Liria and Ruben

Yesterday I saw my sister Liria crying again, and I just hugged her, trying to find words to console her. It is difficult to console an older sibling, especially when one is not good with words. I’m only six years old, and before this week I had never had to console anyone before. Liria is good with words, she’s nine, and she is good at consoling me. I don’t cry much, but when I do she is there to talk to me, and make me smile. But now she is the one crying, and I just sit next to her and hug her, not knowing what to say.

Everything started last week, when the rain came, even though now it feels like it’s been raining for months. It started with a soft drizzle, a drizzle we often have here, but it didn’t stop, instead water started coming down as if someone was standing on top of us pouring buckets of water. Liria and I were happy at first, and played in the rain until our mother thought it was dangerous and made us come inside.

That first day we went to bed listening to the rain, and I even thought the sound was pretty. I didn’t know then that the rain would not stop, and it would ruin everything. The next day, it rained even more, and everyone talked about the rain. The day after that, the rain was still the main topic of conversation, but the tone had changed, people wanted the rain to stop.

The fourth day, and this is when my sister Liria’s tragedy started, the water started getting into the house, and our parents were concerned. We didn’t know where it was coming from, because it seemed as if it came from every direction. Water came from the ceiling, water came from under the door, water surrounded us, and our parents asked us to try to move everything to a safer spot in the home. My sister Liria started by moving Ruben, her Cockatoo, of course, because she loves it. She always says her cockatoo Ruben and I are her best friends, and then she kisses us both.

Sadly for Liria, as she tried to move the cage, the door opened up, probably because the water made it loose, and poor Ruben flew away, which is weird because he never does that, but maybe he was afraid of the rain. Either way, a window was open, and Ruben flew away, and Liria called him to come back, but poor Ruben went outside in the rain and flew fast, we don’t know where. Now Liria is sad, and crying again, outside it’s still pouring and I’m hugging her, wishing I had the words to make her smile again.

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