A lone dove, white as an angel, flies across the sky. As it glides and soars, it feels a tug beneath its wings. It looks down, and a single tear slips along its fine feathered face. It watches the droplet all the way to the ground, through low-hanging clouds and maneuvering trees, until it lands gracefully on a small green flower, in a small green pot, on a blood-stained windowsill. The dove wavers in the air for just a second before flying far from the house. Though it feels guilt, it doesn't look back.
Effie ruled over her 7' x 10' kingdom with love. She would sometimes read to her subjects (Miss Trixie loved story-time the most), and other times, she would make her subjects grand feasts (Hector always ate everyone's food). Mr. Pepper would join her for teatime, while Mr. Carrots liked to play hide-and-seek. Sparkles was Effie's crystalline unicorn, who loved to run and have Effie ride on her back.
Effie's empire might have been small, but she knew every nook and cranny of it. She often would visit the bunnies, munching on her little flower, or the kitties watching from her closet. The puppies played on the bed, and Effie sat on her pillow throne, overlooking it all. The white walls of her kingdom were covered in pencil, crayon, marker, and paint marks, which had gotten her in trouble with the other Emperors of the region, but she found to be altogether worth it for the people she ruled over, A bowl of brightly colored cereal sat in front of her, like a fountain display. "Uh-oh, Mr. Carrots! It looks like the Moon Lily's all dried up! Let's go get her some more water." Effie grabbed her plastic green watering can and Mr. Carrots and ran out of her room. She raced him down the stairs, then plopped him on the counter so she could run the faucet and collect the Moon Lily's water. As she stood there, barely reaching even with her little pink step-stool, her arm shook under the weight of the watering can. She did not stop. It filled up and up, and finally, once the water brimmed at the very top of the can, Effie flicked off the sink and turned to grab Mr. Carrots. Before she could, however, the Emperor sauntered in. Effie quickly assessed him, taking in the beer in his hands and the awkward stumble with which he walked, and decided it was best she return to her kingdom. She was glad the smell didn't travel all the way upstairs. But the sounds did.
Even as she tiptoed up the stairs, skipping all the creaky steps, and down the hallway, avoiding the squeaky spots, she could hear them. The thunder crashed into Effie's little enclave, and her people ran for shelter. Mr. Carrots jumped out of her arms and hid under the bed. The others followed suit. Effie decided she should probably join them too.
A crash. Broken glass. They would forget about it later, so Effie knew she would have to clean it up.
The screaming. Effie huddled under the bed with her subjects and pressed her head against the wall. It wouldn't stop. She soothed herself with a gentle rocking motion, repeatedly bashing her head against the wall. Not hard enough to do harm, just enough to distract her. Effie's small blonde curls swayed with her head, her chocolatey eyes wide and tear-ridden.
Bang, bang, bang. There was a small indent in her wall, but no one could see it from above the bed. Only she knew.
Effie's breath caught. She hadn't given her flower its water. She glanced down.
"It'll be okay, Sparkles. It'll be okay." Trembling, she crawled from beneath her bed, heaved up the watering can, and fed the loyal lily.
Mesmerized by its growth, Effie gently stroked a petal. It was just one single flower, which she hadn't been able to get to turn anything but green, but it was beautiful. It was life.
Effie knew Sparkles would be very happy to see it.
Then the thunder crashed again, and Effie jumped, frozen for just a second before placing her Moon Lily back on her windowsill, closing the window (the neighbors would ask about the noise), and retreating back under her bed.
It was well into the night when Effie finally curled up, realizing she'd be spending the night in her bunker. No one noticed the deep-set bags under her eyes the next day.