Prompt: Write about what you think love is614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJi6AcIC8I
Maisy stumbles into the house, cheeks pink from cold and anger, fists curled like little puffed pastries.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kryGfFlR6
'I had a very, very, VERY terrible day today!' She proclaims loudly, taking off her thick jacket. Her elder brother, Peter, announces his arrival with heavy footsteps on the staircase.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoyFFMGGvR
'What's wrong, Maisy?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQrIH7CLGj
'Just EVERYTHING!' The girl fumes. 'Miss Natalia was even meaner than usual today, and that's just the tip of the iceberg!' Beneath her outburst the girl applauds herself for using her newly learnt phrase. 'Danny said he didn't love me!' At this, she crosses her arms melodramatically with a little hmmph.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtewOJbn1lg
'Aw, Maisy, come here.' Peter takes his sister by the shoulders. 'Tell me what happened. Start with Miss Natalia.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dvOrxVu7s
'Well, I was playing with the soccer ball and Ben kicked it over the fence. So I climbed over and ran to get the ball from across the road. Then when I came back, Miss Natalia was so very angry and said all kinds of silly things to me. And then she didn't let me play for the rest of lunch!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDUFYhozeY
'I see,' Peter says, with a smile to himself. 'And what about Danny? He said he didn't love you? Now why would something like that upset you, Maisy?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJTnFeZt7k
The girl puffs her cheeks. 'Because I - love - him!' Peter laughs at her declaration. 'Don't laugh, Peter! I'm being quite serious!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoc7yJ3nyp
'I wasn't laughing at you, Maisy.' He responds, conscious of her feelings.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiMv8GI6pA
'Then what were you laughing at?' She demands.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogcUSLTIif
'I was laughing at...' A moment's thought. 'I was laughing at love.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4YmlSLSEg
A crease appears in Maisy's soft and rounded forehead. 'What's so funny about love?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwNJTgYMkn
'I'm not so sure, Maisy. Why don't you help me out?' Peter grins, not only beginning to enjoy himself with the conversation but also satisfied that he had distracted her from the day's events. 'Tell me what you think love is, hey?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9QVIK42kL
'It's, it's, um.' She looks from side to side as if expecting an answer to be floating out of reach in the room. 'Well. It's when you like someone very much!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFw7t10fven
'That's a start. So you said you love Danny. Is that because you like him a lot?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPI1IcdV64r
Maisy erects her body to inject confidence into her voice. 'I do like him very much!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7qx62geP8
'Okay. Why do you like him?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSkD55gq2J
'Well, everybody likes him. And he's very clever. He beats me in all of Miss Natalia's tests. And he's good at soccer. And he makes funny jokes.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nIZmnVAuN
'Hey, I make funny jokes, I'm good at soccer, I'm clever and everybody likes me...' Peter purposefully puts a playfulness in his tone to show his sister that he isn't being serious.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s1xXU58gv
'Don't be silly. You're different! You're my brother, and besides, you're not good at soccer!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8VHdTMeY4
'I guess you're right, I'm not very good, am I?' Memories of letting his sister win with a comical oh no I lost face just to see her smile. 'But anyway, what exactly did Danny say to you?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAllB4EEWkL
'Well I put a letter into his bag. And I wrote it in running writing! With curls and everything! It said, To Danny, I love you like trees love the sun. From Maisy.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUYoroU0gY
'That's nice.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21CeRE1hdr
'Which is what he said, too! He said the letter was very nice but then he said that he didn't love me back! I didn't know what to do then because that never happens in movies so I couldn't tell what I was supposed to say. So I ran off.' 614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcmJjTQtwv
'I see. Well, you know, love isn't like you see it in movies. A lot of things aren't.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVVTm0HzAK
'The what is it supposed to be? I liked Danny very much so I thought he would like me very much too! How else does love work?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPmrU0ul0z
'I'm not sure how to explain it, Maisy, but I'll say that one day you'll understand what Danny did.' Peter looks out the window at the snow topped roofs.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7xLkXDFLA
'Hey! That's not fair! I told you what I thought love was. Now you have to do the same!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxdJwlEWGO
A few seconds pass in silence. 'Okay. Put your coat back on, I want to show you something outside.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8BtMhzJxD
Maisy utters some mild protests but relents to his suggestion, as he takes her by the hand to their garden.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqiaEeaCxR
'Do you see all the snow, Maisy?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCkaGpyeF3
'Yes. But what has that got to do with -'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofEuIm2c1v
'Shhh. Just watch the snowflakes fall.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOmNsPmeRb
They stand on the path by the street, eyes mesmerised by the stars of white that danced from the skies to the ground, like leftover drops of heaven.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmnaGt4mX1
'Love... Love is like looking at these snowflakes.' Peter begins. 'Every snowflake is different, but every snowflake is beautiful. The snowflakes are like people.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWYAZPSl95
Maisy opens her mouth to interrupt but decides against distracting her brother from his story.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcyrcK49K0
'And some of the snowflakes, you can catch on your tongue. It kind of burns, but it sparkles, too. That's the love you're talking about. Out of the thousands and thousands of snowflakes that fall you might only be able to catch a few. But even the ones that you just give a passing glance, that make it to the ground, you can see that they're pretty too, in their own way, and if you can understand that - you can love everyone. Sometimes it's hard to see, for some flakes, that they're worth loving. But even those, people like Miss Natalia -' Maisy giggles at the mention of her teacher. ' - when you really think about it, those people love you in their own way too.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPAzxamt6h
Maisy wraps her arms around her brother's waist as the late afternoon breeze begins to pick up, sending crystals swirling around their heads.614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNm772IbjF
'You caught Danny's snowflake on your tongue, but he couldn't catch you. But he loved you in a different way, and that's why he said he liked your letter, why he told you so quickly.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGBUDm5rOP
The girl bites her lip, cocks her head, and contemplates this notion for a few minutes. Eventually, she turns upwards confidingly to look at her brother, and announces: 'I don't get it.'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKl101jjAs
Peter laughs again, but it's filled with such joy that Maisy can't help but laugh as well this time. 'You know, I don't get it either.' He says, hugging her tight. 'Maybe when we're older we'll both understand. But for now, how does getting back inside for a nice hot chocolate sound?'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJvH4aeB13
She smiles, immediately brightening. 'That sounds good!'614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcxeGv3Bse
They turn around, back into the warmth and comfort of their home, with a love that burns a little but sparkles too, like the fire crackling under the mantel, the night filled with stories and smiles and songs, while outside the window snowflakes fall one by one. 614Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNKG4rZy8e
