The creaks had become familiar to me over the years, after all, I was born in the old townhouse.
I knew the restless clanging of pipes, the times they went off and settled. I knew the sharp noise and sigh of the planks when someone stepped on the stairs, and the soft whine of the kitchen door when opened too quickly.
I had heard the kitchen door and stairs every night for the past few days in my sleep. I would toss and turn, weakly open my eyes and notice Cedric's empty bed before sleep pulled me back in.
In the morning, there would be something resting on the kitchen table: a loaf of sourdough bread wrapped in a cloth, potatoes in a sack, sardine tins stacked neatly in a corner. Mama noticed too and said nothing but she was happy, humming as she cooked.
Cedric was quieter, his head lowered whenever we ate. Mama and I would chat and ask him questions but we got grunts as his response. He left before dawn for the forge and returned long after dark, after mama had gone to bed, with soot clinging to his clothes and exhaustion in his eyes. He and I did not talk and play like we used to.
That night, I waited for him. The sharp noise of the stairs woke me. He paused outside our room, then quietly eased the door open and I closed my eyes at once.
The moonlight through the thin curtains showed me what he had been hiding. He had fresh bruises on his face and knuckles and walked with a limp. He tore off his clothes and fell atop the blanket, one arm over his eyes and the snores followed.
I watched him for a long moment, and then slept off again.
Mama's voice woke me up. Cedric was no longer in bed. I slipped from my bed and crossed the room to his side where his coat was hung on a chair.
Something jingled inside the coat. I dug inside and touched coins, more than I'd ever seen, and a scratched silver pocket watch. I pulled my hand away as though they burned.
Mama called my name from the kitchen. I dressed up and ran downstairs.
Cedric was just leaving the house, without a glance in my direction.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "patent lie".
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