Within Veiled Boundaries: Shroud Over Their Eyes.

It is too dark. It's too late to be driving. It is too dangerous in further progress. Tired and too emotional to continue. This was the direction that the undertaker gave them. A clean, small motel off the main road. Price is cheap but it wasn't like other places. This was not used as some other purpose. It was a genuine family owned little complex. The front desk was the owners son, watching some game show on a little TV in the corner.

Signed in the guest book, paid for the night, and the key is passed over. A little leaflet about free breakfast and nearby tourist attractions. This was clearly a business impacted by the closure and curfew.

He doesn't want to ask why a lonely woman was here after curfew. But at least she is safe from whatever she left behind. The folks of this establishment have always wanted to be the sheild for domestic violence, this family owned business left such things behind when they left their original country. It is unspoken words, but he was pleasant. Making it a proper effort to be of help if this lady needed it. He had no second agenda or intention of being weird. He watched the camera for anyone who might have followed the lonely woman and frowns sad of seeing the daughter getting out of the car. He makes a sticky note for when his brother will take this desk in the morning, that distressed woman was with a very young daughter. To be considerate of privacy. The brother lost his wife and child to a drunk driver. It seems that no one followed this woman, and now they are safe.

At the front desk, he changed over, and he also told his abuela. She made a quick meal with the same love as she would for her own. Abuela personally brought it to the room. The women spent the evening talking while the daughter enjoyed dinner. A lovely Spanish yellow rice with chicken chunks. Softly season with paprika. Made from a home of love and tastes of that love. Clearly, the conversation was exactly what her mom needed. She wasn't stressed or crying that night. She wasn't relaxed to properly sleeping but she could see light at the tunnel. Her daughter was right while they drove through the swamps. There is always a future. She just wished she wasn't so hurt to ignore her daughter attempt to hope.

By the morning, it was a lovely blue clear sky. It was set for tire melting weather as temperatures raised to extremes. Breakfast was cold meals and brought to each room. A short while after the lonely duaghter had eaten her share.This daughter plays with chalk on the shaded walkways between rooms. Mostly practice of shapes, being intricate of the number of sides and mathematical angles. She was alone, as her mom was deep sleep in the room. Her mom's breakfast was put into the mini fridge to keep good. There wasn't anything much to do. She would often look up at the way the air danced in the heat or that she make out people standing in the shade across from her. She smiles of another mother and her daughter is here. That they stood protecting this land. There is an old man moving stuff at the front desk when the desk man isn't looking. There is no demons. No angels, either. There was a half dressed man with eagle feathers. He stood at motel signs shade. He glares to further distances. She makes stick figures of these people on the wall by the empty room. She uses appropriate colors for their clothing.

She finished her people drawing with a nod and looked at a car parking up. The car nearly didnt stop at all and had the engine reeves high gear as the key was taken out with force, the drive so mad of his business that he couldn't care less about the car or people of this motel complex. She packed her chalk and quietly goes back to her motel room. She slips back in and watched from the curtain. Two spirit folks came from the back of the car, they quickly moved to shade and weren't welcomed by the local spirit people. A pose was made and there was neutral ground. Watched but backed off. The living person in the car was on the phone. Throws the device to the dash board. He had sloppy clothes and flip-flops. He goes to the front desk and quickly in temper, storms to his own room.

A girl locked the door. She listened to the flip-flops that made that sticky slap. He was growls and moaned as he stomped past their door. He wasn't given the room next to them, but another door down from that. He unlocked the door and slams it open with force. He didn't wake mom up, but he is upsetting others. Even Abuela is watching from above the main office building. No one hears from him much from then, he only makes the off chance of walking to back boot of his car for items and slipping back to his motel room.

At the peak of the afternoon, mom stirs from sleep. She sits at a back window, smoking. Her daughter has already picked a few of her colouring books from the car and locked. The key returned back to the bed side. She stays in the cool air conditioning than being outside in the blistering hot. Yet it was clear she been outside already with chalk dust on everything. TV has been touched and turned off. The draws checked through. Everything that a child of her height will have been able to reach without help or climbing. The fact she is using her colouring books with whatever she could find was commendable. She did all this while her mother was asleep. There isn't anyone here, it's lonely enough for a long talk. Time to talk the basic educational things her duaghter has to follow, even if she isn't old enough for many of the glyphs, charms and prayer. To talk history of why her gifts were dangerous in both living and dead societies. The things this girl could see was often the manifestation of other people's protection.

How best to go about a very different conversation of life and death to a child. It is to do it in a way a child can follow structure. Her duaghter is a bright creative girl, the old label of stupid was long gone. This past 3 months, there been change in those eyes and hyperfocused attention that been ignored all this time. A lost girl that can see many worlds in the same frame but could see the flaw in the glass layers better than anyone else. Her mom has been blinded by family drama and problems. This was really a first time giving her daughter the deep attention and really seeing a person then a growing thing that doesn't think. Which was wrong, very wrong. Her mother has her time now to fix this. Yet there is somethings that are to late. The daughter has her own opinions now, not that she says them.

Needless to say, they were going to here at this motel for longer then 2 nights. The woman did paid work at the motel to pay for her stay with her daughter. Together in cleaning the rooms, a mother uses daily cleaning task to teach concept of souls. Who know that cleaning bathtubs was educational in explaining how soul status changes throughout its passing between worlds. In the evening as they ate food, paper is used to draw important symbols and the basic meanings they have.

Every evening they learn a new prayer or repeated important ones. Gestures that the daughter seen as welcome greetings by spirits. Having this time together has really shined the light for why her daughter struggles at school, how slow to do things correctly. It wasn't that the girl doesn't know the alphabet or how to sentences with punctuation. It isn't even wrong. Simply backward grama or muddled when grasping the concepts to long term memory. Repeating has corrected the mistakes and very soon she could stop herself making mistakes before she made them. This time has bonded them properly and had slightly changed the mother image. Yet there still frustrated times and it wasn't either thier faults.

Interrupted teaching from life problems. Like being told to clean rooms quickly or helping in the kitchen. Even the daughter was being taught cooking skills by the motel Abuela. It was always important to teach basic cooking and basic food things. Like what was safe to eat and not. Why it wasn't and what to look for.

By the end of 2 weeks, there was enough money to refill the car gas tank and that they needed to head to Grandpa's. It was that day they leave the motel for good. Packing the extra the lovely Spanish family has gifted the two of them. Especially a very old native American doll in a wood sealed case, the glass front allows viewing of the antique. It was forever clear that this doll wanted to be kept with the girl. That it case kept appearing at their door... when no one alive has moved it. Rather it was the native American that stood at the motel signs who kept gifting it. It seems very important that a little girl should keep it.

These past 2 weeks were hard wired into a little girl. Everything she learned from all those people, even the angry man two doors down. Everyone had taught her something. The two sons talked of managing. The grandmother abuela taught moral and cooking. The spirt old man at the desk taught complex math equations. The Native American taught her tracking, weather and bird types. The mother and daughter taught how to read people and consequences of actions. The meanie door downs indirectly taught her stealth and hiding. She got amazing at avoiding being seen, she simply melted in shadows. Forever was all these important things her mom taught her. Everything that the living do unaware and the spirit world concerns itself to. Even then, her mother doesn't know everything, couldn't answer everything her duaghter wondered. Yet it will make do in street credit, to avoid being swallowed by anxiety unimaginable by anyone else. To not let her own fear attack her, but to weaponized her thoughts when it matters.

As they depart from the motel, the illusion of the place fell apart. There was no one there alive in a storm damaged ruin. Even the mad business guy in crusty clothing and flip-flops was a spirit too. Her mother had to swallow her pride at just accepting that just happened. The creepy gifts they took from the place was proof that it really happened. That they stayed in a haunted abandoned place. Her mom drives shivering at the madness. Just how strong the other worlds become for their eyes. No normal person would have stayed there that long like they did.

"It will be our secret. We stayed at one of your online freinds place." Always a clever thinker for excuses that work. But it wouldn't fly with ex-cop Grandpa, "I bet the undertakers talked to grandpa already." Recall of potatoe night and the guests that spoke to him.

"Your right." Her mom can't fathom what to say to her father. Can't bring to world about why she broke friendships with her sister. There was even worry of even showing up. That problems will show, "We shouldn't stay long."

"But brother will be there. We should take him with us." Her mom sighed at how the isn't space for him in this car. Posed hamd away from the wheel of this point. Looking at that packed nature to spill of any other doors were to open, "I wish there was better ways to solve all our problems. At least not making it magically go away or selling anything for it." It was exactly those words that made a strange idea pass. Not only did it mean talking to some stranger online. It was to make something like magic happen. Solving some of these problems. But it still a worse idea to act on then just staying at her father's house or crazy mother. Having a sensitive seeing daughter. The odds are not in favor, but its a gamble to take.

The last to park up at her father's house. She stays in the car, smoking one last cigarette and really close to just driving away. She can't avoid it since someone opens the front door. Caught smoking red handed.

"You should wear your mask." A weirdo stuck their face through the window beside the little girl. It clearly thinks it's alive or is a living person with spirit detachment. A girl flicks salt from the seat pocket. The salt was avoided just barely in time, a single grain scratch the mask clay surface. Such cut begun to weep a black liquid and solidify as black crystal in the sight of the mask. Hand blocked further watching and glare of the disrespect of a child.