ᴅᴀɴᴅᴇʟɪᴏɴꜱ ( 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 )

ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴜᴇʟ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ

OPHELIA DARLING sighed as she glanced at the canvas. She put her light brown hair in a ponytail and tied a baby blue ribbon. Her soft blue eyes flicked to her paint palette, seeing all of her colours. She dipped her paintbrush in a bright yellow colour and then started painting. Soon, what looked like random colours placed on the white canvas, started to form a beautiful image of a sunset. 

She painted, with a very focused expression on her face. Soon, her pink lips broke out into a smile, seeing her finished product. She glanced outside her window, seeing that the sun had already started to set. The painting and the sunset looked almost identical. She frowned taking her hair out of the ponytail. Something seemed missing, yet she couldn't decide what it was.

"Lia," Her mother called from downstairs.

"Coming," Ophelia called hurriedly cleaning the paint that had spilt. She quickly ran down the stairs. 

Ophelia looked a lot like her mother. They had the same coloured hair and the same pretty smile. Her mother's brown eyes twinkled seeing her daughter. 

"The Council of elders have called us for a town meeting," Ophelia's mother said opening the door and Ophelia followed her out.

"What is it for?" Ophelia asked curiously.

"Apparently, we have some orphans coming to the village." Her mother said, holding her daughter's hand.

"Orphans?" Ophelia questioned.

"It takes a village to raise a child." Her mother quoted. 

"What does that mean?"

"Honey," Her mother chuckled. "The whole village will look after the orphans. I suppose you know what an aphorism is."

"Of course mum," Ophelia said eagerly. "An aphorism is a phrase that can sound mysterious, but is very wise."

"Right, you are honey." The mother-daughter duo approached a small building. They could see a number of buildings of different heights and widths, separated by streets both narrow and wide, and the Ophelia could even see the tall skinny shapes of lampposts and flagpoles stretching out toward the sky. But everything Ophelia saw — from the tip of the highest building to the curve of the narrowest street — was pitch black. Being an artist who loved vibrant colours, her hometown was not very appealing to her.

The town was covered in crows. Nearly every inch of nearly every object had a large black bird roosting on it. There were crows sitting on the roofs of all the buildings, perching on the windowsills, and squatting on the steps and on the sidewalks. Which Ophelia deemed fit as the village was named the Village of Fowl Devotees.  Many people walked inside shoving and pushing past Ophelia. She took her seat, next to her mom, wondering who the orphans were. As the Council took their seats on the platform that was raised slightly higher, they waited. Soon enough, three children entered.

A pretty girl wearing a baby blue dress, with some dark blue patterns was the first one that caught Ophelia's eye. Her blue eyes looked like a lovely shade of blue and her dark brown hair, cascaded perfectly behind her shoulders. The girl's eyes reminded Ophelia of the ocean. She was carrying a toddler, who had hidden her face with her hand. The baby was dressed in a cute dress with interesting patterns. There was a boy next to the girl, who wore glasses. He looked very intelligent. His nervous eyes flickered to Ophelia, and she gave him a reassuring smile. He gave a tiny smile back, before settling in his nervous expression.

"The Council of Elders calls this special town meeting to order. Hello, my dears." Elder Anabelle said. Ophelia had always found her a funny little woman. Her fashion, with the pointed black hat and the black clothes, reminded Ophelia of witches that she had read.

"We're pleased you made it." Elder Jemma said. Her blonde hair against her black clothes made her skin appear paler than it was. The funny hat on her head did nothing to help. 

"Step onto the platform so your Elders can get a good look at you." Elder Sam said. He looked very old, with grey hair and glasses.  The black hat did not cover his grey hair, and he had a serious expression on his face -- making his wrinkles more prominent.

"Hello, I'm Violet..." The girl started as she and the others stepped on the platform.