Your Trail of Blood in the Snow

Chapter 11 (Ron and Richie)

"Where's Dad? I haven't seen Larry either, did they go out?" Richie asked Ron. She was sitting on a small stool that Larry, with his own hands, had made for her.

Ron wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes. Montimer, her father, had just come out and told him not to mention anything to her brother about what had happened... nothing.

She turned her gaze to her younger brother, who was standing in the doorway of the room, gripping the edge of the wall with one of his hands. She loved him too much to overwhelm him with such painful things.

"They're out... I don't think they'll be here for a few hours," Ron replied with difficulty.

"Were you crying, Ron? Because it looked like you were crying. Are you in pain, sis?

Richie moved closer to his sister who was sitting, unable to move from there. She thought that if she did so her legs would give out from the trembling she was suffering and she would fall face first to the floor. It would worry her little brother a lot.

"It's nothing, Richie... don't worry."

"Are you sure? I can ask Larry..."

"No! No! It's not necessary!" Ron exclaimed. She was a little startled and her heart fluttered just hearing her father's name in her brother's sweet voice.

Richie approached his sister. He wanted to comfort her; he knew her too well to ignore the tears she wiped away with the back of her hands. Ron, who watched with a hint of regret wanted to get up from the stool, but stood still when Richie opened his arms to give her a hug.

"It'll pass," Richie said in a warm, mellifluous voice. "It'll pass."

For him those words were magic, words that had a deep meaning because Montimer always said them to him, it will pass, honey, it will pass, and then it would pass, the pain would pass as if carried away by the wind, as if his father was the lord and master of that feeling and with only his desire he would exterminate it. He wanted to do the same with his sister but he saw that it rather made things worse because Ron hugged him tightly, squeezed him clinging to him as if he was going to escape never to return. "It'll pass," and it wasn't passing because Ron, the beautiful little mouse, his sister, placed her face on her brother's shoulder. "Ronnie, it will pass," but it wasn't passing yet; it was going from bad to worse, his sister was now sobbing on his shoulders as he hugged her.

Richie was about to give in to tears, when his sister stopped hugging him. Then he knew the magic words worked, for his sister was now smiling, smiling and happy. Admittedly her eyes were wet and her breathing was choppy, but she was smiling at him and he returned that smile.

"I'm fine," said Ron, "I'm fine. As you say, it will pass soon." That's what she wanted to believe, that's what she forced herself to believe, but she wasn't sure. Larry, her dad wasn't with her, Montimer wasn't there to comfort her either, but her little brother Richie was there, in front of her.

"Beep! Beep! Richie!" Ronnie touched his brother's trembling, wet nose with his index finger.

"Ping! Ping! Ronnie!" Richie smiled and hugged her sister more.

"What do you want to play?" asked Ronnie, wiping her tears with her knuckles.

Richie walked away relieved and looked up at the roof.

"Mmmm... I want to play at flying!" Richie exclaimed happily, pointing upwards with his little hands.

Ronnie saw it.

"It's okay... but remember what happened last time.

"If I fall, I won't cry. I am bigger and stronger than before."