Bethy

Chapter 1

Bethy was worried
That she’d never be happy again

It had been a long time since Bethy had felt genuinely happy.

Even her best friend, Jasmine said that she was no fun anymore.

Once in a while, Bethy had flash backs of times before,

when she had not a have a care in the world and the days never ended.

As she walked home from school she felt the cool afternoon breeze stroke her face. It seemed to say to her: “It’s all right. It’s all right, my little Elizabeth,”
She remembered how her Uncle Al knelt down next to her and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, your mum will always be with you,” Tears pricked her eyes and Bethy let them fall, now she was alone she could cry without feeling guilty.

Uncle Al lifted his head from the newspaper as he heard the squeak of the door open, and then close again. “Bethy?”

Bethy paused in-front of the hallway mirror to make sure no signs of tears showed.

“Yeah,” she said, walking into the living room. Uncle Al lifted his hands up in the air and gave her a big smile. Bethy faked a grin and ran into his arms.

“I’ve got a surprise for you,”

Bethy was in no mood for one of Uncle’s surprises but she played along, just so she wouldn’t hurt his feelings.

“Oh, really?”

“Just for you, Queen Elizabeth,”

“Prince Alfred, what ever could it be?”

Queens and Princes was a special game of theirs. Bethy recalled the times before when she would laugh and squirm and while Uncle would tease her. It had always made her feel so special, but now nothing could make her feel alive again. Her Uncle stood up, letting her fall to the green plush carpet of their living room. “Aha!” he said walking into the kitchen. “Now I’ve been a bit impetuous today,” he called from the next room. “But,” There was a bit of noise as he rummaged through boxes trying to find the right one. “I’ll do anything for my…” He bowed low to the ground and held out a parcel, “queen,”

“Oh, thank you Alfred,” she replied with a sweet smile. She loved her Uncle so much, to think what would happen if she lost him…

She ripped open the parcel with excitement, hoping to see what she had longed for, for a few months now.

“Oh my goodness!” Bethy cried. She lifted the small rectangle box to her heart and hugged it tight.

“Be careful there, little miss, your going to squeeze all the paint out!” he chuckled. Bethy reached out her arms and hugged her uncle tight. There was no need for words – He knew what she was thinking and hugged her back, really tight. For the rest of the after noon, they painted vivid colours. They swirled and splashed and let the colours run wild, running into each other. Uncle taught her how to make the brush run on an angle to get a smooth thin line, he taught her how to blend colours and use the right amount of water. Bethy forgot what had happened before; she forgot about everyone and just focused on her painting. There was a glimmer of hope in her heart and Bethy felt she was in a state of Euphoria. Bethy didn’t say it out loud or even in her head, but she knew that she had never felt so alive.

A very short chapter, tell me what you think.
Tigerlily