Times had been tough for forever, or so it seemed to Carmel.
Every day, she would look out the window for a sign of a pink lantern, which
signaled her parents’ homecoming from their voyage out to sea. But for now, the
children would have to manage the little house by the sea by themselves.
Carmel
shivered in the cold December air as she scanned the horizon desperately. The
dark clouds warned of a thunderstorm, so she ran inside. Her younger sister,
Rosie, was already closing the windows and locking them securely. When the
thunder boomed, baby Millie started crying. Carmel rocked her baby sister,
keeping her eyes on the door, waiting for her older brother Frederick to come home
from his job at the market.
There was a sharp knock on the door. In her anxiety, Carmel
forgot to look through the peephole before opening the door, but it turned out
to be Mr. June, who was Frederick’s boss. “There’s been an accident;” he said
grimly, “Frederick’s been taken to the hospital.”
Carmel’s hands flew up to her mouth. “What happened?” Rosie
asked shyly.
“It wasn’t his fault,” Mr. June said quickly. “It was
slippery, the car couldn’t see well—“
Carmel felt sick, but she tried to be strong. “We have to go
see him straightaway!” she exclaimed, bundling Millie into the stroller. Then
the three girls followed Mr. June to the hospital through the rain coming down.
The thunderstorm had left so many casualties. Fisherman had
drowned at sea. There was no hope of finding the pink lantern tonight, but
Carmel couldn’t help but feel upset at leaving the house. What if the signal
came while she was away?
When they reached the hospital, there was a long line of
people waiting to visit their loved ones. Carmel recognized Leila, whose
husband was a fisherman. She was weeping and praying, her mouth making the
shape of “I love you”, but no sound was coming out.
Carmel, pushing the stroller and holding Rosie’s little
hand, followed Mr. June into the glaringly lit, crowded hospital.
