Something's Wrong

I know, I know, I know! I have a million unfinished threads and I start yet another new one. As I've said before RotL has become my happy place as a writer. I am glad to have you guys along for the ride but this particular story I write for me first and foremost, and right now, after all that was 2020, I need a little Elsie Bailey in my life. Also, if you are new to this story this probably isn't the ideal first thread to follow.

Months later…

Your hand is cold from the cup of bubble tea you held in it, condensation beading the plastic surface with moisture. Taking a deep breath you walk forward and make for the beautiful dark haired girl who sat alone on the same bench she always did. Her expression was at odds with the bright early Summer’s day and the peaceful green park around her. She looked so sad, so joyless, and it broke your heart. Head down, dull eyes staring out into nothing, shoulders slumped. She looked so small, so terribly alone. This wasn’t any woman. It was your little sister Elsie.

You had spotted her here last week just by happenstance but had been too busy at the time to stop and say hi. After that you made a point of looking in on this small green space tucked away off a side street of your quiet neighborhood. Twice more you’d seen your sister here during your drive to the university. Always on this bench, always alone, and always looking deeply unhappy. Since her graduation Elsie had pulled away from the family even more than before, much like she had a few years back but this time even worse. She didn’t seem to take any solace in video games or manga anymore. She swore to everyone that everything was fine, but it had been weeks since you had seen a genuine smile on her beautiful face.

Your mother said she was likely going through a “phase” and that she probably felt lost during this gap year she had decided to take. Fiona was so damned busy lately she hardly even noticed the change in El. But you knew deep down that something wasn’t right. You could feel it. She was your little sister and your very best friend, you would move heaven and earth to see Elsie happy again. In preparation for this talk you had snooped around a little. Followed El and asked questions of her friends and family. What you found out laid the groundwork for the conversation to come.

The crunch of gravel beneath your feet alerts her to your presence but she doesn’t move at first. Walking up to within ten feet you stop and wait. You see El’s slender shoulders tense at the awareness of someone standing close and looking at her. Nervously she glances up once then looks down again. A moment later her mind processes who it was she saw and she looks up at you again, her eyes as dark and mysterious as the night sky as always but their vibrancy dimmed by her melancholy.

“Jesse!”

“Hey El.”

“Wha…what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see you.” You say in a gentle happy voice. “The real question is, what are you doing here?”

“Uhhh.” She nibbles her plump bottom lip as she thinks up a lie. “I was waiting for Zoey. We were ummm…we were just…” Her voice fades off.

You step forward and offer her the bubble tea. “It’s mango. You like mango.” Taking the cup in both hands she stares at it, as if confused by it. You sit down beside her and lay your arms across the back of the bench as you look out over the lovely little park. Three great oak trees provided shade a tranquil sigh of the warm breeze rustling through their leaves. Bushes and bright flowerbeds in full bloom were placed here and there and a single gravel trail wound through the center. It wasn’t far from your home, you remembered playing here sometimes as a kid, but it wasn’t a place you’d given a second thought to in a long time. “I forgot about this place. It’s so nice here.”

“Yeah.” El sat hunched and closed in on herself, still gripping the cup with the fat straw sticking out the top in both her small hands.

Taking a big breath in through your nose you savor the wholesome green smells of nature then let it out slowly again. You watch a robin hop among the grass and let yourself relax. You sit there quietly, enjoying the peace, and allow Elsie to open up to you in her own time. You were also prepared for her to say nothing. More than anything you just wanted to let her know that you were there and that she wasn’t alone.

“I’m okay.” She whispers without looking up.

You stay silent. The minutes drift by and still El hadn’t moved, the ice in her untouched tea beginning to melt. You keenly sensed the contrast of the serenity all around you and the tense bundle of barely contained emotions beside you. Still you wait. At last some movement, small and subtle, but movement. She turns the cup slowly, staring at it as if it contained some great secret, her thumb wipes along its dewy side. There is a tiny shudder up her petite body and an almost imperceptible gasp.

Elsie begins to cry.