Robin and the Red Crow

Chapter Eleven - Feelings in the Pond

Sunshine Acres was dark when they finally arrived. The silhouette of the old farmhouse was barely visible against the starry sky.

Despite the darkness, Holly walked straight through the front door after dismounting Cookie. With a snap of her fingers, she illuminated the entire house with lights and candles, making it easier for Robin, who had managed to dismount the horse but was having trouble with the porch stairs.

" I'll be right back," Holly announced, heading towards the stairs without looking back at Robin."I'm going to put this away."

She paused on the stairs, glancing down at the broken pieces of the ring necklace in her hand as if contemplating what to do with them.

"Are you really going to fix it for them?" Robin asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him despite knowing it wasn't his business.

Holly stopped her ascent and didn't respond, as if wondering the same herself.

"No," she finally said, a sad smile on her lips. "I don't have that kind of power. Yet."

Robin managed a smile.

Holly examined the pieces in her hand. "I can reuse the broken parts. If I feel generous, I'll make the happy couple something else."

She continued up the stairs. "But I won't put my heart into it, not like I did with these... Those two don't deserve something that meant so much to me."

There was a slight sniffle as she wiped her face at the top of the landing, disappearing around the corner and out of Robin's view.

Robin felt angry, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps it was because, from his brief conversation with Dexter, it was clear Dexter didn't deserve someone crying over him like this.

He stopped himself abruptly. His heart skipped a beat. Where was he going with that line of thought?

Shaking his head, he blocked out the thought and went to the kitchen to wait awkwardly for Holly to return.

Maybe he should have let her come home to destroy things alone. Still, Robin couldn't help but feel protective of the unique art and collections hanging on the walls, which he had grown quite attached to after cleaning each of them by hand. Seeing them destroyed after all his hard work would be a shame.

Robin hoped he wasn't overstepping by offering to help.

Eventually, Holly came downstairs and made her way back into the kitchen. She had removed her makeup and let down her hair, changing into her oversized green velvet nightgown and donning a large quilt over her shoulders.

"Alright," she said, heading to the pear cabinet to grab a pear. "What's your trick for fixing a broken heart?"

"It's not just for a broken heart," Robin said, guiding her towards the mudroom and leading her out the back door. "I use it whenever I have a bunch of negative emotions I don't know what to do with."

He led her to the pond behind the house and bent down to pick up a stone from the bank.

" Whenever I would get frustrated with my brother, my mother took me to the nearest park in London and told me to pick a stone, press my feelings to it, and then skip it across the pond. If the stone stays on top of the water, they are meant to keep. If they fall in, I let them sink to the bottom with the stone and let them go."

"Hmph," Holly grunted. "Your mother was a creative con artist."

"Most people consider that part of parenting," Robin said, skipping a stone across the pond. It skipped three times before sinking. "It does work, though," he reassured her. "It helps organize your feelings and thoughts before acting on them and helps relieve some of your anger. "