"Willow!"
The young amber haired girl, who appeared to be walking in the opposite direction of the caller, picked up her pace. She was scowling, pretending not to have heard her mother who was standing on the back porch with both hands on her hips.
It was nearly one in the morning. A low, creeping fog clung to the grass of the large pasture where a farmhouse sat on the outskirts of town. It was a small, three bedroom, two-story house that appeared to be held together by the sheer will of it's owners. The Paisley's worked hard on their failing farm, struggling to make ends meet each month. It showed in the home's exterior upkeep that repairs and paint were not very high on Mr. Paisley's priorities.
"Willow Danielle! You get back here!" Amy Paisley wrung her hands in distress.
Willow was a problem child. Her parents had done what they could to keep her reigned in, but lacking the ability to watch her at all times allowed for the teen to slip further and further away. She'd recently taken to sneaking out on the nights her father had to work in town which left her mother's hands tied in watching the younger siblings.
As Willow's lean frame disappeared from view, Amy burst into tears. Holding a hand to her forehead, she slowly turned back to the house and turned off the porch light. Tears still streaming down her face, the Paisley matron wandered into the kitchen where she'd taken to waiting for her husband to return home.
Four hours later, Garret slipped silently into his home looking tired and worn out.
"Ames?" He whispered into the foyer, hanging his jacket on a peg by the door while he kicked off his muddy work boots. Someone in the kitchen stirred and he headed in that direction. Amy met him in the doorway looking just as exhausted.
"She's gone again isn't she?"
Amy nodded wearily, falling against her husbands chest with a strangled sob.
"We should be thankful that she still comes home. There's still that, Ames."
"She didn't even stop, Garret. I know she heard me call out to her and she didn't even stop."
Mr. Paisley pat his wife's curly tawny hair. In truth he was too exhausted to deal with Willow right now, but it was best to comfort his spouse on the nights she was this upset. "Amy we can't do anything about it tonight. Let's go to bed, we're both tired. She'll be back in the morning and we can deal with her then."
"Garret, I can't help but worry that one morning we're going to wake up and she won't come back."
"She always does, Ames."
The young amber haired girl, who appeared to be walking in the opposite direction of the caller, picked up her pace. She was scowling, pretending not to have heard her mother who was standing on the back porch with both hands on her hips.
It was nearly one in the morning. A low, creeping fog clung to the grass of the large pasture where a farmhouse sat on the outskirts of town. It was a small, three bedroom, two-story house that appeared to be held together by the sheer will of it's owners. The Paisley's worked hard on their failing farm, struggling to make ends meet each month. It showed in the home's exterior upkeep that repairs and paint were not very high on Mr. Paisley's priorities.
"Willow Danielle! You get back here!" Amy Paisley wrung her hands in distress.
Willow was a problem child. Her parents had done what they could to keep her reigned in, but lacking the ability to watch her at all times allowed for the teen to slip further and further away. She'd recently taken to sneaking out on the nights her father had to work in town which left her mother's hands tied in watching the younger siblings.
As Willow's lean frame disappeared from view, Amy burst into tears. Holding a hand to her forehead, she slowly turned back to the house and turned off the porch light. Tears still streaming down her face, the Paisley matron wandered into the kitchen where she'd taken to waiting for her husband to return home.
Four hours later, Garret slipped silently into his home looking tired and worn out.
"Ames?" He whispered into the foyer, hanging his jacket on a peg by the door while he kicked off his muddy work boots. Someone in the kitchen stirred and he headed in that direction. Amy met him in the doorway looking just as exhausted.
"She's gone again isn't she?"
Amy nodded wearily, falling against her husbands chest with a strangled sob.
"We should be thankful that she still comes home. There's still that, Ames."
"She didn't even stop, Garret. I know she heard me call out to her and she didn't even stop."
Mr. Paisley pat his wife's curly tawny hair. In truth he was too exhausted to deal with Willow right now, but it was best to comfort his spouse on the nights she was this upset. "Amy we can't do anything about it tonight. Let's go to bed, we're both tired. She'll be back in the morning and we can deal with her then."
"Garret, I can't help but worry that one morning we're going to wake up and she won't come back."
"She always does, Ames."