The Crack In The Perfect House - Part 1
“It’s time for you to wake up, you little sloth!”
The sound of a dragon woke me up. Oh no! It was my mother. Again.
My pyjamas dripped with water as the alarm kept shrieking frantically. Why do we have to wake up so early in the morning?
“Because you have school,” my mother’s voice banged into my ears — loud and authoritative.
Her answer felt alarming, almost as if she could read my thoughts. Or maybe the pattern had just become obvious. Either way, I had to force my eyes open… or she would!
“You promised you’d wake up on your own.” She sounded disappointed.
It wasn’t her fault. I did promise her. In fact, I promise her every day. But this time, it’s different.
“I promise, Mom. Tomorrow I’ll wake up at exactly five o’clock. Or even five minutes earlier. I’m growing tired of the water treatment.”
She almost smiled. Then it dropped, and a sigh lifted her bangs.
“Tomorrow is Saturday… but I appreciate the enthusiasm. Thanks for the idea, Nico. From now on, you’re waking up at five o’clock every day.”
With that, she picked up the alarm and reset it.
This is not fair at all. Why should I wake up at five o’clock on weekends? To do what? And what’s up with me? Haven’t I looked at the calendar? How did I not know it was Friday?
Question after question rolled through my head as I looked at the calendar. January.
January? I hadn’t changed it. Thank God my mother didn’t notice.
“One more thing, Nico your room is messy. Perhaps you could clean it on Saturday by waking up early.”
I sighed in relief as she closed the door.
She hadn’t noticed it. Or so I thought.
I walked over to the calendar to change it and noticed a note written below:
“Change the calendar. Before I mention it again.”
I slapped my forehead. Nothing escapes her.
After changing the calendar, I took a cold shower. It was all I needed to wash away the tiredness from staying up late doing homework.
Yet something kept nagging at me. Not just exhaustion — something heavier.
I wasn’t the person I used to be.
And somehow… I think that disappointed my mom more than it did me.
As the soap slid down my arms, my thoughts drifted, slipping further and further away from me.
At last, I stepped out of the shower, freezing and trembling. My teeth chattered as I rubbed my hair dry. Just then, my eyes fell on a crack in the perfect, smooth wall. Not too big. I was sure it hadn’t been there before.
I ignored it as I heard my mother screaming my name from the kitchen.
I quickly got ready and headed downstairs. I didn’t know what she would say this time, and it was better that way.
As usual, nothing new was said. Climbing the stairs had drained my energy, so I just lay in bed with a book in hand, passing the time until my mother called me again for breakfast.
Eventually, my mother called me for breakfast. It was another mundane morning, the same as always. After eating, I trudged off to school, my backpack weighing me down more than usual. All along the trip, something kept nagging in the back of my mind. Perhaps it could be the tiny crack. Or perhaps not.
It was a great day. All the teachers praised me for my timely work, and the best part? I’d proved my academic rival wrong for the tenth time in a row. The way she shot me a glance and quietly sat down was so vivid. My smirk was the cherry on top—sweet and satisfying. Even now, I can’t stop grinning. I may be a bit arrogant. But who cares. It’s all fun and winning that matters.
Nothing could stop me from having fun. Even in my perfectly ordered house, with gardens trimmed to perfection and windows opened to let in morning light. It was all my mother’s desire —to be perfect. But I say, you need a bit of imperfection. And that imperfection in her life… was me.
I swung open the perfect door with a bit of enthusiasm and it banged against the wall. Shoot.
“WHO WAS IT?” My dragon. no, my mother. Wrong, it is the dragon.
“Mom? Hehe…” I smiled hesitantly as her shout pierced my eardrum — ouch!
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to…” I tried to scream in response, but she ordered me to come.
“Nico, come to your room!”
I obeyed. My hands were wet with sweat, legs shaking as I wiped invisible dust from my uniform. Being seen imperfect now… is a real con.
“Nico, was it you who cracked the wall?”
Huh? My eyes shot up. What crack? The crack.
“Where, Mom?” I asked innocently.
She pointed to the same spot I had noticed — only slightly bigger.
I stared at her, puzzled. I vividly remembered it being the size of our thumbnail. But now… it’s the size of a hand. Like someone had kicked it or thrown a ball. Now I understand why my mother is staring at me with her brows arched.
“It wasn’t me, Mother. I swear.” She still doesn’t believe me. How could she, when the crack looks like it was kicked in anger? Of course… I’m exactly the kind of troublemaker she’d suspect.
“You have to believe me. I’d never do such a thing to turn the house into imperfection” she looked at me even weirdly.
“I believe you, because you weren’t the one who banged the door earlier. Right?” she smirked.
Ok. That was me. But still, she has to believe me.
Or I don’t care if she doesn’t .
“ I don’t know. I only saw it in the morning. Could be some bug”
“Hmm.... Well, I’ll tell your dad about it. Until then, you better not touch the wall.”
Much better than having my ears blown. Still, it’s ridiculous. How can she not believe her own son? And how did this crack even grow? I’ll just leave that one for Dad to figure out.
I stretched out on my bed, letting the warm blanket hug me. A short nap, and my victorious self would be ready to face the rest of the day. The crack on the wall danced at the edge of my thoughts — tiny, harmless… for now.
Suddenly, the crack wasn’t small anymore. It had grown to the size of a head. And a disturbing sound whispered through. I looked closer, staring intently at it without blinking. The shadows shifted and through the hole came a huge creature, scratching my nose. I fell back with a loud thud.
“Argh!” Pain shot through my back and arms. My eyes flew open.
Rubbing my arms, I glanced at the wall. The crack... I don’t know if it’s my sleepy brain imagining things or reality. But the crack is the size of a head.