Waterbird

By Belle Lynn

Maria Finn had nobody. She was unwanted by her kingdom, her town, and in a way, even her family.
When her family leaves to go on vacation, she is left at home alone with nothing to do but clean the house and watch the dog, Maxwell. Everything was fairly normal until a strange boy decided to get too close to Maxwell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365941252

Book preview

Waterbird

Waterbird

~The midnight bird will sing its song, until the sun returns at dawn. The midnight bird will sleep away, while the waterbird begins to play. When the sun lies down to rest, the midnight bird wakes in its nest. Soon the midnight bird will sing, while the waterbird lies waiting~

Stepping onto the front walkway, I waved goodbye to my family. Papa waved back, smiling. Jenna and Madeline ran back and hugged me tightly.

We’ll miss you on the trip. Madeline said.

Are you sure you won’t sneak aboard the ship? Jenna asked. Papa’s work doesn’t often give out vacations, I’m sure if you came-

It’s okay, Jenn, you know why I can’t go. They would sooner throw me overboard, you know it’s true. I said. Besides, someone needs to watch Maxwell; he’ll tear up the yard, or some poor guy’s leg, if no one’s here. Jenna nodded, and they turned and ran back to Papa. Mama looked at me, her eyes so much younger than her face would allow her to look.

Take care, daughter. We’ll be back in ten days. We love you, darling. She said.

I smiled at her and curtsied lightly. And I you. Have fun on your trip, I’ll have dinner waiting when you return. I watched as the four of them climbed into the company car and disappeared down the street. The dusty dirt street was full of people walking to the market and visiting friends and family. The palace loomed in the distance. Every house and business in sight looked more like a shack than a building in comparison.

Papa worked for an architectural and building company. He had recently been promoted and with said promotion came a family vacation. The fine print of his boss’ terms was clear: if he wanted the trip, I was not to go along. Papa had known it when his employer had first mentioned it. He knew that I would not mind, and he knew how desperately Mama wanted a break, wanted to get away for a short while. The vacation was a simple cruise, four days to the neighboring island of Redding, a day spent there, and four days on the trip back. My family, of course, was sad that I was never included in family outings or formal events, but there was nothing they could do to prevent the ridicule they would receive if I went with them. They loved me dearly, but they knew no one else did.

I turned and patted Maxwell on the head. His brown fur was soft under my fingertips. He whined softly.

I smiled sadly. Don’t worry, they’ll be back. I opened the door and stepped inside. The brown floor was dusty and the window was in desperate need of scrubbing. I stepped into the small kitchen and opened a cabinet. I pulled out a rag and a bottle of cleaner and started cleaning the window. Soon enough, I could see out of the window and look at the beachside, too far away to touch, but close enough to admire.

I swept all of the dirt into a pile near the front door and began sweeping the dust out into the walkway. Maxwell sneezed once and I chuckled. The sky was a light blue-grey, wisps of clouds scattered across it. Mrs. Pettigrew was watering her small vegetable garden a little ways down the street. She looked like a mean old woman, small and gruff and slightly stout, but she was much kinder than most of those who lived along this street. I waved at her.

Good afternoon Mrs. Pettigrew! I called. We loved your tomatoes, they were delicious.

She turned and smiled a bit. Thank you, girl. I have another small basket if you would like something fresh to prepare while Margaret and Patrick are gone.

It’s quite all right, I said, I wouldn’t want to take too much from you. The old woman waved me off and retreated inside her home. A few moments later when I had finished sweeping the dirt from the walkway out into the street, where it blended in and disappeared, Mrs. Pettigrew returned and stalked over to me carrying a small basket. I saw ripe and green tomatoes, potatoes and carrots, cabbage and some peppers. She reached my walkway and handed the basket to me. Looking at it more closely I could see herbs nestled in the side.

I added some fresh basil and parsley and a few other herbs.

Thank you so much, these will go to great use. I can make a soup tonight. We got some spices from the market and the Mr. Mason gave us some chicken the other day and-

Well I hope you enjoy. Good day. She said suddenly. I nodded, my smile, I imagine, turning slightly sad. No one ever seemed to appreciate my company as much as I wished they did. They probably never would

Good day, ma’am.

I turned back and stepped into the house, closing the door to the sound of Maxwell yanking on his chain. I stepped into the kitchen and set the basket on the counter and pulled a pot out of the cabinet under the sink. I filled it with water and placed it on the stove. I pulled the chicken out of the old refrigerator and put it into the water. Around an hour later when the chicken had cooked thoroughly, I turned the heat down and removed the chicken from the water, placing it onto a cutting board on the worn counter. I skinned the meat and pulled it off of the bone. Mama had already cut it into more manageable pieces, so it was fairly easy to shred it into small chunks suitable for soup. After I cut the chicken I put it back into the pot. I washed the cutting board in the sink. The wood was cracked in some areas, rough after years of use. I dried it and placed it back on the counter. I pulled the potatoes out, washed them, and cut them into small chucks. I repeated this action for some celery, onions, and carrots, and then poured all of the vegetables into the pot. I grabbed some parsley and basil and