"Luke, let's go, Luke!" my sister Florry says, excitedly clapping her hands together as she sits on the stool in front of me.

I pull on my battered trainers before scooping her up in my arms. "Okay!" I step outside into the street, closing the door behind me.

Sorry, I have forgotten to introduce myself: my name is Luke Anderson and I am thirteen years old. I live in a small house with my mom and my three-year-old sister, Florry. If you are wondering about my dad, he is currently in the army and has been since I was a baby.

I am currently about to take my sister for our daily walk through the park. Even if it is hotter than fifty degrees, we still go- it is tradition. Right now, my mom is out shopping, which is good.

I carry Florry on my hip as we walk, and she makes it her duty to point out everything that is even remotely yellow- she has been addicted to the colour for the past few months, and I am always having to stop her from looking directly at the sun.

When I pass Mrs Forde, she gives me one of her special looks of digust. I ignore her and walk away, frowning. She looks down on my family just because we adopted Florry when no one wanted her. Mom told me she thinks family should be nothing but blood, and to let someone in is being a disgrace. Mom also said she was an old hag who cares about no one but herself.

I get to the park a lot faster than I normally would have, for some reason. Maybe the heat is making me speed up. Oh well.

I gently place Florry on the ground, giving her the instructions, "Do not wander off. Stay close to Luke. Okay?"

She nods solemnly. "Okay. No wanding off." 

I think she may have taken it too seriously, because she holds my hand and stays close to me for the next ten minutes. Then she sees a bird and runs over to it, frowning when it flies away in alarm.

She walks back over to me and grabs my hand again. "Bird not like me." she says sadly.

I pick her up. "No, perhaps it just realised it was late for its lunch." I lie, hoping she would believe me.

Thankfully, Florry understands. "Okay," she said, and pats my hand. "I find a new bird!"

And, naturally, she goes back to stating everything that's yellow. Here we go again.

While we make our way around the park, I let my thoughts wander. What would life be like if my dad wasn't in the army? If he was at home with us, along with everyone else? But I know it's futile to think like that: the wars have been going on for ages, and it seems like they will never stop. Mom says we are lucky to not have to live in a place that is really effected by war and the climate- some places are so bad people are committing suicide just to escape the torture.

Suddenly, Florry gives a squeal of delight and points out something on the ground. "Look, Luke! Small ball! 'Arble!"

I stop for a moment, wondering if my sister has gone crazy. Then I see it: a tiny, golden-yellow marble shining on the ground. It is rolling towards us, as if beckoning for us to pick it up. I set Florry on the ground and bend down to pick it up. 

It has a smooth, glass-like feel and as I examine it, I cannot help but think someone left this for us, wanting us to take it. I know it is probably not true, but it is not everyday you see a glowing marble just lying around in a local park.

Florry looks at it, a huge smile erupting on her face. "It's YELLOW!" she cries out, and a few passers-by stop to look at her, some with fondness, others with concern (probably for her sanity).

I laugh slightly and slip it into my pocket for later. "Yes! Now come on, let us go home. Mom is most likely waiting for us."

She nodded and declares happily, "Show mommy yellow 'arble!" 

Smiling, I lift her up and begin the journey home.

***

When we get home, mom is already in the kitchen and is cooking lunch. Ever since my dad went to join the army, both me and her have been swapping days to do alternate jobs around the town. It is even more stressful for my mom because she had to help out and do her job as a doctor on the same day, but somehow she still manages to cope.

She hums as she stirs something in the pot, and I can tell she has not yet noticed me or Florry yet. I pull our shoes off and immediately after, Florry runs straight up to her and yells a delighted "Mommy!" as she wraps her small arms around said person.

My mom laughs and steps away from the pot to pick her up. "How was the walk?" she asks, and for a moment I want to tell my mom about the marble, but I do not want to worry her even more.

"It was nice. How was your day?" I ask.

Just as she is about to answer, Florry ruins my plan by saying, "In the park, we find a 'arble and Luke keep it for me." 

My mom opens her mouth to say something and, resisting the urge to shoot a glare at Florry, I glance at her. "Before you ask, it is long story."

She nods and looks me up and down. "Okay. But I wasn't going to talk about that. I was going to say you've been looking stressed recently- is everything alright?"

I smile, relieved she is not asking about the marble. "Of course. I should be asking you the same thing."

My mom just laughs and hugs me. That is the thing I love about her. She does not care about the situation at hand, and if you say something, she won't go further into it.

Out of nowhere, I feel a sharp tingling where the marble is. Cautiously, I reach my hand into my pocket. It feels normal, albeit a bit hot, so I have got no idea why it is tingling all of a sudden. I would definitely have to take a look at it later.

Mom sets Florry on the floor and glances at me. "Mind setting the table?"

I nod, and begin to lay out the cutlery and plates on the dusty, wooden table. Florry sits on the floor and starts singing the alphabet song (it may sound cute, but once you have heard it a thousand times, it gets really annoying). After five rounds, she walks over to me and pats my pocket.

"I play with 'arble later?" she asks, giving me the look she gives when she wants something.

I pick her up and lift her onto the chair. "Only if you eat lunch like a good girl."

Florry traces a circle absent-mindedly on her plate. "Good girl." she agrees.

My mom puts a plate of pasta on the table and we both sit down on opposite ends on the table; me next to Florry and her on the other side. We have always kept the seat next to mom empty, in case dad ever came home. It is like he's coming back from a day at work, not years in the army. But I guess that is the beauty of it. Hope.

We eat in silence, apart from some small talk about school. Last night, my mom talked to me about considering travelling north like everyone else. The reason being is that she says it is only going to get warmer from here, and it will be good if we get there early, especially with Florry.

I am not sure what I think about that. I mean, there are pros and cons. If we leave, we will be risking mine and Florry's educations and we may not even get a home but if we do leave, we'll be decreasing the chance of death from the heat and maybe mom will get a better job and we could get a better education. Who knows?

For some reason, my mom keeps shifting her gaze from me to the empty chair. I have a feeling it is because almost everyone says I look exactly like my dad- we both have the same dark brown hair and light blue eyes, so she is probably remembering him. I cannot be sure though.

After lunch, I go straight to my bedroom to examine the marble properly. I shut the door behind me and sit on my bed, staring closely at it. It looks the same as it did before, except that it seems more... glowy. 

I try to understand why it was tingling earlier. Either it was just my leg acting up, or this marble is more than it seems. If this is a prank, I am going to murder whoever set this up. Suddenly, a voice shakes me out of my thoughts.

"Yellow 'arble! I play?" I breathe sigh of relief. It is only Florry. She has silently entered my room and is now standing next to me.

"Not now. Luke is using it. Maybe later. Okay?" I say, trying not to get annoyed.

"Now!" she shakes her head, and her brown eyes fill with tears. Oh no. Now for the waterworks.

 But before I can say anything to pacify her, there is a loud pop and a flash of light fills the room. blinding us. Everything disappears the light envelopes us and we are transported into a world of nothingness...

Word count: 1614

(And that's it for today! Please tell me how you thought of it- including constructive criticism and any spelling errors.)