Author's Note:
This story is very loosely based on the English Tales-English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, published in 1890, and the story about the sisters, Binnorie. I really enjoyed the tale of the scorned sister and exacting revenge because the pretty one stole her man. While the younger sister did nothing but be pretty, I just find sister jealousy interesting.
"O yonder sits my father, the king,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And yonder sits my mother, the queen;
By the bonny milldams o' Binnorie.
And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
Binnorie, O Binnone;
And by him my William, false and true;
By the bonny milldams o' Binnorie.
And there sits my sister who drowned me
By the bonny milldams o' Binnorie."
Bonnie came rushing down the stairs, "What?" she asked, her cheeks were flushed and she looked as pretty as ever.
Bonnie and Allie had always been close. They were best friends as well as sisters. While Allie was lovely, her younger sister Bonnie was the angelic one. She had pretty, soft blonde hair; big blue eyes, and rosy cheeks.
"I met the perfect boy in class in today. His name is William and he's just so amazing." Allie gushed to her sister. "We have a date Friday night. I cannot wait for you to meet him."
"Oh! Tell me more!" Bonnie exclaimed, "What does he look like?"
"Well, he has pretty green eyes...." their voices trailed off as they went upstairs to their room for more girl talk.
.....
Friday night finally arrived and William knocked on the door of the big brownstone house.
"I'm here to pick up Allie" he said when Bonnie opened the door.
"Come in, come in! She will be down shortly." Bonnie said excitedly. "Tell me more about yourself as we wait for her."
As William and Bonnie talked Allie finished getting ready and made her way down the stairs. She smiled to herself when she saw them engrossed in conversation on the couch. She loved that her sister and boyfriend were hitting it off. It was so important to her.
William and Allie had a wonderful date and soon became inseparable. The best part for Allie was that he also loved inviting her sister along on their adventures.
Soon you couldn't find them without each other. The three were always hanging out and Allie could not have been more happy until one day, four months later William wanted to talk.
"Allie, I need to tell you something." William began, "you know I like you, and I think you're great; but I have fallen in love with Bonnie." he stammered.
"You WHAT?!" Allie asked in disbelief.
"I have fallen in love with Bonnie." he said, while staring at the floor.
"Does she know?" Allie asked.
"I haven't said anything to her yet." he responded.
"Leave." Allie demanded. "Do not contact either one of us ever again."
"I have to tell her, Allie, I love her." he pleaded.
"I said leave and never contact us again." she said.
William finally left and Allie ran up the stairs, flung herself on the bed and began to cry.
This is where Bonnie found her later that day. "What's wrong?" Bonnie asked, "I thought we were going to the movies with William tonight. You better get ready."
"We broke up." Allie told her, "He likes someone else."
"Who?!" Bonnie exclaimed. "How could he do this to us?"
"Us? How could he do this to me, you mean." Allie stated as she narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"Right, how could he do this to you?" Bonnie corrected herself.
"I don't know, I..." Allie cut off as Bonnie's phone began to ring. "Answer it."
"Umm, no, we are talking" Bonnie stammered, "I'll call them back."
"Answer it."
"Allie, please, I don't know why he's calling me." Bonnie begged.
"He loves you. He told me. That's why we broke up."
"Allie, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Just leave me alone. I hate you. I hate you both. You've always been prettier and you practically threw yourself at him. You came on all our dates." She yelled in anger at her sister. "JUST GET OUT OF MY ROOM. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN."
"Allie, please don't do this. You're my best friend and my sister. I would never do this to you on purpose. Please." Bonnie pleaded.
"Get. Out."
Bonnie turned and left the room, form that moment forward their relationship was never the same. Allie moved out of the brownstone for college and Bonnie graduated high school a year later and moved to New York to pursue her dreams. Sadly, the sisters were never close again, Allie could never forget losing William. She thought he was the one, and her sister stole that from her.
Aaaa oh on! I felt really bad for Bonnie here. She got blamed even though it was William who messed up. I dont think she deserved that just for being friendly with him. I was kind of relieved though that it didn't follow the original rhyme quite as closely. I thought she might end up drowning her! The ending was still quite unfortunate though.
ReplyDeleteThe classic unrequited love story! Good job at recreating this story. Though you did not tell us what time this story took place, it felt more modern than the classic. I feel bad for Bonnie, because like you said in your Author's Note and in your story, she did nothing wrong. It is unfair for her. I have to agree with Danica, after reading the poem you had at the beginning of the story, I thought that maybe Bonnie would drown Allie as a form of revenge for the accusations.
ReplyDeleteIn your story, I could really feel the emotions with Allie. Even though I read the original story and your author’s note, I still made a surprised “O” with my mouth when William said that he loved Bonnie. It was really his fault for leading them on. It was sad that the sisters’ relationship was never mended. They loved each other so much. However, I am happy that Bonnie did not die like the original. It was so tragic because the story did not go further than her broken harp. You did a great job in writing this story.
ReplyDeleteAh this is my worst nightmare as I have a little sister who is one of the most stunning individuals that I know, her name also happens to be Alli haha. I loved your writing it was very easy to follow and the way you described the situation was very detailed. I was impressed how you interpreted the story based off of the english fable. This classic love triangle never gets old. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteAw a sister story! I have a little sister which made this one a little bit more emotional for me to read. I liked the excerpt you included in the beginning... It made it easier to follow and gave some context into what I was reading. I really enjoyed this story thoroughly. Well done!
ReplyDelete