Short Story 3 - Sisters
SISTERS
by
Magdelin Rodrigues
Jane was not pleased to see Claire coming through the door and showed her annoyance clearly by scowling. Claire had always been her parents’ favourite because she was obedient, kind and did well in school. Glad that she had started high school this year while Claire was still in primary school with three years to graduation, Jane felt a sense of importance and seniority over her only sibling and joy that they did not share the same bus to school anymore.
Eager for more affection from her sister, Claire often took out her treasured dolls and asked Jane to play with her or requested help with her homework. All which Jane simply ignored. Instead, Jane would hide the dolls every chance she had and felt immense satisfaction when that caused Claire to cry. She would also taunt Claire’s curls and belittled her younger sister’s choice of clothes until it made Claire run away in tears.
The girls’ parents enjoy having picnics as a family every Sunday. Believing that being outdoors and feeling the warmth of the sun were vital to their children’s mental and physical health, they try to organise one wherever possible – at the beach, park or by the lake. Claire always looked forward to the picnics as she remembered how fun they were with Mum preparing a delicious spread, Dad driving with their favourite songs on, and the hours spent playing with her older sister.
The mid-morning sun was burning brightly on a cool breezy Sunday as the family headed to a nearby park for their usual outing. A new playground had been built and Claire was excited to inspect it. Irritated by her sister’s eagerness about it, Jane strode off while her parents were busy setting up a table.
Frustrated, Jane booted a half empty can as hard as she could. The can flew into a thick hedge and disappeared from sight. A deep low growl emanated from the other side of the hedge. Suddenly, a dog jumped out and gnarled at Jane. Jane felt all her breath leaving her body as the dog lunged towards her with its ferocious fangs and big paws. Before she realised it, she was knocked off her feet onto the ground. She started screaming and tried her best to fight the dog off her but to no avail. Her parents were too far away to hear her cries for help.
Unbeknownst to Jane, Claire had followed her sister hoping to catch up and play chase with her to the new playground. Seeing her only sister in danger, Claire picked up a sharp stone and pelted it towards the dog’s head. It whimpered away.
Jane was amazed at Claire’s bravery and a sudden wave of remorse overcame her. The sisters hugged and Jane apologised between sobs. They started walking back to their parents holding hands.