Only Emptiness Remains

This Used To Be My Playground

After spending what felt like hours baking that replacement batch of muffins with Theodore, Eleanor finally arrived home that night. As she walked into the kitchen and put the tray of freshly made muffins down on the table, she took a good, long look around the kitchen. The smell of blueberries was still lingering in the air. The blonde Chipette then sighed with a wistful expression on her face.

She started to recall what had happened the last time she was in this very kitchen. The whole fight with Brittany, every hostile word exchanged between them, Brittany writing her name on the yogurt container and angrily putting it down on the table. Then finally, Brittany storming off into the bathroom and slamming the door. This was the last time Eleanor had seen her sister that day.

The youngest Chipette had not seen any evidence of her oldest sister being downstairs at that moment, so she figured she must've been up in her room. Probably getting into bed already. Sure, it was still fairly early for any of the Miller sisters to be in bed at this time of night. Especially given that their bedtimes were now later than ever. But the oldest Chipette seemed to be turning in much earlier than usual as of late.

This was just one more troubling sign Brittany was exhibiting. Eleanor knew just what she had to do this very second though. She needed to try to clear the air with her big sister about what happened earlier that day.

Eleanor made her way up the stairs. The next thing she knew, she was standing right in front of Brittany's room. The room that used to be Miss Miller's when she was still alive. Having this thought dawn on the young Chipette made her heart feel even heavier.

For what felt like the millionth time that day, she found herself getting overwhelmed with flashbacks once again. She remembered what it was like when she and her sisters first came to live with Miss Miller back when they were only eight years old. How on some nights, Miss Miller would insist the three of them come into her bedroom before going to bed that night and she would read them all a bedtime story.

Granted, the Chipettes had all been a little too old for bedtime stories at that point. And these were usually children's books like The Little Engine That Could or Goodnight Moon. Usually Jeanette would read one of her more advanced books on subjects such as calculus, Brittany would read a fashion magazine, and Eleanor would catch up on reading whatever book their school assigned that week so she could catch up on her homework while Miss Miller would be reading books well below their grade level to them.

And sometimes the "stories" would be pages out of ten-year-old or more magazines and tv guides that were never thrown out instead of actual books. But it was still a sweet thing that their adoptive mom did for them and the three girls all loved the only mother they ever knew for it. It was just nice for them to all have that time together when the girls were younger.

There were also some very fond memories she had of helping Miss Miller get ready and pick out clothes for events like her high school reunion or various reunions she'd have with her old group Miss Miller and the Thrillers. And sometimes Eleanor would also go up to their mother's room when she needed to talk or get advice on something that she, for some reason, did not want to go to her sisters with.

Eleanor would also frequently listen to Miss Miller's stories about the old days with her group and what life was like when she was their age in that room of hers. In fact, the youngest Chipette probably spent more time with Miss Miller than her two older sisters did. Jeanette was normally busy studying or reading and Brittany was typically off shopping, partying, or just out with her friends from the squad.

Then there was the more recent memory of having to clean out Miss Miller's room and go through all of her belongings after she had passed away. Trying to decide what they should sell, give away, or keep for themselves had been one of the most distressingly difficult things they ever had to do. As if the loss of their mother was not traumatic enough for them. Thank God Dave and the Chipmunks were able to help them out with a good portion of that.