Isla, with her strawberry-blonde hair glistening in the sunlight, held a small wicker basket filled with sandwiches and juice boxes. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she led Lottie, her curious three-year-old sister, across the field. Aubrey, their spirited cocker spaniel, bounded beside them, her lemon and white fur a blur of motion. @[ch_1_d]"Come on, Lottie! We're off on an adventure,"[/@ch_1_d] she called, her voice filled with an infectious enthusiasm.
"Adventure!" Lottie repeated, giggling as she tried to match her sister's pace, her tiny legs working hard to keep up.
Isla spread a checkered blanket under the oak, and the trio settled down, the vastness of the sky inspiring a silence that was both serene and profound. Aubrey flopped beside them, her tail thumping rhythmically on the ground. "This is where we can talk to Felix," Isla whispered, pointing upwards as if to touch the heavens.
"Hi Felix," Lottie said, waving her chubby hand at the sky, her innocence a balm to their shared grief.
Lottie lay on her back, staring at the clouds drifting lazily. Isla watched her sister, remembering the brief days they had with Felix and the love that filled those moments. "Felix, we miss you," she said softly, her voice steady yet filled with longing.
"We play with you," Lottie added, her words simple but heavy with meaning.
Isla picked a smooth pebble, holding it up to the light. "This is for the day you were born," she said, placing it in the circle. Lottie added a yellow leaf, her favorite color. "And this is for all our hugs," she giggled.
Aubrey contributed by nudging a stick into the circle, wagging her tail as if she understood the solemnity of the moment.
Isla and Lottie lay side by side, hand in hand, gazing at the horizon as if waiting for a sign. Isla turned to Lottie, her heart swelling with affection. "Remember, Lottie, Felix is always with us," she assured, her words a promise and a comfort.
"Always," Lottie echoed, her eyes wide with belief.
Isla packed the basket, her heart lighter, her spirit lifted by the day's connection. Aubrey barked playfully, eager to head home. Lottie clutched a small bouquet of wildflowers, a gift for their baby brother. "Let's go home, Lottie," Isla said, her hand slipping naturally into her sister's.
As they descended the hill, the first stars twinkling in the velvet sky, Isla felt a warmth that transcended distance, a love that united them all, on earth and in heaven.
