North, South, East, and West

North, South, East, and West (February 2019, Round 2, Day 4)

Once upon a time there was a family with four sisters, each of them kind and beautiful in their own way, all of whom shared a birthday. Their parents loved them dearly and doted on them equally, somthing that’s uncommon in stories starting like this. 

North was born first. She grew to be tall and willowy and quick to volunteer. Her hair grew down to the top of her bottom and was usually worn in braids. Music was her fuel and she would sing all day long, alternating between songs she found and songs she wrote.

South came second out of sheer will to be born. She was of average hight and above average strength. Her mind was just as strong as her body and she used her strength in both to protect. She had deep, dark eyes that were easy to get lost in if you looked too long. If there was a book nearby she would read it voraciously and remembered almost every word.

East came third, butt first and with some help from her sister still inside. She was the smallest sister in height and confidence, and she was the warmest sister in care and support. Her hair was a firey red and curled in every which way. Animals trusted her and would seek her company indoors and out.

West came last, head first and calm. She matched South in height and was unique in all other ways. She had a softness about her which showed in her shape and her personality. Of all the sisters she was the most adventurous. Her smile was wide and her teeth were bright. She almost always had a pen in hand and would draw and write in equal measure.

The early years for the sisters passed without incident or intrigue, so we’ll not discuss them here. Trust that they got off to a strong start, got along as well as sisters who share a birthday can,  and were, as mentioned earlier, well-loved. This bears repeating since, as many know, the start points to the end or at least the middle.

But what of their parents? How did the sisters come to be? Do their names give you a hint? 

Sun and Moon made the girls. They were concieved out of love and, for a time, the six of them lived together as a family on a large island in the center of a sea.    

Our story starts after that time, of course. Sun and Moon weren’t meant to be together. Their story is a tale of star-crossed love that we’ll save for another time. All you need to know is that they parented together long enough to give their daughters the strong start mentioned before, and that they parted out of necessity instead of desire. When OUR story starts, the sisters are on their own after Sun went up and Moon went down, leaving the girls alone on the island. They promised to return to check on the girls each day in turn.

The girls were twelve.