From Brother to Sister

The day dawned. Zoe was the first to wake up, getting out of bed and noticing that Léo was still asleep. It was very early, and she went downstairs, hoping to find her uncle. When she reached the living room, she found the fireplace extinguished and the place completely empty, but there was a note left on the table. She picked it up and read:

"I'll be out today. Please manage on your own until the afternoon. I'll be back before nightfall. You know the area well, so you'll be fine.

Signed: Uncle Roger"

"I can't believe I have to spend the whole day with that idiot brother of mine," Zoe sighed, though she was excited about the idea of going outside. She quickly went to wake Léo. "Hey, Léo, wake up! We have to take care of Uncle Roger's house today!" she shouted. A creaking sound of wood was heard upstairs, along with a sleepy voice: "Hmm, okay, I'm coming." Thud. A heavy sound was heard upstairs.

Zoe ran up and saw her brother lying on the floor, sleeping soundly. "Hey, wake up." She grabbed Léo by the arm and dragged him out of the room, saying, "Let's go, Léo. Stop being lazy." Léo hit his head on the foot of the bed as he was pulled and woke up with a slight pain. "Ouch, okay, I'm awake. What a drag, you won't even let me sleep." "Uncle Roger left, so we have to take care of the house today," said Zoe. Léo looked at her, still on the floor, and asked curiously, "And where did he go?" "Probably to the small town of Arbordale. It's the only place near his house, and he'll try to be back before nightfall, so it might take a while."

Léo got up, rubbing his head. "Alright, let's do the day's chores, if there are any, right?"

They went downstairs, and Léo went straight to the table where the note was left. He picked it up and quickly read it. "I'm going to take a shower. Zoe, I ask that you sweep the house and dust." Zoe questioned, disagreeing: "Why do I have to do two tasks while you take a shower?" "Taking a shower is a task too. The whole process of cleaning yourself takes time," said Léo, with a clever posture, as if he were in the right. Zoe went to get a broom and handed it to him. "You're going to sweep the house, and I'll dust. After that, you can take a shower."

Léo: "I'm really bad at sweeping a house." He tried to make an excuse.

Zoe: "Well, then you're going to learn how to sweep now."

Léo took the broom from her hand with a bit of force. "I think this is too messy. How about we split the tasks properly? Let's eat first and then do the rest." Zoe looked at his face with suspicious eyes. "Hmm, alright. I hope this isn't an excuse for you not to do your part." "I was just joking with you, Zoe. It's obvious I wouldn't leave all the chores to you."

Zoe: "Then it's decided. We'll do it your way."

Some time passed as they prepared something to start the day with full stomachs.

Now fully refreshed, Léo looked around the house and noticed the dirt and dust. "I'll get a bucket from outside." Zoe was confused and said, "A bucket?" "Yes, a bucket. Wait here, I won't take long." Zoe didn't understand his goal with this, but she accepted it anyway. She went to a small table where a duster was and picked it up to start dusting the house.

In 30 minutes, she dusted the entire house and noticed that Léo still hadn't returned. "He lied to me," she said, with a tone of disappointment and anger. After finishing cleaning, she put everything back in its place. "I'm not going to sweep the house. That's his job. At least I did my part." She went outside and went to the back of the house, noticing that the buckets were still there. "He's not here." She looked around and saw Léo in the distance, up in a tree, picking some fruits and eating them.

She approached the tree. "Hey, what are you doing up there? Did you forget we have a house to clean?" Léo picked another fruit, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. "You should try one too, they're really ripe." "Stop messing around and go clean the—" Léo threw a fruit at her head. "I'll clean, don't worry. Relax a bit." He sat on a branch while taking another bite. "Come up here, the view of the forest is really nice from up high."

Zoe: "But I don't know if I can climb up there, and this tree isn't even that tall."

Léo: "If it's not that tall, you should be able to climb it, right?"

Zoe looked around, trying to find words. "It's... It's just that my legs are tired, so I don't want to waste energy climbing up there." "I think you're just scared, that's all." "No, it's not that." "Stop lying, I can see it on your face that you're scared." "I'm not scared!" "If you're not scared, then climb up here, and I'll believe you." Zoe hesitated for a moment, but she wanted to prove to her brother that she was brave too. "Fine, I'll climb up there just to punch your ugly face." She started climbing branch by branch. However, the higher she climbed, the more she realized how tall the tree was. "Strange, it seemed smaller from down below," she thought. Her hands began to weaken, and her heart raced just imagining falling from that height. "What's wrong? Scared? Haha," Léo laughed at her. "Shut up!" she shouted and started climbing more. In a way, she found strength in her brother's teasing, but at the same time, she felt insecure because of the mockery. She climbed higher, getting close to the branch where Léo was sitting.

The branch was a bit far, so she would have to stretch a little more. She saw a high chance of falling and froze in place. Léo noticed that his sister was really scared and said, "Come here, give me your hand." "No, you'll let me go, I know it." "What kind of brother do you think I am? I won't let you go, come on." "Promise?" "I promise. Just jump over here and leave the rest to me." He gave a confident smile, trying to encourage his sister. She stretched out, and before she could grab something, Léo reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the branch where he was. She clung tightly to the tree branch, afraid of falling, hanging over it like a cat afraid of water.

Léo: "See? Just sit here next to me and enjoy the view."

Zoe: (nervously) "I don't want to look down."

Léo: "You don't have to look down, just look at the trees, the clouds, the mountains, and... just don't look at the sun, or you'll burn your eyes, haha."

Zoe adjusted herself on the branch, sitting right next to Léo. She looked at the horizon and noticed that the view was truly amazing. They spent some time appreciating the scenery.

Both were silent, just enjoying the view. Some birds began to fly in the distance, ants tended to their colonies, squirrels ran along the branches of other trees, and a gentle breeze blew against them.

Léo: (breaking the silence) "This reminds me of that time Mom and Dad surprised us with a picnic."

Zoe: (excited) "Yes! I remember. They took us to a hill overlooking a lake."

[A few months earlier]

Samantha: "Just wait a little longer, kids. We're almost there."

Victor and Samantha were accompanied by their children. The kids had small blindfolds covering their eyes as they were guided by their parents. "And... we're here!" Samantha said cheerfully as she removed the blindfolds from Léo and Zoe. The children's eyes sparkled as they realized they were on a hill facing a crystal-clear lake with various fish swimming. Victor took a red and white checkered cloth and spread it on the ground, placing a straw basket on top to keep it from flying away with the pleasant breeze.

Victor began organizing the food while Samantha looked around with enchanted eyes, just like the children. Léo pointed to the lake and said, "Mom, can I take a bath there?" Zoe, not missing the opportunity, added, "I want to take a bath in the lake too."

Samantha: "We didn't bring any clothes or towels for you to dry off. We forgot about that detail. I'm sorry, my little ones."

Victor: "Don't worry. When it's close to nightfall, you can take a bath with the clothes you're wearing. For now, let's enjoy the afternoon and all this food we prepared."

The children ran to the picnic area and sat down. Samantha did the same, sitting next to Victor and resting her head on his shoulder. "You can eat as much as you want, kids," she said. "Just be careful not to get fat," Victor warned. Samantha lightly slapped his leg, saying, "Let the kids eat as much as they want, dear. It's good for their growth." Victor laughed. "Only if it's the growth of their bellies, hahaha." Samantha laughed along.

Samantha: "Stop making those jokes, or they'll think you're serious."

Victor looked around, appreciating the view, and cut a pie into equal pieces for everyone. The family began eating and talking about future outings, reminiscing about the past, and having fun telling stories to the children, making that day unforgettable for them.

The sky began to darken, and Zoe was playing with Léo in the lake. They were competing to see who could stay underwater the longest. Samantha and Victor watched them from the shore. Samantha looked worried and asked, "Isn't this game dangerous?" "Don't worry, they won't drown." "How can you be so sure?" Victor puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Because I'm here."

Samantha: (laughing) "Haha, I love your sense of humor, and I also love how protective you are with the kids."

She moved closer to him, giving him a kiss. Léo lifted his head, splashing water on his parents. They separated their lips, and Samantha said, laughing lightly at the sudden intrusion, "Son, be careful." "Sorry, Mom." Zoe emerged from the water a few seconds later, soaking Victor and Samantha even more, who quickly got up and moved away, laughing at the situation. "Did I win?" Zoe asked. "Yes, you won this time," Léo replied.

Zoe celebrated the victory, and Léo spent the rest of the time challenging her to other games. Later, they got tired and got out of the water. Samantha gathered the basket and picnic cloth while Victor carried Zoe on his back, who was already asleep from exhaustion.

Léo: "My feet are tired. I don't think I can walk all the way home."

Samantha: "Just hang on a little longer, we're almost there."

Léo: "Why does Zoe get to ride on Dad's back, but I don't? I'm tired too."

Victor: "Because she's a girl, Léo, and girls need to be the priority in these situations, while you need to be strong and resilient, like a man should be."

Léo: "Huh?"

Victor: "How can I explain this to you? Men should be strong and brave, Léo, to protect those who are important and never show their weaknesses to anyone."

Léo: "And why can't Zoe do the same?"

Victor: "But she can do the same. But you should be the source that inspires her to overcome and conquer her fears. That way, she'll repay you with something even more valuable."

Léo: "Like what?"

Samantha: "Respect."

Léo: "I'm not sure I understand yet."

Samantha: "One day you'll understand what your father is trying to say, Léo. And when you do, make sure to be a good brother to your sister. Give her security when she feels insecure and strength when she feels weak. Zoe is a very good girl. I'm sure she'll try to repay you in the same way."

These phrases circled Léo's mind. He looked at his sister, who was sleeping peacefully with a happy expression, and walked more firmly, ignoring the discomfort and making his way all the way home.

[Present]

"Strong and resilient," Léo whispered. Zoe looked at him, confused. "Strong and what?" "Nothing. Do you want to explore the forest with me?" Léo quickly climbed down the tree and brushed off his clothes with light taps. Zoe looked down and trembled at the sensation of height. "I don't know if I can climb down." "Just do the same thing you did when you climbed up, but this time going down."

Zoe held tightly to the branch and began to try to climb down little by little. A fruit fell from the tree and hit her head. Startled, she let go of the branch and fell toward the ground. "AAHH!" Léo acted quickly and stretched out his arms to catch her. She collided with his arms, causing Léo to fall to the ground with her weight. Both were lying on the ground, and Zoe quickly got up. "I thought I was going to die," she said with a trembling voice, placing her hand on her chest, trying to calm down. Léo put his hands on his chest and said with a strained voice: "Agh, you're... really heavy." "I'm not heavy, you're just too weak."

Zoe reached out her hand to Léo. He took her hand and got up. "But thanks for catching me. Are you hurt?" "Don't worry. Shall we go?" "Let's go."

They walked through the forest for a few minutes until they found a spot with some flowers. A small part of them was destroyed, and Léo observed while stating: "It seems the rain last night uprooted and destroyed some." He picked a blue lily and handed it to Zoe. "Here, take this." Zoe took the flower, examining it. "Why should I take this?" "It's to give you more courage." He took the flower back and tucked the blue lily into Zoe's hair. "Just like this flower faced a great storm and remained standing, you too will have to be resilient and strong, like this flower." Zoe was surprised by the situation. "But... flowers are fragile. I don't know if they're a good example of strength, haha." Some bees appeared, going to some flowers that were still standing, collecting pollen, and returning to the hive. The siblings continued walking for a while longer.

Zoe gave a nut to a squirrel, and Léo tried to do the same, but he was chased because he took the nut from their hiding spot, and they were not happy about it.

They spent a good amount of time together, exploring the surroundings of the house, and time passed without them noticing. Zoe was walking, carrying some apples. Léo carried a bunch of bananas and said, "Is it bad to eat fruit all day?" Zoe bit into one of the apples and swallowed. "I don't think so. Dad always said fruit was good for your health." Zoe noticed that it was already getting late and said, "Uncle Roger will be back soon. You should go do your job and clean the house." Léo made a bored face but understood that he couldn't keep procrastinating forever. "Alright, let's go back then."

They walked back toward the house. In a way, both their hearts felt calmer after the time they spent together. Zoe lightly touched the flower still tucked in her hair and gave a content smile, knowing she had another memory she never wanted to forget.