"Do-It-Yourself" Stories

Leona’s little sister

Leona McIver loved to walk in the park on her way home from school. Last year, when she was in eighth grade she would pretend she had a little sister to play with. She called her invisible companion Lakeisha, and together they would gather berries and climb trees. Leona even showed Lakeisha how to make little pots out of the clay by the creek. Of course, now being at the high school she walked home by a different route, and what with after school sports, drama club, archeology field trips, year book and clarinet lessons she had little un-regulated time. But Leona sometimes felt lonely for her made-up sister.

One cloudy afternoon in October drama club was cancelled because of SAT testing, and so Leona found herself walking on her old path homeward. As she listened to the wind singing through the willows by the creek she thought she heard a strange sound. It was as if a baby were crying. She followed the sound to a hollow stump, and there, as she looked inside:

“Wah, wah, wah!” A tiny red scrunched up face yelled at her.

“How odd,” thought Leona. “Who would leave such a small baby alone in the forest?” She looked around, but no one was near. Carefully Leona lifted the desperate infant, who only cried all the harder. “I should take it home, and give the poor thing something to eat.” Leona hurried home and her mother quickly ran to the store for some infant formula and diapers. As Leona undressed the small squirmy bundle she found out two things; “She’s a sweet little girl. I’ll call her Lakeisha.” she thought, even though she knew they would probably find the mother. “What’s this? It looks like a tiny harp pendant necklace. But it has no clasp. Hmm, we’ll have to cut it off.”

But when Leona’s mother arrived home with two giant bags full of baby supplies, they could not cut the tiny chain with the wire cutters, nor the huge garden clippers, which Mr. McIver tried when he came home from the office.

“What a nuisance,” said Mom. “If we leave it on her it will be hard to keep clean. But I suppose the poor child’s mother will show up soon. I’ll alert the county social workers about this.” And she made the phone call. Leona’s heart sank, because she really wanted to keep Lakeisha for a real little sister.

After one week no mother appeared to claim the baby, who had grown considerably on her formula diet. After two weeks Mom had to buy a new set of clothes, and baby Lakeisha was smiling a little. After three weeks the social worker suggested that the McIver family consider adopting the child.

“Yes, I’ve always wanted a sister.” Leona was ecstatic. Mr. McIver was doubtful, but Mom prevailed, and the adoption papers were drawn up.

The next year was wonderful for Leona. She loved her new little sister, and took her everywhere, except of course to school. All her friends came over and played with Lakeisha, and took turns feeding her and changing her poopy diapers, which they said they didn’t mind doing at all. But no one could figure out how to remove the tiny little gold harp necklace.

On Lakeisha’s first birthday Leona noticed something strange about that necklace. It seemed to be bigger than she remembered it, and as she looked closely she thought it had one little tiny string. “How odd that I never noticed that before. I wish my finger were small enough to pluck that little string.” Still the chain could not be removed.

On Lakeisha’s second birthday Leona noticed that the harp had two strings, and was proportionally bigger than the year before. “Look, Mom,” she showed her Mom the little necklace, and told her how it was growing. “I’ll ask my jewelry making friend about this.”

But the jewelry making friend was equally bewildered.

Leona loved her little sister more and more as Lakeisha grew stronger and began to walk and run, and talk and sing, and play little games, and have her own opinions about how to run the world. The harp necklace didn’t seem to bother any one. It became part of the mystery of Lakeisha’s appearance in the McIver family. This mystery was especially apparent when on her third birthday the harp suddenly had three strings. Leona was not surprised when her little sister fondled the tiny thing as she always did, but this day she poked her tiny finger into the strings and played three notes. The tiny bell like sounds hung in the air, and the sisters laughed with amazement. Lakeisha tried playing again, and every time her tiny finger strummed the tiny strings, Leona thought of angels singing.

The child grew, and the harp grew, and on Lakeisha’s fourth birthday when the harp suddenly had four strings she calmly picked up the chain and pulled it over her head as if she had done it every day.

“How did you do that?” asked Leona. “Harp too big for Keesha now.” I keep it here.” And she hung it over her bed, after playing four beautiful bell-like notes.

Anytime Leona felt sad she would ask Lakeisha to play her harp, and the angelic tones would instantly sooth her. Which was a good thing, with finals coming up, and getting ready to go off to college. She was sad to be moving out of the house, eager for adventure, but mostly Leona felt a heaviness at leaving her sister behind.

All too quickly Leona was gone. Off to the big campus an hour’s drive away to study history. She made sure to free up time to come home and celebrate Lakeisha’s birthdays, each year bringing more smiles, more laughter and games, and always one more string on the harp, which was soon sitting on the floor of Lakeisha’s room.

Lakeisha loved playing her harp. By the time it had ten strings Mom called around to find a harp teacher for her daughter so she could begin music studies. She loved every minute, and as soon as she came home from school she practiced all the time until dinner. The McIver house hummed with angelic music. Leona came home from graduate school where she studied Egyptology as often as she could just to hear her little sister play her harp.

By the time the harp had twelve strings Mom had to rent a pedal harp so that Lakeisha could learn more than what twelve strings would permit. But no matter how much she practiced her pedal harp she never neglected to pluck a few glorious strings on her old golden harp.

The years flew by, and life threw some hard times at the McIvers. Mr. McIver lost his job in a downsizing binge, and Mom worked with the social workers, who don’t get paid much. The family considered moving to an apartment to avoid taking out a second mortgage.

Leona was working as an archeologist in Cairo when she suddenly grew week and had to be rushed home and to the hospital. After a cursory test that ruled out the usual forms of African infections and cancer the doctors sent her home and told her not to come back unless she had better health insurance coverage. “The expensive tests might be more conclusive, but we can’t prescribe tests of that type unless we know we can get paid. I’m so sorry, but that’s our policy.”

Lakeisha was devastated. The family stood by, helpless as Leona grew weaker and lost muscle mass. She lost her appetite, and soon she was a mere shadow of her former self. Desperate to save her sister Lakeisha finally struck on an idea. She began to play her harp for weddings and parties, and any sort of event that would hire a young harpist. She need to raise enough money to pay for the medical testing for her sister. Sometimes she played her pedal harp for orchestra gigs, and sometimes she brought her golden harp, which had seventeen strings by now.

And so it came about that one fine Saturday morning as Lakeisha played for a small arts fair in the shade of an oak tree, with the sun sending ribbons of gold between the leaves, something happened that would change her life forever. After she played a set of lively Irish jigs, a very distinguished looking gentleman with a foreign accent approached her.

“I say, young lady, that is a most uncommon instrument you are playing.”

“Yes, indeed, sir, I’ve had it all my life.”

“How much would you sell it for?”

“Well, sir, I’m sorry but it’s not for sale.”

“Oh, come, come now. Think what you could do with say, ten thousand dollars.”

“No thank you. It’s simply not for sale. Why are your so interested in this harp? You could look on line and find hundreds of harps which are more suited for you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you my reasons right now, but I am only interested in that harp. How about a hundred thousand dollars?”

“I’m sorry sir.” Insulted at his persistence she turned to walk away.

“No, wait Lakeisha. Please don’t think I am joking. I’m perfectly prepared to pay you three million dollars for that harp. I can deposit the amount in your account this afternoon. If not for yourself, think what this money could do for your family. You can buy a nice house for half a million. And if any one needs medical attention, well, money talks in the medical world.

Lakeisha stopped half way between the sun and the shade. The stranger had struck a tender chord.

Mysteries to ponder:

  • Who is the stranger?
  • Why does he want the harp?
  • Who is Lakeisha really?
  • Where did her harp come from?
  • Does she sell it?