LOST&FOUND IN QUAIL LAND

Chapter 1
In the Middle of Nowhere

I feel the drops of my sweat and the heat, thinking only of water, as I walk through the bushes and the high grass. There is only silence, but for the sound of my breath and the wiregrass, very narrow leafed wiry grass quite long. I make my way through the dry, tall grass, carrying a somewhat heavy, round tote; I suddenly standstill. Am I hallucinating? I thought. Is it a mirage one would only find if one were lost in a desert for days, without water as, with the sun hitting beat down? I'm still thinking in despair. The heat dried every drop of sweat from my body.
I blink and blink, realizing it is a house surrounded by grass. It’s not my imagination, I thought in relief. I stopped, looking at the details. It looks gorgeous; a porch with large white columns made a fence supporting a nice roof over it. The unkempt yard and ivy covering part of the walls led me to believe no one lived in the house and no one was living there. As I get closer to the steps, I notice weeds everywhere and the paint peeling. I slowly continued to walk up the four steps and found myself on the porch. I look through a window, trying to get a glance on the inside. I couldn't see much besides furniture and rugs because of the curtains but managed to see some. By common instinct, I pulled the chain hanging from a bell by the door and said out loud, "Hello!" I tried to open the door after no one answered. I couldn't open it. I walked to the other three windows; there were three windows by the porch; I found one unlocked by the left-side extension of the porch and let myself inside.
Besides the layers of dust and spider webs, everything looks nicely placed, some spider webs. I remember being so thirsty, hungry, and exhausted, starving. I didn't have the strength to look at anything else; I walked directly to the kitchen and opened the water faucet at the sink., To my disbelief, I hear the sound like that of a waterfall, a glorious sound, making you feel the freshness of water mist and think of spring., At first, the water was brown, but it came out clean as I let it run. I'm drinking enough to calm my thirst. Nothing like water to settle one's thirst, I thought. I then opened the door to the wooden kitchen pantry, which was big enough to fit a bed. Surprisingly the pantry stored cans, soups, vegetables, tuna, meat, flour, sugar, and salt, nicely organized and very dusty. At this point, I can think of anything else but invite myself to a feast, setting the table; fortunately, there were table cloths, kitchen towels, silverware, and lovely china. After eating beans, vegetables, and meat from the cans, "I better wash my plate and put things where they belonged," I said out loud.
I try to turn the light on, but there seems to be no electricity. The refrigerator door was left open, obviously intentionally, as if the last person living in the house was planning to stay out for some time. I make my way to check the breakers box. So far, it feels I'm living a hallucination, or maybe the heat was getting to me. There is power! I thought, astounded by the cranking sound, like a car that wouldn't start, of what appeared to be the Air-Conditioning trying to kick on. I'm slowly making my way through the living room, dining room, and office room with books, nice chairs, an ottoman, and windows overlooking the trees. I could gratefully and to my content, see the lime trees, shrubs, grasses, and other flowering wild plants.
I continued my way through the three remaining rooms; each one had a full bed, nightstands, chairs, and empty closets, but one had a man's clothes—, casual clothes, working clothes, and shirts for a medium-sized man. I decided to lay down in one of the other rooms, didn't bother to take my sneakers off, and stared at the chandelier hanging from the roof. My eyes closed.
I was startled awake by a constant hitting noise coming from the roof, something banging. I couldn't tell how long I had slept. I took a look at myself in the mirror; a shower is in order I thought, by my appearance. So, "into the shower, it is," I said softly. It feels good, so good, I thought. I took clothes out of the round pack I carried with me, my things, I will assume. Loose, comfortable pants—, I seemed to feel comfortable in loose clothes. I got a sense of freedom to move and to breathe, same as my shirt was flexible as well and a larger size. I found a pair of worn-out loafers in the bag. I pulled my hair up, wishing it were short. A ponytail would do. I set to dusting and cleaning up work. I listened to birds chirping, the noise in the roof had stopped, and there was some a hot breeze and the whistling sound of leaves.
By the end of the day, I had only dusted and cleaned the living room and the dining room. Looking at my day's work, I was astonished to have found this house with the classy decor in the middle of nowhere with such a tasteful décor. However, the furniture was heavy but of good quality and design. The cozy, laid-back, Royal blue sofa caught my eye.