Family

Chapter 2

Once we finish cleaning, Ma send us downstair. 

 At the end of the stair there a small window by our heads. Some light shine through it. A rolled up tarp across from the last step, and a single white ice skate hanging next to it. I ne'er saw a second one. I guess Ma, or Pa, may have lost it. Pa have a shelf of paints and oils too high for any of us to reach. 

There is the small door. All our beds are on the other side because we afraid of that door. That's where we sent if we ain't respectful. We all been in there at least once. Mack been in there the most. He swore to ne'er fight with Pa again after his fifth time. I try to keep e'eryone from being sent in there, but when I ain't with 'em I can't stop 'em. The door is just small enough to climb through and sit in a slightly larger room. When in there, the only light you see is the spot coming through the bottom crack. The cellar don't have much light. There just a dim bulb hanging in the middle. And when the sun out light come through the window.

Megan and Claire play with the dolls Pa bought once. He bought 'em for me, but I don't wanna play with 'em anymore, so I let Megan and Claire have 'em. One of them is missing an arm because I talked back to Pa one day. He got so mad, and he took my doll instead of me. When I told him I won't do it again, she came back with an arm missing. I ne'er asked what happened. I was too scared of the answer. I also ne'er talked back to Pa. This was 'fore Mack came. A few years, I think. Me and Ma were the only ones taking Pa's anger. He ne'er hurt Ma, though. He love her. I don't think he love me. He hurt me. Put me in the closet without my dolls. Away from Ma. Ma used to play with me. But one night, when I was younger, her and Pa got in a fight 'bout me. Pa told her to stop spending her time with me. He said he deserve her more. I "just a 'Raggedy Anne' we have". I don't know what a 'Raggedy Anne' is. I asked Ma, and she told me it who I named after. "Is it a person," I ask her.

"In a way, yes. But you my only 'Raggedy Anne'." That the last night Ma hugged me. A few days later, Mack came. He was confused of where he was. I had tell him he home like me. It took awhile but he accepted it. Me and Mack played a lot in our sleep room. We shared secrets and told each other stories like those we read. But now we the oldest of five. We can't play like that no more. Now we teach the others how to work like us.

Sam ask us tonight how to make the beds. Me and Mack work together to clean our sleep room e'ery night and morning. At night we clean toys and clothes. In the morning we make the bed or change the sheets. Sam want to help us now. E'en though Megan older than him, he still wanna help out more than her. Me and Mack try to get Megan to understand she need to help soon or Pa 'll not be happy. She ignore us.

"Now, Sam, take the pillow from your bed and put it on Claire's" Mack tell Sam the same thing I told him when he wanted to help me. When Mack was new to home, I use to make both our beds and clean all our messes. He didn't know how to yet, so I slowly taught him. Now we do the same for Sam.

Sam follow all our directions. Step by step. He put the pillow on the other bed, and the blanket. Fix any looseness on the sheet. Then, he put the pillow back, and lay the blanket down neatly. "Do it look good, Annie," he ask.

"It look like ya did good for the first time" The blanket is more to one side than the other. I fix it for him.

"Let me do another one, please," he plead. "I wanna be good at this." I let him try it on Claire's bed. He do it good, except the pillow ain't centered. All the beds done, we jus' let him try it out. We promise him he can do it with us in the morning. I look o'er at Megan as we finish to see if she watching. She ain't. Her face is looking at her doll as she plays with Claire some more.

Megan alway make Claire be the prince and save the princess. Sometime she volunteer me, Mack, or Sam for the dragon, or any monster she think of. Megan don't like when someone changes the story of the game. She like her way only. Alway have. Claire get upset when she can't say or do what she want sometimes. She start to cry tonight because Megan told her the prince can't hug her yet. "My prince happy to see ya. He save ya last time."

"But he need to save me again.

"Why? Can't they be happy?"

"No, the princess in danger."

Her eyes puff up and fill with tears. "But I wanna hug the princess."

"Well, ya can't. That not how this story suppose to go." 

Her tears become streams. And her voice become a screech. "I want it happy." I run o'er to her to calm her down before Ma, or Pa, hear her.

"Shhh," I whisper to her. Her breath heavy with sadness. Her throat crackling as she try to speak through the cry stuck in her throat. She try to keep herself from her tears falling more. She know Pa may hear. And if Pa hear he won't be happy. "Mack, come here," I tell him. He wrap his arms 'round Claire to take my place. Whispering to her to breathe and try to calm. "Megan, come with me."

"I ain't moving. I wanna play with dolls." I grab her arm and pull her to my bed and sit her down.

"You needa let Claire tell the story."

"But her stories stupid."

"No, they only different. Maybe she let you give ideas. Or you let her give ideas."

"But she wanna hug the princess. She can't hug the princess."

"Why not?"

"Because the princess alway in danger, Annie."

"Can't the princess be happy sometimes?"

She cross her arms. She pull her body away from me. "The princess ne'er happy."

"Why don't the prince help her be happy?"

Her eyes fill with tears as she look at me. "Because there is no good prince to save her. This prince ne'er save her enough."

"Why don't we let the prince and the princess be happy tonight. And tomorrow something happen to your princess. But let Claire hug the princess tonight. Okay? You take turns with happy and danger."

"I guess I can try."

"Good. Go tell Claire what you decided."

Megan walk to Claire and sit in front her. Tell her the good news. Making the youngest jump from her sad spot to play some more. Mack walk o'er to me and sit on the bed. We don't say nothin. Jus' watch 'em play with the toys. Sam found a truck to roll around on the ground. Mack and I think 'bout when we like 'em. Able to pretend and not have to do things. We don't say nothin to each other. But we have the energy to remember. Mack sigh and we plop our back on the bed at the same time. We laugh. Trying to keep in the laugh being loud, but it too much to keep it in. The other three hear and run and jump on us. The bed is right on the ground. So there ain't a lot of bounce when ya jump on it. All five o' us burst with laugh. Then we hear walking up stairs. Our laugh stop and we listen to what happening. Ma and Pa ain't talking. Then, Ma walk to the door, open it and turn off the light to tell us to go to sleep like she do e'ery night. The five o' us work our way to bed. I get up from mine to make sure the others get to theirs and tuck 'em in, like how Ma use to. Then, I get myself into bed. Wrap myself in the blanket to tuck in myself. Make the blanket as tight as possible to keep the heat in. It get cold down here sometime at night.

The house quiet. No noises here, and none up stairs. I lay on my back. My quilt blanket wrap 'round me. My arms cross o'er top. Silent and dark. What they planning? My mind slowly turn off with that there. My eyes shut. My breath slow.