Carlene

Little sister Carlene slept soundly beside Anna. Her breathe was soft, erythematic. Grandma liked to sleep with the windows open. Sometimes that seemed a little scary but tonight with Grandma and Granddaddy talking softly in then next room, the night sounds were comforting. It had been a great day with aroma of Grandma’s cooking filling the air. Anna had spent the day playing with her cousins.
Now, snuggled comfortably in Grandma’s big feather bed, Anna watched the stars, thanked God for a perfect day and prayed for tomorrow to be just like today. It felt good to have her family all together, singing songs and playing games. Pulling the colorful homemade quilt up to her neck, she turned toward her sister and watched as Carlene’s little chest moved gently up and down.
Tiny whisks of syrup colored hair framed her sister’s little angle face. Anna smiled at thinking her sister was an angel. She remembered how earlier in the day Carlene persuaded their younger cousins that her way was the “right” way. Carlene had a little of Tom Sawyer in her. Grandma told Carlene to tidy up the play yard. Carlene had somehow convinced her cousin that the cleaning was a fun part of play. Anna watched as Carlene played Mommy, rocking her baby doll as Cousin Treat happily worked to clean their “house”.
Anna snuggled into her pillow drifting in and out of sleep. She was looking forward to the morning. Anna knew that when the sun peaked through her window and the night mist still covered the ground, Grandma would be in the kitchen making biscuits and cream gravy for breakfast for her “girls”. Grandma’s love was the best of all. This was Anna’s last thought as she closed her eyes to sleep.