14 Lullaby

A small child's drenched figure could be seen slowly walking through heavy rainfall across a bridge.

Most people had already retreated into their homes or were waiting under storefronts for the rain to cease.

Splash. Splash.

After a long trek across several Groves, Lily finally arrived at the door to her house.

Lightning flashed.

Creak.

She opened the door and made her way in.

Squelch.

She noticed her drenched clothes and wet, muddy shoes and socks.

'Mom would be upset if I ruined the floors,' she thought.

She carefully wiped her shoes on the doormat, attempting to scrub off all the dirt and mud from them.

Then, after removing her shoes and placing them on the shoe rack, she took off her socks.

Droplets from her hair and clothes fell, hitting the floorboards.

'Yes Mom, I'll change, and have a shower. I feel dirty right now,' She unbuttoned her dress and removed her clothes, making her way up to wash all the dirt away.

Shhh.

 Cold water washed over her as she carefully cleaned her body, and then used shampoo to scrub her hair.

After drying herself, and making her way to her room to find new clothes to wear, she stumbled.

Must be the dizziness.

She wore a plain white shirt and denim jeans, then made her way to the kitchen.

'Ah. Mom, you haven't finished cooking yet…'

She looked at the stove, and the mise en place beside it, every ingredient carefully occupying a small bowl or plate.

Lily moved a stool over so she could stand over the stove and see what her mother was making.

'Ah. Penne gorgonzola with fish,' she thought. It was a healthy dish.

'I should go and remind her…' Lily went upstairs to her parent's room. She knocked, then slowly opened the door.

She had learnt to do that after her dad told her that it was good manners.

Since when did he care about manners?

"Mom?" She whispered, as if afraid that if she were any louder, her voice would break something.

She looked around. The bed was neatly made. The room was quite tidy. Lily tilted her head, confused. Her mother usually sleeps with her, but it wasn't bedtime yet.

'Where could she be?'

She started rummaging through the closets and cupboards. She knew her parents would not appreciate that, but she would apologize later.

She really needed to look for them.

As she searched the last closet, she stumbled, and some of its contents fell.

Must be the dizziness.

She bent down to pick the items up when she froze.

There was a box wrapped in shiny red packaging, tied neatly with a rose-colored ribbon. Beneath the ribbon, there was a card placed with her mother's handwriting inked upon it.

'Sweetest Lily's 7th.'

Lily's hand slowly, tentatively, approached the card and freed it from the ribbon. She gently stroked it as her fingers slid over each letter.

'Ah… It's my birthday tomorrow…' Lily realized.

She gently placed the card aside as she picked up the packaged box and moved to sit on her parent's bed.

Her parents usually wrote letters when they presented her birthday gifts. Her mother liked writing them, and her father mentioned that it would be nice to look back on when she was older.

'It's not my birthday yet… I shouldn't open it…' She thought as her fingers touched the silky fabric of the ribbon.

Her back fell on the mattress, and her vision began to blur.

Must be the dizziness.

Her mother's calming scent enveloped her.

"Mom, there you -" she reached out her hand towards the scent, but her fingers only found a vacant pillow.

"Mom…?" Lily whispered again, her nose feeling a slight tingle.

"If you don't come, I'm opening my birthday present…"

She sat up again and placed the box on her lap.

Her finger gently pulled the ribbon, and it unfurled.

She unwrapped the packaging, careful not to tear any of it.

When she opened it, the first thing she saw was an envelope. And on it, were words written in a neat and elegant script.

'To our dearest, sweetest, most adorable Lily.'

She smiled. They both always put too many superlatives when addressing her.

She opened the letter to read, even as the tingle in her nose became sharper.

'Dear Lily,

Your father has a screw loose. Well, he's always had a screw loose, and I'm not really one to talk about who the actual one lacking common sense is, but this time, I think he's gone too far.

 Ever since you started excitedly talking about islands in the sky, he's made it his most important mission these past few years to try and get you something from there. Do you think he's mad? Heck, he even asked every sailor he came across whether they had been to any sky islands. It's been a mission for me to get him to calm down.

I can't count the number of times he would go shopping to try and find a souvenir from the sky for you. Does that even make sense? Oh, not that I'm doubting that those islands exist of course, but he's just been getting a little too jumpy about it, you know? 

He's been moving heaven and earth for you. He even said he would go and fly up there himself if he had to. I don't think he was joking… or maybe he was. I never know with your father, he's too unpredictable sometimes.

And, well, a few months ago, he claimed he finally found it - he said it was called a Tone Dial. He's been holding in his excitement ever since, waiting to give it to you for your birthday. And we've both been eagerly waiting to give it to you.

Honestly, I can't tell if he was duped by a shady salesman, but it is quite the useful artifact, so I decided to put something special in it. I put it in there so you find it easier to sleep when I'm not around. Not that I have any intention of leaving my little adorable girl alone, of course.

Just press the button at the top, and you'll see what it is.

 I love you so much, my little treasure.

With all the love in the world and more,

Your mother, Rose.'

She didn't know when it happened, but her eyes felt hot, and some teardrops threatened to fall on the paper.

She quickly rubbed her eyes and then shifted them towards the contents of the box.

In it was a purple spiral sea conch. She moved her hand to push the tip, and she heard a gentle soothing lullaby.

It was her mother's voice. 

Her mother's lullaby.

The one she had sung when Lily was still in her womb. The one she had sung to help Lily sleep. The one she had sung to calm her down.

Lily couldn't hold her tears in anymore. She knew her mother was gone. Her father was gone

"Waaahhh…." *Sob* "Haaa…" *Sniffle*

She clutched the sea conch to her chest, her mother's voice moving her heart.

She let all of her tears out. 

Lightning flashed, and thunder followed.

The sky darkened.

She was alone now. 

Just like before.