Got the idea to do something small for Lincoln and Lucy. And this is what I ended up with. Enjoy.
A eight year old Lincoln Loud sat inside his house, watching cartoons on the television. His eyes were completely transfixed to the moving colors on his screen, and he watched the show with a goofy smile completely glowing on his face. As the show took its commercial break, the young child got bored and looked outside his window to see his five year old sister Lucy.
The small dark-haired girl was huddled under a tree, her face buried in her knees. The small girl shook occasionally, causing Lincoln to realize something.
Lucy was crying.
His protectiveness overcame any desire to finish his program, as he leapt from the couch and ran out the front door towards his younger sister.
"Lucy, why are you crying?" Lincoln asked her with concern.
The small dark girl looked up at her older brother, and Lincoln could see that her face was slightly red, and a complete mess of tears, snot and sweat. But what he noticed most of all was the look of hurt that she had. It pained him to see her like that.
The girl wiped her nose with her black sleeve and choked out "Go away, Lincoln."
"Lucy, please, tell me what's wrong," the young boy pleaded with her.
Lucy was silent as she looked back to her dark clothes, now dirtied by her weeping. She bit her lip nervously, hesitating to tell her big brother, before finally looking up to Lincoln and telling him the truth;
"I was *sniff* sitting under this tree, writing a... a poem, when some bullies *sniff* came and started making fun of me. They said I was… I was creepy, I was a loser, and that I was alone *sniff* under the tree because... because no one wanted to be with me," The five year old's lip trembled and she covered her face, not wanting Lincoln to see her cry again.
Then, she felt someone wrap their arm around her shoulder, and draw her closer to them. She uncovered her face, and saw Lincoln sitting next to her, giving her a warm smile.
"Um… you said you were writing a poem?" the boy asked nervously.
Lucy nodded with slight embarrassment. She had never told anyone about her poems. She picked up the small book of her writings, and held them out for her brother to read.
"I-I was trying to find a rhyme for the darkness lurks in every shadow and shade," she admitted to him.
Lincoln felt a sense of discomfort, but he still kept on his supportive expression. "Well, how about 'fade?' That sounds like something you would write, right?"
"Hmmm," Lucy thought about it, before writing down the next line, "The darkness lurks in every shadow and shade, but... but when the light comes, the shadows fade," she finished softly, giving her older brother a sweet smile as she did, "Thank you, Lincoln."
Lincoln hugged his toddler sister closer to him, and gave her a peck on the cheek, "No problem, Lucy. If you ever need help with anything, not just a poem, you can come to me."
Lucy gave him a small nod, and snuggled up with her brother.
"Lynn, it's almost dinnertime. Can you bring the kids back inside?" Rita called to her husband.
"Sure thing, honey," Lynn Sr. responded as he went outside to check on his children. He spotted two small figures under the tree, and went over to them. Soon, though, he stopped in his tracks, and felt a smile emerge on his face.
Lincoln and Lucy had fallen asleep together underneath the tall tree, with Lincoln wrapping his arms around Lucy protectively, as they both snored softly, almost in rhythm with each other.
"I think I'll give them a few more minutes," Lynn said to himself with a light chuckle.