Being Happy

I went searching my head for a somewhat happy story. I proofread it a couple of times to assure its worthiness. Feel free to weigh in so I know how I'm doing. What do you think?

“…a morose child…”

“…sad, little girl…”

“…introverted…”

“…lonely…”

Braelyn often overheard comments such as these describing her. She always shrugged them off. She never felt sad. Nor did she desire to surround herself with people. She preferred the solace and silence of stolen seconds alone. Growing up in a family of eight, she struggled to get away from her three brothers and two sisters long enough to have moments of solitude.

On a gloomy day toward the end of summer, she sought time alone in the backyard. Thick, wet smells of moist earth and reinvigorated mildew settled over her as she gently closed the screen door. She darted across the expanse of lawn to stand under the sugar maple tree with its thick shelter of leaves. Rain cascaded to earth around her, but the thick foliage overhead let only a few sprinkles shower down on her. She leaned against the rough bark of the thick trunk and began to hum softly to herself.

Soft light pooled around the window facing her. She could look into the living room and observe her family without being involved in the bustle or hearing the accompanying noise. Forced indoors by the dreary weather, her siblings clustered around the low coffee table. An immense pile of board games reached almost as high as the tallest of them. Braelyn smiled as she watched them sort through the games, throwing them to the floor until only one remained.

Having made that important decision, her older brothers vied for the coveted seat on the recliner while the three younger children knelt around the table to watch. Unable to gain an advantage over each other, they finally settled for balancing on the edge of the chair together. Everyone leaned closer to the table, concentrating intently on the game.

As Braelyn observed the expressions of her siblings, the soft hum in the depths of her throat grew softer and softer until it finally stopped. With every roll of the dice, the expressions on the faces of the players changed to reveal the direction of the game. The smile on her face widened whenever her littlest sister brightened as she took the lead, only to disappear when one of her older brothers leaped up from the recliner to pump his fists in the air.

As her brother resumed his seat, an unusual sound caught her attention. Her eyebrows drew closer together. She turned her head from side to side in search of the source of the sound. Wet slapped against wet somewhere off to the right. She narrowed her eyes to focus on a slight movement at the base of the tree. As she stepped closer, a soft chirp joined the slapping sound.

“Poor birdie.” Braelyn cooed softly.

The bird chirped and tried to back away.

“I won’t hurt you.” She cooed as she crouched down to gently cup the frightened bird in her hands.

“Did you get caught in the storm?” She asked as she gently ran her hands along its feathers and watched a thin stream of water trickle off of her hand.

After brushing away as much water as she could, she gently cradled the bird in both hands and drew it close to her body. At first, it shivered from fear as well as the chill, but soon it calmed down and nestled into the warmth of her belly.

Assured of the comfort of her new friend, Braelyn resumed her vantage point in front of the window. They cuddled in silence as she watched the ongoing game. She didn’t notice that the rain had stopped until the game ended with an excited victory dance by her younger brother. Her oldest brother slammed his fist down on the game board. As pieces flew everywhere and elevated voices became almost audible to her, she shuddered. Startled by the movement, the bird chirped shrilly and spread its wings.

“Oh. I almost forgot about you.” Braelyn loosened her hands.

As she lifted the bird a little closer to her face, it peered back at her with shining, beady eyes. She extended her hands as far from her body as she could and opened her palms to form a tiny platform. The bird tested its wings by flapping first one and then the other. With one last chirp, it flew off. Braelyn waved goodbye before walking back to the house.

She inhaled deeply, smiling as soft hints of biscuits baking filled her lungs. She rubbed her arms as the warmth of the room reminded her of the beads of water dripping from her hair. Goosebumps broke out on her forearms. She shivered and clamped her jaws together as her teeth chattered.

“Braelyn.” Her mother looked up from her cookbook in surprise. “You’re wet. Why did you go outside?”

“Just wanted to.” Braelyn shrugged then stepped forward to wrap her arms around her mother’s shoulders. “I love you, mom.”

“I love you, too.” Her mother patted her head softly as she mulled this over. “Go change into something dry…and stay inside when it rains, okay?”

“Okay, mom.”

Her mother followed her into the living room. As Braelyn disappeared up the stairs, her father looked at her mother questioningly. Her mother only shrugged.

“Should we worry about her?” Her father voiced his question.

“It’s probably a phase and she seems happy…”

He nodded his agreement, but they both watched her mount the stairs with worried expressions.