Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 100 Views of Dorothy ❯ A Night Out. ( Chapter 6 )

Theme #6: Stars

Word Count: 1, 025

Rating: G/K/A

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. The rest is mine.

Notes: Thanks to Nzomniac for being my excellent beta. Part of the Romefeller Era.

 

A Night Out or Stars Around Us

 

The giggling of two young girls filled the small room. They eagerly tore off their shoes that had been pinching their feet all afternoon and most of the evening. They tossed their socks away, not caring where they landed. Their parents had unexpectedly decided to take their guests into town for the night, freeing the children to behave in such a way.

 

“Slow down, girls,” warned their caretaker, Señora Santiago.

 

“We have to hurry so we can be outside as much as possible!” explained Dorothy.

 

“They'll be back soon!” fretted Alyssa.

 

Señora Santiago bit back a comment and ushered the girls outside, though they hardly needed any prompting. Madame Du Pont, the woman in charge over the maids and a close friend of Señora Santiago, accompanied the trio outside. The women sat at the table nearest the edge of the patio, and the girls ventured into the yard. Two young maids lit torches and candles to provide additional lighting for the women to watch the lasses. They set hot tea on the table for the women.

 

The girls started to follow the lightning bugs. Soon, they decided to hold a contest to see who could get the most bugs.

 

“Señora Santiago will keep track of mine, and Madame Du Pont will keep track of yours,” instructed Dorothy.

 

The two started their contest with delight. They chased after the bugs, calling out numbers as they were able to grab hold of one. The bugs didn't have to fly too high to be out of the girls' reaches, and the children frequently tried jumping and swiping with their hands to grab another bug. A few times, they captured the firefly too vigorously and crushed the insect, getting the glowing underbelly on their hands. When this happened, they would run over to Señora Santiago to have their hands cleaned.

 

With all the running and jumping, they soon tired themselves. Alyssa crawled into Madame Du Pont's lap expecting her sister to go to Señora Santiago. However, Dorothy was much too old to sit on someone's lap—besides her father's lap, of course—and she grabbed another chair and brought it over to the others, sitting in it.

 

“Why do fireflies glow?” asked Alyssa.

 

“They have little light bulbs on them,” her older sister explained knowingly.

 

The women chuckled. “It's something to do with the chemicals in their body, I think,” said Madame Du Pont. “I don't really remember, though.”

 

“My mother used to tell me they were little fairies flitting around,” Señora Santiago added with a smile.

 

“Are they really fairies?” Dorothy asked hopefully.

 

“No, chiquita,” answered Señora Santiago, then kissed her on her forehead.

 

“I think they look like stars,” Alyssa spoke up. “The stars came down and fly around us, making us happy.”

 

“What a nice thought,” Señora Santiago said softly.

 

“A very poetic one,” agreed Madame Du Pont.

 

Dorothy looked out at the field of glowing insects lighting up the yard. Before she could add an idea, a commotion came from the house distracting the four. They all looked inside to see General Catalonia and his wife returning from their evening out with their friends. Señora and Madame instinctively looked at their watches. The couple was still young, so they generally did not return from such outings until very late. The two older women were certain they had not let the girls stay up that late; a quick glance to their watches confirmed that. Something had brought the Catalonias home very early.

 

“It's time for bed,” called out Mrs. Catalonia. Her daughters groaned but went to their mother. “We have to get packing and leave early in the morning.”

 

“Where are we going?” asked Dorothy. She looked up and saw grave expressions on her parents' faces.

 

“Something has happened to Uncle Tretton, and we have to go to his family,” their father explained.

 

“Will the kids be there?” inquired Alyssa hopefully. Her cousins—the older ones at least—were frequently away at school when they visited.

 

“Yes, Chelsea, Dix, Treize, Milliardo, and baby Julian will all be there,” assured General Catalonia. “Now do as your mother says and get in bed, darlings.” He bent down to hug them and to give them each a kiss. “I'll tuck you into bed in a minute.”

 

The girls obediently ran up the stairs, but at the top where no one could see them, they paused and listened to the adults talk below.

 

“Is General Khushrenada okay?” inquired Madame Du Pont.

 

The girls heard a muffled sob from their mother.

 

“No … there was a battle a few days ago, and he sustained some serious injuries. His funeral is in a few days. We're going tomorrow to help Eleanor with the children and everything,” explained their father.

 

“We'll make sure the girls are ready,” promised Señora Santiago, sadness in her voice. Madame Du Pont and she both offered their sympathies.

 

The girls scurried off to bed quickly. Alyssa was too young to understand what a funeral was. Dorothy, however, remembered the funeral for baby Meaghan—the little girl her aunt and uncle lost between Treize and Julian. She remembered the tiny baby in a coffin, and she knew her strong uncle would be like that.

 

The women came and helped them get ready for bed. Then their parents came and tucked them into bed, giving them one last kiss for the night. Dorothy held her emotions inside as well as she could, and none of the adults noticed that she knew what had happened. After they had left, her baby sister quickly fell asleep and thankfully did not ask what a funeral was. Dorothy sat up and looked out the window. The fireflies were still dancing outside.

 

If they're really stars around us, decided Dorothy, I can wish on one. She closed her eyes and wished as hard as she could. As she lay back on the bed, she assured herself that they would soon finish out the summer at the house—maybe even bring their cousins to the house. She fell asleep soon afterward, not knowing that she would never again return to their summer house after the night out.