As I lay there staring up at the clouds slowly floating across the sky, the trees danced in the gentle breeze. The water glistened as the ducklings swam, making tiny ripples in the clear blue lake. My sparkling blue eyes tried to adjust to the bright sunlight. The fresh water smell filled my nose, as the dew drops tingled over my pale skin. My hair was blowing across my face. Then suddenly it all came flooding back, what happen all those years ago.
* * *
We ran along the waters edge, Lilly and I. We sang at the top of our lungs, having so much fun. Mum and Dad sat under a nearby tree in the shade. We were up at the lake for the weekend, the first family holiday with Lilly. We had a picnic that day as it was so nice. My little sister Lilly and I ate our cheese and ham sandwiches so we could go and play again. We went to play in the shallow water of the lake. Mum told us not to go to far from where she and Dad were sitting. We decided to play hide and seek, but everything in our lives would change because of the next few minutes.
We were playing hide and seek, but no one was watching us anymore. Mum was reading her book and Dad was fast asleep, I was responsible for Lilly. It was my turn to count, so Lilly hid, through my fingers I'm sure I saw her run behind a tree. I finished counting and went to look for her, I checked behind all of the trees and in all of the bushes. She wasn't there. I started to panic. Where could she be? I ran back to Mum and Dad, Lilly was gone!
Mum panicked, Dad tried to calm Mum down, but me, I just sat down and stared into space. My little sister was gone. Eventually Mum calmed down and called the police. We ran around frantically, wide eyed and screaming Lilly's name. When the police finally arrived, Mum had collapsed against a tree and was now in a heap on the ground, quietly sobbing. A tall woman with red hair came over to me. She asked me of I had seen anything, I told her that we were playing hide and seek and that I couldn't find her. The woman thanked me and walked away. They spent a long time speaking to Mum and Dad. Then they closed off the area and started the search.
We had to go back home. Mum was traumatised, all she did for the first week was sit next to the phone, waiting, hoping they would find Lilly. Nothing happened, Mum started to give up hope that Lilly would ever be found, and of she was, probably not alive. Finally the call came after three weeks. It wasn't good news. They hadn't found anything and were closing down the investigation.
* * *
It breaks my heart to think about that day now. It's been almost fifteen years. Fifteen years since Lilly disappeared. Why her? Why did it have to be my sister? She was only four. I never understood what Mum and Dad were going through, not when I was younger. Mum was never the same after Lilly went missing, she wouldn't eat and she couldn't sleep. Mum became ill about three years ago, she couldn't deal with the pain of losing Lilly for any longer. Mum died two years ago, probably something to do with a broken heart, but no wonder, all the things she went through.
* * *
After the investigation was shut down Mum, Dad and I went back up to the lake. It was upsetting but we had to say goodbye. We would have gone home if there hadn't been a good reason to stay. Dad went back over to the car and cut down the sapling we had bought. Mum told me to go and get what I had picked out in Lilly's memory. I did as I was told, as I took the golden plaque from the back seat of the car, it shone in the sunlight. It was as if Lilly was still with us, right beside us, or something was telling us she was alright.
We got to work almost straight away, well Dad did. I played in the sand with Mum acting like nothing had ever happened. While Dad was being reminded of it every second as he dug. After a while, the hole was deep enough for the sapling to be able to grow. We attached the plaque to the front of the tree, near the bottom of course. Dad hammered it into the tree. The plaque read:
Lilly Stephanie Louise Thompson
Born - 1994
Missing - 1998
Loved by all family and friends
She will be dearly missed
The memorial service took place on Lilly's birthday, almost exactly a month after she went missing. She would have been five that day. A four year old going missing and possibly not even getting to celebrate her fifth birthday, never getting to go to school, never getting to grow up. Mum cried. Dad cried. I cried the most though. My tenth birthday was coming up, but I couldn't imagine having to celebrate it without Lilly.
* * *
I'm twenty-four now. That little tree has grown a lot. Even the plaque's still there, so that's good, I miss her though. She never got a childhood, but the police gave up too easily. I never gave up, I still haven't, I hope she's still alive, she'd be nineteen now. I don't think I could imagine what she would look like now. I wish Mum hadn't died, it was so hard on Dad, after all, I'd already moved out. Dad's getting older now but he isn't happy on his own, I know, even if he won't say it. Anyway I'm sure he'll be fine, I'm sure Mum's fine, up in heaven, and I'm sure Lilly's fine, wherever she is. I am.
