The Glass Blower's Daughter

Trip into town

The next day we all wake up and sit around the table as if nothing ever happened last night. My pa sits at the end of the table drinking his hot black coffee with only one spoon full of sugar. Already in his flannel shirt and overalls ready to get out the door and to the shop to work. My ma helps feed the little ones and Ember sits across from me, trying to avoid making eye contact. I want to say something but I know better; I should just mind my own business. After breakfast I help my ma clean up the dishes and then go outside to see what Finn and Briar are doing. Of course they are playing in the small creek. Finn is almost six now and always causing some kind of chaos with Briar. Of course she will do anything that he tells her to do, but why wouldn't she follow his lead. I am sure Ember is with pa. He will be leaving in a little while to go into the small town to where our shop is located.

My parents have owned this little shop in the tourist town for as long as I can remember. They sell all the blown glass that my papa makes. Ember does some really good pieces as well. I rarely get to go into town; pa says he has his reasons why my two younger siblings and I should stay home away from others. If I really had to guess it had something to do with all the tourist people, not to mention all the young men that might sweep me off my feet. Yeah, right like anyone would even want anything to do with me.

I'm standing in the creek barefooted with Finn and Briar when I hear the barn door open. My pa and Ember walk out with a few boxes in their hands. Ember is a spitting image of our pa however with darker skin. We all got ma's great skin tone. I watch as they load up the pickup truck. I quickly make my way out of the stream and run over to them. "Can I help?" I already know the answer but I ask anyway.

"No sweetheart we got this." This is what he always tells me. When will he see that I can in fact handle things? I am not some little kid. I push out my bottom lip and pout. I know he can't stand it when I do that but frankly I am just disappointed that he won't let me do anything. "Aura please, go get your siblings and take them to do their studies."

Its summertime and he wants us to still study. Since my mother is Cherokee, they insist that we learn and study the language. Not only that, but also study about our heritage. They feel that it is very important for our growth. The funny thing though is we rarely ever even visit the reservation. I think it has something to do with my father because he is not Cherokee and therefore my siblings and I are only half Cherokee. I remember once when I was little, we had gone to visit Eduda and Elisi, or in English as my father says stands for grandfather and grandmother. Elisi was so happy to see ma and us kids but now Eduda was another story. He had a few words with ma that day. Anyway, long story short, we usually just stay on our land that was handed down on my pa's side. So, you see I just don't understand why he insists of us learning the language.

I shrug my shoulders with disappointment and walk away to go find them. I would love to stand here and argue my way into helping but it is pointless. Besides by the way he keeps looking at me, he is still upset with me for being out in the barn last night. I saw something that I wasn't supposed to see. I was never meant to see the men in black. A part of me wonders what would have happened if they had saw me. Would they have hurt my pa or would they have done something to me. I try to shake off all the bad thoughts. I walk around the house to find the two of them playing under the big oak tree covered head to toe in dirt.

"You got to be kidding me. You two haven't even been out here ten minutes and you are already dirty. Ma is not going to be happy about that you know."

The two of them continue to laugh and run around as I try to chase them back into the house. I was hoping to have them cleaned up before ma sees them but that for sure doesn't happen. I hear the broom smack against the doorframe to the back door as it echoes through the valley. The three of us stop dead in our tracks and look down at the ground.