Switched Destiny - 1

Seven-year-old Celena Schezar, skirts hiked up very unlady-like and tucked into the ribbon about her waist, rushed over the top of the hill. "Hurry Allen! We have to get to the best spot soon or we won't have enough time to pick all the flowers we need for Mama's party tomorrow!"

Little Allen in the valley behind her huffed and puffed, his short legs too young to keep up. "But... we passed three other flower patches on the way here! An' you already gots a bunch of flowers!" He is six and cannot keep up with his elder sister.

"It's called a bouquet! Those patches aren't good enough; this one has more flowers and they're prettier too!"

"Oh - okay. But - huff - how much further?"

"Two... three more hills! We're almost there! Hurry!" Celena waves her arm, gesturing for him to run faster.

Ten minutes later and the two children reach Celena's preferred destination. They spend the next hour moving through the field, finding just the right ones, picking flowers of every imaginable color and piling them together off to the side. Celena wipes the sweat from her brow. Looking around, she calls for her younger brother.

There is no answer.

She calls for an hour, searching for him. "Okay Allen, enough hide and seek! Come out, come out, wherever you are!

There is no answer.

The wind blows, taking some of her flowers away.

Celena does not care; her brother cannot be found.