An Ordinary Life

Chapter 4: Relatives

     Mercy was walking through the forest, the sturdy trees around her standing tall and proud. A smooth dirt path beneath her feet guided her, slowly leading her towards a white house in the distance. In the light blue sky above her, the sun was shining bright, its warm rays beaming down towards the earth. Huge, fluffy white clouds lazily drifted past, seemingly minding their own business. Birdsong danced in the air all around Mercy, and it seemed to be the only thing she could presently hear.

     As she drew nearer to the house, Mercy calmly ascended the porch's wooden steps, lightly knocking on the closed front door. After a moment, it was opened by a young girl whose long auburn locks went down to her shoulders. Her green eyes were warm, emitting a sort of kindness that would welcome anyone with open arms. Light brown freckles covered various spots on her face, especially her cheeks, and also seemed to travel all the way down her slender arms.

     The girl smiled at Mercy, whom also returned the smile. "Hello, Mercy! It's so nice to see you! Come on in." The girl said, inviting Mercy inside of the house. "Thank you, Sophia. It's nice to see you, as well." Mercy responded, entering the house. "Did you get my letter?" She asked, causing Sophia to nod. "Yes, I did. I think it'd be fun spending the day together." Sophia said, a gentle smile forming on her freckled face once more. "I think so, too." Mercy agreed as Sophia closed the front door.

Both Mercy and Sophia entered the living room, then proceeded to sit down on the soft couch. "How has Timothy been doing?" Mercy asked the other, slightly tilting her head. "Oh, Timothy's been doing well. He's recently been helping around the house and whatnot." Sophia responded. "What about you and your family?" She asked, then patiently waited for Mercy's response. "I've been doing well. My father departed yesterday to embark on a business trip, to deliver goods. As usual, my mother tends to the house and keeps everything tidy, especially when father is gone." Mercy responded, then smiled. "I couldn't ask for a better family." She said, causing Sophia to smile. "Sounds like your family has been busy- especially Miraz. Do you know when he will be back?" Sophia asked Mercy, causing Mercy to shake her head. "No, but I'm sure he'll be back in a few days." Mercy responded.

Suddenly, a stout woman with auburn hair similar to Sophia's entered the room, her light green gaze landing on Mercy. A warm smile lit up the woman's face as she walked towards Mercy. "Mercy, it's great to see you, dear!" The woman exclaimed, happiness apparent in her voice. "My, what a lovely young woman you've become. You've grown so much, my dear." She rambled. The woman then opened her arms to hug Mercy, which was happily returned. "Hello, Aunt Anna. It's good to see you, too." Mercy said, a smile forming on her face. "Are you hungry? I just baked some pumpkin bread. You are welcome to have some." Aunt Anna offered with a warm smile. "I'd love to try some." Mercy said with a smile. "Alright. I'll go get a slice for you." Aunt Anna said, then turned and exited the cozy living room.

     "So how has Patches been?" Sophia asked Mercy curiously. "Patches has been doing well. As usual, he's still as playful as ever." Mercy responded with a cheerful smile. "You should let Talulah and Patches have a play-date sometime. I'm sure they'd enjoy it." Sophia said as a smile lit up her freckled face. "Yeah, I'm sure they would!" Mercy said, then smiled. Before they could say anything else, Aunt Anna re-entered the room. She was holding a plate bearing a decent slice of pumpkin bread in her hands. "Here you go, Mercy. Enjoy!" Aunt Anna said with a smile, proceeding to hand the plate over to Mercy. "Thank you!" Mercy said, proceeding to return the smile. Resting on the wooden plate's flat brown surface was a wooden fork, which Mercy used to assist her while she ate the pumpkin bread. "You're welcome, dear." Aunt Anna cheerfully responded with a smile. "Well, I must get back to cleaning the house. You kids have fun!" With those words said, Aunt Anna turned and went back into the kitchen.

Once Mercy had finished her slice of pumpkin bread, Sophia suddenly spoke. "I have an idea! Why don't we go hang out together outside?" Sophia suggested, then went on. "It's a lovely day, after all. Why let it go to waste?" Sophia said as a smile lit up her facial features. "Sure! I'd love to. I enjoy the outdoors." Mercy responded with a smile. "Alright. Let's go!" Sophia exclaimed, excitement propelling her towards the back door. Mercy got up from sitting down on the couch, then sprinted after her cousin. "Wait up, Sophia!" Mercy called, amusement apparent in her voice.

•

Having exited the house and closed the back door behind her, Mercy found herself standing in the depths of her cousin's tranquil backyard. The lush grass beneath Mercy's feet was a bright green, and it was producing a freshly-cut grass smell that wafted up her nostrils. Nearby was a huge, sturdy tree that loomed over part of the yard. Its many light green leaves casted dark shadows down onto the ground. A round black tire swing was lazily hanging from one of the tree's thick branches.

On the right side of the backyard were two men raking leaves into a large pile. One of the men's hair was a dark brown color, and the other man's was white. Both of them had bright yellow eyes. The male with the dark brown hair was much older than the other male, and slightly taller. The young lad with the white hair suddenly paused in what he was doing to catch his breath. His yellow gaze landed on Sophia and Mercy after he had noticed the two young women. He smiled, then raised his left arm and waved to them. "Hello, Sophia and Mercy!" He cheerfully called, his friendly smile not wavering. "Hi, Timothy!" Mercy called back. "Busy raking the leaves?" Mercy asked with a smile as she walked over to Timothy, halting once she was standing near him. "Yeah. Papa and I are almost done, though." Timothy responded, then went on. "I must confess that the heat doesn't help, however. It's been pretty humid out recently." Timothy said, then sighed. "I'd give anything to sit underneath that shady tree over there." He said, proceeding to point over at the large tree that bore the single tire swing.

"You can when we've finished raking the leaves, kiddo." The taller male with the brown locks said with a smile. Timothy smiled over at his father, Fred. "It feels like we are far from finished." Timothy responded. Fred propped his rake up against a nearby tree, then walked over to Timothy. "There aren't many leaves left. That is, if the trees don't drop anymore." Fred said as he ruffled Timothy's fluffy white hair, causing the younger male to laugh. Both Mercy and Sophia smiled at the sight before them.

My family really does care about each other. Mercy thought with a smile.