Prompt: Write about what you think love is589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUv5OQ1h09
Maisy stumbles into the house, cheeks pink from cold and anger, fists curled like little puffed pastries.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhyLCkjtiu
'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.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0RwzMVPKq
'What's wrong, Maisy?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e0kNJorAM
'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.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAnKUytyy6
'Aw, Maisy, come here.' Peter takes his sister by the shoulders. 'Tell me what happened. Start with Miss Natalia.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmg2nwnQfke
'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!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdnkz0ALpB
'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?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIznttkDPV
The girl puffs her cheeks. 'Because I - love - him!' Peter laughs at her declaration. 'Don't laugh, Peter! I'm being quite serious!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4Idxa1Amh
'I wasn't laughing at you, Maisy.' He responds, conscious of her feelings.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCghIKoQNJF
'Then what were you laughing at?' She demands.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uamRlBekm
'I was laughing at...' A moment's thought. 'I was laughing at love.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOhQlv3JFH
A crease appears in Maisy's soft and rounded forehead. 'What's so funny about love?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKPaczfQiT
'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?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAkNcTqPuH
'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!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jh30xaUnX
'That's a start. So you said you love Danny. Is that because you like him a lot?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FdXZce2aH
Maisy erects her body to inject confidence into her voice. 'I do like him very much!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfalq0oxBz
'Okay. Why do you like him?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjTNP1Pjuu
'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.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fseW2YWcJ
'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.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdVcuhRSk9
'Don't be silly. You're different! You're my brother, and besides, you're not good at soccer!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2XsiEnvRX
'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?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomEfWYcI1y
'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.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsaIxsj75r
'That's nice.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyWc1xN4YY
'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.' 589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlWYqItqNr
'I see. Well, you know, love isn't like you see it in movies. A lot of things aren't.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIRBKcCDYN
'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?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmowDgWBZfX
'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.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUg3I4opG1t
'Hey! That's not fair! I told you what I thought love was. Now you have to do the same!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrspv5mmM3r
A few seconds pass in silence. 'Okay. Put your coat back on, I want to show you something outside.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFm9sdzXRXd
Maisy utters some mild protests but relents to his suggestion, as he takes her by the hand to their garden.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9vgZBgxa4
'Do you see all the snow, Maisy?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXXGVqz0R8
'Yes. But what has that got to do with -'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ijt375QCp
'Shhh. Just watch the snowflakes fall.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrp0U3cLnaC
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.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGsFjDJON1
'Love... Love is like looking at these snowflakes.' Peter begins. 'Every snowflake is different, but every snowflake is beautiful. The snowflakes are like people.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDpNqhepWg
Maisy opens her mouth to interrupt but decides against distracting her brother from his story.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuDeVAA6Mk
'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.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhFdxhZ3lW
Maisy wraps her arms around her brother's waist as the late afternoon breeze begins to pick up, sending crystals swirling around their heads.589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadrpdC8hTQ
'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.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMWT7PapX3
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.'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYDfjZrk5G
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?'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuOyl8MtIK
She smiles, immediately brightening. 'That sounds good!'589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJm0CPc6iul
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. 589Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz8pVyWkzm
