saffron1.machin

· 26 Mar 2020

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Birthday Flames

Lilly Walsh was an ordinary girl, With an ordinary family. She was content with life, not a complaint in sight. She had good grades, lots of loving friends and she loved her family. Everything was what some may say as perfect.
She had short brown hair, with rounded square glasses. Her freckled face and her red cheeks bloomed in the summer. Eyes sharp green that glowed in darkness. But not this darkness.
Lilly's birthday is a few days before Christmas, and every year she held a party, inviting essentially everyone she knew. All her friends all her family, even the people who despised her, she still invited them. The same goes for this year, a house party based on Christmas. All the lights hung, flashing from the high ceiling, the Christmas tree wrapped in glittery tinsel and even the recreation of the nativity play next to the fire place.
Guests coming in left, right and centre. Lilly greeted friends, receiving gifts and cards, often wrapped in Christmas paper and cards saying merry Christmas. but despite this, Lilly didn't care, she was just happy that it was her birthday. And that that she could spend it with friends and family. That’s what matted, not the presents, not the money, but having caring and loving family and friends, to support and congratulate her on turning 14 years of age and still staying strong.
About two hours of party games, singing, dancing and having an all-round great time, lily was exhausted and so was most of the party guest, but no one wanted to be the first to leave.
Aunt Jill had a bit too much to drink and was a bit tipsy, this was often the case with aunt Jill. So as usual most of the guests disregarded her and tried to ignore her drunken habits, this included ridiculous dancing, uncontrollable laughter and hysterical random burst of singing. She for some absurd reason decided to climb on top of the table and started, well she may call it dancing, but it’s more of moving her legs and arms randomly, not to the music, she flailed her arms, kicking her legs, knocking the drinks that was on the table slashing all over the carpet, as lily’s mum rushes over with napkins trying desperately to scrub the stain out.
Lilly could hear a sizzle a pop and a bang, Suddenly, Darkness. Followed by a flicker of electricity of the Christmas lights. As a flame rushes across where the alcohol was spilt. Engulfing lily’s mother.
“Mum! No!” Lilly yelped. There was no time, she ran outside as fast as she could, tears swelled across her face. She stood and stared in awe as her entire house was engulfed in flames. She froze. All she could think about is the fact that no one else is outside with her, she wanted to do something, she just didn’t know what. She felt her stomach tighten. The heat of the fire made regret worst.
Soon the fire brigade arrived. But it was too late she lost everything. Everything was gone. Her house, her family, her friends, her possessions. Everything. Lost in the blink of an eye. How could it end like this? The twinkle in her eyes gone like when day fades to night. But no owl coos, and no crickets chirp. Silence darkness, that her eyes did not glow in. She could see nothing, nothing good could come from this. All gone.


Two days after this terrible event; Lilly laid still, staring at the ceiling, at the psychiatric.
"Com'on Lilly," the psychologist eventually said. "we're going to get ya' to a orphanage" she continued. These words stabbed Lilly sharper than knife. It hadn't quite sunk it yet, or maybe she didn't want it to. "King of hearts orphanage," she went on to say. Lilly had heard of this orphanage, friends say bad things about it, but the thought of her friends hurt more.
An orphanage, there were no other place to go, no family left. Only distant relatives from far.

* * *

As the car pulled up outside towering gates, Lilly stood, holding one arm with the other, she gulped. She slowly approached, expecting to hear children laughing and playing, but nothing. As she got nearer she saw a large old building with vines twisted, broken windows and graffiti scorned across the walls. The clasp of fear hung on her as she heard her name being called out from the doorway.
"LILLY WALSH?" Screamed a grungy voice. As Lilly gazed up, she saw a old woman that looked eighty, but was probably fifty. Her wrinkled finger pointed in Lilly's direction "Are you Lilly Walsh?" Her voice went straight through her, high pitch yet low pitch, if the devil could talk it would sound like this.
"Eh... yes mam" Lilly plucked the courage to say. The woman smiled but her teeth wasn't a pleasant sight. She gestured for Lilly to enter. As Lilly passed all of the colour had been drained out of her. The floor was Gray, the walls was Gray, the decor was Gray. Everything was colourless, like the fun erased from existence. Gingerly, Lilly shuffled in.
"I am Miss Wuden," she whipped out of her mouth " W. U. D. E. N," she snapped. Lilly looked at her with a blank expression. Miss Wuden scrawled at her. Her face all close. Her sent of death could be smelt from a far. Lilly felt sick. Wuden twirled around and walked down the hall.
Finally Lilly could see children, but they weren't jolly, they weren't laughing or playing. They all stood in a row, looking at the floor like an army. Wuden's wrinkled finger with long disgusting nail pointed next to a small boy around thirteen or fourteen with messy brown hair. A small smile crouched across his face as Lilly approached standing beside him.
She stood for at least five minutes in silence before coughing
"Um... Miss Wuden? What exactly are we supposed to be doing?" Lilly inquired. Confused. But she didn't answer, maybe it was a religious thing lily thought. "Is this for a religion?" She asked "because I'm not religious," at once Miss Wuden snapped a wooden stick at her desk and yelled "SILENCE! You silly girl!" Lilly gasped in terror and sheer shock. Her mouth glued shut at an instant. Not one of the other children moved, not even a twitch. It was clear to lily that she wasn't going to like it here.
#challenge