BIRD

The station rumbles slightly, the vibrations lessening as the train pulls away. The bird moves quietly, ruffling his white and brown feathers, watching the dull grays and blacks of the birds that surround him. He turns once, twice, his necked twisting to an odd, yet comfortable angle. He peers at the fallen item before him, an unknown substance, though he recognizes it as food. Yes, he and his fellow feather-winged friends.

His wings snap open, he runs, glides some may say, towards his mark. He flies back suddenly as a booted shoe steps directly in his path, not that it deters him. He merely moves around the object before him, his beak snapping shut on the largest crumb he could find before leaping into the air. His direction is unknown to him during his initial move into flight, but he searches gallantly to find a space to eat his precious goods, one in which he could hide from those searching remove this from him.

He finds an area surrounded by the heavily booted feet of those who await passage on the next arriving train. He no longer fears these things, these men, so long as they did not actively disturb him. He eats quickly and silently, pecking at the crumb of bread, always in search of those who may come for him.

As the last piece was lifted into his beak, he feels the vibrations of the next coming train. He hears the loud, nearly blaring sounds of the whistle and the anxious patter of booted feet as his fellow birds lift themselves into the air. Yet he waits, as always, until the last possible moment, ensuring that every last crumb was eaten from the ground, watching the giant silver worm, or snake some may say, enters his sight. Then, and only then, does he lift his wings from his side and soar above its head, gliding into the air and into the beyond.

ONEE-SAN

Onee-san: Japenese word for older sister.

“She’s so cute!” seems to be the sentence of the day.

At ten months old, Katie is a darling baby with big, hazel brown eyes, curly hair brushed back with a big white bow, and chubby pink cheeks – she even has dimples when she smiled. Of course, Julie thinks to herself as she looks down at her baby sister, they all love her to death because they don’t have to deal with her crying, her throwing up all over, her stinky diapers, and the messes she leaves that I always have to clean up after. Oh yes, she’s so cute.

“Mommy,”Julie smiles at the woman before her, one hand twirling a curl in her hair, the other playing with the hem of her frilly white dress. Lifting her hazel brown eyes, indistinguishable from those of her sister, she continues, “May I have some juice?”

Julie’s mother stops for a moment, lifting a Kleenex to clean off Katie’s face. When mom looks up, her brown eyes – darker than those of both of her children – lock into those of her eldest child. “Of course,” she tells Julie, “Take a seat, I’ll bring some in a moment. Oh, yes! Lynette, did I tell you about last week when Katie…”

It’s been like that a lot lately, Julie thinks as she takes a seat, her feet kicking out. Always Katie did this, or Katie did that. It’s no longer about her. Julie glances around the room, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She’s bored, there’s no one at the christening her age, everyone’s an adult, or a snot-nosed brat. Julie turns around in her seat, trying to if her mother has gotten her a drink yet. But she hasn’t, her mother is still in deep conversation with Aunt Lynette, praising Katie for this, then that, the two women waltzing on and on in their crazy conversation.

“Mommy!” Julie whines, turning to kneel on the chair.

Only then does her mother look up, noticing the look on her daughter’s face. “I’m getting it now, turn around and sit properly,” she tells Julie. As Julie turns in her seat, straightening out her dress, she looks up, her hands reaching out to take the cup from her mother’s hand. Settling herself, she sits back, takes a long drink, and promptly spits it all back into the cup. “Eww,” that was just gross! What is this stuff? Julie stands, quickly moving toward her mother. “Mommy?” she aks, hesitating only slightly. “Mommy,” she says again. “MOM!”

“What is it? Can’t you see that I’m talking right now?”

Of course Julie can, “I –“ she starts to say but doesn’t get to complete what she wants to say, when she trips, spilling her drink all over herself, her mother, and little Katie.

“Julie, room, now,” her mom explodes

Julie enters her room, throwing herself beneath her blankets, not bothering to undress. She pulls the pillow over her head trying to block out the noises from the other room. She listens as her mother enters and moves about the room, angrily pulling out a new set of clothes for Katie.

“Julie,” her mother finally speak, “may I ask what possessed you to pour your drink all over sister?”

Julie curls into herself, her body shaking slightly. She refuses to give her mother an answer. As if she will listen anyway, Julie thinks. It was an accident, but mom might not think differently no matter what I say.

“Julie,” her mother calls out to her, getting angry at her daughter’s silence. “Answer me when I speak to you.”

Julie curls tighter, cacooning herself beneath the blankets. She gives in to her tears as listens to the anger in her mother’s voice. She could feel her mother’s stare, but doesn’t move to speak, making herself smaller and smaller beneath her mothers watchful eye.

Finally, Julie’ mother turns away from her eldest child and begins to remove Katie’s clothes. She couldn’t help but laugh as her youngest child giggles and kicks her feet into the air. She loosens the buttons on the dress and begins to tug it off her struggling child. With one last tug, the dress slips off the child, giving her a face full of cloth and the scent of a peculiar smell.

“What the…” Julie’s mother ponders out loud. She lifts the dress to her face, inhaling the scent surrounding it, “Oh, no. Julie…”

Julie stiffens and turns away as her mothers attention move to her. She had been watching sileintly, taking in the comfort of her mothers presence, no matter how much she dislike the reasons behind it.

Julie’s mother completes her task and carries Katie to lie beside Julie. She lifts her hand and brushes back her Julie’s hair, planting a kiss own her crown. “I’m sorry,” she whispers and shut her eyes against the head that was forming from her stupidity. She doesn’t expect her daughters forgiveness, though she would love to hear it and inhales deeply, lifting Katie up to return to the party.

Julie waits anxiously for her mothers retreat, and almost begs her to stay. It’s no longer about, Julie thinks. I love you but you have Katie now. She needs you and I just have to accept that. Julie snuggles into her pillow, anxiety leaving and sleepiness filling its place. She needs you now, and even though you’re my mommy, you’re and adult and don’t notice what your supposed to. So I guess when the time comes, she yawns, I’ll help you to see.