Royal SMP

The Curse Of The Lily Pad Road

A rush of autumn wind danced through the color changing trees. Laughter rode on it, twisting and turning in the air. A moss covered stone pathway led to a tiny wooden cottage hidden amongst the forest, a window cracked ajar. The source of the laughter sat at the kitchen table beside the window. A young man, his eyes crinkled in laughter and a little girl, her head thrown back in a fit of giggles. The house was small, but it was perfect for the two of them. For as long as Emoly had known it had been just her and her big brother. And she was fine with that, in her eyes it was perfect. When their laughter had lulled he got up and smiled, clearing away their breakfast plates. Emoly sat in her chair silently, as her brother washed the dishes humming a simple tune. He walked to the door and pulled on his rain boots. He looked back at her with a smile,

"You coming?" Emoly jumped up from her chair and ran over to the door. She sat on the ground as she pulled on her cherry red boots, and he waited, because that's what he always did. They left the house hand in hand listening to the wind rustle the leaves, picking a few up every now and then and waltzing with them through the air. Neither said a word, because neither had too. They had a special connection, people often thought they could read each other's minds with how in sync they moved and acted, never having a word pass between the two. She kicked the muddy dirt road, an effect of the rain storm that had happened the night before. The dirt road twisted and turned until it met a small pond. Lily pads grew in a zigzag line across the pond, as if a road in it's own. So that's what they called it, the Lilypad Road. They walked to the pond and Emoly skidded down to the bank, tripping on a rock and falling, her face landing in the mud. She peeled herself up from the ground and looked up at her big brother with tears in her eyes. But he smiled and rolled down the bank himself. He rolled into her, mud covering him from head to toe and they laughed. They laid like that on the bank of the pond covered in mud for a while, staring at the sky pointing out oddly shaped clouds to each other. They headed home after their stomachs began to growl, and rain started to pour from the sky.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" He yelled over his shoulder, already running. She shouted after him,

"Hey, that's not fair!" He turned around for a second and stuck his tongue out at her, before sprinting away. But he slowed down as the house came into view, and he let her win, because that's what he always did. They entered the house covered in mud and soaked to the bone. They peeled off their rain boots and changed into clean dry clothes before heading into the kitchen/living room. Emoly sat on the couch and curled underneath her. Brother smiled at her and threw a few logs into the fireplace and struck a match. The fire flickered and sent a pleasant warmth through the house, warming their bodies that were still cold from the rain. Together they made soup on the fire and ate in silence. He sat at the grand piano they both shared and plunked out a quiet song, his gentle voice leading her into a deep sleep.

~

Emoly didn't know when life had changed, or what set it off. But there was hardly ever laughter in the house, and he often visited the Lily Pad Road by himself. She found herself making breakfast, lunch and dinner as he sat staring into space with a frown on his face. He stopped speaking and soon she did too. The silence wasn't comfortable as it had once been. Even with flowers peeking out of the ground and birds chirping the house felt dark, cold and empty. She filled the house with music, her fingers danced over the keys of the piano, it only brought a tiny shred of light.

He stopped visiting the Lily Pad Road, sitting on the couch hardly moving. She didn't know what to do, so she didn't do much of anything at all. She cooked, she read, she ate, she made sure he ate, she went for short walks, not wanting to leave him alone for too long, and she slept.

One day she was awoken by humming coming from the kitchen. She jumped out of bed and ran to the source of the noise. Her brother stood at the kitchen counter making pancake batter from scratch. She stood frozen in the doorway, afraid to move, to speak, she didn't want to wake up from what she was sure was a dream. He turned around and their eyes met, tears fell from her eyes and she ran to him wrapping her arms around his waist. He peeled her off and crouched down in front of her, his hands a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay," She started sobbing and fell against him, her arms wrapped around his neck. He embraced her, "I'm here, I'm right here. I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm not going anywhere."

What a lie that turned out to be.

Emoly opened her eyes and walked into the empty kitchen. He wasn't there, but that didn't bother her, they had stayed up late the night before looking at the stars, making up stories about the constellations. So she made breakfast, and set the table. When she was done she went to wake him up, but he was gone. His closet was open and void of most of his clothes. She ran to the door, his boots were gone, she didn't bother putting on shoes and ran outside. He's just at the Lily Pad Road, he has to be. Her feet hit the road in a pattern, she didn't care about the rocks stabbing her feet or the way the clouds looked gray and angry. She came to a stop at the bank of the pond, but he wasn't there. She tried to scream but couldn't find her voice, her throat closing up in fear. Rain started slowly falling from the sky, coming down progressively faster and faster, as if mother nature could feel her pain. She sank to the ground, her own tears hidden by the rain as it hit her face. A part of her knew he wasn't coming back, but a bigger part of her told her that he wouldn't leave her. So she got up and trudged back down the road. The house felt cold and lifeless as she sat at the kitchen table, eyes on the door. She waited and she watched. She waited all day, not bothering to eat, or get up. She must have fallen asleep because she woke up the next morning to birds chirping and the spring sun shining in the sky, the world was mocking her. Dejectedly she ate the breakfast she had prepared the day before and she waited again. Her waiting turned into days, into weeks, into a month. Until she couldn't wait anymore, until she had given up hope of him ever returning. So she packed a bag and left the house, and all the memories that lived in it. Once again her bright red boots kicked at the dirt of the road, but this time she didn't smile. She came to the pond and stopped. She took a deep breath, a few tears fell down her cheek and stepped further than she had ever gone alone. She broke their promise, but he did too. Never go past the Lily Pad Road on your own. She took one look at the road that led to her house before setting off to wherever her feet would take her. After all, a house isn't a home. Her brother was at her home, he was gone and he wasn't coming back. So what reason did she have to stay?

*Sniff* I'm not crying. No I'm not, you are!