(ShadowSilver's POV)
After dinner at the cafeteria at the Knight Academy, I went to my room.
I opened my closet and putted my white pajama dress on. I putted my Wing Ceremony clothes in the closet and closed the door. Then I look at my old family and friends pictures I had since my parents moved away. I miss my parents... I putted my gold Bird Statuette where my other statue collection of history of Skyloft was above where my books are on the shelf. Then I sat down on the chair in front of my desk where I draw and write poetries... Well not most of the poetry, I read them, even books and stories with poetry... It's not a lot that I write... But I am an artist, though! I got out my old drawing book and looked at my old drawings in my gallery from years of what I drew. I had this drawing book when I was 6 years old. I looked at my papers full of drawings and some of the poetry writing and my other drawing books lying around on my desk... They were a bit messy. As I found an empty page of my drawing book, I grabbed a pencil, sharpened it with a pencil sharpener and started to draw a little boy, holding his late father's dagger up to the sky as I drew some clouds and the tree behind him. I grabbed some crayons and colored pencils and colored the drawing. Then I heard Gaepora opened my bedroom door and walked in, seeing what I'm doing. I turned around and seeing him.
"Miss ShadowSilver. I'll have to change scheduling the sword practicing class from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. so you'll have more time to packing to move down to the Surface. What are you doing?" He asked.
"I was just drawing on my old drawing book, That's all." I answered.
He scratched his chin, wondering.
"Remember the other book Link gave you?" He asked me. What other book is he talking about. Link didn't give me anything.
"What other book?" I asked him, anxiously.
"Link didn't give me any books."
"It's the white book he gave you when you are 7." He explained.
"What whi-" I paused and thinked way back when I was 7 years old.
*Flashback*
A 7-year-old ShadowSilver was drawing on her drawing book she had a year ago. She drew a parrot, singing to the sky while standing of the branch of the tree She really enjoyed drawing and coloring. A 9 year old Link walks by to watch her draw.
"Nice drawing!" He exclaimed.
ShadowSilver giggled. "Thanks, Link."
"No probs!" He answered
Link thought for a moment as she continued to draw on the next page. He remembered that he has a white blank book Gaepora gave him that he never used. Since he never used it, he decided he is going to give it to ShadowSilver.
"Hey, ShadowSilver! Come with me!" He said, grabbed her wrist on their way to Link's room of the Knight Academy. Link went through his bookshelf and found the white book he never used and held it towards ShadowSilver.
"You want my white book? I never used it since I got it from Gaepora... So you can draw or write in here if you want to." He asked with a smile.
"*Giggles* I don't see why not." She said and grabbed the book from Link's hands.
She held it closer to her chest and giggled at Link with a huge smile, walks towards him and hugs him around his neck. He hugged her back. ShadowSilver then left his room with the book in her arms.
*End of flashback*
I gasped and looked at Gaepora.
"The white blank book Link gave me?" I asked him.
"Yes, my dear. Link told me he gave it to you when you were kids." He said.
My eyes are wide open with my jaw dropped. I still haven't draw or wrote anything on there for like 7-8 years ago.
"Oh yeah! Let me get it." I said to him. I immediately putted my drawing book away and started searching for the white book. Until I found it! It was beautiful! "Wow... It's beautiful... I haven't used it ever since Link got me it.
"Oh yeah? You haven't? You should start doing something on there, darling." He said with a smile. We both smiled at each other.
"Well... I'm gonna be doing some research of the ancient texts and then I am going to bed." He said.
"You want me to go to bed, too?" I asked him.
I thought for a moment. I know I might be packing tomorrow...But when I get enough sleep or so... But he said "Nah! Stay up as you need to, dear. If you are planning tonight for tomorrow, I'll let you-"
"I got that figured out. I'll start packing in the morning... And then after class I might go down there to find a house to live in. Would you mind telling Horwell to watch my Remlit, Cheesecake for a while when I go down there?" I asked him. I didn't want Cheesecake to be alone up here, starving and doing anything wrong.
"I'll get him to do that along with Mia." He answered with a smile.
"Good! I don't want Cheesecake to go hungry while I'm gone and climbing on the roof like this morning before the Wing Ceremony started." I mumbled.
"Yeah... Well, goodnight my dear." He said and shuts the door as he left my room.
I looked back at my white book, smiling at it and think what I might do with it. Cheesecake hopped on my lap, walked around in circles. I looked down at her and petted her with a smile on my face. She rubbed her head on my belly and goes up to my chest and purring a little bit quietly. I was glad that she wasn't aggressive at night anymore after the friendly demon, Batreaux was turned into a human. I rubbed her back with my hand and chuckled.
"Yes, Cheesecake. Good girl..." I said softly to her, and she walked over to her soft, brown bed. She fell asleep right fast. I looked at a photo of an eight-year-old me on the wall. I used to have long hair. I turned looked in the mirror as I looked at myself now. A 15-year-old me with a short Golden-blonde hair. A sigh escaped my nose as I breathed.
My mother said that If I see the light...it could mean a new beginning of my life...
I thought...The light would come when my new life will begin in Hyrule...
Then I looked back at my white book and thought of what to do with it. I was thinking about writing a story in this book. I haven't written one story in my life. I saw all the books with my favorite authors and wanted to write a story. I... would mostly like to be an author. So I grabbed a paper, a pencil and some tape to make a book cover for the story and I wrote the title of the tragic, drama story what I thought.
'Alice and the Red Barrel'
I wrote the written, book cover illustrated and authored by my name.
I drew the cover with a 16-year-old Alice, The beautiful orange-brown haired girl standing in front of the red barrel, colored it and placed it on the cover of the book and taped it. I grabbed a pencil and thinked how the story will go. I started writing that's something like this.
Alice and the Red Barrel
Written by: ShadowSilver
Book Cover Illustrated by: ShadowSilver
Authored by: ShadowSilver
Long ago, there was a beautiful, young 16-year-old girl named Alice. She lived in a small village with her careless, ruthless and selfish father Bert and her twin little brother and sister Christopher and Julia. Her mother Marine passed away from a deadly illness after she gave birth to the twins. So Bert has to take care of his children all on his own, and wasn't very happy with it since his wife had died. Bert hated his children, even Alice. But since Marine passed away, he had no choice. There were no others, grandparent's passing and all other family members lived far away. He loved his wife and wishes he'd never had children in the first place as he wished they grew old together and will never want children again. Alice's father is unsuccessful and because very poor at his job after her mother's passing, and recently she has been watching over her twin siblings when he owns a small farm filled with cows, cuccos, horses and pigs. Bert is rude to the customers about giving away their animals he sold to them and they demand a refund. He was making poor money, which made Alice and her little siblings very scared and they were always hungry since Very couldn't afford food. Bert'sattitude towards his daughter and his twins are very cruel and so bad, It made them feel unsafe and hurt. It just broke Alice's heart into a million pieces inside her chest. She felt numb. Bert had been treating his children like crap. He thinks everything is Alice's fault and will be her fault... Always when it's not because of her mother. Bert humiliate his children over at everything...
Bert had already treated Alice like mere garbage. She just hope her and her siblings had a better life somewhere than being with their father with his selfish attitude. Alice has to do everything to grow strong like a young lady.
During breakfast on a dark, cloudy morning, Bert walks over to Alice as she is eating her eggs. He gave her an unnerving death stare.
"If it wasn't for you, your mother would've died. If it wasn't for the three of you, me and your mother would grow old together and never wanted you." He told her in a deep, unnerving voice.
Alice sighed and look down at her eggs.
"She died after the birth of the twins... My brother and sister, Christopher and Julia! It's NOT my fault! EVERYTHING IS NOT! She yelled, trying to get her father to understand that it's not her fault for everything. But he refused. He wanted to remind her that everything in her lifetime is her own fault and to be sure of it.
"Listen... Everything is always your fault... And will ALWAYS be your own fault... Because you're nothing! You and the twins! Your mother's death is your fault! Now go to the farm and clean up the pigs pen! And I better not catch you with dirt on your rags! Because if you get dirty and mud gets on my floor, you will be getting a severe punishment you will ever get in your pathetic life!" He asked. His voice was even a harsh, fierce and a loud tone.
"I will after I finished eating." Alice said. But Bert wanted her to do it now instead of finishing her food. He took her plate and threw the eggs in the trash and wasting them. He threw the plate so far, it made a loud crash sound as the plate broke into pieces. The sound made Alice startle in fear. Bert looks at her and an angry snarl and his nose scrunched up.
"GO CLEAN UP THE PIG'S PEN NOW!" He screeched in demand. Alice then rushed out of the kitchen to the backyard where the farm is.
Alice wore a white half-sleeved shirt with a skirt rags with Blue zig zags on the bottom, blue line on the apron part of the skirt. She had a pink ribbon as her blet. She wore short brown boots. She has long Orange-brown hair with bangs on her forehead and brown eyes.
Alice walked around the farm as she watched Christopher and Julia play with the animals. She smiled at them and walked over towards at the Pig's pen. Alice grabbed the wet cloths from the big barrel full of water as she washes the pig pen's fence side to side. Alice hated the smell of the pig's fart and poop. After she cleans the pen up, Alice walks around the cuccos pen and feeding the cuccos pellet cucco feeds. Luckily, she didn't get her rags all muddy from the Pig's pen she was cleaning. After Alice fed the cuccos, she walked on her way out of the farm and felt ashamed after all those years living with her father. She rubbed her arm and sighed. She has no hope of finding a miracle to make her life better.
While Alice was heading back to the house, she came upon a strange, red barrel.
It was a little but big from the barrel that was filled with water when Alice was cleaning the pen of the pigs. She walked towards it, got down on her knees, opened the tab of the barrel and all she saw was water inside it.
Then something came up to Alice... She wanted her life to be better... She decided to use this barrel as a lucky charm. So Alice pushed the barrel, got up on her feet and dumps the water from inside of the red barrel and puts the tab back on it.
Alice carried the red barrel on her shoulder and placed it on the right side of the entrance of the farm. Then she walks quickly on her way to the house to find a gold coin she had in her room. Then she stepped on something... It was a gold coin laying on the grass.
Alice picked it up and opened the tab of the barrel, gets down one her knees with her hands together close to her chest, hold the gold coin as she prayed and pleaded:
"O, the red barrel. My father always treat me and my brother and sister like we were slaves. He treated us like this since mom passed away after my siblings were born. My life has turned upside down. He treated Christopher and Julia cruelly, and they're so young. But he treats me like absolute garbage! It made me and my twin siblings uncomfortable and unsafe around him. I felt so numb, seeing my dad with his harsh attitude. I wish I had hope that I would make my life better... Please help me. Make our lives better, I beg of you! I need my life to be happy."
Alice kissed the gold coin and tossed it inside the red barrel. She closed the tab and walked on her way back to the house.
In her bedroom, Alice looked at her coins and thinks to herself. Even her mom died and her siblings didn't even get to know her, until she heard her dad losing his temper and screaming towards Christopher and Julia as she hear them cry. Alice then walks fastly down the stairs and watch the whole entire scene.
"I TOLD YOU! YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOUR SISTER ALICE AND ALL OF YOU! IT'S HER FAULT AND ALWAYS BE HER FAULT! I WANT YOU GUYS TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU'RE BOTH OLDER! SHAME YOUR SISTER FOR THAT! SHAME ON YOU!!! YOU HEAR ME!?" Bert screamed at them so loud, it made them cry in fear. Alice clutched her throat with her teeth gritted in fear. She quickly goes back to her room before he sees her.
"NOW ALL OF YOU IN YOUR ROOM! NOW!!!" He demanded in a harsh voice at them as they did what he told them. Bert then goes to the front door and slams it as he outside to his garage. They went up stairs to their rooms. Alice then walks out of her room, walks towards the twins' room and places her ear against the door, hearing them cry. It breaks her heart seeing and hearing them cry. She sighed and opened the door, walks towards the twins and comforts them by hugging them for warmth. Christopher and Julia cried into their sister's neck as Alice rubs their back and whispered while cradling them "Shh... Shh... You guys are going to be fine... I'm your older sister and I love you, both so much... Dad always treats us badly since mom died... I will never let that happen to you... We'll find hope to make our lives better... I promise."
They both calmed down and whispered into Alice's ears "We love you, too Sis."
Alice then chuckled softly.
Then one night when Alice, Christopher and Julia are all asleep, Bert went outside his farm checking if the animals are asleep. The Cows, cuccos, pigs and horses are all asleep. Bert then left on his way out of the farm until he noticed the red barrel Alice left out when she prayed she wanted her life better than being with her father.
"What is this barrel doing here?" He asked himself. He walked towards it, looking anxious. He decided he didn't want it near the farm. He decided he is going to destroy the barrel instead. Bert quickly walked to his garage and grabbed his axe, carried the red barrel on his shoulder into the deep part of the woods. The place was dark and foggy.
Bert putted the barrel down, raised his axe in the air and smashes the barrel into a bunches of pieces and saw a gold coin and threw it far away so Alice will never find it. He knew she wanted a better life, so he decided to treat his daughter like garbage whatever he wants and to never let her go again. After the deed is done, Bert left the deep woods with an axe in his hand.
One morning while Bert was still asleep in his room, Alice walked towards the farm to check on her red barrel. But when she is getting close to the entrance of the farm, Alice notices that the barrel was missing.
"Where's the red barrel?" She asked to herself in a worried whisper. She began searching for it in the deep woods, which in morning when it's still foggy, and saw a red, broken woodpiece! She had found more red wood pieces! Alice then realized that the red barrel was destroyed! She knew it was her father who did that. The gold coin was missing, too! Alice placed her face on her nose and mouth, and started to sob quietly as tears ran down her face.
As Alice made it on her way home, Bert then walks towards her furiously.
"You! Room! NOW!" He demanded as he pointed his finger to the stairs. Alice then shakes nervously and her heart beating faster.
"Dad! Look! I-" She was about to explain but Bert cutted her off.
"The red barrel you kept outside the farm is unacceptable! That coin of yours will never make your life better! I can treat you badly as I want! You will never go out into the world, EVER! Now go to your room! Now!" He demanded once more. Alice screamed and walked angerly to her room and slams the door.
Alice then lays in bed, sobs into her pillow and thinks to herself. She had given up so much... Now she doesn't have any hope this time. The red barrel is destroyed and she doesn't know what to do. Then she made a decision. She is going to kill herself to get away from her father. Alice couldn't live like this anymore. Alive then quickly sneaks out of her room before her dad hears her. She got out of the front door and walked towards Bert's garage, finding a small dagger. After she found it, Alice quickly gets back inside the house closes the front door quietly and walks up to her room. Alice held the dagger into her grasp. She breathed heavily and tears ran down her face from her eyes. Her voice is breaking fast.
"This is where my life ends...This is the only way to get away from my dad." She sobbed. She gulped as her throat sored from her sobs.
Alice raised the dagger in the air and plunged it into her abdomen, causing her to scream so loud, Bert and the twins can hear it from the kitchen while eating breakfast. Alice breathed harder as she shoved the dagger deeper into her stomach until the whole blade is in there. She can no longer feel pain as blood stained her dress as it was coming out of her. Alice smiles, then pulls the dagger away from her belly, threw it near her bed as she fell on her knees. Alice began to collapse on the floor. Her vision went dim and her voice is quiet and groggy. She continued to smile, slowly closing her eyes as blood spills on the floor.
Her last words are in a whisper "...Thank you..." Alice then closed her eyes, took a last breath and died... Just like that. Bert opens the door of her room as he, Christopher and Julia entered. They all gasped after what they saw. They saw that Alice killed herself as they looked at the blooded stained dagger and the blood all over the floor. They began to weep over Alice's death as they hugged each other.
Days after Alice's funeral, Bert sat on his couch, feeling ashamed for what he had done to his daughter. Alice's death had made him realize the era of his ways after his wife's death. He felt that... He is full of garbage. Bert decided to apologize to Christopher and Julia for what he did. He walks upstairs to the twins' room and opens the door.
"Christopher, Julia?" He said.
They both looked at him with the worried look on their face.
"Are you gonna yell at us some more?" They asked.
Bert sighed sadly...
"No... I want to say I'm sorry for all the bad things I did to you and your sister... It is not her fault... It's mine... It's all mine... I am full of mere garbage... Alice's death made me realize about my ways after your mother's death. Will you all forgive me?" He asked them.
They all ran towards their dad and hugs him.
"Yes... We love you, daddy." They both said. Bert chuckled and hugs them back.
"I love you, too." He said back in a whisper.
They all left the room, and left the house by the front door and decided to visit the funeral home for Bert to apologize to his daughter after her death. They searched for Alice's grave as Bert is holding a bouquet with roses and daisies to give to his daughter, who is not with him anymore. The roses are the colors like the red barrel he destroyed. They finally found Alice's grave as Bert walks towards it with tears filled in his eyes. He placed the bouquet in front the plaque the reads:
'In a loving memory of Alice, the girl hos tries to make her life better than being with her selfish father'
"Alice... I'm sorry for all the bad stuff I did to you... It's not your fault because of your mother... I didn't understand how you feel along with your siblings... I realized the era of my ways after your mother's death. I'm full of garbage. Please, forgive me..." He sobbed.
Then he kissed the plaque. Bert backed up and places his hand and the twins shoulder and watched the grave of their memory of Alice...
Alice would've been the only young lady who is still standing strong and make her life better, but that never happened. She had to die to get away from her father. For that, she gave up her life...
Alice is still inside Bert's heart and the twins, no matter what. Thus the red barrel will always be Alice's lucky charm...
The end
As I finished writing the story, I putted the book on the bookshelf, putted all my crayons, pencils and colored pencils away. Then I looked at my Knight Academy yearbook of all the years of my life with my friends! I grabbed it off my desk, opened it and looked at all the photos. Like when Me, Link and Zelda as kids stood in front of Headmaster Gaepora for a picture...That was a pretty picture... And another one is when me as a 7 year old and Link as an 9-10 year old jumped in fear, seeing a fake monster Remlit balloon. and Gaepora took a picture of us with the Remlit balloon and Zelda as an 9 year old along with her father laughing, saying it's a joke... Me and Link laughed as well after Gaepora took a picture... That was hilarious! I chuckled a little, seeing that photo. and then I walked out of my room and went to the restroom, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, used the toliet, washing my hands and walked out of there. I went back to my room and layed in bed. I pulled the covers close to me and placed my hand under the pillow as I layed my head on it. Cheesecake then hoped on my golden fabriced bed and layed in my arms with her head on my chest. I placed my hand on her fur where her ribcage was.
I looked up at the ceiling, thinking about my moving plan. I whispered to my mother if she's here "I'll be on my way soon, mother..." I sighed through my nose as me and Cheesecake both fall into a deep, quiet and peaceful sleep until morning when I'm ready to pack to move down to the Surface and start my new life there... *Sighs contentedly*
