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Prompt
Since coming to your home, you child has become a little depressed. Their grades have been dropping, if they've been going to school at all, and they don't seem to want to leave the house very much. What's been bothering them? And what do you do to get them to talk to you and solve their problems?
Submission
Mekui's room was small and sparsely furnished, with a bed, dresser, and desk. The latter sat up against the wall directly under an open window. Pausing in the doorway, I looked around and found it to be warm and comfortable, the set-up inviting despite the cool breeze drifting in.
I watched the girl sitting at her desk for a moment or two as I stood in the doorway. I had come to ask her if she needed a snack and something to drink while she did her homework. At first glance, with her head tilted downward she seemed on task and quite busy. I was not sure I should interrupt her. Her long hair fell in a lazily bouncing turquoise ribbon behind her, keeping time with her feet as she swung her legs forward and back. Then she looked out the window with a faraway look in her eye and did not move. When several moments passed, it became apparent that she was not thinking about her math and I entered the room.
A quick glance at the worksheet on her desk alerted me that she had only filled out a handful of problems. The margins were decorated with doodles of what appeared to be wispy clouds and the blowing wind. I remembered doing that myself in school when I was stuck, bored, or preoccupied with something very important. I wondered what Mekui might be thinking of.
A fluttering motion caught my eye and I saw what she had been looking down at. There in her lap was a winged, fox-like creature with spots like a clouded leopard. He made a contented mewling sound as he greeted me with large glittering eyes. Since Mekui was yet unaware of my presence, she petted him until he went silent and lowered his head once again. I smiled at a wash of pleasant memories. Jehiel had been a constant companion of mine since Christmas when my sister had given him to me. His namesake was an angel who loved animals and was supposed to lead me to my power animal. Well it sounded good at the time, and my Jehiel had been instrumental in finding Mekui. And now that they had found one another, they were joined at the hip, but I did not mind as much as I could have been.
Especially now, seeing the girl with this faraway look in her eye. Her expression was melancholy, when from all accounts she was a sunny and bubbly soul.
I sighed aloud. "So, are you hungry?"
"Mha...what?" The girl turned back around, her mind slowly crawling back to the present. "I'm sorry, I was just... hm." She frowned, looking down at her homework.
"Working on your homework?" I chuckled, pushing her shoulder gently with my fingertips. "Or are you too busy looking... outside?" The last word was accented with a goofy voice as I lurched up to the windowsill and peered out. To the right and the left I gazed about, trying to see, "�What could possibly be so nifty? And more interesting than math homework? Besides practically anything!?" I turned around and stuck my tongue out at her.
She giggled gently. "Stop it, Mel..." I was disappointed when she sobered so quickly. "I'm trying, but... I can't think."
No, really, I thought. "Your homework is very important, Mekui. If Jehiel is being too much of a distraction, I can take him out of here if you want." I bent down and around so I could look at her eye-to-eye.
"No... I like school and homework's... well... I don't like it, but I know it's important." She smiled faintly, but there was definitely something else that weakened the expression. It twisted my heart and made me want to take her into my arms.
"Then something else is bothering you." I saw her lip twitch, a faint tremor in the hand that reached up to scratch Jehiel behind the ears. I frowned.
Today was not the first time I had found her like this. Mekui may have been described to me as upbeat and playful by people she knew, but I had yet to see those qualities with any consistency. Instead she was quiet and distracted. If I did not know better, I might have thought she was a daydreamer or a deep-thinker prone to absent-mindedness (not that I thought she was incapable of either). She was deeply troubled, enough that her teacher had called me to report her slipping grades. In every subject.
I sighed, knowing what it must be. Laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, I spoke with softness equal to the gesture. "I can't begin to imagine what it's like to lose one's parents..." I received a sob in reply, and immediately felt guilty for making her cry, but hopefully bringing it out in the open would help. If not, maybe I did not really deserve this responsibility after all.
"Mekui, I have no idea what it was like before. I don't know what your parent or parents were like, or why you lost them. I also don't know if it would help you if I did know. I just want you to know that I want to be here for you. I don't want me or anyone here to replace your old life. I don't want you to forget unless you want to. I just want to help you continue, to give you a safe place to live, to grow, and to learn. I want to be your friend! Do you want to be my friend?"
"Mm-hm!" Mekui mumbled through clenched teeth and pursed lips. She sobbed and reached for me. I finally took her in my arms and that peculiar instinctual ache - the need to comfort and protect a child - lifted from my shoulders. As Jehiel squirmed out from between us to perch upon her desk, I held her head, petting and kissing it. Squeezing my eyes tight, I finally lay my forehead upon her head as she cried into my shirt. Her grip was tight, and when the skin on my back did not give under her touch, she clutched the fabric tightly. I could feel her pent-up grief pulsing in those small, pale fingers.
"It'll be okay, Mekui. I promise." I pulled her out of the chair and sat upon the desk, which was more comfortable in height than her chair, and held her in my lap. Jehiel moved aside, wings fluttering as he hopped back onto the girl's chair. I rocked her while she cried herself out. At length the wracking moans became hiccupping sobs. "I don't just want to be your friend though. I want to watch over you, protect you and help you out. Do you understand?"
She nodded and looked up, began to wipe her tears away and gazed outside. The greenery in the yard and surrounding trees could easily entrap the eye, and hers were no exception. It seemed to soothe the ache a bit more.
"You know, I moved around a lot in school. It was so difficult to keep up because no one taught the same subjects in the same order. Sometimes I was ahead, sometimes I was very behind." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mekui's turquoise hair bob in a slight nod. She sniffled a little and I continued. "I always sat in the back because I thought people were staring at me. I was the new kid so of course they were, but it was because they were curious. But, you see, I was shy. I tried to keep to myself and stared at my paper unless someone came up to me. The feeling of their eyes on me felt...wrong... and I always assumed that they were mean or judging me. I always felt stupid, dorky, out of place."
"You did? But you're so loud and funny all the time..." She sniffed again, but looked up at me with a surprised frown. Her eyes glittered like liquid aquamarine cabochons, shining with wonder.
I grinned and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Definitely. I still don't like to go right up to people, but it doesn't scare me quite as much." I frowned slightly and shrugged.
She also frowned, but this time it was because she was mulling things over. Apparently what I had said was making sense. I felt elated but tried not to grin like a fool. I'm getting through to her, and maybe from now on she will trust me enough to come to me. Not that people don't come to me with their problems, but still. At least she can feel a bit better about her situation, right? Oh, wow, whee...
When I glanced back at her, she was studying me. I had no idea at that point what my expression was, but had a feeling it was in fact rather foolish. "Ehyum... say, I came in earlier to see if you wanted a snack. I was thinking of making a batch of cookies. I can cut up some cheese and apple for you too. Brain food is the best."
Mekui laughed gaily and nodded. "Can I help? Please?"
"Well, all right, but after that back to homework?"
"Uh-huh! I promise!"
I think I would have said yes to just anything at that point, just to keep that smile on her face. For the first time I saw shiny pearls glittering proudly in her pale face; her smile was absolutely lovely.
I watched the girl sitting at her desk for a moment or two as I stood in the doorway. I had come to ask her if she needed a snack and something to drink while she did her homework. At first glance, with her head tilted downward she seemed on task and quite busy. I was not sure I should interrupt her. Her long hair fell in a lazily bouncing turquoise ribbon behind her, keeping time with her feet as she swung her legs forward and back. Then she looked out the window with a faraway look in her eye and did not move. When several moments passed, it became apparent that she was not thinking about her math and I entered the room.
A quick glance at the worksheet on her desk alerted me that she had only filled out a handful of problems. The margins were decorated with doodles of what appeared to be wispy clouds and the blowing wind. I remembered doing that myself in school when I was stuck, bored, or preoccupied with something very important. I wondered what Mekui might be thinking of.
A fluttering motion caught my eye and I saw what she had been looking down at. There in her lap was a winged, fox-like creature with spots like a clouded leopard. He made a contented mewling sound as he greeted me with large glittering eyes. Since Mekui was yet unaware of my presence, she petted him until he went silent and lowered his head once again. I smiled at a wash of pleasant memories. Jehiel had been a constant companion of mine since Christmas when my sister had given him to me. His namesake was an angel who loved animals and was supposed to lead me to my power animal. Well it sounded good at the time, and my Jehiel had been instrumental in finding Mekui. And now that they had found one another, they were joined at the hip, but I did not mind as much as I could have been.
Especially now, seeing the girl with this faraway look in her eye. Her expression was melancholy, when from all accounts she was a sunny and bubbly soul.
I sighed aloud. "So, are you hungry?"
"Mha...what?" The girl turned back around, her mind slowly crawling back to the present. "I'm sorry, I was just... hm." She frowned, looking down at her homework.
"Working on your homework?" I chuckled, pushing her shoulder gently with my fingertips. "Or are you too busy looking... outside?" The last word was accented with a goofy voice as I lurched up to the windowsill and peered out. To the right and the left I gazed about, trying to see, "�What could possibly be so nifty? And more interesting than math homework? Besides practically anything!?" I turned around and stuck my tongue out at her.
She giggled gently. "Stop it, Mel..." I was disappointed when she sobered so quickly. "I'm trying, but... I can't think."
No, really, I thought. "Your homework is very important, Mekui. If Jehiel is being too much of a distraction, I can take him out of here if you want." I bent down and around so I could look at her eye-to-eye.
"No... I like school and homework's... well... I don't like it, but I know it's important." She smiled faintly, but there was definitely something else that weakened the expression. It twisted my heart and made me want to take her into my arms.
"Then something else is bothering you." I saw her lip twitch, a faint tremor in the hand that reached up to scratch Jehiel behind the ears. I frowned.
Today was not the first time I had found her like this. Mekui may have been described to me as upbeat and playful by people she knew, but I had yet to see those qualities with any consistency. Instead she was quiet and distracted. If I did not know better, I might have thought she was a daydreamer or a deep-thinker prone to absent-mindedness (not that I thought she was incapable of either). She was deeply troubled, enough that her teacher had called me to report her slipping grades. In every subject.
I sighed, knowing what it must be. Laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, I spoke with softness equal to the gesture. "I can't begin to imagine what it's like to lose one's parents..." I received a sob in reply, and immediately felt guilty for making her cry, but hopefully bringing it out in the open would help. If not, maybe I did not really deserve this responsibility after all.
"Mekui, I have no idea what it was like before. I don't know what your parent or parents were like, or why you lost them. I also don't know if it would help you if I did know. I just want you to know that I want to be here for you. I don't want me or anyone here to replace your old life. I don't want you to forget unless you want to. I just want to help you continue, to give you a safe place to live, to grow, and to learn. I want to be your friend! Do you want to be my friend?"
"Mm-hm!" Mekui mumbled through clenched teeth and pursed lips. She sobbed and reached for me. I finally took her in my arms and that peculiar instinctual ache - the need to comfort and protect a child - lifted from my shoulders. As Jehiel squirmed out from between us to perch upon her desk, I held her head, petting and kissing it. Squeezing my eyes tight, I finally lay my forehead upon her head as she cried into my shirt. Her grip was tight, and when the skin on my back did not give under her touch, she clutched the fabric tightly. I could feel her pent-up grief pulsing in those small, pale fingers.
"It'll be okay, Mekui. I promise." I pulled her out of the chair and sat upon the desk, which was more comfortable in height than her chair, and held her in my lap. Jehiel moved aside, wings fluttering as he hopped back onto the girl's chair. I rocked her while she cried herself out. At length the wracking moans became hiccupping sobs. "I don't just want to be your friend though. I want to watch over you, protect you and help you out. Do you understand?"
She nodded and looked up, began to wipe her tears away and gazed outside. The greenery in the yard and surrounding trees could easily entrap the eye, and hers were no exception. It seemed to soothe the ache a bit more.
"You know, I moved around a lot in school. It was so difficult to keep up because no one taught the same subjects in the same order. Sometimes I was ahead, sometimes I was very behind." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mekui's turquoise hair bob in a slight nod. She sniffled a little and I continued. "I always sat in the back because I thought people were staring at me. I was the new kid so of course they were, but it was because they were curious. But, you see, I was shy. I tried to keep to myself and stared at my paper unless someone came up to me. The feeling of their eyes on me felt...wrong... and I always assumed that they were mean or judging me. I always felt stupid, dorky, out of place."
"You did? But you're so loud and funny all the time..." She sniffed again, but looked up at me with a surprised frown. Her eyes glittered like liquid aquamarine cabochons, shining with wonder.
I grinned and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Definitely. I still don't like to go right up to people, but it doesn't scare me quite as much." I frowned slightly and shrugged.
She also frowned, but this time it was because she was mulling things over. Apparently what I had said was making sense. I felt elated but tried not to grin like a fool. I'm getting through to her, and maybe from now on she will trust me enough to come to me. Not that people don't come to me with their problems, but still. At least she can feel a bit better about her situation, right? Oh, wow, whee...
When I glanced back at her, she was studying me. I had no idea at that point what my expression was, but had a feeling it was in fact rather foolish. "Ehyum... say, I came in earlier to see if you wanted a snack. I was thinking of making a batch of cookies. I can cut up some cheese and apple for you too. Brain food is the best."
Mekui laughed gaily and nodded. "Can I help? Please?"
"Well, all right, but after that back to homework?"
"Uh-huh! I promise!"
I think I would have said yes to just anything at that point, just to keep that smile on her face. For the first time I saw shiny pearls glittering proudly in her pale face; her smile was absolutely lovely.
