The girl sighs when she hears her baby brother crying. She could barely remember what it was like without having him start sobbing in the middle of the night.
Sliding out of bed, she goes to get a glass of water, peeking in on her sibling on the way. Her father was already by the baby's bedside, trying his best to stop the cries. It didn't help that it was usually her mother who took care of her brother, but she was out on vacation for a few days.
After a minute, the girl sighs. "Papa. Let me try."
He looks over at her in surprise, not hearing her enter. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." She reaches out and takes the baby from his arms. "Shh. You're hungry, aren't ya? Papa forgot to feed you again."
Almost instantly, her brother quiets, his large brown eyes blinking up at the girl.
She can't help but smile. With the baby in one arm, she stands on her tiptoes to grab a bottle and some baby formula. Efficiently mixing the powder with some water, she shoves the solution into the microwave, all the while keeping her brother distracted.
"You're a silly thing," she says, laughing as he toys with her hair. "A bit annoying, but still adorable."
He giggles when she crosses her eyes at him.
The girl grabs the formula out of the microwave and quickly shoves the nib of the bottle into the baby's mouth.
He gulps it down eagerly, chubby fingers gripping the edge of the bottle.
All the while, her father stands watching, amazed. "How did you do that?"
"Common sense, Papa," she says with a smile. She offers the baby back up to him. "You can burp him."
Her father laughs, mimicking the girl's disgusted face. "Why do I have to that?"
"Because I got him to stop crying, and because you're the adult here." She wrinkles her nose as she looks at her brother. "You're still disgusting."
He looks back at her innocently, still suckling on the bottle even after he finished all of the liquid.
She gently stands and removes it from his fingers, dropping it in the sink. "I'm going to bed, Papa. Make sure you burp him and put him in bed."
"Okay, Mother," her father teases.
The girl giggles before walking out of the room and diving back into her pillows.
That night she dreams of the darkness taking her brother away. She chases after him, trying to follow the sound of his voice. She wants nothing more than to see him, but the darkness hid him from her.
"Julian!" she cries out. "Jules! Jules, come back-"
She shoots awake, running to her brother's crib, her breaths coming out too fast. She could see Julian still sleeping peacefully, and a wave of relief rushes over her.
The girl stays in a chair next to his crib for the rest of the night.
That was the first time she had ever been scared of the dark.
YOU ARE READING
Her Name
Short Story"What was it? That girl. What was her name?" Everyone knew her. She was the girl who could be trusted. The girl who could make anyone smile. The girl whose voice was as smooth as honey. She was the teacher's pet, the best friend, the golden girl. Sh...
