I sat up in the bed, blinking my eyes to adjust to the light. When I looked over at the figure that was prodding me awake I find myself staring into the face of my sister.
Rose
"Rose!" I cry, throwing my arms around her. She grunted, but then giggled.
"C'mon, Little Sparrow," she said as she pulled me out of the bed, "Mum and Dad have already left. You missed saying goodbye. But I've good loads of stuff planned for the day! I've set up bottles for you to shot around the farm! Or you could round-up those naughty chickens and get them back in the coop. We could even shoot beetles!"
As we trample down the stairs, I shudder, thinking about my dream. Was it only a dream? I feel older now, wiser, as if it wasn't just a dream.
"Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"I had a nightmare last night."
She turned around and stared at me, her eyes filled with clouded worry. "I'm sure it was nothing," she assured me in a shaky voice.
"But-" I started, but she cut me off. "It was nothing." She stated firmly, before adding in a gentle voice, "Let's just enjoy the day. Wanna shoot some beetles, little Sparrow?"
I nodded as I clamped my jaw shut. She set off towards the field, which is completely over-run by beetles. Pulling out my pop-gun, I aimed and shot, again and again, until each one of the vile creatures was gone. Before moving on, a blue glint caught my eye.
A bottle. I fire again; hitting is square on the neck, causing it to shatter. "Good shot!" Rose cheered, signaling her normal cheery mood had returned.
"Thanks," I respond with a smile. We began to walk again, occasionally pausing so I could shoot a bottle when I saw it. Eventually, we happened upon the chicken coop, which is, of course, empty. The chickens squawked around the fence, jumping and flapping their wings. I ran over to the first one I saw, and kicked it. It flew over the fence and back into its rightful place, causing me to laugh childishly.
"Go on!" Rose encourages, "There's only four more!"
My eyes immediately flew over to the next chicken, and I darted all over the place, chasing chickens and kicking them back over the fence. Finally, I sent the last one over with a final burst of force, and laughed breathlessly, feeling pleased at the fact I had managed to complete the seemingly herculean task.
"Come on, Sparrow, let's go to bed," she said softly, leading me back towards the house. As I followed her, I noticed how dark the sky had gotten.
When we got inside, I crawled into the small bed and fell asleep fairly quickly. The sleep, however, did not last long.
"What is it, Rose?" I asked softly as I stared out the open window. There was music flowing from the gate, no source or anything relatively similar. The music came from nowhere, from nothing. It was eerily familiar, and it called to me, sending waves of emotion through me, feelings of desire mixing with the cold sense of dread.
"Don't worry about it, Sparrow," she said in the same voice from the morning when I had tried to tell her about the nightmare, "Just go back to sleep."
Sighing, I turned around and climbed back into bed.
When I woke up the next morning, I was being prodded awake again. By Rose. She pulled me out of the bed like she did yesterday, while I attempted to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
"C'mon, Little Sparrow," she chirped, "Mum and Dad have already left. You missed saying goodbye. But I've good loads of stuff planned for the day! I've set up bottles for you to shot around the farm! Or you could round-up those naughty chickens and get them back in the coop. We could even shoot beetles!"
I tilted my head, staring at her. For a short moment, she looked slightly panicked, but she quickly regained her composure. "What's wrong?" she asks, seeming concerned. I shook my head, as if to say nothing.
"I'm fine," I said softly.
She stood up and led me down the stars, exactly like yesterday. When we got outside, everything looked exactly like it did yesterday. The beetle swarmed the field, bottles stood in the same place, and I could hear chickens as the squawked in the distance.
"Hey Rose?"
"Yeah?"
"Is something wrong?"
She spun around, her eyes pouring into mine, telling me everything she wasn't. "Nothing's wrong," she said quickly, making it all the more suspicious. "Why?"
"Didn't we do this yesterday?" I asked. Her eyes widened, but she turned away, and when she looked back, she was smiling.
"Everything's just fine," she assured me, "Nothing's the matter. Everything's… perfect."
I could tell she was hiding something.
The day went by in a practically identical manner. Beetles were killed. Bottles were shot, and chickens were kicked. And the music came back.
"Rose, something's wrong with that music," I insisted as I leaned out the window to hear it better. It beckoned to me, calling for me to listen, to come forward and claim it. But it was dangerous. It brought dread. It brought death. I could feel that, even from here.
"Go back to bed," she sighed from her spot beside me. Something was going on. This was what she was hiding from me.
"But Rose-"I whined.
"Just go to bed!" she snapped, causing me to shrink away. Rose never snapped. Especially not at me.
I whimpered as I scrambled back into the bed, pulling the covers high up to my chin.
The following morning was exactly the same. I was scared now. What was happening? Why was it so bad that Rose had to hide it from me? She seemed back to her normal cheery self, but something was still off, and we both knew it.
"Rose," I started, trying again, "This is exactly what happened yesterday. And the day before that."
"Little Sparrow must be having prophetic dreams," she chirped. I could see the muscles in her hand twitch as she fought to keep them open. She was trying to keep a happy demeanor.
"Rose-" I persisted, but she stopped me.
"Don't worry about it, little Sparrow," she assured me, "It's nothing. As long as I'm here, you're safe. I promise." Her voice was slightly taut, and the smile plastered on her face was forced.
"Alright" I conceded with a sigh. The day was spent in a similar fashion, with the exception that Rose seemed more doting today. And when the music came that night, I was ready.
Even if she wasn't.
The music danced in my window frame, reaching for me as I stood there for the third night in a row. Tonight, though, would be different. Straightening my back, I started to race down the stairs and make my way outside.
"Sparrow!"
I kept running towards the music, but as I got closer I slowed down, giving Rose a chance to catch up to me.
"Sparrow, wait!"
I looked back at her, noting the terrified expression on her face, which told me I was doing what I needed to do.
What she didn't want me to.
"Mum and Dad are going to be angry!"
The threat didn't scare me. I could hear what she was really saying, just as clearly as I could hear the lies.
I can't protect you out there.
I took three more bold steps forward, and I could feel her breaking behind me.
"Come on, let's go back to bed!"
She was pleading now, and it was killing me, hearing the pain in her voice. She was begging me not to leave her again, like I did before. I shook my head. No more. I couldn't live the same day over and over again, even if it was perfect. I took two more steps forward.
"You're going to ruin everything!"
She was telling me to stay, because I was her everything. She had cared for me when no-one else had. We had been all each other had. But it was time to move on, to leave the past behind.
A tear rolled down my cheek. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I took a deep breath, and crossed the threshold, immediately wishing I hadn't.
"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!"
I whirled around as everything turned red. The scream had stopped abruptly, and when I looked around, she was gone.
"Rose!" I cried, running back to the house. I stomped up the stairs, and burst into the bedroom. She was gone.
I had killed my sister. Again.
My fault. It was all my fault. How was I supposed to be a hero if all that I did was bring death? I trudged back towards the gate, and when I got there, I sent a final glance over my shoulder, looking back at the farm.
I ran from the place as tears rushed down my cheeks, blurring my vision. The music grew louder, faster, beating along with my heart, pushing me to go faster, faster still. I stopped when I saw it.
The music box.
The item that held so much pain, so much false hope for my sister and I. The item that had brought her doom.
I crumpled to the ground in front of it. People rush through my mind, people who are dead because of all the mistakes I've made. My wife, my daughter, my dog, my sister. My fault. All my fault. The music calmed, as if it were trying to soothe me. A soft voice calls out to me.
"You have passed the test."
Rose. My breath caught and I shot to my feet, looking around for my sister. I looked down at myself and noticed it.
I was back. I've become Lionheart once again, no longer Sparrow. Wiping the tears of my face, I take a final determined step forward, and grab the music box.
I am ready.