fly

once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted to fly.  she was a wee little thing of 
8, with the curliest golden hair you ever did see.  and boy was she an angel.  bringing her 
equally lovely mother a clump of garden daisies one afternoon when her mother was sick.  
always cleaning up after herself, not getting a speck of dirt on her lace pinafore.  sitting 
on papa's lap, playing with his beard and laughing when he made funny faces.  she was a 
charmer, of the worst sort.

once upon a time there was a girl, who could no longer be considered little, but hardly 
comparing to a big girl, who wanted to climb mount everest.  she was a bright 12 year old, 
with a lovely complexion and those golden curls that always got people staring.  she was 
sort of sweet, when she wanted to be, although oftentimes she didnt want to be.  she trampled 
all over her mother's prize-winning begonias, piled her dishes in the sink, and papa's lap 
was as archaic an idea as using a typewriter instead of a computer (or at least, it was an 
archaic idea to HER, some people might not agree however).  she was still a charmer, although 
it didn't quite work as well as when she were younger.

once upon a time there was a young woman of 16 who was in love.  he called every night, and 
her squeals of laughter every few moments could be heard throughout the house.  mother took 
anxiety pills daily, papa shaved his beard, and the dishes no longer piled up because this 
young woman hardly ate (and when she did it was something that could be consumed with hands).
she was gorgeous, though, with her ringlets cascading down her back, and her eyes twinkling 
in mischief-like she had a secret she was just bursting to tell.  barreling down the stairs 
in her light pink evening gown, pulling her beau to the car, she left for a night to remember 
at her junior prom.

once upon a time there was a woman of 19 who wanted to drive.  take off from her life, her 
3 year old daughter, her demanding husband, her tight schedule, the unsatisfactory paychecks. 
mother was getting old and frail and daddy died 6 months ago.  the dishes were forever in 
the sink because she had no time or energy to tend to them.  little laurie, the daughter she 
wished she could undo, was learning to talk and charm and manipulate.  just like her momma.

once upon a time there was a woman who wanted to sleep.  at 24, her hair still fell down 
to her waist, her eyes still were this beautiful blue, although they rarely twinkled.  her 
husband had killed himself, and she wondered why she didnt care as much as she ought.  the 
dullness and numbness of her heart surprised her.  she just wanted to lay down and sleep 
and not wake up.  but she couldnt.  mother had come to live with her, helping in what little 
way she could.  little laurie was just turning 8 this week, and already she had expressed 
her dream to fly.