Miri Aislinn O'Reilly had been an only child for four years. She didn't mind this, as she was the constant point of her parents' attention, though... she was lonely. Since she lived in a desolate area outside of Dublin, Ireland, she didn't know many people.
Just before she turned five, her mother told her that she was going to have a little brother or sister. Miri wasn't sure what to think about this. This baby was going to have more attention than she would, though she understood why. It was just a helpless child. Besides, she wouldn't be lonely anymore.
Miri decided that she liked the idea of having a little sibling. She couldn't wait for the baby to come; she was constantly asking her mother, "When's the baby coming?" Her mother only laughed and replied with one word: "Soon."
One night, Miri woke up in the early hours of the morning screaming and crying. She had a terrible nightmare about killing everyone that a certain girl loved. The girl looked so much like herself that it scared her, and she couldn't fathom harming anything. She had never hurt anyone, not even an ant. Miri's mother ran in, worried for her daughter's wellbeing, but listened to Miri explain her bad dream. Her mother gave a sad smile and embraced her daughter, holding her close.
She began to sing softly.
Let's go in the garden,
you'll find something waiting.
Right there were you left it,
lying upside down.
When you finally find it,
you'll see how it's faded.
The underside is lighter
when you turn it around.
Everything stays,
right where you left it
Everything stays,
but it still changes
Ever so slightly,
daily and nightly
In little ways,
when everything stays
From then on, Miri's mother would always sing this song to her when she was upset, or had the nightmare. It had become a recurring dream, and for a while, Miri didn't want to go to sleep because of it.
Then the baby came. It turned out to be a little girl.
"Miri?" Her mother asked her, two days after the child was born.
"Yes, Mommy?" She asked, hurrying to kneel by her mother's side.
"Do you have a name for her?"
This caught Miri by surprise. Her sister had been without a name, since, well, since she had existed. Her ruby eyes glance over to the small baby laying in the bundle of blankets beside her mother. She gazes at the child for a while, searching her mind for the perfect name.
"Mariah," she finally says. "Mariah Leslie."
Her mother chuckles and cups the eldest daughter's cheek. She knew why Miri chose Leslie as the middle name. Leslie was a Gaelic name meaning 'garden'. "Clever girl. I love it. She is Mariah Leslie O'Reilly."
Miri smiled broadly at her mother, then down at the newly-named Mariah. The baby shifted a bit in her sleep, then almost seemed to... smile.
~^~*~^~
Months went by, years passed, and suddenly Miri was ten years old and Mariah was five. The two were inseparable; they were each others' best friends and they loved each other dearly. Miri had taught Mariah the song that their mother had so often sung to her. Much to her sister's surprise, Mariah had a beautiful voice, even at such a young age. Soft and rich, her Irish accent still audible while she sung. Miri was always entranced when her sister sung their mother's song.
"Mommy, Daddy!" Miri ran inside one day, her ruby eyes wide with fear and concern. She startled her mother and caused her father to nearly run outside with his gun, threatening to shoot down anyone who was hurting his little girls.
