"You don't hate me?" Mabel asked. There was no way George didn't look at her differently. Not when everyone else would.
George shook his head. "I don't. Even if I tried, I can't. I mean, the whole time I've known you, you've taught me how to love b...
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*~~~~~~~~~~*
"Mabel!" Mrs. Abbott yelled. Mrs. Abbott had a perfect view of the edge of the woods as she stood on her open porch. She stood on her toes as she tried to peer into the trees. "Mabel!!"
Stillness replied to Florence Abbott.
She huffed and stomped inside her cottage.
"Where is your daughter, Brooks?" Mrs. Abbott asked her husband.
Mr. Abbott looked up from his book. "Hannah is upstairs, is she not?"
"Other daughter," Florence sighed.
Florence would never admit it, but the woods scared her. The way that the eerie night swirled around towering trees and the crawling sensation on the back of her neck caused by the knowledge of creatures surrounding her always disturbed her. Thankfully, her husband caught on to the way she crossed her arms in front of her body and how her shoulders sank into her chest.
"I'll go get her." Brooks Abbott stood from his sofa and placed his book on the stand next to him. He kissed his wife's cheek before he walked outside and into the woods. "Mabel!!" He yelled while exploring the woods.
His eldest daughter had a skill for wandering—no matter where or when she always wandered. Because of this, Florence suggested they get her a muggle child harness to prevent her from going too far, and so they did. However, it was harder to keep her close to them when they were back home—making it almost a daily ritual to explore the woods for their curious daughter.
"Mabel!!" He yelled once more.
"Daddy! Daddy! Look what I found," Mabel's voice was high from excitement.
Brooks turned around. He jumped as Mabel appeared by his side. Her dark hair was held by loose plaits as if she had an adventure, and the knees of her trousers were covered in mud, proving it.
"Look," Mabel whispered as she held up a snake. The snake's brown body wrapped around her tiny arm. "Isn't he pretty? I think he's a grass snake." Her eyes were big and round as she looked at the snake with pure love and admiration.
"He's a big one," Her dad said. He knelt to get a closer look at the creature.
"Can I keep him?"
"Not this time—"
"Please, Dad? I'll keep real good care of him. I can do it!" The child said.
"I know, but your mother would kick us out of the house if we had a pet snake," Brooks chuckled.
"Please?"
"Sorry, Bellybutton, not today." He patted her head. "Go release him."
"Fine," Mabel grumbled. She dropped to her knees and held out the arm that possessed the snake. "Be free, little guy." Although she said this, the snake was not little. It actually took over her whole arm. And the snake seemed to like where it was as it did not move. "I guess that means we get to keep him." She stood up.
