It was a cold winters day, barely a week before Christmas, snow already covering the hills and homes of Derbyshire. The scenic countryside had an ethereal appearance, the clouds in the sky mingling with the white peaks of the hills. Fir trees decorated with lights and baubles lined the lanes in the villages, the smell of burning wood ever-present from the countless fires that were kept alive to warm the little cottages. Smoke weaved through the chimneys, coming out in spirals, whilst twinkling lights lit the rooms within. The crisp air caused your nose to freeze, your cheeks to sting, and your eyes to water, and yet it was a time of great joy. Children raced up and down the fields with sleighs and toboggans in tow, whilst cautious parents watched from below. Kindly neighbours provided punch to spectators of snowball fights, and mince pies to hungry children. Bells were ringing and people were singing, snowmen appearing all over the dale. Holly and ivy was strung round the lampposts, and mistletoe hidden to surprise shoppers as they finished their present buying.
It was this night, already past eight o'clock, that Miss Tamina Estil sat in her sister's little lounge, the wood-fire crackling and giving the room a rosy glow, her two nephews bouncing on her knee all wrapped in blankets to keep themselves warm. She beheld the babes with pride, thinking how fortunate her sister was to have these angelic children to look after. Two pairs of wide and curious brown eyes goggled up at her, and one of the twins, Freddie, reached up and grabbed some of her dark hair in his chubby little fingers. He gave it a tug, causing his aunt to tilt her head slightly for fear of losing a few tresses and she smiled as he started to suck the end of it, making a mental note to wash it before she went to bed. George, on the other hand, his fiery mop of hair just peeking out of his blanket, lay still, one tiny fist wrapped around her little finger. Gurgling in his own little language, and looking as though in deep conversation, he beheld her with both eyebrows raised. She rocked them gently; her arms wrapped tightly around the new-borns, and started humming. This simple act caught both of the twins' attention, and they looked up at her with their little mouths open wide in amazement, as though music was a thing they had never heard before, which was not true, as their mother often sang to them, as well as their aunt on her regular visits. Tamina laughed, continuing to rock the babes, and started to sing quietly.
"A gentle breeze from Hushabye Mountain
Softly blows o'er lullaby bay.
It fills the sails of boats that are waiting
Waiting to sail your worries away.
It isn't far to Hushabye Mountain
And your boat waits down by the quay.
The winds of night so softly are sighing
Soon they will fly your troubles to sea.
So close your eyes on Hushabye Mountain.
Wave good-bye to cares of the day.
And watch your boat from Hushabye Mountain
Sail far away from lullaby bay."
She finished the song in a soft whisper, looking down adoringly at the two now-sleeping boys resting in her arms. There was the creak of the door opening and closing, and Tamina looked up with a smile as her sister tiptoed towards her. The new mother gazed down at her children with pure joy in her eyes, a love only a mother could know shining in her eyes. She carefully lifted Freddie off her younger sister, cradling him in her arms.
"I don't know how you manage it Mina, every time you sing to them they fall fast asleep! Truly my dear, you have the voice of an angel." She looked down at her sister, who was still rocking George on her knee.
"I sincerely doubt that Raya, it only seems to work on the little ones." Tamina stood up; adjusting the blankets around the little baby she was holding. Mariah Foxburr raised an eyebrow, a sly smile creeping onto her face, her emerald eyes crinkling with barely concealed mirth.
"And who else have you tried to sing to sleep my dear?" she enquired, the implication of her words causing her sister to look up at her in shock.
"Raya!" she gasped, her free hand moving to her chest, trying to keep herself quiet for the twins' sake. Her sister chuckled, shaking her head with amusement.
"You know I mean nothing by it Mina." She said, giving her younger sister a wink, who merely huffed in reply. "Though, I almost wish you would find someone to settle down with…" she trailed off, catching the fire in her sister's gaze. That subject was best not broached with two children sleeping peacefully in the room, if at all. Mariah sighed, giving Tamina a searching glance, before turning and heading towards the old oak door, ducking to avoid a few low beams. She opened it as quietly as she could, though the door still creaked, and disappeared into the hallway, closely followed by Tamina. The two young women made their way to the little staircase which was through a door in the kitchen, and twisted over where the stove was still burning, and came onto a small landing at the top of the cottage. They put the twins' in the little nursery that Tamina had decorated as a gift for them, and Mariah turned on the baby monitor.
Tamina glanced over the room; she had painted the sky to look like the day at one end of the room, and the night at the other. Sun and moon sat in opposite corners, whilst stars and clouds filled the space between. Along the walls she had painted a woodland, which thinned out to become a vista of the countryside in which the cottage dwelt, the window lined by two trees from which hung apples and pears. Tamina smiled with pride as she closed the door behind her, following her sister back down the narrow staircase and into the warmth of the little kitchen. Her sister filled the kettle with water and put it on to boil, whilst Tamina grabbed a packet of biscuits and poured a few on a plate.
"Tea? Coffee? Or one of your Hot Chocolates?" Mariah asked, pouring some hot water into two mugs, and adding a Chamomile teabag to hers. Her sister gave her a grin, causing Mariah to roll her eyes and pull out the tub of cocoa powder.
Once their drinks were made and brewed, they headed back into the comfort of the sitting room, snuggling down into the soft sofas. Taking a sip of her tea, Mariah rested her eyes on her sibling, who was wrapping herself in one of the many blankets that covered the couches.
"Are you staying the night Mina?" she asked, grabbing one of the biscuits Tamina had brought in. Tamina shook her head, her eyes trailing over to the clock that rested on the mantelpiece.
"I have the plumber coming in the morning about 8 o'clock to mend the boiler, which needs doing, or I'll freeze to death. I'll be over on Wednesday to help open the Christmas presents though, and I'm expecting a good meal." She added, giving her sister a grin. Mariah laughed, poking Tamina with her foot.
"So long as you help make it!" she said, giving her a wink, her blonde hair falling in front of her face. She brushed her hair back behind her ear, biting her lip as she looked over at her younger sister, and giving a deep sigh.
"Mina." She said quietly, catching her sister's attention. Tamina noticed the look in Mariah's eyes, and glared.
"Raya don't start on-" her sister cut her off.
"Mina this can't go on much longer. You need a proper job, and you need to find someone." She said, trying to keep her voice level as she stated her view. "You need to sort your life out. I know if Ma and Da were still around-" her voice hitched slightly, and beneath the golden curls her cheeks paled, but she continued resolute. "If they were still around then things would be different, but working in a supermarket is not going to keep you comfortable! You didn't leave Uni with a 2.1 for nothing! I know jobs are scarce, and I know you want to go into theatre set design, but if you actually tried-"
"That's enough Mariah." Tamina said firmly, using her sister's full name to emphasise the point. Mariah ran her hands through her hair in exasperation, but her sister had closed up again, and there would be no getting through to her that evening. Ever since their parents had died in a plane crash, Tamina had locked away her emotions. It wasn't till Mariah's wedding four years later that the girl had smiled again. Now, due to her nephews, she had more cause to smile and enjoy life, but she still locked herself up, allowing few moments of happiness and little else to penetrate her emotional wall. Tamina got to her feet, and folded the blanket she had been using.
"I'd better be going." She said, setting her half-drunk mug of cocoa on the coffee table, her voice soft and steady. Her sister sighed, getting to her feet and giving her younger sibling a hug.
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." She whispered, holding onto her sister tightly. She felt Tamina's shoulders droop as she leaned against her, and as she pulled away, she noticed a single tear glistening down her cheek. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, she opened the door to the hall, before unlocking the thick oak front door. She waited for Tamina to put her coat on, before opening the door wide, shivering slightly as the cold wind blew inside.
"Drive safely." She said, looking at her sister sadly. Tamina nodded, grabbing her handbag from the coat hook, and swinging it over her shoulder. She stepped out of the house just as Mariah's husband came up the drive.
A tall, striking man, Aidan was Mariah's perfect other half. Witty and charming, he was as kind as they came, and raised his eyebrows as he saw his sister-in-law leaving their house.
"You aren't staying?" he enquired in confusion, looking between his wife and Tamina. The latter shook her head.
"No, unfortunately I have the plumber coming early in the morning. I'll be back on Wednesday though." He nodded and gave her a hug, kissing her on the cheek.
"Be careful on the road, there has been some black ice in parts." He informed her, before standing next to his wife and wrapping an arm around her waist.
Tamina gave them a wave of farewell, walking quickly down the path to the sound of crunching snow. Snowflakes fluttered onto her cheeks and into her hair as she headed down the narrow lane to her little Fiat. She pulled her car keys out of her bag with shaking fingers, her breath clouding around her face. She hastily unlocked her car, slipping into the seat and putting the keys into the ignition. A strange shiver ran up her spine, the ones that make people say 'Someone is walking over your grave' and quickly turned the heating dial up. Adjusting her mirrors slightly, she put the car into reverse, before carefully backing out of the parking space she had managed to squeeze into, and set off down the little lane. Her headlights caused strange shadows to leap out of the darkness, and she took deep breaths trying to calm herself; she had never liked the dark. Her windscreen wipers brushed snowflakes away, causing little streams of water droplets to appear at the side of the glass. As she rounded a bend, the moon appeared from behind a cloud. It seemed almost blue in the dark, though whether that was her eyesight she didn't know, but to her, it looked bluer and much larger than usual. She shook her head, jumping as another car drove past her, flashing their lights to make her lower hers. She hastened to do so, before focusing back on the road, her mind oblivious to any queer happenings around her.
And she missed a lot that night, for not only was the moon big and blue, the stars were brighter, and the trees seemed to whisper amongst themselves.
'Beware, beware!' they seemed to say, rustling in the wind. 'Beware the one who is summoning his armies, the one who burns with fire. Beware.'
Yet Tamina noticed none of these things, save for the moon, and that she merely passed off as imagination. Instead, she kept her mind fixated on the road and the day that was to come, never knowing she would not see the end of it, at least, not under the same set of stars.
A/N Hey everyone! I know I have been a very… very bad author at the moment… with two stories still unfinished and now beginning another!
I just have writers block with the others, so I thought if I try something else, maybe I might get ideas or something... I don't know, I just needed a break from them.
Feedback on this would be great, and anyone wishing to beta read this would be most welcome!
Also, feel free to follow me on tumblr, I'll be posting about upcoming chapter! My name is look-at-all-the-pretty-stars
But yes, I hope you enjoyed this, and another chapter will be out soon! -Littlelots x