𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐢 (discontinued)

four years old

LORELEI JENSEN
FOUR YEARS OLD

LORELEI JENSEN and her single mother, Amaiah, moved into the Jensen house when she was four years old. Lorelei's grandmother, Odette Jensen, lived there, and she was more than glad to take them in.

Odette, or as she is more commonly known--Odie--was a rather interesting grandmother to have. Her hair had gone white, but her soul had never aged a day. Her words had always seemed to be lined with a pinch of wonder, and her stories were always filled with magic. Her eyes were a dull brown, but if you were to look within them, you would only see a past of swashbuckling adventure. Grandmother Odie, to many people, was a hero.

"Mama, where are we going?" Little Lorelei asked her mother, peering into the passing world as they drove farther away from the town.

"You're Grandmama Odie's home, sweetie." She explained, "We'll be living there now."

The trip was dreadfully long and she hated being in cars, but her first ride to the Jensen House was far too magical to forget. Each tree, each patch of grass, each sighting, Lorelei remembered every single detail. It was the day she finally saw it all; it was the day she truly believed in magic. Her storybooks had been proven true, and it seemed as if the words were lifted into the air and shaped into physical existence.

She saw peculiar colors in the droplets of water on the window, and the leaves seemed to be dripping with a honey-like sunlight. She saw fluttering, rubicund pixies and beautiful fairies hiding behind bushes. Green-skinned dryads rushed through the trees, and the colorful winds danced outside her window.

It was the day magic finally found her, and her mother smiled knowingly as she listened to her daughter's laughter at the backseat.

Lorelei was much too occupied staring outside the window to notice that Amaiah's car had pulled up in front of a huge household. It looked rather old, but it was no less amazing. You would look at it and feel like you were staring at a castle from the middle ages. Frankly, that's what Lorelei thought it was for the most part of her childhood--a beautiful castle.

Grandmother Odie's hair had white streaks, but she welcomed them into the house no stronger than she was the last they met four years ago, when Lorelei was brought into the world. Her yellow dress swayed as she opened the creaking door before them, revealing the inside of a house Lorelei would never forget staying in.

The floor creaked beneath Lorelei's step, but it didn't matter to her. Sunlight dripped into the house from tall windows, making dust particles visible. Her eyes stared upward, following the humongous staircase into the second and third floor. From her view, the rooms seemed infinite. The wooden floor was laid in red carpet in some parts, but she didn't bother to look. All her attention was at the tall ceiling and the countless pictures on its walls. She could swear she saw them moving, waving at her and smiling.

When grandmother Odie noticed the absence of little Lorelei in the living room, she walked back to the hall to find her looking upward. Her stuffed animal was clutched tightly against her chest and her pink storybook was on the floor, dropped from awe.

"Hello, Rory." Her grandmother said, "What are you staring at, dear?"

"The pictures, Grandmama." She said, pointing at them, "Who are they?"

Grandmother Odie only smiled, "Those, my sweet, are the strangest, most wonderful people you'll ever meet. They are the Jensens, our family."