But I don't want a sister!
It was crying again. The little ball of blankets was screaming, and would not stop its squalling. She got up from her warm bed and went over to the crib to look at the squirming baby.
"Why did he have to make you?" The younger girl with blonde hair verging on silver asked no one in particular. She stared down at the infantile form with eyes of gold and thought back to a week ago, when her otherwise quiet and happy life got turned upside down.
She had heard screaming coming from her masters study. Having never heard that before she ran in there fast as she could thinking something was terribly wrong. Well something was wrong, but not what she had thought.
Her master was holding a small blue blanket. It was squirming and crying.
"Master, what is that thing?" She edged closer to the thing her master held, unsure of whether or not she really wanted to know.
"Ah. This is something I think you will enjoy. Margaret come here and say hello to your newborn sister." Her master beckoned her over.
"Sister?" Her curiosity got the best of her. Margaret walked over to her masters' side to see the small baby he held. When she got close enough the child let up its fit of newborn rage and looked at her. The child had the same golden eyes she did. But it had no hair to speak of! It was wrapped in a blanket, so that was all she could see of its body.
"What's her name?"
"Hm. I have yet to give her one." After a short pause he suggested. "Why don't you hold her?"
Margaret gently took the infant from her master. When she held the infant securely in her arms it started to make soft cooing and gurgling noises. Much better than the screams it had emitted but a minute ago.
"I guess it's kind of cute. So what do I do with it now Master?"
"You will take care of her."
With those words her life had become a nightmare.
'Take care of her? How am I supposed to do that when I'm still a child?' She had thought of this repeatedly throughout those first days. Margaret was told that she need only do a few things for the baby, her master would handle the rest. But one of those things had been to constantly watch it. Morning, noon and night she was to watch the baby. Her master would handle feedings and changings.
She was recalled from her reverie when the child let out a piercing squeak. Margaret picked up the infant, and its crying soon turned to a whimper. It often did that when hungry. 'Guess I better take her to master.'
She found him in his study, where he almost always was. "She's hungry again." Margaret said as she walked over to him.
He looked away from whatever tome he had been reading. "I suppose she is." Using some form of magic he conjured a bottle of milk for the child. "I believe it is best if I showed you how to feed her now."
Margaret had to stop herself from groaning. 'Another duty to attend to when it comes to my sister. Great…'
She sat on the couch next to her master and he showed her the proper way to bottle feed the baby. When she was nearly done feeding the child it got sick. All over the front of Margaret's dress.
He took the infant from her then. "Go get yourself cleaned up. When you have done so come back for your sister."
Margaret had had enough however. She ran from the room crying. "I don't want a sister!" When Margaret got back to her room she cleaned her soiled dress and crawling into her bed wearing only her undergarments, too tired and fed up with everything to bother putting a clean one on.
She awoke some time later to the sound of that infernal infant crying, right outside her door. Margaret then heard knocking. "May I come in?" It was her master. No doubt bringing the child to her as Margaret had neglected to go and get it.
She remembered then that she was near nude. "Just a minute." She called back, hopping out of bed quickly and getting dressed just as fast. When dressed she opened the door.
Her master stood there, with the squirming blanket in his arms. When he offered the child to Margaret she refused to take it. "No. I don't want it. Do whatever you want with it, but don't give it to me." With that she attempted to go back to bed.
"Margaret, this behavior from you is rather surprising." She knew she was in trouble then. Walking over to her bed she sat down. Her master sat next to her. He didn't hand the child back to her however. "Why have you suddenly decided not to take care of your sister?"
"How am I supposed to take care of a baby when I'm just a child?" She started crying then, and in hearing her elder sister do so the infant started to as well. "I don't want a sister!" She wailed on, "Why am I taking care of something when I'm barely old enough to care for myself?" She continued to cry for a bit. Feeling her master put an arm around her Margaret slowing stopped her crying. When her sobs ceased the infant quieted down as well.
"I did all of this and more for you when you were just an infant Margaret." Her master said softly.
"You did?" He nodded an affirmation to this question. "But why? If I was so much trouble why did you keep me?" He was silent for a bit before answering her question.
"Because my existence is a lonely one. So I decided that to make my own existence less lonely that I should create a child to live here, in this isolated world, with me. But as you have grown older I noticed that you were just as alone as I. So in thinking about your future I decided to create yet another child. One to grow up with you, one you could play with, so that you would not be alone."
After his sad speech Margaret looked at the infant, her baby sister, and thinking about what her master had said, took the child from him. It started to make the soft cooing noises again.
"I guess if you did all that for me I can at least watch her and feed her." Thinking for a second Margaret asked, "Does she have a name yet?"
"I think it best if you named her."
Looking down that the infant Margaret thought hard on what to call her sister. "Mm, what about Elizabeth?"
"That sounds like a fine name to me." He chuckled and got up to leave.
"Master?"
"Yes?"
"Promise me you won't make me another sister. One is more than I can handle." Margaret hoped he would agree to such a request.
"If that is what you wish. I will not create another sister for you." With that he turned and left.
When he was gone Margaret got up and put Elizabeth in her crib. Elizabeth didn't fuss for once, which made Margaret happy. "Well good night Elizabeth." Margaret gently kissed her on the forehead before going back to sleep. All feelings of dislike towards Elizabeth where gone. In their place was an older sisters love.
- About four years later-
At eleven years of age Margaret often had trouble connecting to Elizabeth's three and a half-year old mind. But she still tried her best to play with and look after her sister.
Today was such a day. Elizabeth was throwing her dolls around and just wouldn't hold still. So a typical day for the two of them. Then they heard it. A piercing scream coming from their masters' study.
Elizabeth looked frightened. "Margaret, what's that?" She ran over and clung to her sister.
Margaret, having heard the sound only once before, had a good idea of what it was. "It's alright Elizabeth. Let us go and see what is making such a racket." Taking Elizabeth's small hand in her own they went to investigate.
When they got to their masters' study they saw him holding a small blue blanket that was squirming and crying.
"Wonderful timing. Girls, I'd like you to meet your newborn brother."
I had fun writing this one. We never really think about what the Velvet siblings where like as children. So I decided to write a typical story about a newly made elder siblings reaction to a younger one. As the eldest in my family I found this easy to write.
I think I'll write one from Elizabeth's point of view eventually. Maybe about how upset she is that Margaret pays to much attention to the baby and not her.
Or I could attempt to write one from Igor's point of view about taking care of a baby Margaret.