One fine day in Summer, Lady Penelope and I were relaxing in the shade of a tall oak tree, listening to nothing but the peace and quiet of nature. We were in the meadow Lady Penelope used to play in during her childhood, and it brought back so many memories for her. However soft and gentle they were, I always felt at home with Lady Penelope by my side. Especially when she proves to be my teacher instead of all the horrible teachers you get when you go to school, because I never do go to school. It was Lady Penelope herself who has offered to homeschool me, give me a higher education from home, and even teach me to play the piano. All these years of being taught by Penelope have made me happy and loved, unlike some of the children whom I know. Rusty's dad was away in the army, and Mackenzie suffered with separation anxiety, and they were dealt with so artistically that for a moment you'd think they're beings from another planet.
Lady Penelope taught me about every planet, every comet, every ethereal thing that happens way up in the sky, and how some of the stars were once people. The people that lived before they turned to specks of magical dust that danced in the sky were innocent beings who lived their lives doing, eating, drinking and playing. They filled their lives with a monstrosity of laughter and love, until the day they died. Then, the ashes that were burnt from their bodies floated all the way up into the sky, and instantly, they became the stars we see in the sky today. If I become a star, Lady Penelope taught me, I'd become the brightest star in the sky. I once asked her if the white clothes we wear in Heaven glow in the night sky as the way of Heaven telling us that our friends are looking out for us. "Of course, I think they might have," Penelope said during that moment. It was here that I realised that all those people who died before International Rescue came to save them are now stars shining in the sky, telling us they're looking down upon us.
All those people.....it's hard to think there are billions of people in our world. If the population of humans was just one, or maybe two, then there won't be people to give us the things we love like food or toys or comic books. I'd like to imagine Lady Penelope and me as the only two people left alive on our planet, and we'd have the whole place to ourselves. But maybe....no. For starters, I would not see my friends like Brains, Alan, Tin Tin or Jeff again. Secondly, Lady Penelope and I would starve to death without Parker to feed us. Thirdly, it would be very lonely in this new world. No friends to call our own, the world shrouded in pure darkness, just the haunting sound of howling wind echoing through the atmosphere. Just thinking about it makes me....
At once, I began to cry. Lady Penelope began to comfort me, her kind expression always warm and welcoming. "Whatever can be the matter?" she asked. "I would like to thank you for everything you taught me. But some of the things you have taught me have made me re-evaluate the meaning of life. Planets, stars, Heaven, human beings....all of these were just too much for a girl my age to understand. Can you teach me some lighter subjects next time please?" "Of course I can. What else can't I teach?" I smiled as she kindly wiped away my tears and embraced me in the warmest hug she could give me. "Oh, Sybil, darling, it's okay," she whispered, her voice soft and gentle as rolling waves on the beach. "It will all be fine. Don't worry about it any more tonight," she smiled. "But how can I worry about things like this when I'm only young?" "I know you're too young to understand death and the population of people, but listen, everyone has to learn these things from time to time, and that's what makes us all human." "Human?" I asked. "I would much prefer being an animal instead, and then I won't have to worry about all these things. I would be a...lion!" And with that, my happy attitude came back as I leapt up and roared at Lady Penelope.
Lady Penelope laughed, and roared back at me. I screamed and began running across the meadow, as we both played a nice game of tag together. Just when Lady Penelope was trying to find a place to hide, I pounced onto her. She laughed loudly, and lifted me high into the air. I screamed with joy, and then, everything went quiet again as Lady Penelope hugged me. "You're my little lioness, Sybil," sighed Lady Penelope, "A lioness who cannot be tamed." "I'll never be tamed as long as I have you. No one else would ever take me under her wing." "I know, baby," smiled Penelope, and our hug continued all the way until sunset, when it was time for us to go back home to the mansion.
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