Excerpt from House of Greed

Written by Nevin Tuna Erönde

The Eternal Fog in the House of Greed.

As a kid in the Old House, I always looked forward to the change of the seasons in the Magical Garden with the Delicious Apple Trees and the Pirate Ship Tree.

In December, I would look forward to the first snow.

In Spring, I would look forward to the tulips and daffodils blooming with their vibrant colors. I would look forward to the sound of bees buzzing around the flowers. The Sun would cast its bright arrows in all directions in the open blue sky. The air would still feel a bit chilly, especially in the mornings.

In June, I would look forward to more play in the garden, where everything is lush and green. And I would look forward to the Summer vacation when we would go camping in Türkiye somewhere with a nice beach.

In September, I would look forward to how the mood in the Big Garden would change colors. The slowing down. The mellow mood of nature. Like nature, I would also be more introspective and dreamy. And I would plan and daydream about all my adventures during the dark nights of the cozy winter months.

When I was 10 years old, we moved into a basement apartment of a grandiose old villa. I remember it was in November. This was also the year the seasons stopped changing for me. I remember looking out the window at the new garden. It was smaller. And it was a big lawn surrounded by a few trees. It didn’t have the liveliness, the wonder, and mystery of the Big Garden. The new garden was embraced in a gray, static, dense fog. It felt like a friendly warm hug that you never asked for, and that never left you. They always say that fog dissolves at dawn, at the first ray of light. Not here. In this house, the fog never lifted. It held its firm grip on me for years. It was always November.