I was sitting on the window seat, my nose pressed flat against the glass. The leaves on the trees outside weren’t green anymore, but yellow and red and orange and brown. Mommy said that meant it was fall, and that winter and snow would be coming soon. But not yet. First the leaves had to fall off the trees. We had read a story yesterday about kids that would rake the leaves into big piles and then jump into them. Then we looked for some pictures and videos of that on the In-ter-net. It seemed like so much fun! I wanted to do that, too. But mommy said I wasn’t allowed to go out of the house.
“Sang!” Mommy called. “Sang, where are you? It’s math time now.” I stayed by the window. “Mommy, can we count leaves today?” I asked her. “They’re so pretty!” I heard mommy’s steps as she came up behind me and sighed. After a moment, she lunged for me, but I had felt the air shift so I just barely squirmed away. Mommy was a grown-up though. She was much faster than me and so she caught me pretty soon, hugging me close.
I fought. I wanted to stay at the window. That was my window! It was the most comfortable and you could see the whole forest from there. Mommy couldn’t take me away. That was not allowed. Mommy said you had to be fair and taking me from my window was not fair, so I told her so. She sighed but cuddled up next to the window so that she could hold me while I looked out.
A single brown leaf came fluttering down right in front of me. The leaves were falling! I clapped my hands and giggled in excitement. “Mommy, look, the leaves are falling! Can we go outside and rake them into a big pile and then jump into it? Just like those other kids? Please, mommy, please!”
Mommy sighed, and I knew she was shaking her head. “You would have to go outside for that. And you know you’re not allowed outside, Sang.” “But I’m a big girl now!” I protested. “I’m already five. That’s really big!” And just to show what an impressive number that was I held up my hand with its five fingers. “And I promise I’ll be really careful mommy. I’ll listen to all your rules and everything. And I’ll come right back inside when we’re done.” “No, Sang” Mommy says. “You can’t go out there. A little girl got kidnapped just yesterday when she was playing outside. You are not going to be the next one.” “I’ll take the frying pan with me when I go outside” I told mommy. “That way, when the bad man comes I can hit him and then run back inside.” “No.” Mommy snaps. “You are not going out there, Sang. You don’t understand yet that the world out there is a dangerous place for little girls like you.” “But I’m not little!” I protest, wriggling out of her arms. “I’m big!” And I stand up tall to show her just how big I am. “It’s a dangerous place for big girls, too, Sang.” Mommy says. “And you are not going out there. Not now. Not ever. Stop asking. It’s math time now.” She walks back to the learning table.
“But you go out there” I complain. “Why can’t I come with?” “I went out there and I got hurt, Sang. It’s better that it’ll be me instead of you the next time. You will stay in this house and stay innocent.” “What’s in-no-cent?” I ask, testing out the new word. “We can look it up in the dictionary after you finish your math, Sang, all right?” “But I want to go outside!” I’m crying right now. “Nothing is fun in here. And all the other girls get to go outside! I saw some kids playing on the street yesterday and nothing happened to them! Their mommies where happy that they were playing together and making friends! They said so; I saw their mouths move! I want to go outside, I want to go outside, I WANT TO GO OUTSIDE!!!”
Mommy slapped me.
“Sang Sorenson, don’t you EVER say that AGAIN! You will get that idea out of your head right now and then sit down at the learning table like a good little girl and learn some math!” I didn’t move, just stared at her in shock and softly touched my stinging cheek. “I mean it!”
I sat down at the learning table and sulked throughout the whole lesson. I didn’t learn a thing. Mommy was so mean! Why couldn’t I just go outside? I knew all the other kids did it, I had seen them. Mommy had seen them, too, but she still wouldn’t let me go.
When Mommy finally got up to go find the dictionary I wandered back into the kitchen. Getting my step and climbing onto the counter, I got the bottle and poured myself a glass. Then, turning to look out the window and watch the pretty leaves float by, I drank it all.
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YOU ARE READING
O brave new world
FanfictionA fan fiction based on C.L. Stone's Ghost Bird series. What would have happened if Sang's mother didn't die... I have stopped writing this, but my notes are at the end.
