Maisy stumbles into the house, cheeks pink from cold and anger, fists curled like little puffed pastries.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1n25TIfrD
'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.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEziOEKiVl
'What's wrong, Maisy?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQK2TYecSE
'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.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CuDqjvYx6
'Aw, Maisy, come here.' Peter takes his sister by the shoulders. 'Tell me what happened. Start with Miss Natalia.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFVLfBt83A
'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!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FujTwkF7M
'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?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxGvZ4ZWcA
The girl puffs her cheeks. 'Because I - love - him!' Peter laughs at her declaration. 'Don't laugh, Peter! I'm being quite serious!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmJFRaKWFu
'I wasn't laughing at you, Maisy.' He responds, conscious of her feelings.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBAXvgF2Xd
'Then what were you laughing at?' She demands.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7EYJmuTcT
'I was laughing at...' A moment's thought. 'I was laughing at love.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeiEH4OTPN
A crease appears in Maisy's soft and rounded forehead. 'What's so funny about love?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaKErgoffn
'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?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKiGSWD7Gm
'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!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpmS9RhVpQ
'That's a start. So you said you love Danny. Is that because you like him a lot?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0JimJIzWo
Maisy erects her body to inject confidence into her voice. 'I do like him very much!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjd23nJ00lN
'Okay. Why do you like him?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p82ehJWpC
'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.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGAR4nLNEy
'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.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgsvI2ZjeI
'Don't be silly. You're different! You're my brother, and besides, you're not good at soccer!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvl0bR4gAUy
'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?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdYculDClj
'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.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XaH3WEYmo
'That's nice.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA5nn40Neu
'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.' 853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUNKWk2UZT
'I see. Well, you know, love isn't like you see it in movies. A lot of things aren't.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6WNNh2JZR0
'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?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV7wpk9epa
'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.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCz3x2IVFcQ
'Hey! That's not fair! I told you what I thought love was. Now you have to do the same!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIRHMffvvF
A few seconds pass in silence. 'Okay. Put your coat back on, I want to show you something outside.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFJ0A1rkVQ
Maisy utters some mild protests but relents to his suggestion, as he takes her by the hand to their garden.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWs6i3WIZS
'Do you see all the snow, Maisy?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pjQLe2yHb
'Yes. But what has that got to do with -'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GJ3dudxIX
'Shhh. Just watch the snowflakes fall.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNSktzlw0y
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.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2FnMzrjFZ
'Love... Love is like looking at these snowflakes.' Peter begins. 'Every snowflake is different, but every snowflake is beautiful. The snowflakes are like people.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCI309pfaQ
Maisy opens her mouth to interrupt but decides against distracting her brother from his story.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcrtgbuyXD
'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.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbc73MgB9a8
Maisy wraps her arms around her brother's waist as the late afternoon breeze begins to pick up, sending crystals swirling around their heads.853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0yhmIAKjb
'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.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHb6lsMUWiJ
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.'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mGxp3fQzE
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?'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeimqSA5hI6
She smiles, immediately brightening. 'That sounds good!'853Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYxboNXd8y
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.
Penana
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