Flakes of snow collapse through the sky, and they land all over my mother's garden. The blooming flowers have become shrivelled scrap, and everything's too frozen to even fill the birdhouse with seeds anymore.
Drizella and I are sitting at the table, grasping our cold, ceramic cups waiting for our mother to fill it with hot cocoa. Mother grabs the kettle with a towel, and slowly walks towards us. Before the spout reaches Drizella's cup, a loud beating echoes through the hollow of my mug, coming from the front door. Mother quickly runs to the door, still holding the kettle, avoiding Rupert having to wait in the cold.
We wait several minutes, and I begin to wonder why she's taking so long. My thoughts are interrupted by a deafening thud, and hundreds of little glass pieces scatter across the floor.
"How is he throwing plates when he hasn't even made it to the kitchen yet?" I whisper to Drizella. She shrugs her shoulders and we peek into the hallway.
My mother is standing alone, the door wide open, and I can feel the bitter chilled air, puncturing my flesh. The kettle is on the floor, remaining as a pile of sharp debris. A worried look is plastered on her face, and the intensified green pigment woven into her eyes cause my fingers to feel numb.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Drizella shuts the door, and my mother snaps back into reality, immediately falling to the floor to clean up the mess. She attempts to ignore the question, as her fingers move faster and faster, gripping every single piece of broken glass so tightly into her hands that they start to bleed.
"Mother!" I scream, hoping to awake her from this trance.
She looks up at both of us, shaking her head, over and over again. Tears escape the corners of her eyes, and she continues to shake her head as the blood from her hands begins to disperse into the hardwood flooring.
Her hushed voice cracks as she mutters something inaudible. It takes me a few moments to finally realize what she has said. "He's dead."
YOU ARE READING
The Stepsisters
Short StoryI'm not the girl everyone thinks I am. I mean, I am Cinderella' stepsister. But I promise, I'm not evil. I'm just a girl who got stuck with a beautiful step-sister, who wants nothing to do with me. What about my happily ever after? And Cinderella? S...
