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Little Little Sister (standard:fantasy, 9936 words) | |||
Author: MyMelodyOfTheHeart | Added: May 13 2014 | Views/Reads: 2784/2138 | Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes) |
A 10 year old boy is happy with being an only child, but finds that a sibling can bring him even more happiness, big or small. | |||
Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story the locker door. Being very passionate about sports, especially baseball, I was overjoyed because today, I will be playing against the baseball team from Brooke Elementary School, who are rumored to have small, inexperienced players. This ought to be easy. On my way to the boys' bathroom to change, I ran into Nick and Jenna Serra, a friend of his and an acquaintance of mine. "Hi there, Mr. Show-Off! Going to play a game today?" they asked me. I chose to ignore their nickname for me. "Yes. We are playing against Brooke today. I will win it all for us!" Nick and Jenna looked at each other, rolling their eyes. "Well, good luck at the game, Harry. Remember your teammates as well. I gotta go. My Mom's waiting for me." Nick replied and ran off. Jenna, meanwhile, hung around me while I dug through my baseball bag. "Don't you just love that Thumbelina story in class today, Harry? I would love to read it over and over." Not wanting to hear any more about that, I answered," good for you. I'm glad you're into small, weird people!" Jenna glared at me as I was going into the bathroom. "If you weren't so stuck up on yourself, you can learn to appreciate all the good things in life. See you later, Harris Packard." She left and I got changed in the bathroom. In my uniform, all ready to play, I sat on the front steps of the school, waiting for my Mom to come and take me to the park for the game. Minutes passed and Mom has not come out of school yet. What could be keeping her? Just when I became so frustrated and wanted to leave, Mom came running down the stairs. "Hi Harry! I'm sorry I'm late. I was busy cleaning up the classroom after the kids made cookies today. Are you ready for the game?" I stood up. "Hi Mom. I have been ready for a while here. Fine time to be late." I said, firmly. Mom was slightly taken aback, but then recovered. "I know you're anxious about playing in today's game, but don't get mad at me about being late that couldn't be helped. Understand?" I nodded and asked, " Can we sing on the way there? It'll be really fun." Mom smiled and nodded as we went into the car. I could tell that's what we needed. After singing along with the radio in the car the whole way, we were finally at the park. There were lots of people, sitting on the bleachers, standing around, etc. I recognized my teammates and Coach Dempsey on the far end of the field. "Okay, Mom. I'm going to meet with the Coach and teammates now." I said, pointing to them. Mom sat on the front row of the bleachers. "Good Luck, Harry. I know you will do your best out there." I ran over to the dugout where Coach Dempsey and my teammates were discussing today's game. "Hi, Harris. Glad you could make it. We need to talk to you about something. " Coach Dempsey greeted me and gestured for me to come where he was. "Sure, Coach. What's up?" I replied, putting down my bag. Coach grabbed one of my teammates, Julien Burke, and brought him over to us. "Julien here has been training hard to become a pitcher. So to help him practice, Can he take your place as pitcher for today's game? I'm sure it will be great for him and us." Julien jumped up and down and added, " Please, Harry! Let me be pitcher!" I was outraged when I was hearing this. How dare Coach to give Julien, one of the puniest players on our team, my position that that is one of the most important ones there is?! "Sorry Coach, but my position is more important to me. Julien is the very last person I would give it to. He is as good as a benchwarmer." I told them straight. Coach and Julien were horrified when I said this. Julien, especially, because he burst into tears and ran away. Coach took a glance at him, then he glared at me. "Harris Packard! How can you be so cruel and selfish like that?! Just for that, you are not welcome to play in today's game. You are to sit on the bench and if you keep this up, you will be cut from the team! understand?!" I nodded , once again, and plopped onto the bench. "Who wants to play that stupid game anyway?" I thought to myself as I helped myself to some water. That's how I spent the whole game. Every now and then, I glanced around the field at the game being played and looking in the crowd at my Mom. My Mom was cheering my team on, even though I wasn't playing. Julien, as the pitcher, and my teammates, as I watched them, were effortlessly beating Brooke Elementary by a few points. We only needed one more Home Run to win the game. "Without me, they won't win." I thought. But I was proven wrong. Julien went up to Home Base, bat in hand, ready to swing at the ball. The pitcher on the Brooke team glared at him and threw the pitch. Using all his strength, Julien swung the bat and hit the ball, high in the sky. "Run, Julien, Run!!!", everyone on my team urged and away Julien went, running the bases. Finally, as if in a dream, Julien slid very far, right into Home Base. We had won the game! ( I would have won the game the game more easily than he did.) Everyone cheered in the crowd, especially my Mom. "Way to go, Julien! That's a great team member! Right, Harris?" Coach asked, looking at me on the bench. "Yes, Coach. He is." I said and went to find my Mom while everyone on my team carried Julien off the field, cheering. "Hi, Harry! Great job on your team winning the game! What position were you playing? I assumed you were the pitcher, but I didn't see you anywhere on the field." Mom said when I met her near the bleachers, walking towards the car. At first, I was very reluctant to tell her what happened, but honesty is the best policy, so I told her everything that happened, including sitting on the bench for the whole game. Needless to say, Mom was just as shocked and horrified as Coach and Julien were. "Young Man, let's get into the car and thoroughly discuss this." she told me very firmly and stomped off into the car. I ran to catch up with her and got into the car with her. During the drive home, we were silent for a while. Finally, Mom spoke quietly, " Harris, when you show off and act stuck up, who gets hurt the most?" This was certainly something to think about. "Myself and others." I muttered, looking down at my feet. "Right. You can't go through life degrading others and always wanting to be Top Dog. Life isn't like that. If you keep this up, as your Coach said, you will lose what's important. I want you to think about this. Okay, Harris?" Mom lectured me. Not wanting to make my Mom any angrier, I agreed with her. "Yes, Mom. I will." Then I spotted something on the side of the road. "Mom! Look over there!" She and I both looked. Three teenagers were beating up an old man in an alley way. "Oh my Lord! That poor man. Let's help him, Harry." Mom exclaimed and stopped the car. I hesitated though. "How can we stop them? They could be dangerous." Mom and I looked through the car for something to scare the teenagers away. I spotted a battery powered flashlight and some rope in the glove compartment. "Mom, why don't we use these?" I held the items up to show her. She frowned. " How are they going to help us?" I quickly explained how we can use the flashlight to shine light in the pitch blackness of the dark to scare the teenagers away. With them gone, we would throw the man the rope and lead him to safety with us. Mom was amazed. "I don't know how you did it, but that's a great idea!" Getting out of the car, we put the plan into action. We approached the alley way. That poor man was getting bruises, cuts, and other injuries from those fools. "Stupid old F***!" "Try to use magic now!" "What a sorry wimp!" were some of the things we heard them say to him. We knew that we were desperately needed as the man winced and whimpered in pain. Mom gave me a signal and I shone the flashlight in the dark at the fools. They shrieked while Mom threw the man the rope. "Come on!" she said to him. The man held back, but then he grabbed his bag and held onto the rope while Mom reeled him in to her. Meanwhile, it appeared that my flashlight only stunned them because now they were after me! "Now you're gonna get it!" one of them said and they all started to hurt me! "Mom, help me!" I cried out as the fools laughed at me. Mom heard me and tried to run to my aid. But the old man, despite his shabby condition, stopped her. "Leave it to me." he said, softly to her. After he said that, he muttered something and waved his hand. Then something strange happened. Just when one of the teenagers were about to beat me as badly as they did to the old man, they heard sirens and saw lights flashing. "The Cops!!!! Let's split!!!" they shouted and ran, leaving me unharmed. Mom and the old man came over to me. " Thank goodness you're all right, Harry! Who knows what could've happened if the Police didn't come!" Mom exclaimed and gave me a big hug. The we turned to the old man. "Are you okay, Mister? You look like you're in bad shape after that beating." I asked him. The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I am in too much pain to be fine. Can you please help me?" Mom and I knew that this was our chance to help someone in need and thought for a moment. "We can take care of you at our home and nurse you back to health, if you wish. Then we can take you to your home. How's that sound?" Mom suggested to him. The man's face lit up with joy. "I would love it if you can do that for me. But I am homeless, so you can not take me to my home." Mom was sad, at first, to hear this, but she suggested that he can live at our house for as long as he needed. The man brightened up even more. "You are very kind. I accept this offer." However, this did not sit well with me. How can Mom take in a complete stranger like this? And invading my personal life and relationships? Before I could open my mouth to protest, Mom opened the car door and the man went inside. "Come on, Harry." she said, gesturing me. On the way home, the man introduced himself as Ayden James Escourt, and he is a world renowned Magician and Warlock. He was telling us his story, everything from how he came to be what he is now, to why he is now homeless. "I used to live in a nice, elegant apartment where I would perform magic for the little ones. Then their parents and my Landlord thought that my magic was a bad influence, so they evicted me. I tell you, Miss, life is not fair. " he explained. Mom turned around. "Please, Ayden. Call me Claire. Claire Reynolds Packard. And this is my son, Harris Packard. It's our pleasure to take you in. You are quite an interesting person as well." Ayden smiled and continued his story. As I was listening to Ayden, my mind was filled with disbelief. If he is so renowned, how come I never heard of him before? I really did not believe that he can do magic. To me, he is just an old man, invading my home and my life. Before I knew it, we were home. I got out of the car, carrying my equipment bag and held the front door of the house open for Mom and Ayden. "Thank you, Harry." Mom said. Ayden, who was following Mom, carrying his bag added," What a Gentleman you are, Harris." As we organized ourselves in the Living room, Mom, to my dismay, explained to Ayden how he can live in the guest bedroom right next to mine. "Harry, can you carry Ayden's things and lead him to his room? I'll get some bandages and medicine for him while you're at it." she said. I nodded and picked up Ayden's things. "Yes, Mom." Ayden and I walked up the stairs. "You have a very nice home, Harry. Reminds me of my old home at the apartment. " Ayden commented, looking around when we got to the top of the stairs. "Yes, we do." I muttered. Then we came to the bedrooms. "This is where you'll be staying.", I told Ayden, pointing to the guest bedroom, " And this is my bedroom. It's private, you know." Ayden was slightly taken aback, but went into the guest bedroom. "I knew that. This is such a nice room. Do you mind if I unpacked my things and straightened up in here?" I shook my head and left the room to wait for Mom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ayden place his bag on the floor. Then he muttered something and waved his hands. In a fast instant, the room became nicely decorated, complete with sheets on the bed, a thick book on a pedestal, and elegant wallpaper. "Ayden could not have done that., I said to myself,' I'm just imagining it." Just then, Mom came up the stairs with some supplies. "How's Ayden doing, Harry? Is he making himself at home?" Before I could answer, Ayden stepped out of the bedroom. "We're doing great here, Claire. Harry here has done a great job showing me to my room." Mom smiled. "Glad to hear everything went well for you two. Let's clean and dress your wounds, Ayden. Then I'll serve supper for us.'" Ayden flinched a bit at the thought of his wounds, but relaxed when mom said that. She and I went into his room. Mom was amazed at how the room looked. "Boy, you sure know how to make yourself at home, Ay. It's so magical." I don't know where Mom got that idea from, but I didn't feel like agreeing with her on that. Ayden sat carefully on a chair. " Please be gentle, Claire." Mom unwrapped some bandages and I mixed some soap and warm water also. "Hold still. You'll be fine." Mom assured him. Then she began to clean Ayden's wounds. As he cried out in pain several times, I decided I didn't want to hang around. "Mom, can I please go to my room and do homework? I can't take this." Mom and Ayden understood my discomfort and let me go. I sat at my desk in my room and tried to concentrate. As I was working, I continued to hear Ayden's cries of pain and Mom assuring him. "What a wimp for someone who claims to be a Warlock. Why doesn't he use his magic to heal himself and get a new home?" I thought, bitterly. After finishing my homework, I laid in bed and rested for a while. I didn't rest long, though, because just then, Mom called me to dinner. I came downstairs and met mom and Ayden in the Dining room. mom was serving us bowls of Chicken Noodle Soup. "My favorite!" Ayden exclaimed, who was now all clean, bandaged, and in tip top shape. Mom gave me my bowl and sat down with us. "Glad to hear it, Ay. It's my favorite, too. Harry, Can you please tell us your day at school and your baseball game today?" Swallowing my soup, it took me a little time to get started. " My day began with..." As I was telling Ayden and Mom about my day, Ayden was showing lots of interest. But at the same time, I noticed he was doing lots of weird things. Like, when his water glass or soup bowl were empty, he would mutter something, wave his hand, and in an instant, they were refilled. No wonder he didn't ask Mom for seconds. I finished my story at the same time we were finished with our dinner. Ayden applauded for me. "Well done, Harry. Sounds like you had a productive day." Mom began to clear the dishes. "Would you like some dessert, Ay? I made some peach cobbler earlier today." she asked him. Ayden gave Mom a big smile. "I would love some, Claire. But before we have that, I would like to speak to you and Harry about an important matter." Mom and I agreed. So when Mom finished cleaning up, we sat at the table and listened carefully to Ayden. "First, I would like to express my gratitude to both of you for taking me in. With your care and a nice place to live, I am stronger than ever. I feel repayment is necessary for your kindness. Therefore, I am willing to grant each of you a wish. Anything your heart desires, I will give to you." Upon hearing this, I have never seen Mom so exhalant as she is now. "Ayden, that is so sweet of you to do that for us. Isn't that great, Harry?" I, on the other hand, had quite enough of this magic that Ayden claims he can do. "Ayden, you have gone far enough with this. Do you really expect me to believe this crazy promise of wishes?! You are just a moocher. A moocher taking advantage of us!" I exploded at him. Suddenly, tears formed in Ayden's eyes. Mom became red in the face. "Harris Vincent Packard! How can you talk to Ayden like that after he has been so nice to you?! You have not learned your lesson. I want you to go to bed without any dessert tonight and really think about your arrogance. Do you hear me?!!" she said in a very loud voice. I nodded quickly and left the table as fast as I could. As I did this, I overheard Mom apologizing to Ayden and began talking about her kindergarten class among themselves. "Mom should have never took him in." I said to myself and went into my room. A little later, after I took a bath and changed into my pajamas, I was quietly reading a book. Suddenly, I saw Mom walk past my room into Ayden's. She looked really intent on something so I decided to investigate. "Ayden, I would like a word with you on my wish." I heard her say, closing the door behind her. Being as careful as I could, I got up, went to Ayden's door, and carefully opened it a crack. "I would be delighted to, Claire. What is it?" Mom, feeling shy, hung back a little. "This may sound very silly to make a wish of, but, for years after my husband passed away, I have had a strong desire to have more children. My heart wants to love and care for other children of my own besides Harry. Therefore, since I am unable to have more children, I wish for a child to love and care for, and a sibling for Harry to play with." As I was watching this, I was hoping that Ayden would think that this is crazy and not grant her wish. But Ayden was moved by Mom's speech. "You sound like you're speaking from your heart, Claire. I can sense it. You deserve to have your wish granted for your kindness and love. I have just the thing for you." He got up out of bed and walked over to the dresser drawer. He opened it and pulled out a small bottle on a chain, containing a multi colored stone inside of it. "I have been wanting to give this to someone who is very special to me. You happen to be it. Before you go to bed, take the stone out of the bottle, kiss it, and place it in some warm water. By morning, you will have your wish. After that, Can you please wear the bottle on the chain as a symbol of your loving wish?" Ayden explained. He placed the necklace around Mom's neck. Needless to say, Mom was so overjoyed that I thought she was going to explode. She threw her arms around Ayden and gave him a big hug. "Ay, I am so joyful that you did this for me. You are the nicest and sweetest Warlock I have ever met. I will do as you told me and wear this necklace, too. Thank you so much!" I could not believe my eyes and ears. How can a rock grant Mom's wish? Ayden must be playing a trick on her. I didn't want to spend much time figuring all this out, so I turned around and left for my bedroom. On the way there, I accidentally sneezed loudly. "What was that noise?" I heard Ayden ask Mom. "Probably just Harry. He should have been in bed by now. I'll do as you told me and go to bed now. Good Night, Ayden." she replied. Ayden said the same to Mom. I quickly hopped into bed and turned out the lights. I got in there just in time because Mom came in to check on me. With one eye slightly open, I saw the rock inside the bottle on her necklace was gone. She did what Ayden told her to do with it. "Good Night, Harry. Hopefully, you will have learned your lessons about arrogance someday." she whispered. The she kissed the bottle. "make me proud." I heard my bedroom door close and went to sleep. The next morning, I was awakened by a shout of pleasure. Getting up, still sleepy eyed, I went into Mom's bedroom. "What's going on, Mom?" I groaned. Mom turned to me. She had something in her hands. "Harry, meet your new sister, Lena Katrina Packard." Smiling so big, she opened her hands. There, Mom held a very small girl, about the size of my thumb. Lena waved at me. " Hello, Harry. My Big, Big Brother." I shook myself. Where did Lena come from, and why was she so small? Not wanting to make trouble, first thing in the morning, I greeted her. " Hi Lena. Nice to meet you, my Little, Little, Sister." It felt awkward, to tell you the truth. So I took Mom aside and asked her where Lena came from. "I wished for another child and Ayden gave me a colored rock. he told me to kiss it, and put it in some water overnight. When I woke up, I found that the rock became a very small girl. My wish came true!! Ayden is so great!!!" she explained and gave Lena a big kiss. Lena giggled and said, "I love you too, Mother." After composing herself, Mom said, "Harry, Lena, Let's go see if Ayden's awake yet. Then we can have breakfast. How's that sound?" still uncomfortable, I said quietly," Sorry, but I need to get dressed first, Mom." Mom shrugged. "Suit yourself, harry. You ready to meet Ayden, Lena?" Lena gave Mom a happy dance and climbed into Mom's hand. "I sure am, mother. Ayden sounds so nice. Too bad Harry's a Party Pooper." I got mad after hearing this. As we were leaving the room, I whispered," You better watch yourself, Goody-Two-Shoes Lena." Then I went to get dressed. After that, I joined Mom, Ayden, and of course, Lena, at the breakfast table. "Good Morning, Harry. How are you on this fine morning?" Ayden asked. Sitting in my chair, I answered flatly," Fine. Just fine." Ayden and Lena were taken aback by my answer. But Mom came in, carrying a plate of toast. "Don't worry about Harry's grumpiness. He just got up on the wrong side of the bed." "I thought so." Lena muttered and we began to eat. As we were doing this, I paid close attention to how Lena was eating. She walked around the table, told Mom what she wanted, and Mom gave her crumbs of the food we were eating. Again, this made me uncomfortable. Why can't she eat like a normal person? I didn't want to figure out the weirdness of my new sibling. When we were done eating, I helped Mom, Ayden, and Lena clear the dishes. Mom was very pleased that everyone, especially Lena, helped her. "What are everyone's plan for today?" Mom asked. Every one of us had plans. "I will be performing Magic Shows all day for a benefit event." was Ayden's. "i will be going to the Mall with some friends and then practice some baseball." were mine. Finally, Mom's plans were," I will be cleaning the house this morning, then I will go to my Book Club meeting." the only one who didn't have any specific plans was Lena. But she went over to me and said, "Harry, I want to spend the day with you, my Big, Big, Brother. Can I? Please?" Mom and Ayden looked so pleased at her request. I, however, was not. I need to be with my friends, not babysitting a weird, very small sibling. "No, you may not. My friends and I are going to have fun. We don't need a small person like you around. In fact, my friends don't even want to meet you." I said, nastily. Lena looked horrified and turned away from me. Mom stroked her blond hair with her finger, comforting her. Ayden rescued Lena by chiming in. " Harris, there's no need for hostility like that. I'm sure your friends will enjoy meeting a sweet person like Lena. You should be happy she is so eager to spend time with you. So have fun today and be nicer to Lena, Okay?" I nodded as Mom picked up Lena in her hand. "It's okay, Lena. harry will be happy to spend time with you and his friends. Right, Harry?" she said as she put Lena in my front shirt pocket. I had no choice, so I muttered, "Okay, Mom. I'll take her." Mom and Ayden told us to have fun as we left. I got my Bike out of the garage and started pedaling it to the Mall. The whole way, Lena was yelling happily," Wheee! Faster, Harry, Faster!!" "Wheee! This is fun!!!" She got on my nerves so much, that, I either felt like telling her to shut up, or throwing her out of my pocket. I couldn't do either one, because Mom would definitely frown upon it. So I kept my mouth shut and tried to ignore Lena. Finally, we arrived at the mall. As I got off my Bike and approached my friends, I pushed Lena further into my pocket so no one could see her. "Hi Guys!", I yelled to Nick, Julien, and Jenna, who were standing near the main entrance. They waved to me. "Glad you could make it, harry." Julien replied. He seemed to have forgotten all about the Baseball game yesterday. "What took you so long?" Jenna inquired. I explained how my morning went. As I said this, my friends spotted something wiggling in my shirt pocket. "What's that in your pocket, Harry? Your new bug collection?" Nick asked me with a laugh. The others joined him. Not amused, I reluctantly picked up Lena from my pocket. "This is my new sister, Lena Katrina Packard. I don't know why, but we got her this morning. Mom made me take her here." You should have seen my friends' reactions when they saw Lena. When Lena said in her sweetest voice, "Hello Friends! Nice to meet you!", their faces lit up as if they were candles on a birthday cake. "She's so cute!" "You're so lucky, Harry." "How sweet!" were some of their comments. Lena was overwhelmed at first, and I thought I was going to be lucky and she'll leave me alone, but she comfortable after my friends introduced themselves and talked with her for a long time. I became so impatient that I shouted," Can you guys stop going ga-ga here?! I would like to do some shopping today!!" Lena and my friends were stunned. "We're sorry, Harry. We were just getting to know your little sister better." Julien said quietly. Grabbing Lena in my hand, I walked quickly into the Mall with my friends running behind me. The trip through the Mall seemed endless to me. At just about every store, Lena got excited at all the merchandise, especially the toys and my friends joined her at every moment, especially Jenna. I felt so left out, that, while I understand that they were just getting to know Lena, I felt that a spell was cast on me to make me invisible to them. We left the mall, our arms loaded with our stuff. I noticed that, out of all my friends, Jenna became the most bonded with Lena. I began to hop on my Bike, with Lena in my pocket, when Jenna stopped me. "Wait Harry! Can Lena come over to my house to hang out for a little while? I promise I'll bring her back to your house." I could care less at this point. But I asked Lena anyway. "I would love it very much. Jenna and I have so much fun together. Thank you so much!" Lena replied, happily. Jenna was also pleased. She held out her hand and Lena climbed into it. "Bye Harry! We'll see you later!" Jenna called as she pedaled away on her Bike. My mind was filled with hatred of Lena as I rode my Bike home. How can my friends, who have known me for a long time, suddenly choose Lena over me? and Why is Lena suddenly so well liked, especially since she just became my sister today? I had a chance to get rid of these thoughts, however, because when I got home, it was the perfect time for me to play some baseball, all by myself as it ought to be. Parking my Bike in the garage, I got my equipment and headed out to the backyard. It was lots of fun, practicing my pitching, and hitting the ball. As I was doing this, I saw Mom leave the house to go her Book Club meeting. We waved at each other. "Good luck at your meeting, Mom!" I called to her. Mom smiled." Have fun too, Harry. Make sure Lena is taken care of." I explained how Lena is over at Jenna's house, hanging out. Mom was very pleased. "How nice! Lena is making new friends. She is such a great gift to us." I didn't agree with that at all. But I kept my mouth shut. Mom got into the car and left. I picked up the ball and mitt and practiced some more. Soon, I heard two familiar voices in the distance. Jenna was bringing Lena back home, unfortunately. "Thank you so much for having me over your house, Jenna." I heard Lena say, "You are more fun than Harry." Jenna replied," You are very welcome, Lena. You can come anytime you like. Harry is so lucky to have a sister like you." I tried to ignore them and pitched some more. But Lena came up to me. "Hi, Harry! Whatcha doing? Playing baseball? That looks like fun!" I slowly looked down at her. "Hello, Lena. Yes, I am playing baseball. No, you can't play, so don't ask." Undaunted, Lena climbed onto my mitt and sat there. "Jenna and I had so much fun together. We played with her doll house, made cookies, watched TV,...." She raved on like this, and talking about how much my friends admire her. Listening to her, I felt my resentment and hatred build up inside me to the point that it was going to pop. Finally, it did when I interrupted her. I picked up the mitt, with Lena still in it, raving on, and yelled into it at her. "Lena!!! Shut up already!!! I don't care one bit about what you did with Jenna! She is one of my friends and MY friends onlyI You have no right to steal my friends! I was much happier before you were created, but Mom made me so unhappy making that stupid wish to have you! Little people are worthless! You hear me?!! So get out of my face, never come back, and leave me alone, already!!!" It felt great to do that to her. However, Lena started to cry very hard. So hard, in fact, that something weird happened to her. Lena started shrinking until she was only a quarter of an inch tall. She was shocked when this happened. Then a gust of wind came blew her off my mitt, into who-knows-where. I heard her faintly crying out for me when she got blown away. "Good riddance to Lena." I muttered happily and went to the garage to put away my equipment. I heard Mom and Ayden talking inside the house. Mom was crying, so I decided to investigate. I went inside the house and saw that the whole Living room, Dining room, etc. were torn apart, with items scattered all around. Mom and Ayden were sitting on the couch. "Mom, Ayden, what's going on?" I asked them. Mom looked up at me, sniffling. "Thank goodness you're here, Harry. I'm so glad you're fine. Poor Lena, my special child. I hope she's okay..." She broke down and Ayden handed her a tissue. I was puzzled, but Ayden saw it and explained things to me. "Your Mother has been trying to find Lena for at least two hours now, ever since she called your friend's house and found that Lena was not there. Your Mother is so worried sick about her, thinking that Lena is now gone forever. Do you know anything about the whereabouts of Lena, Harry? It would be so great if you did." After hearing this, I felt, for once, so sorry for Mom, knowing that telling her the truth will make a big difference, I said," Mom, Ayden, I know what happened to Lena." Suddenly, they sat up straight on the couch, intently. "Tell us, Harry." they both said. As much as I could, I told Mom and Ayden the whole story, including my whole hatred of Lena and how I yelled at her, and her shrinking and disappearing. By the time I was done, I could not believe how shocked and angry Mom and Ayden looked at me. "Harry, of all the things you have done, this is the absolute worst! I oughta Bomb Shelter you for life for doing this! Oh my goodness!!" Mom was ranting at me. Meanwhile, Ayden tried to calm her down. "Claire, calm down. I'll take Harry up to my room and we'll think things over." With that, he gestured for me to follow him upstairs while Mom cried some more. We went to Ayden's room, went in, and shut the door. "You've really done it this time, Harry. Lena meant a lot to your Mother as you mean a lot to her as well. I sensed how much she really wanted another child, besides you, so I granted her wish and created Lena using my magic. Now Lena is gone and your Mother is very sad about it. You have hurt her and yourself by doing what you did. How can you fix this?" Ayden lectured me, firmly. I looked around nervously as I absorbed Ayden's information. I was surprised to learn that he created Lena in the first place, how much damage I have done to Lena and Mom, and what a gentle guy Ayden really is. Turning to face Ayden, I said my piece. "Ayden, I am truly sorry for this mess that I have caused. I am just so happy to be an only child and felt that, since you created Lena, everyone, including Mom and my friends, will love her more and completely reject me. Lena is a very nice person, I really think so. I don't know what to do to get her back." Ayden nodded solemnly. "Sounds like you understand. You should know that no one, not anyone, can ever reject you in life. Rather, they will love you just as much as the next person. I can help you with finding Lena."As he said this, he opened the really thick book on the pedestal. Intrigued by Ayden's wisdom and idea, I went over to take a closer look. Flipping through the pages, I noticed that all the text in the book were in some strange language. How can Ayden understand it? A Warlock thing, I guess. Finally, Ayden came to the right page. "Here's the spell that will help us. Since I believe Lena's shrinkage was caused by your hatred of her, this spell will be useful for undoing it." I hung back a little, not knowing what Ayden will do. "If it helps Lena and Mom out, let's do it." Ayden stood in front of me, book in hand. "Very good. Hold still, Harry. Garbagio Flyberra! ( G-are-bah-gee-oh, Fly-bear-rah)" he said the spell and waved his hand at me. I didn't like the sound of that. Suddenly, sparkles swirled around and overtook me before I could cry out for Ayden. Then everything went blank. When I finally came to, everything looked so different to me. It looked really enormous. I kept hearing a buzzing noise and noticed that I can fly. How weird was this? To find out what happened, I flew over to the dresser with a mirror and looked into it. It was horrifying when I looked. I had become significantly smaller, had six legs, wings, a silver body, and antennae on my head. Ayden used his magic to change me into a fly!! Now I fully believed that he is a Warlock. I flew up to Ayden's face. "Ayden, out of all your spells, why did you turn me into a disgusting fly?!" My voice sounded squeaky. Ayden, meanwhile, looked proud and laughed at how I asked that question. "Turning you into a 'disgusting fly' serves a great purpose for you, Harry. Now that you're small, you'll see the world as Lena does and hopefully gain a new kindness and respect for her. Plus, I think changing you will help you find Lena as well." It was a great purpose, but I think he should have put a different spell on me. "Where can I look for Lena, and How can I change back into myself again?" I asked, flying in circles around the room. Ayden got annoyed at my flying around him. After chasing me, he caught me in his hands and went over to the window, widely open. "You can start by going outdoors, as I sense that's where Lena is. I can't change you back right away, but there will be another way for you to become human again. I'll tell your Mother what happened to you. Now, get going, Boy!!" He told me. Then Ayden opened his hands and hurled me out the window, into the yard. The way he did that, I thought he was throwing me to my death. But when i remembered that I can fly, I used my wings and safely landed in one of Mom's flower patches. "Lena might be here.", I thought," She loves pretty flowers." With that in mind, I flew low and slowly over the patch. Ayden was right. Things do look different when you're small. Just when I was about to give up searching, I heard a familiar voice, singing a pretty song next to a nearby pond. I buzzed over, having a good feeling whose voice it was. Sure enough, it was Lena, sitting on a lily pad flower! Excited, I buzzed over and tried to get her attention. "Lena! It's me, your Big Big, Brother, Harry! Please come back. I miss you and I'm sorry!" However, Lena took one look at me and said in disgust," You're not my brother. You're a disgusting fly! Harry is bigger than me and mean. Prove that you're my brother." I was shocked at her response. I pulled her close. "Look into my eyes." Lena and I did so. It seemed so magical how we saw so much of each other by doing that. That was all it took to convince Lena. "Harry! I'm sorry for being doubtful. Why are you a fly and came all this way? I thought you hated me so much." I told Lena the whole story, from Ayden's spell to how I realized that I don't really hate her. Needless to say, We now became closer than ever. "How do you think we can get back home to Mother and Ayden, Harry?" Lena asked me, feeling concerned. I knew the answer. "Hop on my back and I will take us home in a jiffy, Le." I gestured for her to do so. After that, we were bussing in the air for home. It was not so smooth sailing, though, because just then, we heard a louder buzz from behind us. A dragonfly was coming closer to us. This was bad because dragonflies eat regular flies and I happen to be one! He could eat Lena too!! Lena and I were so terrified. "Leave us alone, you mean bug!" Lena called out, but it didn't do any good. I had to do this as a last resort as the dragonfly was gaining. "I'm sorry to have to do this, Lena, but save yourself." I pushed her off my back into the long grass below. It broke my heart to hear her crying out as she fell, but I had to protect my sister. Meanwhile, the dragonfly continued to chase me. I buzzed as fast as I could until my strength started to run out When it did, I fell into a crevice of a bridge and finally, into the pond water. It became more scary, because flies can't swim and I was drowning. I yelled for help, but no one heard me. I sank, knowing that I had died protecting Lena's life. Something woke me up, though. I felt that a change came over me. I opened my eyes and saw I had grown larger, scales covered my body, fins and tail replaced my legs and wings, and I was breathing underwater. Somehow, I had changed from a fly into a fish!! "How did this happen, since Ayden isn't around? Lena can't be underwater!" I thought to myself and began to swim, continuing my search for Lena. I looked and looked, but there was still no sign of her. Despair began to fill me. "I'm sorry, Lena. I did all I could to find you. I guess I'll never see her again." Suddenly. Lena's voice came to me again. I swam up to the surface and looked towards where Lena was . She was trapped in a spider's web and the dragonfly was after her! I guess she was singing as to not feel so scared. This was another opportunity to show my love and care for Lena, as I think that may be why I changed into a fish. I swam to the surface and to where Lena was, she was crying. "You bully! Leave my little sister alone, or you'll be sorry!" I shouted at the dragonfly, who looked at me and gave a loud buzz that sounded like a roar to us. Lena realized that I became a fish and was once again, overjoyed. "Harry! I knew you would come for me, my fishy brother. Show that bug who's boss!!" she urged me on. I appreciated her encouragement, but I was scared. "All right." I sighed and turned to the dragonfly, who growled and tried to bite Lena. "Hey! you can't eat my sister! She's the only one I have. If you want to eat, come get me!!" I challenged him and dove underwater. After saying this, I felt courage fill me from within. How did that happen so suddenly? But I was too busy swimming to really think about it. I swam among the water weeds and looked around for the dragonfly. Then I thought, "What am I doing? That dragonfly can't swim, so I won. I better find Lena and bring her to safety." That is what I began to do, until I heard a bubbly sounding growl come from behind me. It was the dragonfly, swimming underwater!!! How ridiculous was that?! We faced each other, face to face. " You are so stupid.", I said to him," "It'll be a matter of time before you drown." The dragonfly still looked determined and began to swim after me. I swam as fast as I could, hoping that he can't get me too easily. When we got to an underwater wall of the bridge, the dragonfly roared at me once more and charged. But, he realized he was running out of air and began struggling to get to the surface. It was then that I realized I was hungry and he started to look edible to me. There was only one thing to do. I swam up to him, still struggling, and swallowed him in one gulp. "How do you like that, you tasty jerk?" I said as I chewed and then swallowed. With the dragonfly dead, I happily swam to where I saw Lena and then to the surface. But I was heartbroken by what I saw. Lena was still trapped in the web, but this time, the spider wrapped her in the silk, unconscious, and was about to suck Lena's life out of her!!! I had to do something fast as Lena is too precious to me for her to die this way. What could I do since I am a fish and can't get on land? Then, in an instant, the answer came to me. I can kill the spider the same way the dragonfly died. I swam up to the web under the bridge and got the spider's attention. "Hey!! She's not a bug for you to eat. That's my sister. Let her go!!!!" The spider looked at me and faced me as if to fight. But I knew this was easy. As he crawled away from me, I filled my mouth with water and spat it at him, stunning him. Suddenly, a familiar looking Raven swooped down and caught the spider in its beak. The Raven looked surprisingly like my Mother, but I didn't know for sure. "Lena, are you okay?" I asked her, after the Raven flew away. But Lena was still unconscious, laying on the lily pad. Heartbroken, I very carefully tilted the lily pad and Lena slid onto my back. I swam to shore and laid her on the ground. "Oh, Lena. I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I promise that, if you come back to life, I will always love you with all my heart and will never be mean again. Please, Lena." I said, softly, tears spilling from my eyes. When nothing happened, I began to swim away, knowing that Lena is no more and I will never be human again. But from underwater, a magic sparkle caught my eye and I swam over to it. It was such an amazing sight! In the sparkle, Lena was growing to normal person size!! I think my love for her made her change her size. I was so happy for her. When she stopped growing, she began to wake up, groaning. Lena was alive!! "Harry? Are you here?" she muttered, struggling to get onto her feet. I could barely contain my excitement. "Yes, I'm here. Thank goodness you're alive, Lena. You look great!!" Lena looked puzzled, then she examined herself. "I am a big person, aren't I? How nice!! Do you know how this happened, Harry?" I explained to her what I thought made her grow. Lena was amazed." That's interesting. I wonder if Ayden had anything to do with it. But you're still a fish, Harry. I hope there is some way you can become human again." She had a good point. I hung back, feeling hopeless. "I hope so, too." Lena saw my sadness and stroked me on my head with her fingers. Suddenly, we heard a voice behind us. "Don't worry, kids. There is a way." Lena and I turned around. There, swooping down in front of us, were two very familiar looking Ravens . "Lena, Harry! Thank goodness we found you both." one of the Ravens said to us. The other one muttered something and waved his wing. In an instant, the Ravens changed into Mom and Ayden!! This was so cool. "Hi Mother! Hi Ayden! You guys are so nice to come and look for us. Look, I am now your size. Isn't that great?!! But Harry changed into a fish and can't change back. Can you help him?" Lena said after running to Mom and Ayden and giving them a big hug. Ayden gave us a knowing nod. "You're right, Lena. It is great that you are normal size now. Know why? Because you and Harry have magic within each of you. Harry's love for you released it and that's what made you grow and Harry changed from a fly into a fish. Now, Harry, you can use your magic to become human again." With that, he, Mom, and Lena stepped aside. I was very fascinated by Ayden's explanation. It even explained why these things happened so mysteriously. "All right. I'll try." I closed my eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, I heard Mom's voice say, "Harry, Please get out of the pond. You're not a fish anymore." She and Lena laughed when I opened my eyes and saw how muddy and wet I became. I was myself again. That's what mattered. We were all very happy to be reunited and began to walk home. Mom took me aside "I'm so proud of you, harry. It looks like you really learned your lesson about being nice and selfless." She patted me on the shoulder. I beamed at her, feeling great. Seeing Ayden ahead of me, I ran up to him to him to thank him. "Ayden, thank you so much for helping me change my attitude and to love everyone, including Lena. Your magic does so much good. Lena and I will use our magic just as well as you do. I'm sorry for doubting your magical abilities." Ayden gave me a glowing grin. "You're welcome and I accept your apology, Harry. Deep down, you are the nicest boy I've ever known. I have all the faith in you and Lena to use your magic wisely. It's a great pleasure for me to live with you all and be a great influence." Lena and I gave each other a "We certainly knew that" kind of look and went home with Mom and Ayden to enjoy the rest of the weekend. There are only a few things left to tell. After the weekend, Lena got enrolled in my school and we became classmates. She almost instantly made friends there and I agreed that my friends can be her friends as well. When Ayden isn't performing Magic Shows in other places, he always visits Mom, Lena and myself at school. Sometimes, just to visit, and other times, he performs Magic Shows for all the kids, especially Mom's Kindergarten students at school. Over time, he has become a big hit. "Ayden, you are the coolest magician ever!" they always tell him. "A magician always aims to please and enchant lives." Ayden always says to them. Aside from magic, Ayden has become like a Father to Lena and me, always helping us, giving advice, and being there for us when needed. I am glad Mom took him in. "Welcome to our family, Ayden!" I have said to him and thanked him for creating Lena. One after noon, I invited Lena to come with me to baseball practice to watch me, and try out for the team, if she wanted. There, I apologized to Coach Dempsey, Julien, and all my friends and teammates about my bad attitude towards them. They accepted my apology and saw that I was a changed boy. Lena came over and I introduced her to Coach. "Nice to meet you, Lena. You're a charming young lady. Would you like to try out for our team?" he asked Lena. She was excited at this chance. "Sure, Coach. I'm sure I'll do good!" But after a few tries on batting, pitching, etc., we've found that Lena is not a very good athlete. I was sad to give her the news that Coach can't let her be on the team. "I'm very sorry, Lena." I said. Lena' however, didn't seem at all disappointed. "That's okay, Harry. I'll help your team in other ways." she replied with a twinkle. When I started practicing, I saw what Lena can do for me and my team. From the bleachers where she sat, Lena uses her magic to help when the team needed it. From retrieving balls to healing my teammates when they are injured. I think Lena is a very important part of our team, even though she doesn't play the game. As Ayden said, Lena and I use our magic all the time wisely. To help others, solve problems, make things easier, and just for fun ( changing our sizes, shape shifting into animals, etc.) in our everyday lives. We do lots of things together also. Most of all, the addition of a new sibling and friend, and a Warlock Father Figure has shown me that while being an only child can be fun at times, having people like Lena and Ayden come into my life makes it better and more meaningful. Mom's "Bottle on a Chain" necklace is a constant reminder of this for me. People who come into our lives, whom we like and love, are special gifts. This has been the best experience for me and I hope you experience this also in your life. * * * Tweet
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