Gergeo Parade

At number 25 Gergeo Parade was a small but very pretty house. It had a square front, was made from white bricks and had dainty little flower beds under the windows, filled with reds and pinks and purples, all year round. Parked on the curb (this house was so small there was no room for a driveway) was a small lilac mini, with a small blue crystal swinging form the rearview mirror. Inside this house lived the Mundanes, only four of them, but they were very happy indeed. Ervine Mundane was the man of the house. A tall, muscular man of fourty years who worked for the police force in the heart of London.

Julianna Mundane was the woman of the house. A mother of two, a house wife all her life, she had never once worked for any person other than her own father and her husband, and she quite liked it this way. Third in the family was Petunia. A snobby little girl who thought her mother was an angel. "The perfect life to live, is that of your mothers," she'd always say. Petunia was a skinny little girl with dull blonde hair, blue eyes, lots of freckles and a very snobby attitude to go with it. Last of all was Lily. A small, red haired, green eyed, skinny girl, who usually kept to herself. Unlike her older sister, she stayed out of peoples way and never voiced her opinions. She quite liked life this way.

It was June thirteenth, and the four of them were getting ready for a day in the park. It was Petunia's 12th birthday, and she decided that she wanted to go to the park, instead of the zoo, which she insisted on going to every birthday, but not today..

"You don't get to play with the animals at a zoo. The glass is in the way. It's no fun if you can't play," she complained as they filled the car with blankets and baskets. Lily said nothing as she took her place behind her mothers seat in the car and buckled the seat belt.

"Don't you dare ruin my birthday Lily," Petunia snarled while Ervine and Julianna where checking the mail. Lily shrugged and stared out the window to a small eagle that had landed on the top of the fence. It seemed to be looking straight at her, but this was impossible, so Lily ignored the thoughts in her head and looked around for something else to look at.

"Ready girls?" Ervine chirped happily as he pulled himself into the drivers seat and turned over the engine. Petunia laughed and giggled as they pulled out of the driveway and drove the short distance to the park.

"Look father, a rabbit!" squealed Petunia the second she got out of the car. She chased a frightened squirrel around the grassy hills until it finally ran up a tree. Petunia threw stones at it for a while until she grew bored and came back to open her presants.

"I only got three?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"How many do you need, Dear? There are only three of us. We each got you something," Julianna said calmly as she handed ove the biggest parcel. Petunia ripped it open quickly and burst into tears when she saw what was inside.

"I didn't want this one!" she bawled as she threw it to the ground.

"That's all they had left, Petal," Ervine said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lily picked up the box and looked at the writing on the front. Black and White Television Set. Petunia crawled over to where Lily sat and snatched the box back, pushing Lily over in the process.

"That's mine! Get your hands off it," she growled as Lily rose up on her hands. Julianna chuckled as she set out sandwiches and pastries on four plates and placed them on the blanket.

"Eat up girls. I'm sure your both hungry," Julianna said with a smile. Lily placed her plate on her knees and began to eat slowly as Petunia began to cry again. "What is it now, Petal?" Ervine asked breathlessly.

"I want my other presants," she said angrily. Ervine reached for the last two gifts and handed them too her, reaching for his plate at the same time.

"Goody," Petunia said happily as she tore off the red paper from around the first box. She pulled out a small shirt that was covered with glitter and placed it up to her chest.

"It's perfect. Is this from you Mother?" she asked happily as she dropped it back into the box. Julianna shook her head as she swallowed her mouthful of food.

"That one is from Lily, Dear," she said as she lifted another sandwich to her mouth. Petunia glared at Lily and threw the opened box at her.

"I hate it, you can have it," she said as she started to unwrap the last box. As she pulled out the brand new school uniform that was neatly folded inside, she began to think of the red shirt, now crumpled at Lily's side. She really did like it. And it would have been good to hide it under her uniform and wear it to school. No, she thought as she hugged her father for the uniform. No, she'd never take anything from her sister. Her sister was a nobody.

After returning home, after being bathed and changed into their night dresses, the Mundane sisters walked upstairs to their shared room and closed the door behind them.

"When school starts again, you are to stay away from me. You hear?" Petunia spat at her sister as she climbed into bed. "Yeah yeah," Lily breathed as she rolled over to face the wall.

"Turn that candle out will you, I'm trying to sleep," Petunia yelled as Lily lit a candle to read by. Lily blew out the candle and watched as the smoke danced on the air. Lily herself felt like a candle. A candle about to be extinguished. She put her book on the floor beside her and curled up in a ball, pulling the small blankets over her shoulders. After a few hours of watching the light from a street lamp fall in through the open window, creating patterns on the walls, Lily finally drifted off to sleep, with the sounds of Petunia snoring in the distance.