Little Sister

Chapter 3

That very night when I reached home was... Gruelling and frustrating to say the least.

Firstly, I was shouted at for arriving home really late and given plenty of warnings by both my parents.
Then there was the fact that I had a random little girl waiting outside for me to bring the necessary essentials.
I wish I had a dollar for Everytime I was called out by my mother for franticly running up and down the stairs.

You see, this was my new plan;

The house in which I lived in was a two story house. Unfortunately there were only three rooms. My parents' room, my room and the guest's room

Judging by the amount of trouble I had gotten into already, I figured it would be less risky if I prepared a cozy tent inside the shed using materials from the guest's room. I could then wake up extremely early and take them back before heading off with the girl and finding her home.

Right? Sounds simple, doesn't it? Unfortunately it wasn't.

The ungodly amount of anxiety I ingested that night will never be matched.
I had told the little girl to wait just outside the door until I got things for her. I told her that I wouldn't take long but it was extremely difficult for me to hurry anything up with my parents monitoring me like patrol officers.

Even a blind man could sense my uneasiness as I repeatedly tapped my fork on the dinner table while we had our supper.
Even a two year old could tell just by my wondering eyes that I was eager to run off somewhere.
Hell! Even I could tell that the indirect signals that I gave off screamed "Get me out of here!". I simply couldn't calm myself.

However my parents said nothing. They expected me to head off to bed immediately after dinner.
I had later spent a lot of time standing in my room and patiently waiting, daring not to be lured into slumber by my bed. The day was exhausting enough, and me refusing to doze off wasn't just a battle against sleep itself. It was a battle of sheer will and determination.

I remember prancing around my room for what seemed like an eternity until I heard my parents go to bed.

The next few moments were blurry. I was like a hyperactive dog that was let out of its cage. I hurriedly but stealthily ran from room to room.
I got a bunch of folded blankets and a small spare mattress from the guest's room. Then as I headed towards the garden and off to the shed, I took a few metal rods with me.

The little girl, eyeing my seriousness, followed me quietly as I heaved all the items I had gathered into the shed.

I could sense her wide eyes curiously monitor me as I stuck three rods into the wooden floor.
She obviously paid no attention to the plethora of tools shelved up in the dusty old shed.

With one rod at the front, standing taller than the two parallel rods behind, I chucked the thinnest blanket over all three of the rods to make a miniature tent.

Inside this tent, I placed the small mattress and over it, I spread the thickest blanket.
With her small shelter set, I grabbed a small torch that was lying by the door side and turned it on. I then set it carefully to give the tent it's own spooky aesthetic vibe.

"There!" I said, dusting my hands with my chin held high and a huge accomplished smile on my face.

I looked at her, hoping for a reaction and I surely got one!

Her chin was also held high, but it was matched with a very thin "O" shape that her mouth made. No sound came out and for a brief second I thought she was stuck like that.

"Big brother!" She screamed as she leaped from her position and landed in the tent, almost knocking the entire thing down.

I watched as she got on her knees and, like a puppy, pranced around her small secluded space before finally resting.