A Fairytale for Sweet Amz

 

The term fairytale is hardly applicable to the story you are in the process of reading. It's not about a princess. There is o kingdoms magical dust or long agos. There is no moral to be taken from it and indeed no happily ever after, perhaps one day there will be, but not yet.

 

Boots dragging along the pavement, her tiny hands wrapped around the straps of her bag. She watched the floor as it rained, she watched the alien droplets sink in to the deep grey. Her eyes tighten as she imagined them sinking to the very core. She watched them disappear.

 

Looking up. There it was. It always formed on days like this. When the rain was strong and the cement was not greedy enough to drink it all. Who knew how deep that puddle was? Maybe the deepest in the world. Years ago Howie's older brother tried to jump it. We don't see Howie's brother anymore. Her lips, suddenly very thin, curled in to a smile. She slowly looked around to make sure no one was watching and began to charge. She let go of her bag as she ran it fell to the floor, her arms lost control in the high speeds they waved in the air she was moving so fast. As her legs bent, her flight path already mapped, she was struk hard by a cold realisation, what she was doing was silly, and she wasn't supposed to be silly.

 

She stopped smiling her tiny hands wrapped around the straps of her bag as she picked it up and she watched the floor as it rained.

 

She wasn't quite alone when she got home. Mum was at the shops, but big sis was in the shower. She shed her jacket and her bag and her boots and shivered the cold out of her body, imagining it starting in her bones, moving through her muscles pushing hard through her skin out from under her collar and in to the atmosphere.

 

She could hear the water running up stairs and knew this was her shot: Mary always takes ages in the shower. She tip toed in to the kitchen, the door creaked as she closed it but she was too excited to care. She picked up her chair her chubby fingers held the seat tight she started pushing it towards the counter, her mind was swimming 'this is it' she kept whispering.

 

The chair was scraping along the floor and she knew she was making to much noise, she knew Mary would hear. So she picked it up, she had to hold her breath and use all her strength, she could take about two steps at a time before laying it down to rest. Finally, however, she made it!

 

She climbed on to the chair belly first, then on to her elbows, then her knees till finally her feet, the chair wobble beneath her. 'This is it' she whispered again hardly able to get the words out. She looked behind her at the door, her breath was heavy. It stayed closed, she was willing her sister to come in. she wanted to be caught, so she'd never try again. Just like last time. But it didn’t work then, and who knew when she'd get another chance.

 

Her hand moved past the Ribena and towards the Vimto. She had never had Vimto. She was only allowed Ribena. Once her sister had given her a cup for her birthday, but she got so excited she spilt it. And was never allowed it again.

 

She whelped as she heard someone coming down the stairs, before realising it was just her beating heart. It felt like it was going to explode. She listened without making a move, she hadn’t noticed the water up stairs had stopped. She wanted to scream but nothing came out her mouth, her face felt cold. But she could feel it was sweaty.

 

She pulled down a mug, glasses were see through and that was too risky, and poured a dollop of sweet red in to it. The chair shook and a drop fell to the counter. She prayed the counter would drink it down like the pavement drank the rain, but it wasn’t thirsty and secretly she knew Vimto is too tasty for counters, it only drinks soapy water.

 

With her tongue out in concentration, she used her sleeve to wipe up the spill. 'I have to wash this later' she whispered to herself, it was worth it she smiled.

 

THUMP, she heard the step on the top of the stairs, it didn’t register at first.

 

THUMP, she heard the second step n the stairs. ' oh know' she said louder than she wanted to she tried to grab the words and shove them back in her mouth.

 

THUMP, it was coming closer still. But she had come too far to stop now.

 

THUMP, She leaned over the counter and turned on the tap, usually she would let it run for a few seconds to let it get cold, but there was no time for something like that today.

 

THUMP, She jumped off the chair and ran it back to the table as quickly as she could. Not spilling a drop.

 

THUMP, The door swung open “GOTTCHA” her giant sister yelled as she burst in to the kitchen.

 

But our young hero was nowhere to be found. She scratched her head “Where are you?” she yelled.

 

“I'm watching TV.”

 

Walking in to the room she asked “oh yeah? What are you watching?”

 

“Escape to the Country”

 

“You are so weird” big sister scorned. "Wait" she said looking down at the drink in her hands. 

 

Our hero's heart jumped in to her throat.

 

"What's are you drinking?"

 

“Ribena” she coughed up.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I Promise” she pleaded 

 

Her sisters eyes narrowed. “Ok then” and she ran back upstairs.

 

I'm not sure what our hero was wearing at this point, but I like to imagine it was something valiant like a knights armour, scuffed and worn. Returning victorious from her battle with an old dragon, with the precious Vimto to feed her nation as there beloved princess. Later that night there would be a party thrown in her honour where all people would eat around a fire and drink Vimto and laugh, laugh at that dumb old dragon. All the Vimto they wanted, served to them by her sister, who could also have some, but only if she shared.

 

She giggled to herself, sat on the floor in her living room, drank slowly savouring every drop. And when she was done she smiled to herself.

 

She had done something bad, and she liked it.