Sowing the Seeds Part 4- Summer
Title: Sowing the Seeds
Fandom: Power Rangers RPM
Summary: Seemingly every day events can change the course of a person's life. Five very different people were set on the path to become Power Rangers back when they were children, long before they ever knew their own destinies. These are their stories.
Rating: K/G/general audience
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Not mine. All that jazz.
Summer knew she shouldn’t get up. She knew she was supposed to be in bed. But it was just Andrews and he couldn’t really punish her and it was so dark and lonely and stormy. Not that she was scared of the thunderstorm. Of course not. She was nine years old now. She didn’t get scared of the dark. Much.
She pulled her favourite bathrobe out of her closet and tied it around her waist, pulling her long blonde hair out the back. She crept down the mahogany staircase at the front of the house and started a timid search for Andrews. He was here somewhere. She just had to find him. To make sure he wasn’t afraid of the storm, of course. She wouldn’t want him being scared.
There was flickering light coming from the main sitting room and she peaked around the doorframe. Andrews was sitting on the couch and the very large flat television was turned on, volume lowered. There was a little girl on the screen with her blonde hair pulled up into bouncy little pigtails. She was dancing around in a frilly dress. Her mouth was moving, but the volume was so low Summer couldn’t hear her.
“Miss Summer! What are you doing out of bed?” Andrews chastised her.
“I couldn’t sleep. I had to make sure you weren’t scared of the storm,” she said, stepping into full view. He smiled at her and she noticed he was out of uniform. His bowtie was undone, hanging limply around his upturned collar, and his jacket was draped over the arm of the couch. How very unbecoming.
“No, Miss Summer, I’m quite alright. But thank you for checking.” He chuckled a little and motioned for her to sit down. She practically ran, but in an entirely grown up and ladylike fashion of course, to bounce next to him on the couch. She was just in time to see the little girl skip off stage and a little boy come stumbling on. He had short brown hair plastered down to his head and wide brown eyes. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt which seemed out of place considering the little girl had been wearing such a fancy dress. The camera cut away to the audience. They were dressed far more regally, decked out in the most expensive fashions of the season.
“Is this the charity gala?” she asked, reaching for the remote. Andrews nodded and allowed her to turn up the volume.
“Your parents are right there in the front. The camera shows them most often.” She hoped they’d show her mother soon. She’d been there when the new dress had been delivered. She just knew her mother would look so elegant, like a queen.
“Andrews, why are these children singing?” she asked. She’d never actually been allowed to see one of the charity galas before. Her parents held one every year, she knew that much, but she was still too young to attend.
“They’re performing as a service for the people donating money.”
“What’s the charity this year?” She knew it changed every year, but her father had said she didn’t need to trouble herself with the details. They had people for that. It was just for publicity anyway.
“St. Hedwig’s Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children. They’re in desperate need of a new roof and have been unable to garner enough donations up to this point. It’s apparently a floundering orphanage. Your parents are hoping to turn that around.” Summer watched as the little boy, so tiny up on that big stage, sang his song. He just wanted somebody to love him, he’d said.
“Why is he so sad, Andrews?” she asked quietly, tears springing unbidden to her eyes.
“He’s an orphan, Miss Summer. He doesn’t have a family. He must be very lonely,” he answered, patting her head. Summer lived a lonely life; she knew what it was like. She was an only child and her parents were away so often. She really only had Andrews to look after her. But despite that, she knew she was loved. She had family and they’d always be there if she really needed them. She couldn’t imagine growing up without anybody.
“I thought orphanages didn’t exist anymore. I thought they were only out of stories by Charles Dickens,” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the screen. She’d never seen a real actual orphan before. He didn’t look at all like the children from the stories, all dirty and waifish and British. No, he just looked like an ordinary little boy, albeit a poorly dressed one. Andrews tucked some stray hair behind her ear while she listened to the little boy finish his song.
“No, Miss Summer, I’m afraid not. As long as there are people in this world, there will be children who lose their parents. It is to orphanages they must go until they can find new families.”
“Is he poor, Andrews?” she whispered, pointing to the little boy on the screen. She’d never met a poor person either, but she knew about their plight from her social studies tutor.
“Yes, very poor. They need all the help they can get.” She couldn’t imagine what it was like to be poor. To not have your own pony or car, to not have any dress you wanted, to only have one bedroom in which to play. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to not have your own personal chef at your beck and call, or worse, to be forced to attend public school! It was just unthinkable. She suddenly wanted very much to help those poor little children too, even though her father said Landsdowns don’t really help people, not if they can’t get something out of it in return.
“Andrews, could we adopt him?” she asked, sitting up very quickly. He looked at her with surprise.
“Adopt who, Miss Summer?”
“The boy. At the gala. He’s an orphan. He needs a family. Mommy and Daddy have plenty of money. We could adopt him! Then he’d have a family and I’d have a brother to play with! Then neither of us would be lonely any longer!” She was getting very excited now. The little boy had long since left the stage and they’d moved on to the announcer attempting to do some comedy routine, but she didn’t want to hear it. She hit the mute button and turned to face her butler. It was a great idea, surely he’d agree!
“Oh now, I don’t know, Miss Summer. You’d have to take that up with your mother and father. I’m not sure they’re ready to help quite as much as bringing another person into their home, however.” He was smiling at her, but she frowned. She really wanted a brother. She’d have to begin asking tomorrow and she wouldn’t stop until they agreed.
“Well, maybe I can help another way in the meantime. They need money right?” Andrews nodded. Summer jumped up from the couch, wide awake with excitement. “I’ve been saving my allowance for the past few weeks. I should have about seven or eight hundred dollars. I could donate it to the orphanage! That would help a little, wouldn’t it?”
“Miss Summer, I believe that would help them a great deal.” Andrews had that soft smile, like he knew something she didn’t. Like he was proud of her. She never quite understood it, but she was too excited to care right now. She smiled at him and ran for the telephone, her hair trailing behind her. She pledged all the money in her account, every last penny of it, in honour of the sad little boy who didn’t have a family.
It was the first time Summer Landsdown had given so freely of herself. She never did get her little brother, but she did learn a valuable lesson. Donating the money gave her nothing in return but a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It took awhile to grow, time to change, but she the seed was planted that dark and stormy night.
Fandom: Power Rangers RPM
Summary: Seemingly every day events can change the course of a person's life. Five very different people were set on the path to become Power Rangers back when they were children, long before they ever knew their own destinies. These are their stories.
Rating: K/G/general audience
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Not mine. All that jazz.
Summer knew she shouldn’t get up. She knew she was supposed to be in bed. But it was just Andrews and he couldn’t really punish her and it was so dark and lonely and stormy. Not that she was scared of the thunderstorm. Of course not. She was nine years old now. She didn’t get scared of the dark. Much.
She pulled her favourite bathrobe out of her closet and tied it around her waist, pulling her long blonde hair out the back. She crept down the mahogany staircase at the front of the house and started a timid search for Andrews. He was here somewhere. She just had to find him. To make sure he wasn’t afraid of the storm, of course. She wouldn’t want him being scared.
There was flickering light coming from the main sitting room and she peaked around the doorframe. Andrews was sitting on the couch and the very large flat television was turned on, volume lowered. There was a little girl on the screen with her blonde hair pulled up into bouncy little pigtails. She was dancing around in a frilly dress. Her mouth was moving, but the volume was so low Summer couldn’t hear her.
“Miss Summer! What are you doing out of bed?” Andrews chastised her.
“I couldn’t sleep. I had to make sure you weren’t scared of the storm,” she said, stepping into full view. He smiled at her and she noticed he was out of uniform. His bowtie was undone, hanging limply around his upturned collar, and his jacket was draped over the arm of the couch. How very unbecoming.
“No, Miss Summer, I’m quite alright. But thank you for checking.” He chuckled a little and motioned for her to sit down. She practically ran, but in an entirely grown up and ladylike fashion of course, to bounce next to him on the couch. She was just in time to see the little girl skip off stage and a little boy come stumbling on. He had short brown hair plastered down to his head and wide brown eyes. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt which seemed out of place considering the little girl had been wearing such a fancy dress. The camera cut away to the audience. They were dressed far more regally, decked out in the most expensive fashions of the season.
“Is this the charity gala?” she asked, reaching for the remote. Andrews nodded and allowed her to turn up the volume.
“Your parents are right there in the front. The camera shows them most often.” She hoped they’d show her mother soon. She’d been there when the new dress had been delivered. She just knew her mother would look so elegant, like a queen.
“Andrews, why are these children singing?” she asked. She’d never actually been allowed to see one of the charity galas before. Her parents held one every year, she knew that much, but she was still too young to attend.
“They’re performing as a service for the people donating money.”
“What’s the charity this year?” She knew it changed every year, but her father had said she didn’t need to trouble herself with the details. They had people for that. It was just for publicity anyway.
“St. Hedwig’s Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children. They’re in desperate need of a new roof and have been unable to garner enough donations up to this point. It’s apparently a floundering orphanage. Your parents are hoping to turn that around.” Summer watched as the little boy, so tiny up on that big stage, sang his song. He just wanted somebody to love him, he’d said.
“Why is he so sad, Andrews?” she asked quietly, tears springing unbidden to her eyes.
“He’s an orphan, Miss Summer. He doesn’t have a family. He must be very lonely,” he answered, patting her head. Summer lived a lonely life; she knew what it was like. She was an only child and her parents were away so often. She really only had Andrews to look after her. But despite that, she knew she was loved. She had family and they’d always be there if she really needed them. She couldn’t imagine growing up without anybody.
“I thought orphanages didn’t exist anymore. I thought they were only out of stories by Charles Dickens,” she asked, unable to take her eyes off the screen. She’d never seen a real actual orphan before. He didn’t look at all like the children from the stories, all dirty and waifish and British. No, he just looked like an ordinary little boy, albeit a poorly dressed one. Andrews tucked some stray hair behind her ear while she listened to the little boy finish his song.
“No, Miss Summer, I’m afraid not. As long as there are people in this world, there will be children who lose their parents. It is to orphanages they must go until they can find new families.”
“Is he poor, Andrews?” she whispered, pointing to the little boy on the screen. She’d never met a poor person either, but she knew about their plight from her social studies tutor.
“Yes, very poor. They need all the help they can get.” She couldn’t imagine what it was like to be poor. To not have your own pony or car, to not have any dress you wanted, to only have one bedroom in which to play. She couldn’t imagine what it was like to not have your own personal chef at your beck and call, or worse, to be forced to attend public school! It was just unthinkable. She suddenly wanted very much to help those poor little children too, even though her father said Landsdowns don’t really help people, not if they can’t get something out of it in return.
“Andrews, could we adopt him?” she asked, sitting up very quickly. He looked at her with surprise.
“Adopt who, Miss Summer?”
“The boy. At the gala. He’s an orphan. He needs a family. Mommy and Daddy have plenty of money. We could adopt him! Then he’d have a family and I’d have a brother to play with! Then neither of us would be lonely any longer!” She was getting very excited now. The little boy had long since left the stage and they’d moved on to the announcer attempting to do some comedy routine, but she didn’t want to hear it. She hit the mute button and turned to face her butler. It was a great idea, surely he’d agree!
“Oh now, I don’t know, Miss Summer. You’d have to take that up with your mother and father. I’m not sure they’re ready to help quite as much as bringing another person into their home, however.” He was smiling at her, but she frowned. She really wanted a brother. She’d have to begin asking tomorrow and she wouldn’t stop until they agreed.
“Well, maybe I can help another way in the meantime. They need money right?” Andrews nodded. Summer jumped up from the couch, wide awake with excitement. “I’ve been saving my allowance for the past few weeks. I should have about seven or eight hundred dollars. I could donate it to the orphanage! That would help a little, wouldn’t it?”
“Miss Summer, I believe that would help them a great deal.” Andrews had that soft smile, like he knew something she didn’t. Like he was proud of her. She never quite understood it, but she was too excited to care right now. She smiled at him and ran for the telephone, her hair trailing behind her. She pledged all the money in her account, every last penny of it, in honour of the sad little boy who didn’t have a family.
It was the first time Summer Landsdown had given so freely of herself. She never did get her little brother, but she did learn a valuable lesson. Donating the money gave her nothing in return but a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It took awhile to grow, time to change, but she the seed was planted that dark and stormy night.