Just a little hope

Maggie grabbed her swim goggles and skipped into the bathroom. She rocked on her heels anxiously as the water filled the tub. As soon as the tub was full she jumped into the tiny ocean. As her head was submerged in water she felt it. That magical feeling. Everything was okay again. Her sister wasn’t sick, her dad and mom were in love, and she ate like a queen every night. She looked down and suddenly didn’t see the pearly surface anymore. All she saw was water, beautiful and pure, safe and free. She was there, in her safe place.

 She dove straight down, head first, into the deep blue. She just kept swimming until she came across her best friend, Skye. Skye was beautiful. She had long hair the color of honey, and eyes the color of seaweed. Her voice was gentle and her laugh was sweet and contagious. But her most beautiful feature was her sky blue tail. She was exactly who Maggie wanted to be.

 Skye grabbed Maggie’s hand and the two sped through the water like fish, only stopping when they got to their secret hide out. They stopped at the opening to the large, mysterious cave and Maggie closed her eyes before entering. She paused a moment, praying it was all still there. When her eyes opened she saw it. Her mom was baking cookies with a blinding smile, her dad was reading Cassie her favorite book, there was a proper meal on the table with a place for each of them, and her parents kept smiling at each other, real smiles not the fake ones they put on whenever they knew Maggie was in the room. But even with all that the best part of this ideal life was the little 4 year old in her father’s lap. There was color in Cassie’s cheeks, there was a smile on her tiny face, and she was being held; something the doctors could not allow, unless it was Maggie’s mom and she was wearing gloves and a mask.

 Maggie looked at Skye, who immediately knew what Maggie was thinking, and the two girls swam as fast as they could to the table, where Maggie ate as much as she could. After dinner the two girls played with a healthy and happy Cassie. A few hours passed and eventually the girls left the cave and just swam. They swam slowly this time as they took in the magnificent sights and sounds of the ocean. They watched schools of fish swim by with a purpose, whales float by peacefully, and crabs fight over dinner. Maggie just watched each animal as they all went about their business. She stared as all the colors blended with the soft waves of the water.

 If she could, she would have stayed there with Skye forever. But she couldn’t. She had to go back home and help her mom find enough crackers for dinner. She had to hold Cassie’s hand through the plastic glove as the 4 year old cried out in pain. She had to clean up because her dad left her mom too weak to do anything but sleep. She had to convince herself that things would get better, that everything would be okay. Without her, her family would fall apart, more than it already had.

 She looked at Skye with a great deal of sadness in her eyes and together, they swam back toward the surface. As the bright light came closer and closer, Maggie knew she was leaving her best friend, and her dream life, but she also knew that she had to go. Skye would wait for her to come back, but her mom and Cassie needed her now. She broke through the surface of the water as the white porcelain returned underneath her. 

Just as she was stepping out of the now half empty tub, Maggie’s mother appeared in the doorway carrying a tiny, pale Cassie. Through the small mask, Maggie heard her mom asking her to hurry up so Cassie could get her bath. She quickly grabbed her towel and rushed out of the room. But she suddenly paused as a thought occurred to her. She ran back to the tub, grabbed the small mermaid doll, with the honey-colored hair, and the sky blue tail, wrapped it in a plastic bag, and handed it to her little sister.

 As she rushed out of the bathroom, she silently hoped that, even though Cassie is in small plastic tub, and not the same porcelain portal Maggie swims in, she still finds as much magic as her big sister. She hoped that her mom sees the why it’s so important that Cassie has Skye. She also hoped that Skye knew that Maggie wasn’t giving her away, just sharing her with someone who needs her help. Because skye saved Maggie. She showed her what her life could be someday. She showed her what her sister’s dark curls and green eyes could look like. She showed her what her mother’s real smile looks like. She showed her what her own smile looks like. She showed her how kind and loving her father could be. She showed her how to hope. And she showed her what friendship is…that’s the best thing of all, because Maggie never had a friend before. And now, she could be a friend to Cassie too. Without Skye, Maggie might have left her mom and sister. Maggie might have never left the water. The tired, starved 7 year old might have taken her own life awat, if God hadn’t entered her life through her imagination and a doll.