“You can run, but you can’t hide, Sally!” Lisa cackled as she cornered Sally. The child's eyes grew wide as she realized that there was nowhere for her to run to.
“Don’t worry, Sally! I’ll save you!” Riley hollowed.
Without any fear or hesitation, the brave Riley came charging towards the wicked Lisa. She wrestled her sister free and pulled her to safety before turning to face the wicked Lisa. She was truly a terrifying sight to see. Lisa screamed and shrank back out of fear.
“No! No! Nooo!” she wailed to the sky.
“I’ll spare you on one condition,” Riley spoke calmly.
“What is it? I’ll do anything!” Lisa howled.
“Leave and never come back. You must leave us alone forever!”
“I will, I promise! Just let me go!”
“Go, then!” Riley returned to her sister’s side. Sally couldn’t seem to stop laughing. She was rolling around in the dirt and her soft laughter filled the air.
Sally’s laughter soon leaked over to Lisa. She snapped and joined in with the giggling and squealing. Soon, even the stern and heroic Riley was laughing with them. They spent a moment just laughing together. The three of them had woken up extra early to play that morning.
“Well, that sure made me hungry,” Lisa said after catching her breath.
She grabbed her plate that was lying on a nearby rock. They had agreed to eat breakfast outside as well. The sky above them was still dark. Lisa could still make out a handful of faintly flickering stars. But on the horizon a deep orange light was appearing. Soon Lisa would have to leave once more. Her heart sank. She would be more than happy to spend the whole day here playing. The sisters would probably like that too. But it couldn’t be helped, and it was for their own good.
They sat down to finish their breakfast. Sally curled up next to Lisa and rested her head on her shoulder with a happy sigh. Lisa gently stroked her hair as they ate and watched the sunrise.
“It’s amazing,” Riley breathed.
It really was. The deep blues faded into soft purples before exploding across the sky with neon pinks and reds. Towering walls of fluffy clouds were painted with the cheerful shades. Then the sun itself became visible. The trio watched as its blinding rays chased the last specks of darkness away. It was incredible how something so simple could make even this horrible place look beautiful.
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“I wish that the world could always look like this,” Riley added.
“Well, then this wouldn’t feel special, would it?” Lisa said. Riley didn’t answer. Instead, she just closed her eyes and rested her head on Lisa’s free shoulder.
“Thank you again, Miss Lisa. Thank you for taking care of us. I know it’s a lot of work. But I appreciate it, and I’m sure Sally does too.”
“Every single moment of work is worth it,” Lisa said firmly. Riley beamed up at her. That smile was enough to melt anyone’s heart. Yes, everything she did for them was worth it. These girls were the most precious treasure in the whole world. She wasn’t going to let them down. She would do everything and anything she could for them.
“You remind me a tiny bit of myself when I was your age, Riley,” Lisa remarked.
“Really? Why, Miss Lisa?”
“Well… you try very hard. But I also know you’re carrying a lot.” she answered honestly. Riley opened her eyes. “I know it must be very hard for you, growing up without parents,” Lisa added.
“What were your parents like when you were a kid?” That was a hard question to answer. Lisa turned several different words over in her mind before answering.
“They were nice enough. But I didn’t get to see a whole lot of them. They were very busy and well… sometimes I felt a little lonely. But they weren’t bad people.”
“I’m sorry,” said Riley.
“Well, it’s not your fault, dear. I did learn some things from them. I learned to take care of myself when I was ill or hurt. That was one of the things that made me want to become a doctor.
“I still have no idea who my parents were,” Riley said. This was the first time that Riley had mentioned anything about her background without being asked. It sparked Lisa’s curiosity. But she knew better than to pry at a time like this.
“I’m sorry,” was all she said. The three of them sat there for a moment, enjoying the peace and stillness of the world around them. But soon, it was time for her to leave the sisters once again. Lisa gave them each a goodbye hug before heading off to work with a heavy heart.
A cool breeze filled Lisa’s eyes with tears and lightly burned her cheeks. She should have taken her warmer jacket. The past few days had been nice. But this morning was icy cold again. Sometimes it seemed as if the winter was never going to end. The days just kept becoming colder and colder.
Suddenly, the wind picked up with a howl of rage and sent a sheet of paper flying through the air. It hit Lisa right across the face before flopping itself down on the pavement below. Lisa let out a sudden cry, then relaxed when she realized it was only a bit of paper. She chuckled softly to herself as she lifted the paper from the ground. She laughed at her somewhat silly mistake. But her laughter faded and her heart froze the minute she saw what was written on the paper.
“W-what?” she whispered. “H-how can this be?”
Have you seen these humans? Riley and Sally, if you have, please call 238-890-786 for a 100,000 cash reward.