Luminari

Chapter two

My grandfather made us dinner then put us to bed he told Brandy more stories about Luminari and I listened through the wall between our rooms.

"Does Luminari have a princess?"

"No but it does have a queen and a prince, the queen has no face and can't speak but hears everything, she flies around like a ghost and can travel through solid brick walls. The prince is the loneliest, saddest, and most depressing ghost in all of Luminari, even the most wondrous of things can't cheer him up."

"Not even kittens and puppies?" Brandy asked.

"Nope nothing, he never smiles, and he's never laughed, he wears all black and covers all the windows with dark curtains, he never leaves the palace and has no friends."

"Why is he so sad?" Brandy asked I could tell she was very moved from my grandfather's stupid story.

I wonder if the sad prince's parents were going through a divorce too. Divorces probably didn't exist in fairytale land where everything was all happy and magical.

"No one knows, although I think it has something to do with his human family, the one he had before he turned into a ghost."

"What happened to his human family?"

"I don't know you would have to ask the prince he's the only one who knows."

"I feel so bad for the prince, I wish I could be his friend."

"Don't say things like that!" my grandpa shouted, shocking me out of my half sleeping daze.

"Why not?" Brandy asked, with fear in her voice.

"Because the queen hears all and she kidnaps children she thinks will make good friends for her son!"

I just rolled my eyes, I wish my grandfather wouldn't tell Brandy things like that, didn't he know she actually believed every word he was saying. Now she was going to be scared of the ghost queen and we'd have to have a night light in our room.

"I promise never to say anything like that again," she swore.

"Good!' my grandpa said with relief I could hear him rolling across her floor and I watched as the light was turned off and the hall went dark.

"Goodnight, Tinker bell!"

"Good night grandpa!"

I listened as my grandpa rolled down the hall and watched as he opened my door.

"Bailey are you still awake?" He asked rolling up to my head.

I pretended to be asleep closing my eyes and breathing calmly.

"Oh well, I guess you won't get to help me taste my wine!"

I sat up excitedly and followed my grandpa down the stairs. Another thing I loved about my grandpa was that he always drunk a glass of wine every night and would let me taste it. Just a small taste but I knew my mom would go crazy if she found out, even though it was just a tiny itty bitty little taste, that I spit out afterwards.

There was something about the taste of wine that I found intriguing, it was sort of like super bitter grape juice with a strange tangy flavor. My grandfather pulled a tall bottle of red wine out of the fridge and poured himself a glass then he let me take the first sip. I drank the smallest bit and wished it around in my mouth.

"Tastes like strawberries, " I said spitting it into a napkin. I wish I could drink an entire glass (they really need to invent a wine that doesn't get one drunk).

I sighed.

"Bailey, is something wrong you've been acting strange all day?"

"No, nothing's wrong," I lied, then my eyes started swelling up with tears.