The Four Horsemen

Famine and Death

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"Jude, stop running I'm tired!", an almost three year old chubby faced little blonde girl whined, plopping down on the green, lush grass of their backyard.

"Okay, okay Frankie I'll stop. Wanna play hide and seek?", a little blond four year old boy a little bit taller than Frankie complied, leaning down to sit with his sister in the grass.

"Yeah, yeah!", she cheerfully agreed, clapping her little hands with enthusiasm.

"Okay, but I know it's 'cause you always win. One...", he started counting, closing his eyes as he climbed up the ladder of
the tall, mahogany-painted tree house that fit perfectly inside the branches of their old oak tree.

Frankie got up on her feet and started running with her stubby little legs into the house, giggling a little, not really caring if her brother could hear her or not.

She ran up the stairs of their beautiful house into the closet of their parents' spacious bedroom. She pulled some clothes for the hangers and covered her little body, giggling again with excitement.

Judas stopped counting when he got to one hundred, well as much as he could remember of one hundred for a four year old. When he was done, he ran into the house, searching through cabinets, cupboards, closets. Under chairs, couches, beds. All before running to his parents room, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Frankie laughed as inwardly as she can when she heard her brother barge into the room. She stayed as still and quiet as an opossum playing dead.

Judas quiet walked into the closet, turning on the lights and walking around as subtly as possible.

He stopped when he reached an uncharacteristically large pile of clothes, slowly picking up one piece of clothing, cautious to be wary if she was there.

When he saw a spot of golden blonde hair and tanned, sandy-like peach colored skin, he slowly reached over the last shirt over her head before attacking her little neck with tickles from his small, chubby hands.

They both started giggling and laughing, and Frankie started insisting he stopped tickling her, but Jude did not let up.

After moments later, they heard the close of their parents door shut, making them fall silent.

"Hey, let's scare mommy and daddy Frankie.", Judas suggested, whispering to his messy-haired baby sister.

"Yeah!", Frankie agreed giddily, a little too enthusiastically, making Judas give her a hyperbolic 'Shh!', before walking up to the door, turning off the lights and putting his ear to the door.

He waited a little, telling his sister they'd count to three before surprising them. She gave a slurred, limited-tooth ridden, "Okay."

"One, two, ... three!", Judas exclaimed, jumping as he swung the closet door open. He expected his parents to be calm and collected when he surprised them, but what he received was far from that.

He saw his mother hunched over, sobbing quietly as his father hugged her, slowly patting her back as he shed a few of his own tears silently.

Judas came to a complete stop. He didn't know how to react, he had never seen his mother cry. She was like a superhero to him, especially since she was a firefighter. All Judas knew was his mother supporting him or his little sister. So he just stood there, not knowing what to say or do.