Sara hated how the wind prickled against her purple jacket. She blinked her eyes, already giving up the battle of trying to force her hair to stay put with her hands. Dusk had settled and the Summer sky had melted into a deep blue dotted with red from a blinking plane passing overhead.
As Sara strode along the sidewalk, she attempted to ignore the scuffling of animals darting around yards too dark to see and trees too shadowy to make out. Her rational mind knew the critters were just going about their nightly business just as she was, but her slightly more irrational mind played with more frightening fantasies. I’ve been spending too much time listening to Helena. Sara’s younger sister Helena was always going on about random magical things she claimed had happened to her. I really did see a theatre made out of rain, Helena protested. Yeah, and I saw a talking fox, Sara retorted. The things Helena saw never made any sense to Sara and they definitely would never make any sense to their parents, which was probably why Helena only told these fantasies to Sara and their younger brother Henry. Sara turned left down the street. She was only a couple of blocks from her house now. During the day, living on the far edge of Buchtton near the woods was an exciting adventure. When she was younger, she, Helena, and Henry would spend hours scouring the forest for materials to build hideouts for themselves and shelters for bunnies. Now that Sara was seventeen, playing in the woods wasn’t as appealing, but she still enjoyed taking walks there during her free time and observing the wildlife. In the dark though, the woods weren’t as much fun. She averted her gaze from the trees’ haunting silhouettes. And that was when she heard it. The trickle of water flowing to her right. Sara frowned. There shouldn’t have been any streams close by and she was too far away from the ocean. She blinked and turned to see a cobbled path jutting out from the sidewalk and into a darkened space between two neighboring houses. She could just make out the hint of something reflecting light toward what she assumed to be the end of the pathway. The trickling sound ceased. I’ve walked home this way so many times, but I’ve never seen this pathway. Her mind scoured to find a reason for this development. Maybe I was always so lost in my thoughts and never noticed. Maybe this was built just today. Before her thoughts could rationalize any further, a strange sensation wrapped around Sara’s body. She was being pulled. No, not physically, although it definitely felt physical. It was something…else. She had to see what was at the end of the path. Taking a shaky breath, she stepped off the sidewalk, letting her sneakers tap against the stone tiles. It felt like her body was ringing. Like a bell had been rung inside of her and now her energy just tumbled out in waves, colliding with the night air, the whispering creatures, the murmuring trees. She was part of it all and she could breathe. Then she was there. In front of a glistening…fountain? It wasn’t a glamorous fountain that rose above its visitors and spouted water onto shimmering pennies. No, it was a gray water fountain, similar to the ones Sara saw at school. Still, it glowed, its silver metallic surface possessing no hint of prior usage. It was a fountain built just for her. She waited for her breath to steady and then she stepped forward in front of the fountain. Hands shaking, she grasped the little button on the side, its polished texture cool to the touch. A jet of water bubbled in front of her. The liquid slithered down the side of the basin and slipped down the drain. It was so quiet, she wondered if it was even real. She dipped a finger into the stream of water and gasped. It was cold and slimy, just as real water should be. Sara yanked her finger away from the fountain, this strange fountain that shouldn’t have existed, and dashed back down the pathway. Once her feet struck the sidewalk, she paused. She turned back around. The stone steps, the gleam of the fountain, they were all gone. She stood there for a few seconds. The wind frolicked with her hair and jacket. The critters shuffled and yipped among the bushes and trees. I must be tired from being out all day. I must have imagined it. But a spark had been startled awake inside her. Because now, Sara knew everything her sister had said was true.
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Twilight blanketed the Summer trees and little wisps of wind crackled against branches. My sneakers sunk into the moist soil and I clenched my phone in my hand. My gaze swept the forest clearing. Where was the cauldron?
Of course, the moment I went looking for that mysterious object was when it was nowhere to be found. I grimaced. I could see the trees, the dirt, the sky, but not the cauldron my siblings and I had found two years ago. I need it. Days have been so hard lately. I flopped onto the ground and traced the silt with my finger. The grime clung to the little canyons running through my skin and cooled my tingling extremities. “Mystery?” I jerked upright. My older sibling Anonymous stood at the edge of the clearing. I hadn’t even heard Anonymous’ footsteps. “Pronouns?” I asked. “She/her.” She peered at me, her eyebrows furrowed. “You just ran out from dinner. Wanna talk about that?” I hugged my knees to my chest. The last thing I wanted was to talk about my feelings with my seventeen-year-old sibling. She’s going to judge me like she always does. I glared at an ant crawling over my bright blue sneaker. “Sixth grade is going to be starting for you in a week, Mystery,” Anonymous stated. “If you can’t even talk to me, how are you going to handle all the new people at middle school?” I shoved my glasses farther up the ridge of my nose. “It’s none of your business.” “Make it mine so I can help you.” The ant had left my foot and was now trekking towards the side of the clearing opposite of my sibling. Being an ant would make my life so easy. All I would care about is finding food and shelter. Not caring whether or not people like me or if I can fit in… “How’d you know I’d be here?” I spoke to distract myself from my circling thoughts. “I can read minds.” I frowned. “You can?” “No, silly! I followed you. Our parents aren’t going to let you go off on your own like that. You’re eleven. Remember how much they freaked out when Soo did that?” I winced. It had been my fault Soo ran away. Soo struggled with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behavior and I, jealous of all the attention she got from our parents, had stolen her bracelet. Anonymous and I had found her that night in this exact clearing. That was also when we had discovered the cauldron. Which isn’t here right now. I dragged my finger across the soil leaving dents in the earth. I shoved away the queasiness seeping into my body as sludge wriggled underneath my nails. “I want to be alone.” “If you come home, then I’ll leave you alone in your room, but I’m not going to let you sit here in the forest by yourself. It’s getting dark. What if a coyote eats you?” Anonymous plopped onto the ground beside me, causing the silt to tremble beneath my hand. I stared at my sibling. Was she really going to sit here with me? I sighed. “I’m just going to bore you.” Anonymous chuckled. “That’s true. You’re a very boring person.” “Am not!” “You just said that you are.” A smile flickered onto my lips and I peered up at the dusky orange sky swirling above us. “I’ll probably bore all my classmates.” “You’ll bore them by talking about how boring you are.” I shook the dirt from my fingers and nails. “Do you really not mind sitting here with me?” Anonymous was silent for a moment before meeting my gaze. Her dark brown eyes flickered with concern. “Hey, you’re my brother, and fine, you’re a bit boring and weird sometimes, but as your eldest sibling, I have to look out for you.” I sighed. “I came out here because I wanted to see that cauldron again. It seemed to make everything better last time with Soo.” Anonymous shrugged. “Nah, the cauldron just gave us some yummy soup. You apologizing and us going to find her was what helped.” “You really think so?” My sibling nodded. “Yeah, I do.” I scanned the clearing one last time, taking in the dark green bushes and the deep brown tree trunks. The chirping of crickets comforted my ears and the breeze seemed to carry a fresh aroma that wrapped around my body. I didn’t need the cauldron again. Anonymous was right, I did belong here. I returned my attention back to my sibling. “I’m ready to go back.” The house was always silent. Of course, houses normally didn’t make noises when you walked by them, but the colonial on the corner of Amelia Văn’s street was soundless. Amelia doubted anyone even lived in it. Still every night, from her window, Amelia could see the flickering of candles behind the building’s white curtains.
Today in particular was a big occasion as it was Amelia’s fifteenth birthday. Not only that, but her elder sister Maisie was finally returning home from her stay in Suriname and their three mothers were putting on a big party just for the five of them. “Soccer practice alright?” Her mother Tania Patil asked as Amelia entered their home. Tania was sitting on the couch with her tablet in her hands. “Yeah, it was good. Nothing much happened.” Amelia’s thoughts were still on the house. She slipped off her sneakers and placed them inside the cubby by the door. The mirror above the shelf flickered a greeting as Amelia’s tan face came into its view. The date, Saturday, June 1st, 2115, glimmered green in the mirror’s bottom left corner. “Nothing much can be quite alright,” Tania said. “Eleanor went to the airport to see your sister and Stella had some errands to do.” Eleanor Quintanilla and Stella Văn were Maisie and Amelia’s other two mothers. “That’s good to know.” Her voice was still light and her body trembled ever so slightly. Shaking her head, Amelia strode over to join her mother on the sofa. The cushions bent under her weight and embraced her sore legs and feet. Amelia could still feel the effects of all the stretches they had been doing during practice. At least there weren’t any games today. The only reason Amelia even did soccer was because her mothers wanted her to spend more time with her peers instead of just staying home reading books and doing homework. Tania peered at Amelia and placed her tablet on the glass table before them. “Something not right? You look off.” Amelia sighed and leaned against the side of the couch. “It’s that house again. I just can’t stop thinking about it.” Tania pursed her lips. “The colonial? You need to stop worrying so much about that house, Amelia.” “Easy for you to say that. I have to walk past it every time I go to school and practice. You work at home all day.” “Even more of a reason for me to be worried about the house,” Tania countered. Her gaze flickered as if she were uncomfortable. “I have never seen anything strange go on inside of that building. Now, it’s your birthday, right? Go get some nice clothes on so we can celebrate when everyone returns.” Tania’s words slipped from English into Marathi as she spoke and Amelia gave another sigh. Would anyone ever listen? ~~~ Three hours later, the doorbell rang. Amelia, who had been sitting in her room completing her homework, glanced up at her window, which was currently exhibiting an image of a forest. The forest imagery and sounds disappeared as she commanded the screen to display the front door. Her sister Maisie and her mother Eleanor stood on the stoop. A grin stretched across Amelia’s face and she leaped to her feet and dashed out of her bedroom and down the stairs. By the time she arrived on the first floor, Tania had already opened the door to let Eleanor and Maisie inside. “Maisie!” Amelia exclaimed. She rushed forward and nestled her sister’s waist. Her sister, who was twenty-six now, had always been so much taller than her and she was glad to see that even after a year of not seeing Maisie in person, that was still the case. “You’re crushing me,” Maisie said in Panamanian Spanish. “But I’m glad to see you, too.” Amelia, still beaming, let go of her sister. All of her uneasiness from earlier had dissipated. “How was the bus ride home?” “Fortunately, not too busy,” Eleanor answered as she slipped off her shoes. The afternoon sunlight from the window reddened her wavy brown hair. “I will forever be thankful that the public transportation has become quite good in our little town of Buchtton, Massachusetts. Stella took that old blue buggy for her errands. Said she really needed it today.” The look shared between Tania and Eleanor made it clear that they both knew why Stella needed the car. Amelia frowned. Out of all of her mothers, Stella was the one who preferred using their own self-driving car over public transportation, but it would have been much easier and more convenient for Eleanor to have taken the vehicle to meet up with Maisie at the airport in Boston than for Stella to use the car just to do some local errands. “Do you know what Stella wanted to do?” Eleanor’s body stiffened, but then she shrugged. “No, but it's your birthday and Maisie is home, so I feel happy.” Still wrinkling her brows, Amelia’s eyes flitted in the direction of the colonial down the street. Its white surface appeared blood-stained in the sun and the flowery bushes skirting its edges seemed to jeer at her. Amelia held back a gasp. She was certain she had just seen one of the curtains twitch every so slightly with a tan hand grasping the fabric. “You all right?” Maisie asked. Amelia plastered a smile on her cheeks and faced her sister’s concerned dark brown eyes. She would bring up the house later. “Yeah, of course. Let’s go celebrate!” ~~~ Even when the sun had set and Amelia, Tania, Eleanor, and Maisie had settled down to eat, Stella still had not returned. Dishes were splattered around the table. Some were wrapped up in compostable take-out boxes while others were served on colorful platters. The flavorful misal pav lay at the center of the table. Garlic bread and bean stew squatted on either end. Lo mein, jollof rice, and mashed potatoes crowded the middle of the rectangular surface. There was no particular theme tonight and that was alright to Amelia. The food was just like her family. To some, the assortment may look mismatched, but, in fact, it was quite fulfilling. “It feels wrong to be eating without Stella,” Maisie said, pausing from slurping up her bean stew. “What errands is she even doing that are taking this long?” Tania shrugged and placed her chopsticks down on the edge of her plate. “Stella knew tonight was a big deal and we waited long enough for her. I’m not going to let this food get cold. It’s not everyday we go all out on meals.” Amelia nodded as she took a bite of her garlic bread. The sleek, oily carbohydrates brushed her tongue and she felt grateful for this food and to be with...well, most of her family. “Tell us more about Suriname and studying the rainforests there,” Eleanor said. With that, the attention transitioned away from Stella as Maisie chatted about the rainforest protection initiatives she helped organize and all the different flora and fauna that she had seen. As Maisie droned on, Amelia, who was situated on the right side of the table beside Tania, glanced out the window. After soaking in energy from the sun all day, the fluorescent street lights gleamed like earthbound stars. Shadows flitted around the neighbors’ yards as little trees and bushes shaded their perimeters. Naturally, Amelia’s eyes landed on the colonial. The house appeared silent as usual even with its mysterious candles flickering behind its curtains. Amelia’s gaze drifted past the windows to stare at the corners of the building. She jolted in her seat. Just barely visible on the right side of the house, she could see the edge of a familiar old blue vehicle. “What’s wrong, Amelia?” Tania asked. All three women peered down at Amelia with frowns etched on their faces. Amelia opened her mouth to speak, but then remembered what Tania had said earlier about not worrying over the house and how today they were celebrating. She didn’t want to ruin the moment with drama. “Thought I saw Stella. I think I’m going to take a look and see if she needs any help carrying things inside.” Amelia forced a grin onto her face. Tania leaned toward Amelia to try to peer outside. “Hmm. Don’t see anything, but go ahead and take a look if you want.” “Make sure to come back in time for dessert,” Eleanor said as Amelia stood up from the table. “Don’t want to miss the cake I bought.” Amelia nodded and scurried over to the door. ~~~ It took Amelia less than a minute to reach the sidewalk outside the white colonial. Mosquitos flitted around her neck and cheeks and the humidity cocooned her bare legs and arms. Sure enough, her family’s car was parked in the colonial’s driveway. Trembling, Amelia crept across the stone pathway to the building’s door. The way the streetlights accentuated the shadows and the crickets chittered in the background made Amelia feel uneasy, as if someone was watching her. As she approached the porch of the house, the front lights flickered on, illuminating the plain white seating area. A dusty wooden chair sat to Amelia’s left and a glass table covered with specks of dirt lay before it. Potted plants were scattered all over the sides of the porch, but unlike the table and chair, they seemed well-cared for. The doorbell glowed orange and with her fingers tingling, Amelia clicked the button. Ding. The sound echoed in the air and even the crickets seemed to pause for a moment. A warm breeze brushed Amelia’s black hair against her collarbone and she clutched her hands together. Thumping reverberated inside the house and Amelia took a step back. With a creak, the door opened to reveal a petite Southeast Asian woman. Amelia gasped. The woman’s tan face was...Her expression of surprise mirrored Amelia’s own. The way she gripped her hands together and stared at the ground...It wasn’t Stella, but she certainly looked like Stella, but even more than Stella, she looked like...Amelia. “Angelica,” a voice, an older, feminime voice, called from what appeared to be the kitchen. “Who’s there?” The woman, Angelica, opened and closed her mouth. Finally, she made out, “It’s no one. Just the wind.” Her dark brown eyes did not leave Amelia’s. “You’re not supposed to be here,” Angelica whispered. “Stella, my sister...your mother promised.” Amelia’s throat felt like it was being sucked into her chest. She felt cold even though the temperature outside was warm. “Wh-who are you?” she asked, even though she already knew. Angelica shook her head. “Just go.” The door shut in Amelia’s face. Her head throbbing, Amelia twisted around and scampered down the steps. She was halfway across the stone pathway when a voice called her name. She twisted to her left to see Stella standing in the driveway by their car with empty reusable grocery bags in her hands. Despite the dark, Amelia could make out Stella’s concerned expression. Holding back a sob, Amelia ran over to her mother. ~~~ The rest of the night went as planned. The five of them ate cake, teased one another, and laughed about how late Stella was. It wasn’t until Amelia was alone in her bedroom, getting ready to sleep when Stella knocked on her door to chat. “Is Angelica my mother?” The two of them sat beside one another on Amelia’s bed. Stella brushed a strand of her own black hair behind her ear. “You met Angelica once before. On your eighth birthday. I had run into her while getting flowers with Maisie for your party and invited her over. I didn’t know she was your birth mother then.” Amelia vaguely remembered that party. It had just been with her family. She couldn’t remember Angelica being there, but it sounded like she hadn’t visited long. “My sister...she got caught up in something bad, something I disapproved of. A cult, I guess others would call it, but they aren’t hurting anyone.” Stella’s eyes were distant with memory. “I pushed Angelica away for ten years until I saw her at that flower shop. I thought maybe I could be a better sister, but...I was wrong. She left your party without me noticing and it took a year before I tracked her down again.” Amelia stared down at her toes. The soft fabric of her bedsheets tickled her thighs and she fiddled with the edge of her blanket. “How did you find her?” “The group my sister is part of operates with these places called ‘Temple Houses.’ Members live there so they can do their practices privately. The group isn’t associated with any religion. They’re very seclusive and focused on community and nature. I figured out where some of the Temple Houses were and located the one Angelica was staying at the time. I offered to support her and make sure she and her friends had food. “Eventually, after a couple years, she trusted me enough to let me know that she had recognized you as her daughter when she came to that birthday party. She felt ashamed about leaving you, but she also wanted to know how you were doing, so I helped her buy the colonial across the street. Eleanor and Tania agreed to assist me. It’s now a Temple House and Angelica runs it. I help out with the more practical things like getting groceries. It’s why I don’t use public transportation. I don’t want anyone getting suspicious.” Amelia nodded. She glanced at the window, which now displayed an image of the milky way. A little fan whirred silently on her bookshelf washing Amelia with waves of cool air. What was Angelica doing now? Was she thinking about Amelia? Stella placed a warm hand on Amelia’s wrist, stilling her fiddling. “Angelica didn’t want you to know all of this because she doesn’t want you to feel ashamed of your birth mother. She loves you though and I hope you know that we do, too.” Amelia met her adoptive mother’s dark brown eyes, which she now recognized as being similar not only to Angelica’s, but her own as well. She leaned against Stella’s shoulder. Amelia knew now that the Temple House was nothing to be scared of, but that didn’t mean things weren’t complicated. She listened to Eleanor and Tania chattering downstairs. She heard Maisie shuffling around in the bathroom nearby. She could feel Stella’s grasp over her hand. Amelia had always been a loner and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. She couldn’t predict what would happen next with Angelica, but she did know she wasn’t alone. I see fish flying in the night. As I tiptoe out from under my covers and into the cool evening air, I can see starry fish dancing in the sky outside my window. The way the lights flicker emboldens me and soon I'm not fifteen-year-old Isabelle Huff stuck at home with a mom who doesn't understand and two little sisters who incessantly argue. No, I am an explorer in a dazzling spacesuit, ready to leap from star to star. I can stare up at space and float. Although I can feel my eyelids sink and my mouth yawn, I am free. Inside my house, only little taps resound from the fridge and the radiator. No yelling can be heard. No disappointments, mess-ups, conflicts. In the sky, there are only the fish. They glow purple and bronze and blue. Their sleek bodies twirl among the stars. The moon guides them with its luminescence and Earth's green hills roll like distant oceans underneath them. As I lean against my window and my slow breath fogs the glass, I am suddenly struck by how distant these magnificent creatures are from my house and me. Do they even know that Buchtton, the small town I inhabit, exists? For them, none of us really matter. My struggles with my mother are nothing to them. Sibling squabbles slip by their attention. They journey the whole universe to the point that little things that alarm me are pointless to them. My heart yanks at my chest and loneliness sinks in. Maybe they don't care, I think to myself. I sigh. The fish look so beautiful among the twinkling stars. Their scales appear sturdy and thick. Their eyes, large as houses, radiate with warmth and sadness. They've seen too much of the world, I realize. Maybe the point is that I care about them. With that, I grin and continue gazing at fish flying in the night. Thank you for reading! If you like my story, please don't be afraid to give it a share. Comments are always welcome and I love hearing your thoughts. Question: If you saw giant fish flying in the night, what would you think?
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AuthorI'm Darcy Ridge, creating stories that all revolve around family and identity in a myriad of ways. In the past, I have shared multiple stories and published a novella online. You can find me on Wattpad and many other social media websites. They/them [Image Description: black background with the words "Social Justice and Mental Health Resources" in white in the center /end ID]
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