Sophie O'Malley
May 09, 2020 8:23 AM
Quieter by Sophie O'Malley
The house was quiet.Sophie often liked quiet while she was brewing potions, but she had gotten used to the sounds of the boys in the house. It was Stanley’s feet she always heard, romping through their large home, his graceless fleet clomping or his body weight hurling into a chair somewhere. She was hardly home alone, but the other occupants were more subtle in their individual pursuits. Serapes occasionally brewed with her, a delightful interaction she was pleased to maintain after all these years, often returning her mind to the place the bond began, leaning on tiptoe at a young age to lean and see what the potions master was working on next. Today, though, Serapes was resting.
She was surprised to look up and see one of the other current occupants of her home shuffle sadly into view . “Hey, buddy,” she said softly. “What’s up? You look bummed.”
“I’m so bored,” came the return, a small British voice from the doorway of her potions chamber. Sophie often watched Tommy while her father and step-mother worked, but he always had a bit more company around the house. But with Stanley and Wally away at school, having joined Theo there, he had run out of playmates his own age.
“You could go play with Charlotte,” Sophie suggested.
Tommy wrinkled his nose. He liked Charlotte, but she was only five - she couldn’t understand the complicated adventures and scenarios he wanted to imagine. Her type of pretend was far more likely to involve dolls and princesses, and while that was fine once in a while, Tommy Jamison had already had his fill for the moment.
Sophie mirrored her little brother’s expression. She bore more resemblance to her late mother, but the Jamison kids all had the same crooked frown. “You really miss the boys already, huh?” Tommy nodded. “Yeah, me too.” A somber pause stuck between them, but an idea struck her, and she broke it. “Hey, how about you help me? I’m making wolfsbane for Theo’s dad. It’s really, really tricky, but Serapes let me help him when I was about your age, and I think you can do it.”
In an instant, Tommy’s face lit up. “Yeah, okay!” he grinned, rushing the rest of the way into the room. “What can I do?”
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Sophie O'Malley
Quieter
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