"You're just a silly girl!"
813 words
Tiger lily never enjoyed visiting her grandparents.
Her grandfather never spoke to her, never spoke to anybody really, just sat in his chair, a long necked bottle never absent from his hand.
Her grandmother never stopped talking, never stopped worrying: she worried about her sons on the fishing ship, whether they would bring back a large enough catch, whether they would come back at all, she worried if she would have enough food to feed everyone, she worried that there might not be enoug blankets to go around.
She worried constantly and she let everyone know that she was worried.
It made Tiger lily feel tired and sick at the same time.
Playing with her cousins wasn't much fun either. Most of the time they teased her about her clothes, which were comparatively nice, in the fact tha when she tore them, her mother had enough money for the thread to repaire it.
They said she was growing up a privileged sop. She didn't understand those words, but she knew by the tone of their voices that it wasn't a good thing.
So she compromised between a drunk grandfather and a worrying grandmother and teasing cousins and hid with her aunts, who for the most part just put her to work in the kitchen, which she enjoyed.
But even in the kitchen she couldn't escape the trouble.
She'd just finished scrubbing the last of the breakfast dishes. Skipper had gone outside with Martin and Lily had hiked back up to the little village of Plage, so Tiger was alone with her aunts.
"You did such a good job, Tiger," Jermima gushed as the little otter finished drying the last fork "You're going to be a very good mummy some day."
"Nope," Tiger lily replied flippantly, gathering up the forks and knives and organizing them in the drawers.
Jermima stopped short "What?"
"Oh," Tiger lily turned with a sweet smile "Mum says I don't have to be a mummy when I grow up if I don't want to."
"Oh honey," Jermima shook her head "But don't you want to grow up and get married and have children?"
Tiger lily shook her head "I don't want to grow up."
Jermima utter a short barking laugh "You don't get a choice darling. You won't be happy unless you grow up and get married."
Tiger lily stared at her in shock "I...won't?"
"No-o. You'll be missing out on the greatest experiences in life!"
Tiger lily hesitated "But what about Aunt Yvette? She's not married and doesn't have kids, but she's happy."
Jermima leaned down over Tiger lily "Oh sweetheart she's just pretending. Some people think that they have to pretend to be happy."
"But...but I don't want to..."
"Don't worry, you're just a silly girl! You'll change your mind when you get older."
Tiger lily brushed away the tears that had started to slip down her cheek "But-"
"Don't argue child! Now finish with those dishes."
Tiger lily dumped the rest of the silverware into the drawer and slammed it close, then fled the kitchen.
She wanted to run until the rundown house was out of sight, but the sand slogged down her steps and she only made it to the next sand dune before her lungs hurt so bad she couldn't take in another breath. There on top of the mountain of sand she collapsed and let the little tears slip down her face.
"Tiger lily?"
Tiger heard her mother's voice calling her, but she didn't respond.
Lily dropped down next to her daughter, breathless from calling and climbing at the same time
"Are you alright Tilly?"
Tiger lily looked up with a sniffle, her face soaked with tears.
"What's wrong?" Lily gasped, reaching out, concerned "Are you hurt?"
Tiger lily shook her head "Aunt Jermima...Aunt Jermima said that I couldn't be happy..." she broke off into a breathless sob.
"Aunt Jermima said what?" Lily pulled her daughter close "She said you couldn't be happy?"
Tiger lily sniffled "She said I couldn't be happy unless I got married and stuff!"
"Oh sweetheart," Lily rubbed away the tears from Tiger lily's face "That's not true."
"But she said-"
"Doesn't mean it's true. Remember what I told you?"
Tiger lily shook her head.
"There's a plan for every creature, including you, and in that plan is whether or not you'll get married and have children. If that's the plan for you then you'll be happy married and if it's not in your plan to get married then you'll be happy not married. Understand?"
Tiger lily nodded, the tears drying up "She also called me a silly girl."
"Well... I can't argue with that. You are a very silly girl.That's part of your plan."
Tiger lily giggled "Really?"
"Yes, really. Don't you like being silly?"
Tiger lily sat up grinning, the crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out.
813 words
Tiger lily never enjoyed visiting her grandparents.
Her grandfather never spoke to her, never spoke to anybody really, just sat in his chair, a long necked bottle never absent from his hand.
Her grandmother never stopped talking, never stopped worrying: she worried about her sons on the fishing ship, whether they would bring back a large enough catch, whether they would come back at all, she worried if she would have enough food to feed everyone, she worried that there might not be enoug blankets to go around.
She worried constantly and she let everyone know that she was worried.
It made Tiger lily feel tired and sick at the same time.
Playing with her cousins wasn't much fun either. Most of the time they teased her about her clothes, which were comparatively nice, in the fact tha when she tore them, her mother had enough money for the thread to repaire it.
They said she was growing up a privileged sop. She didn't understand those words, but she knew by the tone of their voices that it wasn't a good thing.
So she compromised between a drunk grandfather and a worrying grandmother and teasing cousins and hid with her aunts, who for the most part just put her to work in the kitchen, which she enjoyed.
But even in the kitchen she couldn't escape the trouble.
She'd just finished scrubbing the last of the breakfast dishes. Skipper had gone outside with Martin and Lily had hiked back up to the little village of Plage, so Tiger was alone with her aunts.
"You did such a good job, Tiger," Jermima gushed as the little otter finished drying the last fork "You're going to be a very good mummy some day."
"Nope," Tiger lily replied flippantly, gathering up the forks and knives and organizing them in the drawers.
Jermima stopped short "What?"
"Oh," Tiger lily turned with a sweet smile "Mum says I don't have to be a mummy when I grow up if I don't want to."
"Oh honey," Jermima shook her head "But don't you want to grow up and get married and have children?"
Tiger lily shook her head "I don't want to grow up."
Jermima utter a short barking laugh "You don't get a choice darling. You won't be happy unless you grow up and get married."
Tiger lily stared at her in shock "I...won't?"
"No-o. You'll be missing out on the greatest experiences in life!"
Tiger lily hesitated "But what about Aunt Yvette? She's not married and doesn't have kids, but she's happy."
Jermima leaned down over Tiger lily "Oh sweetheart she's just pretending. Some people think that they have to pretend to be happy."
"But...but I don't want to..."
"Don't worry, you're just a silly girl! You'll change your mind when you get older."
Tiger lily brushed away the tears that had started to slip down her cheek "But-"
"Don't argue child! Now finish with those dishes."
Tiger lily dumped the rest of the silverware into the drawer and slammed it close, then fled the kitchen.
She wanted to run until the rundown house was out of sight, but the sand slogged down her steps and she only made it to the next sand dune before her lungs hurt so bad she couldn't take in another breath. There on top of the mountain of sand she collapsed and let the little tears slip down her face.
"Tiger lily?"
Tiger heard her mother's voice calling her, but she didn't respond.
Lily dropped down next to her daughter, breathless from calling and climbing at the same time
"Are you alright Tilly?"
Tiger lily looked up with a sniffle, her face soaked with tears.
"What's wrong?" Lily gasped, reaching out, concerned "Are you hurt?"
Tiger lily shook her head "Aunt Jermima...Aunt Jermima said that I couldn't be happy..." she broke off into a breathless sob.
"Aunt Jermima said what?" Lily pulled her daughter close "She said you couldn't be happy?"
Tiger lily sniffled "She said I couldn't be happy unless I got married and stuff!"
"Oh sweetheart," Lily rubbed away the tears from Tiger lily's face "That's not true."
"But she said-"
"Doesn't mean it's true. Remember what I told you?"
Tiger lily shook her head.
"There's a plan for every creature, including you, and in that plan is whether or not you'll get married and have children. If that's the plan for you then you'll be happy married and if it's not in your plan to get married then you'll be happy not married. Understand?"
Tiger lily nodded, the tears drying up "She also called me a silly girl."
"Well... I can't argue with that. You are a very silly girl.That's part of your plan."
Tiger lily giggled "Really?"
"Yes, really. Don't you like being silly?"
Tiger lily sat up grinning, the crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out.