Infallible
The children ran helter-skelter in the meadow, greedily grabbing dandelion clocks in chubby little hands. They made wishes for unicorns and glittery rainbows before dashing on to snatch another dandelion fairy. My sister was the only one unmotivated by dandelions. Why, she did not even make a wish on blowing out all her candles! Why should she? She was already the Princess. She was Mum and Dad’s perfect daughter. Flawless. Blonde hair, golden unblemished skin, impeccable manners. Perfect. Infallible. She had won the black belt of our parents’ affections.
My sister seethed with contempt, “‘When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.’ Rubbish! It is rubbish – coming from an anthropomorphic cricket!” It was easy for her to be disdainful of wishes; she was every teacher’s perfect pupil. Polite, hard working, exemplary. She was the gold star of A+ school students.
“I refuse to wish on the brightest star,” she replied adamantly. Unnecessary; she already had a gold medal in our grandparents’ love. She screamed with delight on their visits, cried buckets on their departure, had raptures over everything they did, said or gave us.
The magnificent balloons floated away, as the teenagers made wishes. Naturally, my sister refused to participate. Why should she? She was already Miss High School Popular being in the top percentile, great at both sports and academics. The school was infatuated by her.
She abstained from wish making when the clock read 11:11. No need because she had the winning lotto of great husbands. Handsome, intelligent, kindly, bright future.
Needless for Big Sis to throw coins into a fountain. She had red ribbons for being the best sister. She protected me from bullies, helped with my homework, was supportive and loving. My sister was the prima donna of sisters.
So Sis, why am I placing flowers on your grave? You died so young. Why didn’t you wish on a four leaf clover, a rainbow, a ladybird or a wishbone for good health? Perhaps it would have made a difference.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleOh, Margarida, you really captivated me with this story. I was leaning towards disliking the sister – she was too perfect and a bit too arrogant. But, at the end, I wept tears for her and the protagonist who clearly loved her so much. Well done ?
Glad that my story pulled you through so many different emotions, Sandra. The sister was like mine, so full of good qualities.
Did you really cry?
Oh yes, Margarida, I cried! I think, too, that as it’s almost 30 years since my brother passed away at just 30 years old, it hit home even more. He was so good at so many things, especially sport, not so great at common sense but he’d started to mature. I mentioned my brother a while back on this site and another writer ‘Eric Radcliffe’ kindly told me that in talking and… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleIt certainly is important to think, write and speak about loved ones who have passed. One way of keeping them alive and sharing them with others.
Glad that my story brought some great memories to you!
Excellent story-telling. I like the way you lead us down one path with vivid characterization, and then twist the ending. Powerful writing.
I make an effort to surprise the reader. Thanks as always for your kind praise, Preston.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleOh! I was carried away, Margarida. It is well-packed with so many emotions. Well done.
Thank you for your compliments, Lotchie. The story is partly about my sister because she was perfect. Infallible. Yet, she never knew how good she was.
You’re welcome, Margarida.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAn emotional one. Good job, Margarida.
So glad that you enjoyed reading my story, Thompson.
Like Sandra, I was at first led to dislike the sister for her arrogant attitude towards those who didn’t possess all her talents and success, and expected her downfall. But then came the twist that informed us that she was loved and appreciated also by your protagonist, since her perfection stretched even into their relationship. A great survey over different situations over the years, Margarida! I was, however, confused by the phrase… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI use prima donna to mean the leading female and there is no derogatory connotation.
Thank you for your detailed feedback, Christer.
I was not expecting the sister to be dead, Margarida, but it goes so well with the story and it all makes sense as to why the main character seemed envious of the sister with how the sister was portrayed. A true joy to read!
Thank you Bella for your kind words. I wanted to end in an unexpected and finite way, so death was the obvious choice.
The sister does not so much envy her Big Sis, but rather admires her.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI agree, in the beginning of the story though I thought she was envious of the sister until the tone of the character changed.
I like to keep my readers on high alert so there are twists and unexpected happenings in my stories.
Margarida, this was beautifully told, the way the protagonist remembered how people reacted to her ‘perfect’ sister and how her sister behaved. I expected a serious rivalry between them to follow, but instead, the line, ‘She protected me from bullies, helped with my homework, was supportive and loving.’ made me pause. I didn’t expect the ending at all, but like Sandra said, she was clearly loved by the protagonist.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThis was the relationship between me and my sister. She was so perfect that yes, I was envious. At the same time she was so good but did not realize it that I had to love her.