In honor of Thanksgiving, I am taking a break from the story I've been posting, and I am posting this story. Don't worry - I'll get back to the other one soon. Happy Thanksgiving!
For my wonderful big brother...
High in the branches of the ancient oak
tree, Katy peered eagerly into the distance. Her brother could arrive
any day, any hour, any second now. She imagined him in his seaman's
attire, taking long strides down the dusty road towards home. His bag
was thrown over his shoulder, and he was whistling some sailor's
song. Katy could almost hear the joyous notes. She glanced hopefully
at the road, but only tiny dust devils swirled around in the dirt.
The only sound was that of the rustling leaves and a twittering bird
on a nearby limb. Katy sighed and reluctantly climbed down the tree.
Oh, how she missed Ryland! They used to do everything together,
before he went off to sea. She longed for the days when they used to
splash in the pond, skip through the meadows, and read in the Oak
tree. He encouraged her to do the hard thing and face her fears. Now
she had to face them on her own. Life just wasn't the same without
him. She wished children never had to grow up and leave home; but
time flew faster every day, every hour, every second, until it was
zooming by at an uncontrollable rate. Responsibility became a bigger
burden every passing year. Now all Katy could do was thank God for
the childhood years they did have and the memories that still
lingered.
As Katy dragged herself up the porch
steps, Skittter, Ryland's dog, sauntered over to greet her. Katy
reached down to pat Skitter's brown head. The dog whimpered, looking
longingly down the road. Her big, hopeful, watery puppy eyes made
Katy want to cry. “I know, Skitter. I miss him too.” She
scratched the dog reassuringly behind her ears. “He'll be home
soon.” But what if he wasn't? What if his ship went down in a
terrible storm? What if pirates had attacked and killed him? Katy
pushed the thoughts aside. Ryland would come home. He said he would.
Katy gave Skitter one more pat and reached for the door handle. The
smell of roasting turkey and baking apple pies drifted through the
windows. Dinner would be ready soon, but Ryland wasn't there to share
it.
Skitter suddenly let out an excited
yelp. Her ears perked up, and she darted down the road into the
setting sun, where a lone figure tromped through the dust. His
strides were steady and long, and he wore a seaman's attire. A
lighthearted whistle pierced the silent air. He stopped and stooped
down to pet the tiny brown dog scampering to meet him. She jumped at
his legs and her tail trembled with excitement. Katy's heart jumped
to her throat, and she let out a scream. “Ryland!” She flew down
the road, her hair blowing wildly behind her and her skirt
threatening to trip her. Ryland looked up, his face streaked with the
slobbery mud trails Skitter's tongue had left behind. He grinned when
he met his sister's eyes and opened wide his arms to accept her into
an embrace. Katy stumbled into his arms, laughing and crying. Behind
her, she could hear the slam of the front door and cries of,
“Ryland's home!” Soon Mama was flying out the door, tears
streaming down her face and her hands and apron still covered in
flour. The rest of the family tumbled out the door after her.
Shortly thereafter Katy's family
gathered around the goodies at the dinner table. They held hands,
bowed their heads, and Papa lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving. The
meal talk mainly consisted of Ryland's tales of the sea. He no longer
talked like a boy, but his words reflected a man of growing wisdom.
Katy was somewhat sobered by the change, for she had missed the boy.
Still, this new man inspired her to also grow and change. Life would
never be same again; but Katy now knew that the change was for the
better. Silently, Katy decided to embrace the change. She lifted up
her own prayer of thanksgiving for the memories she had, the future
ones still to be made, and the brother who created them.
