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It was a beautiful afternoon in Orcas Island, and the Finch kids were playing outside. Sam and Calvin were playing astronauts, a game that Calvin enjoyed. Sam went along with it as long as they got to play soldiers afterward. Walter had watched them from afar while playing with his toy train. Edie and Sven allowed him to take his train outside as long as he took it back in the house when it got dark. After playing with his trains by himself, Walter turned to see his older sister Barbara, looking solemn while sitting on a nearby bench. She went outside to keep an eye on her younger brothers and make sure they didn't get into any trouble, and she had a book in her lap that she had been reading minutes ago. Walter got up and approached her, leaving his toy train alone for a bit.
“Barbara, what's wrong?” He asked her.
“Oh, it's nothing,” Barbara lied.
But Walter knew something was bugging her.
“It's about Molly, isn't it?”
Barbara turned away as Walter sat next to her.
“It's not just about Molly,” Barbara admitted. “It's about the family curse.”
“The one that mom always goes on about?”
“Yes. I know it sounds silly, but I can't help but worry about you, Calvin and Sam. What if it strikes you guys and I can't do anything about it.”
“It's not silly to worry about us, Barb.”
Barbara glanced at Walter before he continued.
“You were only 3 when Molly died, so there wasn't anything you could have done to save her.”
“It doesn't mean I can't worry about my other siblings.”
Walter frowned sympathetically.
“I don't understand why mom insists that we leave Molly's room the way it was on the night she died.”
“At least you got to know her before then,” Walter replied, trying to console her. “There are times when I wonder what Molly was like as a person, and was she as cool of a sister as you are.”
Barbara teared up, both out of sadness and flattery.
“She was,” Barbara told him. “Before Molly died, she and I used to go catch butterflies on days like this.”
Barbara smiled for once, looking up at the sky as she reminisced on those days.
“She taught me how to lure rabbits using a carrot, and we would play this game where she pretended to be different animals. It always made me laugh.”
Walter smiled at this story.
“I wish I could have had the opportunity to play that game with you guys.”
“You would have loved it, Walter.”
Before she could say anything else, Walter got up and went inside.
“Where are you going?” Barbara asked him.
“I'll be right back!”
The boys ran inside to grab a carrot out of the kitchen, half-listening to Edie and Sven's conversation.
“Why are you painting Barbara's portrait, honey?” Sven asked his wife. “She's still alive.”
“Everyone in the family deserves a portrait, Sven.”
Walter's stomach turned. Surely Barbara wasn't going to be next in the curse, was she? Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he swiped a carrot and ran back outside. His brothers were now playing Sam's favorite game as he walked past them and to their sister.
“Walter, what's wrong? And why do you have a carrot?”
“I wanted you to show me how Molly would lure a rabbit, but I heard mom and dad talking. She's already painting your portrait.”
“So?”
“You know when mom paints a picture of someone, that means they'll be dead.”
Walter couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes, and Barbara hugged him.
“I won't be dead, Walter. You know how mom obsesses over death. There's no way she could possibly predict my death date. Nobody can.”
“Barbara,” he began while sniffling. “I don't want you to end up like Molly, or grandpa Odin, or grandma Ingeborg."
“I won't Walter. I promise.”
She held her youngest brother while he cried.
“I can't promise to not die, because that's inevitable. But I can promise to live long enough to see you grow up. I want us both to live as long as possible.”
“Me too.”
Barbara cried a little as well.
“I want the curse to stay away from our family so we can live normal lives.”
Normal. That was a word Barbara had to become accustomed to once her fame died out. It was a struggle, and for a long time, she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Barbara was used to attention from fans from a very young age, so it was hard transitioning from a beloved child star to an average Joe. At this point in time, Barbara was starting to get used to being ignored by strangers out in public.
“Curse or none, Walter, I won't die any time soon. I'm 15, and I still have my whole life ahead of me. You have your life ahead of you as well.”
While they hugged, Barbara looked up and saw Molly's ghost. She looked just like she did the night before she died. Curly blonde hair, brown eyes (their father's eyes), a pink dress, white lacey socks, and pink Mary Jane's. Molly was grinning fondly at Barbara, as if she were happy to see her again.
“Let's go lure some rabbits, Barbara,” she said in her child-like voice. “There's a family of them by the river.”
Molly began skipping through the woods, humming a song that Barbara had no clue what it was. But she smiled and began following her as soon as Walter calmed down.
“Do you still have that carrot, Walter?”
“Yep.”
Walter followed Barbara, staying close to her and careful to not disturb the wild life. Barbara caught sight of Molly's ghost, still skipping and humming her tune.
“Come on Walter, this way,” Barbara told him while taking his hand.
“How do you know where we're going?”
“It's a gut feeling.”
There was no way Barbara could explain to him that Molly's spirit was leading them to the rabbits, so this was a more sensible response.
“Come on, Barbara!” Molly called out.
Barbara couldn't help but giggle. It was nice hearing her sister's voice again after so many years. Walter was completely unaware, admiring the scenery in the forest. He glanced at a blue butterfly on a nearby flower, smiling.
Molly kept humming and skipping until she reached the river and disappeared into thin air. Barbara was confused, looking around for her dead sister when Walter spotted the family of rabbits.
“Barbara, look,” he said while pointing at them.
“Aw,” she replied, nearly forgetting Molly.
The living siblings stood there and stared at the rabbits before Walter took the carrot out of his pocket.
“Here bunny bunny,” he whispered.
One of the bunnies hopped to Walter, curious yet cautious. He smiled before turning to his sister.
“I think he likes me,” he whispered.
However, the bunny hopped back to its family, disappointing Walter.
“Aw, I almost had him.”
“Here, let me show you how Molly and I did it,” Barbara said while taking the carrot from her brothers.
Walter watched when she started humming and twirling the carrot. He had no idea what song it was, but he would be lying if he said that Barbara didn't have a beautiful voice. Naturally, of course, since she was a child star. It was at that moment when Barbara recognized the song that Molly had been humming earlier. It was their creature serenade. Upon remembering it, the tune came naturally to her. Even at just 3-years-old, Barbara remembered Molly singing that same song to lure animals. The only difference was that the little girl also danced. Walter noticed the bunny hopping closer to Barbara and grinned when it accepted the carrot.
“How did you know how to hum?” He asked quietly.
“Molly did the same thing,” Barbara replied while petting the bunny. “She always had a way with animals.”
Walter got a chance to pet the bunny, who simply relaxed into the kids’ hands.
“She taught you well,” he told her.
Molly watched her sister and youngest brother from a distance, smiling in satisfaction and giggling before skipping back to her grave, disappearing once again after laying down in the dirt and closing her eyes. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Walter and Barbra let the bunny go back to its family and got up to visit Molly's grave.
“To tell you the truth, Walter, I didn't think I would ever pick this back up after Molly died.”
“I'm glad you and I did it,” he replied. “It was fun.”
Barbara smiled happily as they continued on their way. Though she had grown up having her grandpa and sister buried next to their home, Barbara realized that it was not a common practice for other families once she got out into the real world for her role on My Friend Bigfoot. Nobody else she knew in Hollywood or anywhere else had the same tradition of having a family cemetery on the same property as the house. After learning that, Barbara began questioning Edie's obsession with death. She even questioned whether or not that she was responsible for Molly's death. Despite this revelation however, Barbara chose not to confront her mother to avoid any unnecessary drama should her brothers also get involved. It was a hard call, but she decided it would be best to wait until she and her brothers were all adults to speak to Edie about this type of thing. Not even Walter knew about this, despite being her confidant. Barbara couldn't stomach her younger siblings having that type of knowledge about how their eldest sister died. No child should have to endure that.
“There she is,” Barbara said as she and Walter approached Molly's grave.
The grave itself had been untouched since her burial, but Molly wasn't entirely forgotten. Barbara, Walter, Sam, and Calvin often paid her a visit, usually with flowers in hand. Oddly enough, their parents hardly set foot into the cemetery.
“I guess we should have brought flowers,” Walter commented.
Barbara looked around before picking a Dogwood off a nearby tree and placing it on the headstone.
“That will suffice for now,” she told him.
“I wonder what the afterlife is like.”
Hearing Walter say this made her wonder if Molly was having a good time beyond the grave. A world where people could no longer experience physical pain. Molly wouldn't have to worry about scraping her knee or breaking any bones. It was all a mystery to Barbara.
“If I had to guess, Molly doesn't have to worry about getting physically injured since she's just a spirit now.”
“She's away from the family curse.”
Barbara hadn't thought of that, but as soon as Walter said that, it was like a light bulb went off on her head.
“Yeah, you're right. The curse can't harm her anymore.”
“If it ever hits you, me, or anyone else, I just want it to be not so violent.”
“Me too, Walter.”
At this moment, Barbara wasn't sure if she even believed in the curse anymore. Despite what Edie preached over the years, all the deaths sounded more like coincidences than anything supernatural.
“Kids, dinner's ready!” Edie yelled, her thick Norwegian accent carrying across the yard.
Sam and Calvin beat them inside, but neither Walter or Barbara minded. They wanted more time with Molly.
“Do you think we should make a plate for Molly?” He asked.
Though it seemed silly to be wasting food, Barbara still found the idea endearing.
“She would probably like that.”
They then began walking to the house, Barbara reminding Walter to get his toy train outside of the yard so Sven didn't accidentally mow it. As soon as the cemetery was void of living people, Molly reappeared and stared at the house, smiling contently.
It was dark outside, but Barbara and Walter snuck outside with a dinner plate loaded with steak, mashed potatoes, and peas.
“This was Molly's favorite meal,” Barbara remembered fondly.
“I don't blame her. Steak is yummy.”
Once they approached Molly's grave, Barbara set the plate down and said a prayer in her mind.
“I hope you enjoy it, Molly,” Walter whispered.
Once all was said and done, the siblings went back inside. Molly popped out of her grave and grinned at the delightful supper. However, she no longer needed it. Being a spirit, she didn't have any reason to eat. Without another word, she hummed her creature serenade and danced. The same rabbits from before hopped over and sniffed at the aroma of the food.
“Dinner time,” she told the rabbits, who immediately dug in.
While they feasted, Molly glanced at Barbara's window, still lit up. She hadn't gone to bed yet. Her silhouette indicated that she was brushing her hair.
“Goodnight Barbara,” Molly said, despite the fact that she couldn't hear her. “Take care of our brothers.”