One shared smile. Two different skies.
One Scarf
“Look at that,” said Mia.
“I am,” said Lily.
They pulled in opposite directions and nearly lost the scarf.
It belonged to their mother, who had wrapped it around both of them while they waited outside their aunt’s house. She had gone in to fetch her camera and left them with one instruction: stay where the light was good.
Mia thought the light was particularly good on the roof opposite. Lily preferred what it was doing beside the front steps.
“You can’t see it from there,” Mia said.
“I can see it perfectly.”
Lily tugged the long grey scarf back towards her. Mia followed, because her own end was still around her neck.
A moment later, Mia pulled, and Lily had to take two quick steps to keep up.
Their cheeks bumped.
Look at That
“Up there,” Mia said.
On the roof, the weather vane had caught the wind. Its little metal arrow swung round, stopped, and swung back again.
“It’s looking for something.”
“It’s pointing.”
“At what?”
Lily studied the arrow. It pointed at a chimney, then at a tree, then somewhere beyond both.
“It hasn’t decided,” she said.
Mia laughed. She had been watching it for several minutes and had reached much the same conclusion, although she preferred to think it was following something too quick for them to see.
The arrow settled briefly towards the garden. Both girls leaned to follow its direction.
Lily gave a small gasp.
“Now look down.”
Beside the steps, their aunt’s cat had discovered a patch of sunlight. He was trying to fit the whole of himself into it. His front paws were in, his tail was out, and each time he moved one part, another escaped.
Mia watched him turn twice, then sit down across the middle.
“He’s made it smaller,” she said.
“The sun?”
“The cat.”
The Other View
The cat tucked his tail around his paws. Lily leaned forward to see whether it had finally reached the light.
Mia leaned with her. The scarf tightened beneath both their chins.
“Sorry,” Lily said, stepping back.
They stood cheek to cheek again. A loose strand of Mia’s hair tickled Lily’s nose, and Lily tried to blow it away without using her hands.
“You missed.”
“Your turn.”
Mia tried. They both ended up laughing, and the strand settled across Lily’s cheek instead.
Above them, the weather vane rattled. Mia lifted her eyes.
“It’s pointing at the cat.”
Lily looked up, then down. The cat had closed his eyes and was no longer concerned about the part of his tail outside the sun.
“Perhaps it found him,” she said.
Mia liked that. She let her side of the scarf loosen while Lily bent to give the cat a gentle stroke.
When Lily stood again, she pulled the scarf around both their shoulders, leaving a little more room between their necks.
Both of Them
Their mother came out carrying the camera.
“Have you seen something interesting?”
“Yes,” they said together.
“The arrow,” said Mia.
“The cat,” said Lily.
Their mother followed each pointing finger. The arrow had turned towards the tree. The cat had curled up so neatly that his tail was hidden.
“I can see why you like them,” she said.
She raised the camera. Mia moved closer so the scarf would not slip. Lily put her arm around her sister, and their cheeks met again.
“Ready?”
Above the camera, Mia caught sight of the arrow turning back towards the steps. Lily noticed the cat’s tail slowly uncurl into the sunlight.
They smiled.
Afterwards, their mother showed them the picture. The girls looked almost exactly alike, except for one pair of blue eyes and one pair of green.
“What were you both smiling at?” she asked.
“The arrow,” said Mia.
“The tail,” said Lily.
Leave a Reply