The Girl on the Dock: A Dark Fairy Tale

One

Petra awoke with the early sunlight streaming through the tatters of her curtains, painting golden patterns over the bed and the dingy, mostly bare walls. For the moment, the golden sun-patterns transformed the room into something quiet and cheerful. It made Petra just a little sad as she laid in her bed, blinking slowly, her dark hair spread haphazardly over her pillow, because she knew it wasn't a true picture. Still, it was nice in the moment. In the moment, before the unpleasant bustle of the morning began, she tried to enjoy it.

There were quiet footsteps outside her not-quite-closed bedroom door. A shadow moved in the dimness of the hall. Petra smiled very slightly.

"Petra," a girl's voice whispered. "I left Beatrice in your room. Can I come get her?"

Petra sighed and rolled over, raising herself onto her elbow. "Yes, come in. Be quiet, though."

"I know," the girl replied, still whispering. She pushed the door open slowly, trying to prevent it from creaking but creaking it all the more. Petra's sad smile grew a bit wider as she watched. The younger girl had golden hair and pale features, despite her suntanned cheeks and nose. Slowly, she crept into the room, scanning the floor, her eyes serious. Doll's clothes were scattered on the bare floorboards at the foot of the bed. The girl spied something and her eyes widened. She ducked, disappearing behind the footboard and reappearing a moment later with a small, bedraggled doll clutched to her chest.

"I was worried about her," the girl whispered, glancing down at the doll in her arms. "She doesn't like being by herself at night. She wants to sleep with me. I forgot her after we were done playing last night, but I tried to send her happy thoughts, because I couldn't come back for her after nights out. I told her in my thoughts that she'd be all right and not to be afraid and that I'd come for her in the morning. It worked, too, see? She's still happy." The girl turned the doll around, showing Petra the big stitched smile on the doll's face.

Petra nodded, amused. "She's happy because her mama loves her so much. What's she have to worry about? Better get her back to your room before your mother hears you, though. If she knows we're up already..."

"I can be real quiet," the girl stated gravely. "Watch."

With exaggerated care, the girl began to creep back out of the room, raising her feet as if she were stepping over landmines. Petra couldn't help grinning at her. At the door, the girl stopped and turned back. "Tonight again, Petra? Before nights out? You be Astra this time and Mr. Bobkins can be Treus. I'll be the Marsh Hag, 'kay?"

Petra shook her head, more in amusement than negation. "Don't you ever get tired of that story, Iz?"

The girl shook her own head vigorously. "Before nights out," she said again, making Petra promise. A moment later she was gone, and she was, indeed, remarkably quiet as she crept back to her bedroom. From below, Petra could hear clankings and mutterings from the kitchen. It wouldn't be long before Phyllis would call up for Petra and Izzy, hollering the beginning of the day. If that happened, things would start badly.