Perception ✔

4 Innocence & Cruelty

Until age fourteen I loved to climb. The last day I did so remained vividly with me even now. No one was to blame for it. No one did a thing wrong, not in their understanding of the world and what was right.

Children knew innocence, and children knew cruelty, and it was fine for all children to partake in both, until the very moment they could identify which was which. For that day would be the day they were no longer children and they must answer for what they'd done.

My day came with Edmond. Our siblings' were still a long ways off.

The two brothers dressed in white no matter where they went. Grandmother doted on them. I'd been jealous at first until she compensated me by giving me far more attention than previously.

So, as she set the two out to play, she pulled me into a hug and handed me a picnic basket with a pat on the cheek.

For Bella, she gave a cold glance then waited.

I marched out, basket held in both hands, and Arabella skulked away, ashamed.

No matter if Arabella were down, I'd get her to grin eventually.

"I bet you we have cakes!" I announced.

Bella's eyes lit up. She fixed her bonnet and hurried to reach me. "Did you do as I requested?"

Hatless, I gave her a proud smile and boasted. "Of course!" My voice dropped as we ran together. "I told her I now hated strawberry and wanted apple jam."

Bella beamed. We held the basket between us and raced.

One thing interesting about the brothers was their method of play. Bella and I always stayed close. The boys always parted ways. Each would look for adventure then report back what he'd found.

It was not a terrible idea, but once Bella and I decided on a good place for our basket, we instead held hands and debated who to follow.

Raphael took dangerous leaps and always found mischief. Edmond was more cautious and studied all he saw.

Thus, we chose Raphael.

No sooner had we entered the forest, that the brown-skinned boy raced toward us, cheering.

"Look!"

It was a robin's egg. Bella peered at it, awed. When she picked it up, Raphael pointed to where the nest was. He'd climbed and so I understood his meaning when he grinned.

He said few words but jumped up to catch a branch. Not to be outdone, I hiked up my summer dress and raced him.

The nest at the very top was a treasure.

Bella tried her best but had to come back down. "It's far too high. You'll fall and break your neck and I won't cry for you!" she complained.

It was the panic in her voice that made me look from the eggs to Raphael. With a shrug, he climbed back down again. I watched the nest.

How lovely to see life about to come.

But as I started down, Bella yelled back up, "But won't you bring it to let me see them?"

I paused. Bring it? The nest? The entire thing?

She wasn't coming up, and the eggs weren't coming down on their own. For a long moment, I debated what action to take. But Bella begged and I gave in.

"Oh, all right. Wait." Getting down again with eggs tucked into my skirts was no easy task but I managed.

Bella loved them. I had to admit that the color was perfect; they matched her eyes.