Day is Done
I stepped inside and inhaled deeply. Our house smelled like cheese and fruit and tomatoes and chocolate and spices and lots of other good things. Bark! Bark! Our big grey dog, Pip, ran to me, jumped up on me, and almost knocked me over in his display of affection. Our ginger cat, Hyacinth followed more calmly, rubbing against my ankles. I rubbed them both, happy that they were glad I was home. Then I turned to the kitchen.
“Hello, darling! How was your swim?” My mother stood at the stove, cheeks flushed. Her black hair was streaked with silver and slipping out of her loose braid. Her simple blue dress displayed her blossoming figure, a baby was expected in three months.
“It was really nice, Mama! Look what I found!” I held out the coin so she could see.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Mama said, stirring something into the bubbling pot on the stove. “Delphinian coins are beautiful, aren’t they?” I nodded, then gave her a quick hug.
“Should I call Lucia?”
“Please, do,” Mama said, slicing through a thick loaf of bread. I ran out of the kitchen and into the hall, and then up our stone stairs, running my hand along the pearl encrusted banister. Slightly out of breath, I stepped onto the landing.
“Lucia? Lu? Luci-Goosey? It’s time for dinner!”
“Thanks, I’ll be down soon!” she replied. She seemed to be busy. Oh, well. At least I had told her to come down. My duty done, I turned and thumped back down the stairs.
✸ ✸ ✸
“So, Minlia, how was your day?” asked my father in between mouthfuls of soup. We were at the dinner table, enjoying Mama’s excellent soup. I beamed.
“It was wonderful! I went for a dive and found a Delphinian coin!” He smiled at me, his hazel eyes twinkling.
“That sounds wonderful!” he turned to Lucia, who was buttering her bread. “How was your day, Lu?”
“It was great! I was trying to tame the Siva[1] birds, and I think a red one likes me!” We all smiled. We knew that my little sister loved the colorful birds that were common on our island.
“I cleaned and cooked and worked on the baby’s room and mended your clothes,” Mama said.
“Okay, you won for business,” Lucia admitted. Mama smiled as she placed a platter of chocolate cookies and fruit on the table. We almost literally pounced on the cookies, reducing them to crumbs in a matter of minutes. After dinner we cleared the table.
“Min and Lucia, go get ready for bed,” said Mama. We nodded sleepily – it had been a busy day – and walked slowly up the stairs. The second door off the upstairs hallway is mine. The room’s painted a bright, cheerful shade of blue. It has a huge round window that’s the best reading spot ever. (I love books!) My bed is very comfortable, covered in soft blankets and a quilt that shows naralins on a sunny day. Mama made it by hand for me when I was a baby.
To cover the floor, we had purchased a fluffy white rug from a merchant on the mainland. Bookshelves and a rocking chair occupied one corner of the room; my closet occupied another.
“Minlia!! Hurry up!! It’s time for Dad to read to us!!!” Lucia yelled. I threw my clothes into my hamper and changed into my nightclothes, a soft tunic, pants and socks. “MIN!!!” Lucia yelled again. I groaned.
“Lucia, I’m coming!!” I ran out of my room, down the hall, and into my parents’ bedroom. I jumped onto their bed, out of breath. “Sheesh, Lu, I said I was coming!” I snapped.
“Min,” my dad warned. I blew out my breath, and waited for dad to start reading to us. We were working our way through an Etholian classic. I relaxed as I listened to the funny heroine, an adopted orphan with a wild imagination. After Dad finished the chapter, we prayed to the Maker and sang a verse of a song. We gave our parents hugs, and walked back to our rooms.
“Hey, Lu? I’m sorry I snapped at you,” I said.
“I forgive you,” Lucia replied, “good-night!”
“Good-night!” I walked into my room and slipped into my bed. The lull of the ocean crashing on the cliff sent me right to sleep.
[1] A large, colorful, crested bird that is native to Etholia
Pen & Whiskers Press 