by Yume
6. The Sister’s Smile
Agatha
It was a full moon. Reflected on the plain calm mirror was a silver moon, glittering brightly and powerfully. Nevertheless, she felt lonely. She sat along on the edge of the river, staring up at the dark cloudless sky. The stars twinkled above her and moonlight surrounded her. At once, her entire body seemed to be shining like an angel from the heaven. Still, no one cared. She was alone.
“Agatha!” Her mother shouted from inside the house.
Agatha got on her knees and stood up hastily. Straightening her wrinkled apron, she hurried back to the cabin.
“Agatha! How many times have I told you not to wander off at night?” The cross woman yelled, squeezing her daughter’s hand angrily.
“I’m sorry, mama.” Agatha apologized. “I won’t do it again.”
Across the table seated another little girl, who shared a great resemblance to Agatha. She was, with no doubt, her sister, Elisa. The older girl smirked as her mother scolded the other one.
“Now, go and check on the horses in the stable!” The mother commanded, pointing to the door’s direction. “And then prepare a pot of hot water for our bath!”
“Yes, mama.” Agatha nodded dutifully and left the house.
“What a jerk.” Elisa mumbled to herself quietly, not letting her mother hear it.
“And you, Elisa,” Her mother turned back to her and smiled widely. “Should go to bed early. You still have school tomorrow.”
“Yes, mama.” Elisa said, pretending to be obedient and meek.
Agatha reached the stables and switched on the light. All the horses were resting peacefully in their own corners of bed. She walked to the far end to check on Hayley, her dearest buddy.
“Hayley.” She said, running her smooth hands over its face. The horse responded by licking her hand.
“Good night, Hayley.” Agatha said and left.
Then, she went back to boil water to prepare for her mother’s bath. Every now and then, checking on the horses and most of the chores had become her usual task. At nights, she might be able to steal a minute or two to lie down on the green moor and talk to the moon. Yet, most of the time, she was running here and there to complete her family’s orders.
She had not an idea why this was her routine but never was Elisa’s. Everyone seemed to fancy Elisa and detest her. She could not remember what mistake she had made or any sins she had committed that might lead her to such condition. One thing she did realize was Elisa’s lies. The two siblings looked very much alike and yet their minds were nothing similar. Elisa was always around telling lies about her, which was absolutely untrue. From the day she was born, her sister had never liked her a bit. She did not understand that it was jealousy and selfishness that caused such phenomenon. She only regarded the problem as her fault. So, this lifestyle had been going on for years. Elisa was always the one adored and treasured. Agatha was always the one hated and ignored.
When she was old enough to talk, she did try to defense for herself. However, her parents just seemed to never listen to her. They had a special liking towards Elisa, which Agatha could never comprehend, for both of them were their daughters. Sometimes, Agatha thought to herself that Elisa might be born with this extraordinary charisma or luck that protected her and benefited her wherever she went. In the family, Agatha was more like a servant than a daughter. Every good thing was taken by Elisa. Agatha never had a time to share any eye-catching clothes, palatable food or glamorous accessories. The only thing she had was books. Reading was probably the one and sole hobby she could possibly have.
On preparing a bowl of hot water, she poured it into the bath tub. Carefully, she dipped her finger in to check if it was too hot. She had learnt it the other day when she by accident got the water’s temperature too high. That time, her mother screamed when she landed her feet in. Instantly, she hurled a comb at Agatha. Seeing that a comb did not make a scratch, her fury could hardly be eased. She spanked her daughter’s face and pulled her hair until tears could not stop falling from her eyes. Only then, she was satisfied with the punishment.
To prevent being hurt or condemned, Agatha bore in mind she had to check the water every time before serving. After ensuring the temperature was right, she called her mother.
“Mama, the water’s ready.”
Her mother appeared at the door. She took the towel from Agatha and gestured her to leave. Agatha then went back to her room and couched in one corner. She had to wait for her mother to finish her bath such that she could take hers. Every night, she would be the last one to go to bed, which always made her late for school the next day. When she was late, her teachers told her off and the other children teased her. She had got accustomed to these treatments long ago though. She no longer felt astonished when the boys threw pebbles at her and girls snorted at her. She just felt kind of unfair when she saw Elisa walk in with charm and pride. She had a rather bad feeling towards her own sister but she wouldn’t admit it was hatred.
When she could finally get into bed, she lay there for a long time. It was not her first time of insomnia though. Very often, she could hardly get into sleep and there was one special reason behind it.
A few years back, she was not that alone. There was someone as lonesome as her. Her name was Margorie. She met her in the fields. She was a strange but adorable girl. She wouldn’t say she was optimistic or cheerful but she did comfort Agatha in many ways. She was a little bit older than Agatha but her mind was more mature than anyone else could see through. What fascinated her was the way Margorie could know what a person thought by simply watching him. Her eyes were always full of mysteries and hidden passion. It was a friend who shared the same fate of being lonely and isolated. Agatha was relieved then.
Yet, Margorie was burnt. People never did like her and when someone accused her of practicing witchcraft, she met her doom. Agatha watched her tied to the stake and as flame consumed her, part of her heart seemed to be cut away. It was as though something vital in her life had been lost forever. And that was her soul mate.
The scene of burning never left her head. Even now, she dreamt of it every night. When she felt so horrendous that she could no longer tolerate it, she screamed and cried out. That usually drove her mother mad. She would then be forced out of bed and stood facing the wall until dawn.
To make things a little bit better, she would sing to herself a lullaby. Of course, she invented the lullaby on her own. Unlike other kids who had their mothers to tuck them into bed, she hummed to herself.
Softly she would sing.
When the stars shine above me
From this cage, I will break free
Spreading my wings, I will fly
To a place where I will never cry
The grass is green and the sky is blue
I hope so much this dream will come true
When I can finally smile and laugh
And the story ends with the best ending ever