Trigger Warning
Jack and Jill
"Come on sis!" Jackson Overland shouted back to his little sister, a smile plastered to his thin face.
"Wait for me Jack!" the younger sibling shouted, blowing a stray piece of chocolate hair back as she tried to run after her more nimble brother, tripping over her too big boots. She was smiling though, laughing with joy in her eyes as she took in the Winter Wonderland around them.
Went up the hill.
"Come on! We're not too far off!" Jack shouted behind as he started climbing up the steep incline that their mother would never be able to climb up. He looked back at the younger one, waiting somewhat impatiently for her to climb up after. She reached out a hand, and he grabbed it, helping hoist her up onto the plateu.
To get a pail of water
Her eyes widened at the view before her. It was beautiful. Pure fluffy whitenes covered everything, completely fresh and untouched. Icicles hung from gray limbs, reflecting the morning light into small rainbows. Then there was the lake. Frost perfectly covered it in swirling patterns that could never be replicated by human hand. It's dark depths were unseen by the white beauty of it.
Jack smiled softly at his sister's reaction, remembering coming up with his mother and being almost the exact same way.
After a bit, his sister closed her mouth, and they got to work. She handed the boy an ice pick, Jack nodding in thanks. He quickly started digging through the ice with it until he made a hole that would fit the bucket in. He set it down near them and nodded to his sister.
It was an ordinary wooden bucket fastened with rusting iron nuts that attached it to the handle. The handle was tightly knotted with a rope that they would use to put the bucket in and out. If they actually got wet the cold would kill them.
His sister dunked it in, then pulled it out with the rope, water sloshing around inside. She carefully set it down to the side and stood up off her knees. Jack followed.
"Hey sis? Wanna go skating?"
Jack fell down
"JACK she screeched, the sound tearing from her throat as her brother dunked from the ice. She wanted to get closer to see, but knew that the ice was too dangerous.
"JACK!" she went to her knees, hoping her brother could hear her. No answer.
Tears streamed down her face, the cold making it bite into her skin.
A heaving sob of grief came from her core, making her curl inward onto it. She gave a hiccupping sob.
And broke his crown.
Her sobs became louder as she mourned, but she couldn't stop. Her core felt as if someone dragged it down with him.
Jack couldn't be dead. He couldn't. He isn't. He's alive. It's a prank. He's going to come out from behind a tree and scare her.
She glanced about, just waiting. He can't. He can't.
She waited for what felt like hours of waiting, all tears cried.
And the truth set in.
Jack wasn't coming home.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted the rope. The course rough rope. The perfect gray tree limb. And gave a broken smile.
Crimson.
And Jill came tumbling after.
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