Chilli heeler has done a lot of things she regrets. Some of them she's told Bandit about; others, she's planning on taking to the grave with her. It's a shame that some of her deepest regrets are also very determined to make themselves known.
She remembered the odd Saturday when the strangest things would happen. Saturday was great: Saturday meant that there was no school, and while Bluey rather liked school, she much preferred to stay at home and play, especially since she and Bingo went to different schools. But Saturdays were also always the days where the strangest things happened, and Bluey always suspected that was why her mother kept her occupied on those days, to distract her from the strange happenings around her.
But Bluey's original plans for the weekend were often foiled due to the pouring rain and thundering storms that were common in Brisbane during the warmer months. That meant the beach was likely closed, and even if it wasn't, it wouldn't be safe to swim for children. She rather liked going to the beach. There was something… fascinating about it. The deep parts of the water were her favorite, even if she was told time and time again not to go too far out into the water. Her father would always get so mad when she did that, but her mother was always quiet when she did it. Her father would question her, and she'd think of something to distract everyone and they'd move on.
Bluey could always tell when anyone was lying, it was a kind of sensation she'd feel in her chest, an intuition that was entirely instinctual in nature. She'd always be able to catch people in their lies, and oftentimes she'd just let them keep talking until the time was right to call them out, once they had dug the hole as deep as possible.
One time, Bluey had called out her mother on a lie about a sandwich or something, something so small and petty that the lie itself was more interesting than the reason, something that shouldn't have mattered at all. Instead of how she would usually act, her mother froze for a moment, like she was caught doing something horrible, but then quickly let out a nervous laugh. "I guess you're right, Bluey, I did tell a little lie."
"But you said lying is wrong!" Bluey had explained, hands on her hips and face morphed into a judgemental frown, as if she was disappointed.
"I know, but I say a lot of things, Bluey," her mother replied, cracking each individual knuckle on one hand like she always did when she was nervous. Her voice was a slightly higher pitch and she began blinking faster. Bluey noticed all those little things, the little behaviors adults did when they were lying, and they only became more apparent when they were called out.
"But why? You should say what you mean!" Bluey said, stomping her foot, "If you lie, people can catch you! Sometimes it's better to say nothing at all, and let people overthink."
"Bluey, you shouldn't tell the truth to manipulate people, you should tell the truth because it's the right thing to do."
"But you didn't tell the truth, so why should I?"
Her mother seemed almost pained by those words, as if she had heard them before. "You're so much like your father," she had said wistfully.
Bluey hadn't realized exactly what Chilli meant until years later. By then, it was too late.
That Saturday, the rain tugged Bluey down emotionally. She wanted to go to the beach! She knew it was childish, even at her age, but she wished she could just change the weather.
Something inside of her told her she could. She didn't know what or why, but she felt that conviction inside of her, a direct determination that made her believe it was possible.
So she clenched her fists and focused, closing her eyes as she faced the sliding glass window overlooking the deck and the backyard. She focused on blue skies, soft winds, and the soothing feeling of warm sunlight. She imagined the salty air of the beach, the sounds of waves crashing into the shoreline, and the cries of gulls as they stole people's chips from the snack bar. She imagined a perfect, idyllic, sunny day that anyone and everyone would want.
At first, nothing happened, as usual: she'd open her eyes and it would still be pouring, albeit there were a few homes in the clouds where the sun peeked through. She kept trying, her impatience getting the best of her, but nothing of note would happen.
Eventually, her father Bandit came along. "Hey Bluey, watcha doing?" He asked, a plate with a sandwich and some chips in one hand and a beer in the other. Bluey wasn't allowed to drink beer, but she never knew why. She'd probably try it one day, when her father wasn't looking.
"I'm trying to change the weather," Bluey said, sitting down on crossed legs due to her becoming a little tired, "but it's not working."
"Hmmm… I don't think you can change the weather, Bluey," her father said, "that's just not how things work."
"But I can!" Bluey responded, "I know I can! I can feel it."
"Maybe that's just your body telling you that you need to use the loo," Bandit suggested, causing Bluey to break her concentration by descending into a fit of giggles. She quickly regained her composure though, as she was determined to change the weather.
"Dad, I'm focusing! I need to focus on changing the weather!"
"Hey, no problem, I'll leave you to it. Just come to the living room when you're done, we're going to watch a movie or two since our beach day plans were canceled," Bandit told her. He was about to walk out when he turned back. "Hey, are you hungry? Changing the weather sounds like hard work, so if you want a sandwich I can make you one." Bandit said cheekily.
Bluey was feeling a bit peckish, so she agreed. "Yes please," she said, still focusing on the glass, per paws gripping her knees as she did her best to focus.
"Alright, good luck sport, I'll be back with your sandwich in a bit," Bandit replied as he walked back into the kitchen.
And so it continued. Bluey continued to focus on changing the weather, imagining what she wanted the weather to be. Soon, to her disbelief, the sounds of rain began to subside, and when she opened her eyes, the weather was just as she envisioned how she wanted it to be: eucalyptus trees swaying softly in the wind under the backdrop of a beautiful cerulean sky, with only a few whispy little clouds in the air.
Suddenly, she could hear Bandit walking back into the room, humming a little tune to himself. But the moment he entered the room, he nearly dropped the plate holding the second sandwich. "What… It was raining just a minute ago… how?"
"Yeah! Dad, look! I just changed the weather!"
"I don't…"
Her mother, Chilli, entered the room a few moments later. "Hey Hun? What's the hold up, Bingo's getting impatient and she wants to start watching the… movie…" She said, her jaw dropping as she saw the weather outside. "I could've sworn it was just raining a minute ago…"
"It's because I changed the weather mom! I focused really hard and thought about blue skies and the beach, and it just became sunny! Is t that cool?"
"Yeah… cool…" Chilli said, but she sounded like she was going to be sick. Her eyes narrowed and she seemed almost… horrified, as if this was the type of thing that would show up in her nightmares. What was even stranger is that her father's reaction was entirely different: he mainly seemed puzzled, flabbergasted even, as if he was more worried about figuring out how it happened instead of being concerned.
"Mom, are you okay?" Bluey asked, noticing her mother's distress. Chilli just nodded, gulping. "Yes, Bluey, I'm okay, I'm just not feeling well is all."
Bluey knew deep down that her mother had just lied to her, but this time she didn't say anything: she noticed her mother's distress more than anything, and decided that this time it wasn't worth the trouble. Bluey could ask about it later.