Her pigtails bounce
Side to side
Skipping brightly
In a lollipop swirl of colors
As her skirt
Bounces to meet her hair
The distance never quite reached.

She grabs her big sisters sleeve
Tugs a bit
Jumps up
Springing to be eye to eye.

Bella grabs her hand and leads her to the trampoline.
They jump
Each trying to stretch the extra inch.

They laugh.

Bella’s lace covered frock sticks to the lollipop color swirls.
They jump closer
Higher
Until they collapse
A smiling sister heap.

So it is in the cartoon Bella draws.

She has 5 brothers.
Not today.
Not this drawing.
Today it is her and her little sister Violet Grace.

Her and the little sister she will never have.