Prompt: Write about what you think love is668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1k5kPkX7Gt
Maisy stumbles into the house, cheeks pink from cold and anger, fists curled like little puffed pastries.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZprHNw3IS4
'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.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EgXsKnh8L
'What's wrong, Maisy?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhJkgxsDWo
'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.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzP1gIYld7
'Aw, Maisy, come here.' Peter takes his sister by the shoulders. 'Tell me what happened. Start with Miss Natalia.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXm6d8Bk2i
'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!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIGwpDUUaK
'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?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rMMpUNRM4
The girl puffs her cheeks. 'Because I - love - him!' Peter laughs at her declaration. 'Don't laugh, Peter! I'm being quite serious!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS8MNz6sro
'I wasn't laughing at you, Maisy.' He responds, conscious of her feelings.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NsakG5uR4
'Then what were you laughing at?' She demands.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxIKVcj8W0
'I was laughing at...' A moment's thought. 'I was laughing at love.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgovMo6QfV2
A crease appears in Maisy's soft and rounded forehead. 'What's so funny about love?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw46Kb5i295
'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?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6AfbIIP6V
'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!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6WBi7vA8a
'That's a start. So you said you love Danny. Is that because you like him a lot?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡealkWHNsrl
Maisy erects her body to inject confidence into her voice. 'I do like him very much!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoufvr5HMqo
'Okay. Why do you like him?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbLPDZMQMj
'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.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCjMEldz2i
'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.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4KwVL3FUN
'Don't be silly. You're different! You're my brother, and besides, you're not good at soccer!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAqAGAinef
'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?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiD4ftjSY92
'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.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcgVa7Y9hK
'That's nice.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0gyxDRpxP
'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.' 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8n6o7g8Ra
'I see. Well, you know, love isn't like you see it in movies. A lot of things aren't.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx31NLaGCxt
'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?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEC4X3he2kI
'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.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdE1Jw5G4e
'Hey! That's not fair! I told you what I thought love was. Now you have to do the same!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeo5oLWmeUp
A few seconds pass in silence. 'Okay. Put your coat back on, I want to show you something outside.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EcOwmTr1A
Maisy utters some mild protests but relents to his suggestion, as he takes her by the hand to their garden.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneBGixXI3u
'Do you see all the snow, Maisy?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgVRHMXUeE
'Yes. But what has that got to do with -'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85xoz2Hi3M
'Shhh. Just watch the snowflakes fall.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPl9wdmj9y
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.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh1NqoVdB4
'Love... Love is like looking at these snowflakes.' Peter begins. 'Every snowflake is different, but every snowflake is beautiful. The snowflakes are like people.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFku8vrpYL
Maisy opens her mouth to interrupt but decides against distracting her brother from his story.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRVIiYlAye
'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.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97BRaOrom5
Maisy wraps her arms around her brother's waist as the late afternoon breeze begins to pick up, sending crystals swirling around their heads.668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAFvUKGuM5
'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.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2GW2jstwP
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.'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UJJyuZNFO
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?'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmtolBfDue
She smiles, immediately brightening. 'That sounds good!'668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgk5AkmI5P
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. 668Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55kLygfUNw
