It was a lazy summer night in district 12. The skies were a beautiful twilight and filled with starlight. While the ground at the seam was covered in ugly coal dust.
A young ten-year-old Katniss Everdeen sat on the front porch braiding her five- year-old sister's blonde hair.
"When will Daddy be home Katniss?" Primrose asked her older sister.
"In a bit I think Primy."
"Maybe if we sing he'll come home faster!"
"Good idea Primy." Katniss smiled.
"Can we sing the Valley song? It's my favorite!"
"Okay Prim." Katniss tied the only ribbon Prim owned at the end and lifted the little blonde girl onto her lap.
Down in the valley, the valley so low
Hang your head over, -
I deep voice cut them off
-Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow;
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.
Roses love sunshine, violets love dew,
Angels in Heaven know I love you.
"Daddy!" Primrose ran up to her coal dust covered father and gave him a hug.
"Hello little ducklings!" He went to hug his two daughters.
"Katniss. My little mockingjay, you're birthday's tomorrow isn't it?"
She giggled.
"Yea."
"I guess I'll have to give you your present since I'm in the mines tomorrow. What would you like?"
"Can you sing for me? Not an old song but one you haven't sung yet. Please?"
"Okay. I learned this from your grandmother, she told me this song was made a long, long time ago. It was made in land where almost anything was possible."
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh
Someday I`ll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops thats where you`ll find me oh
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to,why, oh why can`t I?
Well I see trees of green and
Red roses too,
I`ll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They`re really saying, I...I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They`ll learn much more
Than we`ll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Someday I`ll wish upon a star,
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top that`s where you`ll find me
Oh, Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can`t I?
"I liked that one daddy!" Prim exclained
"Thank you" Katniss hugged her father before she and prim went inside to answer mother's call to go to bed.
The very next day, on Katniss Everdeen's eleventh birthday, she wondered why her father never came home. But on that very day a peacekeeper knocked on her door.
Her mother opened the door with a smile on her face, but when she came back she looked close to tears.
"What's wrong mom?"
Her mother took Katniss in her arms and said,
"Your father's dead Katniss. He was in the mine explosion."
From that day on, Katniss never sang another note again.
She really did wish it wasn't just a lullaby.
From that point on, Katniss wished there was land over the rainbow and that her father was happy there.