Just Another Day (Open)

Just Another Day

Her forehead was sticky with residue as she hung up the clothing of her youngest siblings. The twins, Jave and Lyra had managed to scrape up their knees while playing tag. Now there was a mess of caked mud and blood on their trousers. She knew she should have scolded both of them, but finally did not have the heart or the amount of exasperation to do that. Had her older sister, Naima, been there, things would have turned out differently.

Jave and Lyra both had matching light brown hair that fell into their eyes. They had sparkling eyes, filled with laughter and the nine year olds were each others' best friends. She watched as the pair of them tore around the house once more, Lyra's face pointed toward the sky as she let out a jubilant laugh. Meeka chuckled and sat down on a wooden bench in front of the family's house. They had a grey, two story building with a kitchen and three seperate rooms. There was a dull patch of withered grass in front of the steps leading to the house, with a broken swing, the washing line and the bench.

They lived right in city center, in the midst of the industrial high. Factories pushed black smoke into the air surrounding them and spilled pieces of fabric littered the sidewalks. Some children were lucky and lived further out by the meadows. Those jobs were less risky and healthier by far, but the demand in factory hands was bigger.

"Be careful!" she shouted when Jave narrowly missed running into a tall stranger. Her eyebrows furrowed and she placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her younger siblings. "If you cannot behave, you could always help me with the wash. I still have tons to do!" She pointed to a large pile of clothes and she saw the twins pull simultaneous faces of revulsion. She rolled her eyes. "Very well. You two go and play, but be careful! Do not venture too far out, you need to help with the table later!" The twins nodded and disappeared in seconds.

She turned back to the pile of washing and dumped the whole lot into a pail of cold water. They couldn't afford any hot water just for the wash. She sang under her breath as she did so.
"May troubles be less
and blessings be more,
and nothing but happiness come through your door.
And may you have luck,
where ever you go - "
she froze, suddenly feeling watched and looked up from her washing.