Word count: 1856
Prompt: Rainy Days
°
On the roof of the house, fat raindrops sprayed down, filling Lucy's room with the sound of heavy rain, drowning out any other noises that attempted to be heard.
Settling further into her bed for just a moment, she enjoyed the warmth her blankets provided on this cool fall day.
She squirmed her feet and yawned, today was not a school day, so she would make a warm breakfast of oatmeal, and later she could bake cookies for a special treat. That sounded good. Having her day planned out ahead of time was always a promising thing.
Happily, Lucy jumped out of bed and softly came down the stairs, pulling a cardigan over her pajamas as she went, feeling the chill already seeping into the house from the cracks.
Edmund was already up, sitting at the window, knocking his fingers against the wood, watching as each raindrop raced down the window pane.
She cocked her head, he looked... sad and grumpy, which was not uncommon for him, but, she wanted to make him feel better. That's what she did- she tried to help everyone to be in a better mood. It helped her feel better too.
The stairs creaked as Eustace finally arrived, fully dressed and ready for the day, "It's raining."
Well, that was obvious. She nodded, "Would you like a bowl of oatmeal?"
"I suppose." He reached the table and sat down, watching her as she moved to get the kettle.
Heating water on the stove with only the sounds of pouring rain and her slippers scuffing the floor, Lucy hummed a little tune as she worked.
She set the oatmeal in a pot on the stove, poured the boiling water in, and stared intently as it cooked, each piece of oat softening into a mush inside the metal dish.
Since Ed looked unhappy, she dusted a bit of prized brown sugar on top of his steaming bowl when it was done. Of course, if he was getting something special on his oats, she wouldn't neglect her own, or her cousins; she sprinkled the brown crumbly sugar on all the bowls of food.
Balancing all the dishes in her hands, she gave Eustace a bowl, to which he barely nodded, and then she made her way over to the window where her brother sat.
"Edmund!" Lucy gave her voice an extra bounce, hoping to see a smile when he realized that she'd made him a warm breakfast for the cold day. Hoped he would see her smile and repeat the action.
Eustace glanced their way and shook his head, muttering.
But mutely, Ed took the bowl and continued staring out the window, occasionally stirring his oats with the spoon she provided, half-heartedly moving his hand.
"Interesting rain, huh?" She scooted closer, chewing on her oatmeal, feeling the warmth settle in her stomach when she swallowed. Her slippers pinched her toes in the slightest bit when she tucked her legs beneath her and she knew she needed new ones, but they couldn't afford them.
But if she could get new ones, she'd get the ones she saw in the store the other day when she was looking for carrots, all pink and dainty with even lighter pink ribbons to tie on the toe. Useless ties, but they made them look so pretty...
From the other side of the room, Eustace's voice rose, "Rain is interesting- from a scientific standpoint."
Lucy, trying to be kind, nodded her cousin's way and then turned to her brother.
He didn't answer, only holding his lips in a firm line, and looking ready to bolt.
She frowned, "Hey, why don't you and I do something fun after I'm ready for the day?"
"What's fun on a day like this?" Eustace added, shoving a portion of oats into his mouth, and pushing a book away from his bowl.
Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes, why couldn't he ever shut up? He wasn't helping.
Shrugging, Ed finally took a bite of the oatmeal that she had prepared and pulled his arms tighter around himself, setting the bowl back down.
Quietly, she finished her oatmeal and got up to put it in the sink to be washed, "I'll hurry, Edmund!" Then she rushed up the stairs and hurried through her morning routine.
In the mirror, Lucy attempted a couple of smiles, selecting the one she thought might cheer her brother up. She had a lot of things planned to make him feel better, there was not going to be any more bad moods in this household!- well, besides Eustace and her aunt and uncle, but those people she could not help.
And she didn't really want to, Uncle Harold didn't even know she existed, Aunt Alberta hated them, and Eustace was a pain; she knew it was selfish and stupid, but... they wouldn't even pay her any mind.
Pulling on an oversized brown sweater, Lucy bundled herself in some of the warmest clothing she had, hoping her feet wouldn't be so cold for much longer.
The minute she came downstairs, she spotted Edmund exactly where she had left him, his bowl discarded to the side, barely picked at.
She smiled brightly and walked his way, ignoring the rain that she was sure wasn't helping her brother's mood to improve, nor her own.
"Why don't we play a game?" Lucy gestured to the living room and put a hand on his shoulder.
He tensed and shrugged her touch away, going over to the sink to slide in his bowl to be rinsed, "Sure."
That she would consider a small victory, she had gotten a word from him! But by the end of the day, she was anticipating a smile and a laugh.
Together, Lucy and Edmund walked into the living room, both pretending not to see Uncle Harold as he flipped a page in his newspaper.
Aunt Alberta was out, thank goodness, and Eustace had gone back upstairs to read, claiming the game was stupid, also a relief.
It was just them and the constant rain, and she was going to make him happier if it was the only thing she did today. He was her brother and she couldn't stand the sight of him being so depressed.
She slid a chess piece forward; he ignored it, a blank look in his eyes.
After a while, she tapped his hand gently, "Are you going to play with me?"
A newspaper page turned.
He shrugged, stared at her, and got up to sulk by the window again, leaving his chess pieces stiff and unmoved. Which was strange, because Ed loved to play chess and beat her every time. Today mustn't have been the day for chess, but that was fine, she was sure she had many more ideas.
Thinking hard, she brightened, "How about we bake cookies together?"
At this point, Eustace had wandered back down and was scowling at everything and everything, "What's wrong with him?"
Lucy shrugged, "Do you want to bake cookies with us?" Inwardly, she cringed, hopefully, he would say no, she couldn't stand the thought of having him aid them in baking.
"Too busy studying." Eustace held up a red school book and eyed her with a look of superiority.
"Oh, sorry," But in reality, she was grateful; her cousin would only make things harder and less fun.
Twirling over, she held up a bowl and a spatula. When he didn't budge, she dragged him away from the window and set him where she wanted, "Why don't you line the pan with parchment paper?"
Slicing his finger as he did what he was told, he groaned and waved his hand, furious at the injury.
Rolling her eyes discreetly at how dramatically he was reacting, Lucy ran over to the cupboard, took out a washcloth, and soaked it in cool water. What could she do to help cheer her brother up? Everything she tried; failed. And it seemed each time she made an effort to see him smile, his frown only worsened.
°
She was such a bad sister, she couldn't even make her brother feel better.
For hours she had come up with every single idea, played every single game, read every single book, and done everything possible to help cheer Edmund up. But he was having none of it. He even yelled at her a couple of times and told her that he was "just having a bad day".
Which she realized, but couldn't he see that was why she was trying to help him?
And so, Lucy felt horrible. What could she do to put a smile on his distraught face?
Looking over at the window, she sighed, Edmund sat against it, a far-off look in his eyes, his feet bundled in thick woolen socks.
One more time she would try. This time she would just ask how he was and what she could do. Maybe just talking would be better.
Slowly inching over, Lucy situated herself next to him, "Ed. Are you alright?"
He readjusted his position and barely glanced her way, "I told you, I'm just having a bad day."
Excitedly, Lucy got closer, "What can I do to help you feel better?"
"Nothing."
"Please, I want to make you happy, what is it that you want to do?"
A loud sigh escaped Ed's lips and he finally looked her full in the eyes, "Nothing. A bad day is a bad day."
"But-"
"Lu. Why can't you just accept that I'm having a not-so-great day?"
She was taken aback, "I..."
Edmund shrugged, "Sometimes, you can't feel happy no matter what, and nothing you do can change that. I'm not angry at you, I'm only... I don't know, I can't explain it, I simply feel sad."
Drops of rain glided heavily down the window and huddled together on the wooden rims.
Lucy blinked, "Oh." Now she felt bad for pushing the happiness on him. Blushing, she turned away from him, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been forcing you to be happy."
What a great sister she was.
He bit his lip and put a hand on the glass, "It's alright. But just know that sometimes someone is sad, and they don't know why, and you can't make them happy if they don't want to be."
"I understand. But, next time, tell me when you're feeling sad. Not so I can make you smile," She placed a hand next to his on the window, seeing the droplets disappear behind her hand and then reappear underneath it, "So I can sit here with you."
She felt a bit silly now, why could she never see that someone was sad and let it go? Though it was hard to accept, since, if someone was sad, she tried to make them happy, she realized that it was okay to be sad. Even if there was no reason behind it. Some days, hard as it was to admit, she felt the same way her brother did. Sad but with no explanation.
Then, like she'd said, they sat- together, silently watching the rain glitter down the window in mesmerizing patterns.