The Statue ~ A Peter Pan Retelling ~

Rainela sighed. She had scrubbed and shined and dusted every inch of the manor in which she lived. Her heart, though heavy in her chest, beat with approval. Despite her acute bitterness, she had done as her mother had asked. Rainela heard the sound of the automobile stopping outside the manor. Looking down at herself, dressed in a simple grey dress with spots of dust and dirt all over, her eyes pricked with tears. In a world where she was not loved, she survived. Living each day had become a chore.

A tear splashed onto the ground as a boot splashed into a puddle.

She turned ashamedly when the door burst open without care. It was raining, but still bright out, like happiness struggling to push through a wall of sadness. Lumbering steps stopped just inside the door.

Rainela's father was home.

Silence was thick in the air like fog on a winter morning.

Then, abruptly, he continued away to his bedroom. Against the silence, his pounding steps were deafening to Rainela. Eyes stinging, heart throbbing, ears ringing, Rainela stood, back turned as she fought the onslaught of feelings. Run, hide. Leave, stay. Scream, sigh.

But later, Rainela would find the one thing to change her life forever.
The one thing to end all of her suffering.
To fix her shattered heart.
The statue.