The Six Swans

The next morning, the Fender CEO walked down the hallway to the penthouse. To his surprise, he could not hear the sounds of his sons' feet rushing to tackle him. Maybe they were planning a sneak attack. A smile crawled on his face. He checked behind both of his shoulders for any sign of his sons before opening the penthouse door. His daughter stood in front of him, hands clasped, eyes averted to the floor. Confusion washed over the CEO. His daughter normally greeted him with excitement and tons of energy; laughter too, considering her brothers would create a pile on top of their father. He was not used to the almost shy looking girl in front of him.

"Annabelle, what's wrong?" he asked.

"She turned them into swans," his daughter whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"That woman turned my brothers into swans and they left me," she said louder, "I have the feathers they left to prove it."

The man stared at her, complete disbelief on his face. She held the feathers out to him.

"What woman?" he asked finally.

"That one you were married to," disgust infected Annabelle's voice.

Panic immediately spread through the CEO. The step-mother was a witch, a modern day witch.

"You need to come back to the mansion with me," he said.

"Why?"

"Because you're not safe here anymore."

"Can I at least stay for one last night?" Annabelle pleaded.

The CEO melted under his daughter's puppy-like gaze. "Sure. I must go now. I love you. Be safe."

He pulled her into a hug; then left through the penthouse door. Annabelle retreated to one of the many bedrooms. Life without her older brothers was too painful for her to comprehend.

"I must find them," she said to herself.

She gathered a few items, putting them in a knapsack. Among those items was a sewing needle and thread.

Night fell sooner than expected. Annabelle left her home and began roaming the streets of New York. All of the usual hangout spots were checked: the coffee shop, movie theater, restaurants, and even a few bars that were willing to let her look for her brothers with a bouncer following her.

For a full night and full day, she searched. She grew weary from searching and decided to take refuge in a rundown building on one street corner. She approached it with necessary caution. Being alone in New York after dark was never safe. The door creaked when she opened it due to rusty hinges. She peaked inside. Six beds were the only contents of the room. Annabelle stared at the beds with want. The comfort of bed would be nice no matter how lumpy or stiff.

She chose a bed in the far corner, sliding underneath it. She knew well that if the owner of the home returned, she would be in a world of trouble.

Annabelle lay quietly under the bed, thinking of how worried her father must be. Maybe she should have left a note telling him not to worry, that she would be alright.

The flapping of wings pulled her from her thoughts. She peaked out from under the bed. Six swans flew through the open window, landing gracefully on the wooden floor. They blew at each other, blowing the feathers off of their bodies. The goose skin removed from them like a shirt, leaving six males standing in the room. Annabelle recognized them instantly and jumped from under the bed.

"Brothers," she exclaimed.

"Little sister," they said in unison, grasping their sister in a group hug.

"I've missed you so much," she cried into the eldest's shirt.

"We’ve missed you too, Annabelle," the youngest replied.

"But you can come home now, right?" she looked up at them with hopeful eyes. "Or I could stay here with you."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," the oldest spoke up.

"This is a den for robbers, Annabelle. If they find you, they will kill you. There's no way we can protect you," the second oldest explained.

"Why can't you come back to the penthouse?"

"Animals aren't allowed. We can only be human for a quarter of an hour every evening. If the landlord were to find out, we would get evicted," the third-born explained.

"There must be some way to reverse what that woman did to you," Annabelle said.

"There is but it's much too hard. You shouldn't worry about it," the youngest stated.

"Tell me what I must do," Annabelle demanded.

In able to go against their sister's wish, one of the twins spoke up. "You can't laugh or speak for six years."

The other twin cut in, "In those six years you need to make six shirts, one for each of us, out of star-flower."

"But if you laugh or speak anytime in those six years, all of your work will be wasted and we will remain swans," the first twin finished.

With that, the brothers returned to their swan forms and flew out of the still open window.

Annabelle gazed at the place her brothers once stood, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts and left from the building. Her feet trudged on the sidewalk, exhaustion becoming even more evident. She walked to a near-by park and slept, not on a bench, but in a tree. A tree seemed the safest form of shelter at the moment. As she slept, the only thought that played in her mind was one of saving her brothers.

Annabelle awoke the next morning still in the tree, her tree. Knowing what she needed to do, she climbed down from the tree and collected star-flowers. With no want to laugh or speak, she sat at the base of the tree and began to sew.