She Listened, Intently.

2

The crickets chirping seemed like a symphony to her soft ears unlike the cacophony it always seemed to the usual visitors of the seemingly never ceasing brook.

While walking beside the muddy river base barefooted, she joined them, with a feeble murmur, to accompany many of her relatively new companions. Like a nursery rhyme she drabbled on, to the music of her little silver anklets, gifted to her by her mother. A pair of shiny, beautiful anklets they were, when her mother tenderly put them on her ankles for the very first time. Embellished on a thin serpent like silver strip were stones of red, green and blue and adorned with bells from which soothing sounds flew, much to her delight.

Never before had she seen her eyes in kohl, but today those big eyes merged in the blackness, streamlined. After a glimpse at the mirror she had exclaimed 'Ende amme' (Mother goodness). She couldn't believe the prettiness that stared back at her. Her properly oiled, combed strands of jet black hair, neatly braided and the colorful 'imitation' (artificial) necklace reflected all the qualities required to be called a proper penkutti(girl) in the Greenland. This makeover was done by the aunties before she sneaked out to be near the brook, she felt that the brook needed her, it called out to her, an unfathomed familiarity.