Magpie 71

"Ouch!"

"You're it!" Ray squealed, as he poked me on the arm and ran away.

"Don't touch me! Especially on my sunburn!" I yelled back at him.

He pulled a face and poked out his tongue. Joel, my other annoying bundle of a brother ran and jumped onto my back, his arms almost strangling me as he wrapped them around my neck.

Of course, Ray saw this as his opportunity for attack. He too, ran towards me, yelling, "charge!" Their little fingertips were not as innocent as they looked. They, mabey even unintentionally, took advantage of the sunburn I'd received on our Summer holiday to put me through a world of pain. Screaming at them to get off me, it was mum to next step into the scene.

"Please!" Mum hissed at us, as she attempted to pull Joel from my back, "The other people here would like to view the museum in peace." I looked around, and counted a whole of two people in the dusty room that smelt of the sea." As much as I was a total advocate for getting rid of my brothers, I had to admit there wasn't really anyone here to annoy anyway.

"Aw, but c'mon mum! There's nothing to do here!" Ray moaned.

"Yeah!" Joel, growled on to agree, "This stinks! You said this holiday would be fun."

Dad called over to mum, motioning for her to come and look at something. This beachside holiday, 1000 kms away from anything half decent to do was all dad's idea. But I guess mum was right in saying, this was dad's only break from work in the whole year and he should get to spend it how he wished.

"Tell you what...twenty more minutes. Find something to look at, and if you all behave we'll get nice, cold ice-creams." That was enough for Ray and Joel and I nodded, as not to be a nuisance.

The three of us trudged off into the next small room. There were some paintings of the ocean on the walls and a couple of disgusting fish plastered to the walls also. In each corner of the room there was a glass cabinet filled with clams and pearls and sand, obviously taken from the beach. The room at first seemed boring, with it's brown timber walls and floors and only one small window at the end. It was all very plain when we realised there was a doorway to another room. Walking through to that one, it was a complete transformation. This one was so much different, with a larger window and much nicer walls and floors. there was a bench with a cushion also, and the three of us sat there straight away.

We all seemed to be completely consumed by the ornaments in the centre of the room. It was probably the brightest thing we'd seen since arriving in this town. I dont know how, but we all sat there for so long. We hardly even had to speak, we were all daydreaming, thinking, wondering-what on earth this masterpiece was.

"Those boats in venice!"

"Fish..."

Our eyes were all set on the mysterious objects hanging by the thinest of wire or string. Mabey thats why, for twenty whole minutes neither of them hardly spoke. It was something unexplainable. Something completely amazing.

Mum and dad walked in shortly, and explained we had been so good. Like we'd all been in a trance we suddenly jumped back into the disorganized, loud family we are known to be. I smiled. That was the quietest Joel and Ray had been in a very long time. Even I hadn't been that quiet in forever. It was completely indescribable, the simplicity of the object, yet the complexity of the 'illlusion' of it all didn't fail to amaze even me.