if it quirks..

They were definitely rascals, but they meant no harm.  It was just the way they were.  Besides, they were family.  Yet, as Glenn scanned the stars and found Gemini he knew Lark and Wren would not be this way forever.  One day, maybe soon, something would give.  And there would be pieces to pick up.  Glenn’s gaze roved over the hunter Orion, Perseus, Pegasus–all explorers.  The stargazer swung higher, willing his body to rocket into the sky.  Why was he grounded here?  The garden remained the same, but he was outgrowing it.  There must be something more outside.  Did he dare…?  Dare what?  There was his family.  What about Sunny, Lark and Wren, Yvette?  How would it be without him there to watch over them, guard the garden, and keep things running smoothly?  A sigh escaped him as he dragged his feet through the dirt.  The swing stopped, but he continued sitting and gazing.

“It’s beautiful tonight.”

Glenn smiled and said, “You always know where to find me.”  He didn’t have to come back down to earth to know it was Yvette.

“May I join you?” Yvette asked.

“Be my guest.” Glenn motioned to the swing next to him.  She stepped forward carefully and sat down in the swing.  They looked up at the sky together.  “The twins and Sunny are in bed.  They were having a pillow fight, but ceased when threatened with medicine.  They hate the taste and they had already brushed their teeth.”  Yvette laughed softly as if the tiny points above might topple down like crystal figurines in a glass case.

Glenn said, “I don’t know how you keep it together and tame them so easily. I just get frustrated and angry…all the time.  I feel like it’s growing more often.”  He trailed off.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, ” said Yvette.  “They know that you don’t mean it.  It’s just who you are.  I can see that you try to keep composed, and hold us all together while managing the garden.  All the while you dream of getting out.  You were meant for so much more, but you battle the stifled tension within that comes with great responsibility.”  She finished in the same hushed voice and dug her bare toe into the dirt.  She continued, “This place is beautiful, but you are meant for greater things, Glenn.  I know it.  Just keep your eyes and chin turned up.”  She gestured at the diamond speckled sky at those words.  Glenn turned to look at her.  She could be a living constellation.  Her charcoal eyes reflected the starry bodies, like billions of diamonds in the recesses of a cavern.  He could not read her.  He stared at her profile a moment longer then looked back at the sky and laughed.  “Did I tell you what they did today?”

“Mmhmm, Glenn, you let Lark have it, didn’t you?”  Yvette shook her head, but a smiled played at the corners of her mouth.  He started chuckling at the memory of the twigs sticking out at all angles.

“Yep, I guess it tamed them for now, ” Glenn said.  “They are so funny!”

“I know!  I don’t know a pair of crazier pixies.”

Glenn looked at Gemini again.  “Did I ever tell you the story of Gemini, the twins…”