A New Home For A Song Bird
(Listen to this song while reading, if you want)
The silence surrounding them was as cold as snow on the ride back home. It was bitter sweet evening, one bursting with new joys that were laced with the dread of letting the old fade away. All of this emotion, these insurmountable feelings, were captured in the pale rises of the child in the back seat.
Beatrice's body lay quietly still only rocking gently with the motions of the car, a pair of glasses clad eyes stuck staring out at the setting sun. Her mouth limply pursed from time to time and a tear or so drifted down her cheeks, but she never uttered a single gasp. A truly melancholy little song bird was what she portrayed, a part that she knew how to play far too well.
Alistair glanced at her from time to time as they drove along, his expression as concerned as it was sad. It had occurred to him that she may react adversely to the change, after all, she was being taken away from all she had ever known. Sympathy and empathy filled his eyes as he saw her tears. His heart ached at the sight of her pain and he cursed the world for the cruelty it had bestowed upon her. She was so frail, so precious. He couldn't fathom how hard it must've been for someone so young to have witnessed all of the horrors that she had seen. In his heart, he knew he could never understand the pain. But it had never hurt someone to try.
--------------------------------------------
The sound of gravel road rumbled under the tires of the car as it gradually came to a halt. They had arrived home in one piece. By then the sun had gone down and the only light available to their eyes were the yellow lamp posts lining up the path into the front of the large, three story home. But even through the darkness one could see that they were surrounded by a forest with the lulling sound of a river rumbling in the distance. The area was peaceful and amiable.
Alistair stepped out of the car and quickly opened the side door to scoop up his new daughter, who instantly clung to his shoulders for dear life. Her body shivered with anxiety as they made their way inside the home. The front door opened into a red, brown, cream, and black stripe themed entrance way and was adorned with pictures, paintings and gothic trinkets. Wafting in the air was the scent of fresh mint, cinnamon and chocolate, which made Beatrice lift her head and look about. Alistair smiled as he carried her into the kitchen where his sister, Alicia, stood setting various cakes and snacks on the table.
"We're back, 'Licia..." Alistair whispered. Alicia turned and hugged her brother which caused Beatrice to squeak in surprise. Alicia flushed and gently stroked the child's long muddy-blond hair.
"Sorry about that, Beatrice." She said, offering her a smile. Then the oven timer began to beep and she jumped. "Ah! The mint cake is done!" She exclaimed, reaching into the oven to pull it out.
Beatrice watched her with a fascinated look upon her face until she noticed three small puppies pawing at Alistair's feet, her face changing into one of sheer delight. Alistair echoed the expression and sat Beatrice down with the puppies who immediately began crawling over her, which made Beatrice giggle. Alistair and Alicia laughed along with her as they quickly cut a few slices of cake, placing one on a table in front of Beatrice.
"We're going to have some cake now, Bea." Alistair said. "We've cut one for you. Would you care to try it?"
Beatrice peered over at the cake as she sat down at the table next to Alistair. It had been a while since she had eaten a piece of cake or had a bite of a sweet and she wasn't entirely sure if she would still like sweets. But after the first bite, she eagerly went back for a second, and a third, until she had devoured the entire slice. Then she looked shyly up at Alicia and held her plate out.
"May I have more, please?" She asked, her voice airy like a whisper.
Alicia laughed and nodded, cutting her a smaller piece of another cake which was eaten just as quickly as the first.
--------------------------------------------
After a while the little bird was now so full of cake that her eyes began to grow heavy. Alistair scooped her up again as she yawned and turned to walk out of the kitchen. He walked up the stairs and into a small, mahogany and rose pink room next to the top of the stairs. He set the sleepy Beatrice on cozy looking bed and handed her a set of black and pink striped pajamas. He exited the room while she changed and came back in with a purple bat plush. Beatrice clung to the plush and smiled as she was tucked into bed.
Alistair sat down next to her on the bed and stroked her hair. He hummed a lullaby to her until he was certain she had fallen asleep, then he quietly exited the room. There he was greeted by Alicia.
"There's someone at the door, Alis." She said. "... And he's quite peculiar."
--------------------------------------------
Alistair stared down at the visitor, who seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary house cat. But when he invited the cat inside, it replied to him as if he were human.
"What can I help you with sir...?" Alistair asked.
"I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Beatrice." It replied. "She was a member of my family, my sister's fiance's adoptive daughter, or my niece if you will. But our home was destroyed by hateful organizations bent on exterminating our kind for just existing along side their kind. We were forced to move, but our new home prevents us from caring for Beatrice properly. So, with the deepest sorrows, we had to let her go."
"But she was left on the streets." Alistair said. "Why didn't you leave her with the labs?"
"To be honest with you..." The cat replied. "Beatrice was separated from us during the attack. We had to make a serious decision. We either risk the probability of being killed by going back and looking for her or we abandon her and hope that the many good people out there in the world find her and care of her. It was the worst decision of our lives, believe me. Jason lost sleep for months and my sister couldn't forgive herself. But we had faith in the good in the world, and you are the answer to our prayers. We thank you."
"I'm sorry for your horrible circumstance." Alistair said. "I hope everything can return to some form of normalcy for you and your family. And, in a way, I should be thanking you. You've given me the chance to be the father I've always wanted to be and my sister the chance to be the aunt she's always wanted to be. So, even if the circumstances are sad, we both have each other to thank."
The cat nodded. "We are both very lucky to know Beatrice..." It said. "Please make sure she keeps up with her singing and never, ever let her love for knowledge run dry. Those two things mark all the things that Beatrice is and will forever be. I have full confidence in you both to keep these things alive." The cat turned to walk out the door. "I must be going. Do take care, Alistair."
"You too, um..."
"Jasper, Jasper West" The cat replied. And with a wave of it's tail, the cat vanished into the night.
--------------------------------------------
Later that night when Alistair had gone to bed, Beatrice crept into his room. She crawled up into his bed and snuggled up against him, her beloved bat plush under one arm and the other arm wrapped around Alistair's. Her eyes gazed at his sleeping face and a soft smile form upon her face as she drifted back off to sleep.
However, just before she fully nodded off, she began to hum the same lullaby that he had hummed to her earlier on. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she hummed, but her smile stayed put upon her porcelain features.
Alistair opened his eyes and smiled at the sleeping girl. The space between them felt warm and peaceful, a stark change from the frigidness of the space from the car ride home. At that moment he knew that Beatrice would soon get better and that he wouldn't need to worry about her. He kissed her softly on the forehead and pulled the blankets up to her shoulder before falling back to sleep.
"Welcome home, little song bird." He whispered. "Welcome home."
(Listen to this song while reading, if you want)
The silence surrounding them was as cold as snow on the ride back home. It was bitter sweet evening, one bursting with new joys that were laced with the dread of letting the old fade away. All of this emotion, these insurmountable feelings, were captured in the pale rises of the child in the back seat.
Beatrice's body lay quietly still only rocking gently with the motions of the car, a pair of glasses clad eyes stuck staring out at the setting sun. Her mouth limply pursed from time to time and a tear or so drifted down her cheeks, but she never uttered a single gasp. A truly melancholy little song bird was what she portrayed, a part that she knew how to play far too well.
Alistair glanced at her from time to time as they drove along, his expression as concerned as it was sad. It had occurred to him that she may react adversely to the change, after all, she was being taken away from all she had ever known. Sympathy and empathy filled his eyes as he saw her tears. His heart ached at the sight of her pain and he cursed the world for the cruelty it had bestowed upon her. She was so frail, so precious. He couldn't fathom how hard it must've been for someone so young to have witnessed all of the horrors that she had seen. In his heart, he knew he could never understand the pain. But it had never hurt someone to try.
--------------------------------------------
The sound of gravel road rumbled under the tires of the car as it gradually came to a halt. They had arrived home in one piece. By then the sun had gone down and the only light available to their eyes were the yellow lamp posts lining up the path into the front of the large, three story home. But even through the darkness one could see that they were surrounded by a forest with the lulling sound of a river rumbling in the distance. The area was peaceful and amiable.
Alistair stepped out of the car and quickly opened the side door to scoop up his new daughter, who instantly clung to his shoulders for dear life. Her body shivered with anxiety as they made their way inside the home. The front door opened into a red, brown, cream, and black stripe themed entrance way and was adorned with pictures, paintings and gothic trinkets. Wafting in the air was the scent of fresh mint, cinnamon and chocolate, which made Beatrice lift her head and look about. Alistair smiled as he carried her into the kitchen where his sister, Alicia, stood setting various cakes and snacks on the table.
"We're back, 'Licia..." Alistair whispered. Alicia turned and hugged her brother which caused Beatrice to squeak in surprise. Alicia flushed and gently stroked the child's long muddy-blond hair.
"Sorry about that, Beatrice." She said, offering her a smile. Then the oven timer began to beep and she jumped. "Ah! The mint cake is done!" She exclaimed, reaching into the oven to pull it out.
Beatrice watched her with a fascinated look upon her face until she noticed three small puppies pawing at Alistair's feet, her face changing into one of sheer delight. Alistair echoed the expression and sat Beatrice down with the puppies who immediately began crawling over her, which made Beatrice giggle. Alistair and Alicia laughed along with her as they quickly cut a few slices of cake, placing one on a table in front of Beatrice.
"We're going to have some cake now, Bea." Alistair said. "We've cut one for you. Would you care to try it?"
Beatrice peered over at the cake as she sat down at the table next to Alistair. It had been a while since she had eaten a piece of cake or had a bite of a sweet and she wasn't entirely sure if she would still like sweets. But after the first bite, she eagerly went back for a second, and a third, until she had devoured the entire slice. Then she looked shyly up at Alicia and held her plate out.
"May I have more, please?" She asked, her voice airy like a whisper.
Alicia laughed and nodded, cutting her a smaller piece of another cake which was eaten just as quickly as the first.
--------------------------------------------
After a while the little bird was now so full of cake that her eyes began to grow heavy. Alistair scooped her up again as she yawned and turned to walk out of the kitchen. He walked up the stairs and into a small, mahogany and rose pink room next to the top of the stairs. He set the sleepy Beatrice on cozy looking bed and handed her a set of black and pink striped pajamas. He exited the room while she changed and came back in with a purple bat plush. Beatrice clung to the plush and smiled as she was tucked into bed.
Alistair sat down next to her on the bed and stroked her hair. He hummed a lullaby to her until he was certain she had fallen asleep, then he quietly exited the room. There he was greeted by Alicia.
"There's someone at the door, Alis." She said. "... And he's quite peculiar."
--------------------------------------------
Alistair stared down at the visitor, who seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary house cat. But when he invited the cat inside, it replied to him as if he were human.
"What can I help you with sir...?" Alistair asked.
"I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Beatrice." It replied. "She was a member of my family, my sister's fiance's adoptive daughter, or my niece if you will. But our home was destroyed by hateful organizations bent on exterminating our kind for just existing along side their kind. We were forced to move, but our new home prevents us from caring for Beatrice properly. So, with the deepest sorrows, we had to let her go."
"But she was left on the streets." Alistair said. "Why didn't you leave her with the labs?"
"To be honest with you..." The cat replied. "Beatrice was separated from us during the attack. We had to make a serious decision. We either risk the probability of being killed by going back and looking for her or we abandon her and hope that the many good people out there in the world find her and care of her. It was the worst decision of our lives, believe me. Jason lost sleep for months and my sister couldn't forgive herself. But we had faith in the good in the world, and you are the answer to our prayers. We thank you."
"I'm sorry for your horrible circumstance." Alistair said. "I hope everything can return to some form of normalcy for you and your family. And, in a way, I should be thanking you. You've given me the chance to be the father I've always wanted to be and my sister the chance to be the aunt she's always wanted to be. So, even if the circumstances are sad, we both have each other to thank."
The cat nodded. "We are both very lucky to know Beatrice..." It said. "Please make sure she keeps up with her singing and never, ever let her love for knowledge run dry. Those two things mark all the things that Beatrice is and will forever be. I have full confidence in you both to keep these things alive." The cat turned to walk out the door. "I must be going. Do take care, Alistair."
"You too, um..."
"Jasper, Jasper West" The cat replied. And with a wave of it's tail, the cat vanished into the night.
--------------------------------------------
Later that night when Alistair had gone to bed, Beatrice crept into his room. She crawled up into his bed and snuggled up against him, her beloved bat plush under one arm and the other arm wrapped around Alistair's. Her eyes gazed at his sleeping face and a soft smile form upon her face as she drifted back off to sleep.
However, just before she fully nodded off, she began to hum the same lullaby that he had hummed to her earlier on. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she hummed, but her smile stayed put upon her porcelain features.
Alistair opened his eyes and smiled at the sleeping girl. The space between them felt warm and peaceful, a stark change from the frigidness of the space from the car ride home. At that moment he knew that Beatrice would soon get better and that he wouldn't need to worry about her. He kissed her softly on the forehead and pulled the blankets up to her shoulder before falling back to sleep.
"Welcome home, little song bird." He whispered. "Welcome home."
