“Auntie, what is this?”
“That, sweetie is my greatest, er, semi-achievement.”
“What do you mean? What does it do?”
“You’ll find out when you’re older hunny,” she said after embracing her in a hug.
“I am older, 5 and a half,” emphasizing this with up a hand with her fingers spread wide. She picked up the little girl and put her on her hip. “Maybe just a little while longer.” The little girl groaned but cuddled into her. She could hear her auntie walking over to the balcony, each step echoing through the tiled 18th century Victorian home. With the ceilings meticulously hand painted, it looked like something out of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The grounds of the mansion included almost fifteen thousand acres of forest. The trees always swaying menacingly, daring you to edge just the tiny bit nearer, finally the little girl poked her head up to see the branches waving at her. They had always frightened her, ever since she had wondered in there looking for her red, sparkling ball. After she had ventured a mere three metres in, she couldn’t see the way back and being as small as she was, she had cried. Thinking of this, she retreated back into her auntie’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong Heather?”
“The trees, they want me to...”
“Want you to what deary? They can’t hurt you while I’m around.”
‘They can’t hurt you while I’m around’, those words always had an instant calming effect like no other to Heather. “And, will you always be around?”
“You bet your buttons on that one.”
“Ok, I love you Auntie Rose.”
“I love you too sweetie.”
