Little Women

The eldest, who has woken up from the clatterings the middle child has created, was busy with her phone watching TikTok videos mostly of anime, cats and other animals.

The middle child, who finally descended from her gloomy lair after a long slumber—causing all the rattles that woke up the eldest—just came out of the shower feeling all clean and fresh. Her presence was then called by the very dame who considers herself the master in the house (when truly, it's the cats), who has a habit of showing to people TikTok clips she finds cute and funny. And by people, I mean the very second sister who has to endure minutes up to an hour of TikTok entertainment. Unlike the contents the youngest damsel is mostly fond of, the ones the "master" shows to the second sibling are actually quite worth the while to the summoned girl.

Whilst the older sisters were huddled together watching cats and anime clips from the next room, laughing and awwing every now and then, the youngest was in her own boudoir dancing to TikTok music. This one fella is always so active and energetic.

"Who opened the coffee jar and didn't close it after?" the eldest demanded moments later when they were in the kitchen.

"Not I," the middle child, who was still in a towel, replied whilst preparing for the dinner she forgot to have last night because she fell asleep. She remembered her name being brutally shouted by the youngest but she was far too sleepy to wake up. The coffee jar caught her eyes whose content was only enough for one serving now, and she stared at it for quite a while, deciding to herself whether she should make a cup. She knows what caffeine does to her body and it offends her so for the reason that she likes drinking the beverage.

"Is there still sugar?" she asked.

"No. You don't need sugar with that, it's already sweet," replied the eldest, having noticed the deep interest her sister was giving the almost empty container.

"Oh." Then her eyes rested on the kettle, already finding the thought of boiling water a drag. She usually likes her coffee iced (yes, even on the coldest days) but on this particular occasion, she thought of preparing it warm.

"It does feel good to drink a warm coffee this time," mused the eldest, as if reading the younger lady's mind. "I might order."

This made the second sister's eyes twinkle in excitement because then, she would save herself the trouble of preparing a coffee on her own.

"If there's still any open shop.." added the eldest under her breath, scrolling through her phone for any available stores.

Unsure if the eldest would truly order some coffee, the younger sister dropped the desire of making one for herself and went upstairs to her cave with the plate of immensely late dinner in hand. She could hear a sudden flurry of muffled voices from the floor she just left as if something just occurred. She mustn't have closed the door tightly for she could make up some of the words her sisters were saying. Something about one of the cats pooping. They have quite a number of cats, mind you. A total of six, bearing the names of their favourite anime characters.

Not long after the mild stir, the youngest's voice echoed through the hall outside the second sibling's door as she screamed from the foot of the stairs: "What do you want from McDonald's?!"

This brought the twinkle back into the middle child's dark eyes. She paused a second to think, then yelled, "Apple pie! Two pieces!"

"And your drink?!"

"Hmm…" She was debating. "What are you getting?!"

Tired of the screamings being exchanged, the youngest shouted, "Just get your ass down here!"

And so the middle child did, now wrapped in a robe made out of a soft and fluffy fabric that gave her the cosiest warmth she needed in this lovely, icy weather. She settled her desired beverage in the room of the older sister, who has already placed an order of a large hot coffee for herself. The younger said she wanted the same.

"Are you sure? Maybe you'd be awake for 48 hours again," the older damoiselle reminded her.

"Isn't there something less strong?" the middle daughter asked, although recalling that the lesser ones were served cold and she was rather firm about wanting a hot coffee this time.

"Just get the regular size," the eldest suggested and the younger sister agreed.

A couple of minutes have passed and here I am now, comfortably sitting on my bed as I write this entry, my unfinished dinner on the tray just near my feet, which doesn't look lonely anymore with the company of two apple pies and the warm beverage I've craved.

From downstairs, I could hear my older sister singing Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" ever so loudly. We're all singers in this house and we give free concerts to the cats almost everyday. Two have already committed suicide so now they only got eight lives.

I started reading "Little Women" yesterday, the very novel that inspired me to write this piece. But one thing you should know about me is that I'm always sleepy. I'm still at page 200 out of almost a thousand and I wanted to read more but my eyes just wouldn't cooperate. That's why I wanted to drink coffee even though I get palpitations as a side effect. I don't drink coffee a lot for that exact reason and a few others. There were times when I felt a great intensity of irrational fear because I thought someone was out there to kill me. And if I do manage to sleep, I get woken up because of an earthquake when really, it's just my own body shaking.

Reading "Little Women" somewhat made me think of my life with my sisters. We argue a lot and basically hate each other's guts but despite all that, we're really close and when we're gathered together, we often share a good laugh over the silliest matters. I'm not sure whom I identify myself with the most, though—among the little women—because they all embody characteristics that I, too, possess. 

I'm not generally boisterous like Jo, but we share the same passion for writing. I read books but I don't consider myself a bookworm—as how she is described—for I've only read so little. But these days, I've been reading more and more because I want to improve my literary prowess. Hopefully one day, I could publish a book of my own.

Beth is shy, quiet and reserved; and I relate to that, too. But she's too much of an angel while I'm kind of evil so we're not very much alike at all.

Amy is prim, spoiled, and artistic. I can be prim and proper if I choose to. I also have been told I am spoiled. I'm quite artistic as well although I don't draw that much anymore. 

Now Meg is mature, elegant, and the prettiest among the sisters. (Oh, it's decided then. I identify myself to her the most. Haha. I joke, I joke.) She craves for a luxurious life and, well.. sometimes, I find myself relishing into the imagined scenarios of having a rich and glamorous lifestyle as well; but truly, I am just a simple girl whose idea of paradise is somewhere in the woods, a place so far away from the toxicity of humans' contribution into the very society I loathe, situating myself in a small and modest hut in the company of my own lonesomeness. But of course, there must be books and a bundle of movies, series, and anime to watch to waste my life away with. Hehe.

Oooh! How heaven would it be to live in the Shire, though! Sometimes when I'm doing something, especially a chore, I play the music from "The Hobbit" whose melody makes me feel so much like I am in the region of the same beautiful land of the idyllic and fruitful Middle-Earth. And just like that, doing chores doesn't seem so tiresome anymore. Playing make-believe that I'm there actually makes it seem quite fun. (Rarely. I repeat. Only rarely.)

Sigh.

When the world is asleep and I'm all by myself in the sanctuary of my humble quarters, that's when my favourite part of the day begins. Though loneliness comes to visit me sometimes, I still bask in the serenity of my own company. No interruptions. No annoyance. Just me and my thoughts. If I could only beg for the sun not to shine for a couple more hours and let these precious moments last a little longer..