“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU! I AM SO DISSAPPOINTED IN YOU KATHERINE!”
“Father please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was just curious. I just wanted to study it,” cried Kat as she scooted further back into the corner. She was cowering in the corner with her arms and hands covering her face. She waited for the strikes that she knew were coming. They always come when he gets like this. If only she could do better…be better…be perfect…escape and run away.
Kat shook her head and looked around. It was a warm breezy day, the water that Kat had her feet dipped into was ice cold but it felt amazing. Kat was not sure how Amber Lynn was splashing about in the water; she had to be freezing by now. Kat gazed up at the sun and determined it to be around noon, soon she would have to pull Amber Lynn from the water and demand that she lay in the grass to air dry. Father could not find out that they had disobeyed him by going to the creek again she rubbed her cheek and thought back to that memory again. Her cheek still stung. She loved the creek though. It was soothing. The water flowing down the creek, the breeze that was always present, and the shade from the big oak tree, it helped her relax. She sighs as she is pulled back to reality by Amber Lynn calling her.
“Kat! Come look what I found!” Amber Lynn exclaimed from a pile of rocks on the other side of the creek.
“I am not coming over there, and you shouldn’t be there either. You are getting soaked. You know father will tan our hides for even being here!”
“But…but…it’s something cool!”
Kat rolled her pants up higher and waded over to where Amber Lynn was tugging at the mysterious object. “Give me that let me see.”
Amber Lynn steps back, “I almost had it Kat, if you would give me a few seconds more.”
Kat laughs and grabs the object tugging hard. “Give me a hand moving some of these rocks; I think it is wedged under them.”
Amber Lynn starts tossing the smaller rocks onto the bank of the creek as Kat tries to wiggle the object free.
“Is it coming free?” Amber Lynn asks excitedly.
“I think so. Its al…most….there!” With a splash Kat lands in the creek, victoriously holding the item above her head.
Amber Lynn starts jumping up and down, clapping her hands. “Yay! You got it!” She suddenly stops. “But what is it?”
Kat studies it for a moment and then hands it to Amber Lynn, “Nothing special, just a silly flute.”
“A FLUTE!! Oh my!” Amber Lynn exclaims as she grabs it and starts jumping up and down, splashing water everywhere. “Father never lets us have musical instruments. I’ve been asking forever!”
“He will never let you have that one either and you know the reasoning. Don’t be silly. Throw it back into the river, stop splashing around and let’s go before we get into any more trouble.”
Amber Lynn stops and looks down at the flute, “I’m not throwing it anywhere. I’m taking it with me. I’ll hide it from father if I have to. I can’t help it if father has issues when he sees instruments. I want this flute! It didn’t even cost anything. It’s free.”
“Amber Lynn, we will not be taking it with us. You know what father did when he found that sheet music in my room. He backed me into a corner, it only just happened. Why are you not worried about it?”
Amber Lynn flings the flute onto the bank of the creek and stomps off crying. “I hate all of this. I hate that mom is gone and I can’t learn to play an instrument because of it. It’s not my fault that she is gone.
