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31_days2010-05-03 06:17 pm
rosehiptea.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2010-05-03 06:17 pm
[May 3] [Original] A Story of Birds
Title: A Story of Birds
Day/Theme: May 3/The book of tales you knew by heart
Series: Original
Character/Pairing: Clara and Junie
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 559
The house is small and set far from the empty road, close to a small patch of green woods. White paint is flaking off the sides oh the house, and a calico cat hides beneath the porch. There is silence.
In the kitchen, which is lit only by a small window, stands a dark-haired girl about nine years old, carefully opening a can of pears. At her side is another girl, with a round face and dark curls, around three years old. She pulls on the older girl's pant leg.
"Clara, story," she says insistently.
Clara puts the can down and sits down at the kitchen table, pulling the little girl into her lap. "Alright, Junie."
"With birds," Junie says.
"Of course with birds," Clara agrees. She closes her eyes and begins. "Once there was a girl--"
"Named Junie?"
"No, named Cinderella. And she had a beautiful pet bird. Named Junie."
She pauses, trying to think about birds. Her mother used to tell this story to them, the real one, but her mother went to work and never came back. Clara has stopped expecting her, but she doesn't tell the truth to Junie. She just goes on with the story.
"And one day Cinderella went to the castle. The castle was full of beautiful white doves that would land on your shoulder. And Cinderella said to the queen, 'I want to be a princess.' But the queen told her, 'You can't be a princess. Your hands are red from scrubbing and your back is bent from cleaning.'"
Junie makes a small whimpering sound and Clara strokes her hair. Their babysitter, who was watching them while their mother worked, had left them when the news came on the television. It had talked about disease and quarantine. Clara hadn't understood it all. But she had never seen the babysitter or her mother again.
"And Cinderella called out to the fairies to help her. And they came, all beautiful with bird wings, with bluebirds and blackbirds and redbirds to help them."
"There's no such thing as a redbird," Junie protests.
"Of course there is! And the fairies gave Cinderella a brand new dress, and a coach, and then she could go to the ball. And the prince fell in love with her."
At first Clara had knocked on some of the neighbor's doors but no one had answered, and Junie grew tired of walking. So they came home, and Clara turned the television off to keep Junie calm. Eventually the electricity went out and it hadn't mattered anymore.
"And then what happened?" Junie asks.
"And then she lived happily ever after, of course," Clara says.
"And the birds too?"
"Of course the birds too," Clara reassures her.
She is worried that the food will run out eventually, so she always gives Junie more than she takes herself. At first she thought the police or social workers would come to help them, but the phone doesn't work anymore and all she can think is that it's the end of the world. And maybe it is. But she still has to take care of Junie.
"When will Mommy come home?" Junie asks.
"Soon," Clara lies. "And we have pears for our supper. I'll tell you a story while I finish. Once there was a beautiful princess who had a house full of birds..."
Day/Theme: May 3/The book of tales you knew by heart
Series: Original
Character/Pairing: Clara and Junie
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 559
The house is small and set far from the empty road, close to a small patch of green woods. White paint is flaking off the sides oh the house, and a calico cat hides beneath the porch. There is silence.
In the kitchen, which is lit only by a small window, stands a dark-haired girl about nine years old, carefully opening a can of pears. At her side is another girl, with a round face and dark curls, around three years old. She pulls on the older girl's pant leg.
"Clara, story," she says insistently.
Clara puts the can down and sits down at the kitchen table, pulling the little girl into her lap. "Alright, Junie."
"With birds," Junie says.
"Of course with birds," Clara agrees. She closes her eyes and begins. "Once there was a girl--"
"Named Junie?"
"No, named Cinderella. And she had a beautiful pet bird. Named Junie."
She pauses, trying to think about birds. Her mother used to tell this story to them, the real one, but her mother went to work and never came back. Clara has stopped expecting her, but she doesn't tell the truth to Junie. She just goes on with the story.
"And one day Cinderella went to the castle. The castle was full of beautiful white doves that would land on your shoulder. And Cinderella said to the queen, 'I want to be a princess.' But the queen told her, 'You can't be a princess. Your hands are red from scrubbing and your back is bent from cleaning.'"
Junie makes a small whimpering sound and Clara strokes her hair. Their babysitter, who was watching them while their mother worked, had left them when the news came on the television. It had talked about disease and quarantine. Clara hadn't understood it all. But she had never seen the babysitter or her mother again.
"And Cinderella called out to the fairies to help her. And they came, all beautiful with bird wings, with bluebirds and blackbirds and redbirds to help them."
"There's no such thing as a redbird," Junie protests.
"Of course there is! And the fairies gave Cinderella a brand new dress, and a coach, and then she could go to the ball. And the prince fell in love with her."
At first Clara had knocked on some of the neighbor's doors but no one had answered, and Junie grew tired of walking. So they came home, and Clara turned the television off to keep Junie calm. Eventually the electricity went out and it hadn't mattered anymore.
"And then what happened?" Junie asks.
"And then she lived happily ever after, of course," Clara says.
"And the birds too?"
"Of course the birds too," Clara reassures her.
She is worried that the food will run out eventually, so she always gives Junie more than she takes herself. At first she thought the police or social workers would come to help them, but the phone doesn't work anymore and all she can think is that it's the end of the world. And maybe it is. But she still has to take care of Junie.
"When will Mommy come home?" Junie asks.
"Soon," Clara lies. "And we have pears for our supper. I'll tell you a story while I finish. Once there was a beautiful princess who had a house full of birds..."