Finding Home

Family

" Emerald, please do be careful with those plates dear," Mother called earnestly. I smiled as I watched my older sisters and Mother rushing around to set the table for teatime. I slowly reached for our finest tableware and fingered the elegant patterns of the china plates, which swirled around beautifully like icing on a cake. "Sapphire, please hurry, Father will be here soon," Fiona whispered as she brushed past me. Quickly dashing back into reality, I jumped up and whirled around the room, pulling out sweet, delicious treats from the pantry. 

Eventually, I collapsed onto our sofa in the living room and Emerald sat beside me. Emerald is my fabulous twin sister, she is smart and quiet but also the first one to stand up for me when anyone dares to bully me at school. However, she is just one minute older than me so it makes me the youngest of the family. We are both 12 and even though Emerald is my life partner, my ultimate favourite sister would have to be Fiona who is 15. She is the most  beautiful and graceful girl that I have ever seen. She has a heart larger than blue whale and is the daughter of Mother Earth. Her ability to charm animals and put them under her wondrous spell of love is the most amazing sight a human could experience in their lifetime. Her art skills are meticulous and she spends most of her time outdoors sketching intricate designs of flowers and trees. My oldest sister, Sarah, is 18 and she is my second mother. A wonderful chef whose pastime is spent experimenting dishes in the kitchen, it is no surprise that she makes most of our meals. Always telling off me and Emerald when we are cheeky but understanding when we are melancholy and helping us through the ladder of life, Sarah is all I ever needed. 

As I wandered off into a fantasy land of conquering magical beasts and having to escape trapped castles with my sisters, Sarah entered, looking exhausted from making the huge welcome dinner for Father, who was coming home in a couple of hours after his business trip which required him  to travel the world for a year. Mother and Sarah had worked to a great extent to make sure Father would come home to a huge party. My heart was bursting with excitement to see Father's smiling lips and his large, sparkling eyes enter through our front door and to brighten up our household once again. 

"My dear Sapphire, please complete some of your school work while you wait so you can enjoy your time with Father freely," Sarah suggested. Sighing but understanding that it would be the best for me, I dragged my arithmetic book from my bag and settled on our desk, trying to comprehend long division. My head hurt as all the numbers fumbled around in my brain, aching terribly. Emerald appeared behind me and gave me a comforting glance before seating herself next to me and slowly went through the questions. Suddenly, everything clicked into place and I hugged her. "Oh my sweet Emerald what an intelligent wonder you are. Thank you dearly," I exclaimed. She looked at me sweetly and replied," I would do anything for you." She patiently waited beside me as I pondered over the next few questions. Just as I was about to ask Emerald another query of mine, the doorbell rang. Me and Emerald sprang out of our chairs and we dashed into the corridor to meet Fiona, Sarah and Mother opening the door. 

Screaming and jumping excitedly, I clung onto Fiona's dress and Father's broad grin emerged from the other side of the door. He laughed as hugs from every direction encompassed him. After finally settling down on the dinner table, Sarah  brought all the letters that had been addressed to him and placed them beside him. 

Mother brought in the luscious bean soup and bread as well as a mutton stew. Eying them hungrily, I devoured them all hungrily and Emerald laughed as she said," Careful Sapphire!" Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I looked at Father, waiting for him to open the letters and discover their hidden secrets. As Father opened the first envelope, his eyes darted from side to side of the page, his fingers trembled and his face dropped. He seemed as if he wanted to rip the piece of paper apart and never even catch a glimpse of it again. 

Fiona and Mother worriedly ran around to comfort Father and see what was causing him such great pain while Sarah squeezed my shoulder to reassure me. Emerald's eyes seemed to water and Sarah gave her a soft hug to put her at ease. Mother read out the letter in a frightened voice, "Dear James Hayes, We would like to inform you that you have been selected to come to war against Germany as you are of age. It is compulsory that you fight to serve your nation. I hope to see you soon."

Emerald burst into a waterfall. Fiona collapsed. Sarah gripped onto a chair to maintain balance. Mother fainted. Father stared.

My mind had only one thought plastered across it: Father was going into war...