him that she would like a ring like that. And he said that he would propose to her with that ring.
He even bought that ring and was ready to propose to her when the unexpected happened.
Dad entered the scene. They were all good friends and on the day when Mr. Harry was about to confess to mom, something happened.
Mom told him that she likes dad. That one sentence broke his heart. He started thinking. And he interpreted everything negatively.
He thought that mom would be happier that way. His thoughts, he shared them with dad in secret. Dad always thought that mom and Mr. Harry were dating so he didn't try to flirt with mom.
When he found out, Mr. Harry told dad to keep mom happy.
Soon, they started dating and went on to get married. Everything was arranged by Mr. Harry. He arranged the wedding, did the wedding guest list and even became the best man for dad.
He handed over mom to dad and took his exit from their lives.
"Well, that's how it went." (Clarissa)
This story made absolutely no sense. Mom isn't so dense that she wouldn't notice his hints. The way she described mom, it felt like she was a blind person.
"I know what you are thinking so let me clarify. June did notice Harry's hints. But this goddess did something to June."
The doppelgänger said while poking the goddess's cheek.
"She split June in two. Her mind was split. One part was normal and the other part was her feelings for Harry. Her feelings for Harry kept growing but they were suppressed by the goddess. And I am the incarnation of the suppressed feelings."
The doppelgänger said. Her feelings were split in two and she never noticed them. But how come her suppressed feelings were able to manifest?
"Eris was not satisfied with the result. Even if the real June was gone, her suppressed feelings were still a threat. So she tried to erase me as well. I only survived thanks to Clarissa.
Eris gave Harry wrong information that I was a product of his imagination. He started thinking that his feelings for June created me. He thought that I was just a projection of June from his mind.
Which is why, Harry introduced me to your dad. Your dad knew about me as well. Only June didn't know about me."
This entire plot is quite complex. But I think the general idea is simple.
"What will you do now?"
I ask her. I mean, she is real, isn't she? She is a different entity from my mom. What will she do now?
"I will stay with him. He needs someone to watch over him otherwise he might do incredibly stupid things. Besides he now has a job as a creator. We all will help him with that."
However, isn't something wrong about this entire situation? Why is mom beating up Mr. Harry? Isn't she at fault here?
"Well, most of the blame lies with Eris. She changed June's perception of Harry. June perceived Harry as a reliable friend and nothing more. He was never a romantic target for her. Harry was just wasting his time on her." (Clarissa)
She answered my question which I didn't even ask.
"Hey, I did notice Harry and I also felt the same way. But Eris separated me from June and tried to erase me for good. June just had her feelings for Harry plucked out, that's all."
Mom's doppelgänger said. So, neither Mr. Harry nor mom is at fault here. Then why is mom beating him up?
By the time I was done pondering, mom had finished her beating as well. She came back and sat next to me.
Mr. Harry also came back. His face is messed up but he fixed it.
"I know that my anger is unjustified but I can't beat up a god, can I?" (Mom)
She herself realizes that Mr. Harry isn't at fault. She just wanted to vent her anger.
"I know. Besides, I think I am at fault as well. This lifts a weight off of my chest." (Harry)
The atmosphere is jittery.
"So, are you back for good?" (Mom)
Mom looks at dad and asks. That's a good question too. The situation was so surreal that I forgot to ask.
"Yeah. Harry has resurrected me for good. He also adjusted the world. I never died in the first place. All of your memories would be adjusted as well. I am still here." (Dad)
So my father never died in the first place. That's a little too much to swallow at the moment.
Then mom looks at her doppelgänger.
"Are you the same as me or are you different?" (Mom)
"I am different. My core is my feelings for Harry which you lost. Physically we may be the same age but I am 11 years younger than you."
So mom is accepting it as well. I guess that's that. Still, love is way too confusing at times. I have never fallen in love before so this is actually unsettling.
"I guess this ends this case for now. I have so much work to do that it's a headache." (Harry)
He slumps his head.
"You have us to help you with work. Now don't be a big baby and get to work." (Clarissa)
He gets up and waves goodbye. And they all disappear.
It's only us now. Mom is hugging dad tightly so I guess I should give them some space.
The entire fiasco ended peacefully, I guess? Still, I won't be surprised if I get a sibling soon.
Maybe I should consider moving out.