Ruby's New Friend (A Silverlock Sisters Short Story)

mediarocks94
5 days ago
12 min read

This story takes place five years before the first book, Ruby Silverlock: Supernatural Explorer

The Silverlock family was in for a big change. This big change came about when one day, Ruby Silverlock and her sisters Emerald and Sapphire came home from school. Annie had been home all day as usual while her husband Michael was at work. He wasn’t due home until about 5 o’clock, about an hour and a half later than when the girls came home from school. Annie had been quietly reading to herself when the front door opened up and her daughters walked in. Emerald was as chipper as ever while Sapphire looked casual as if the day had nothing really worth noting. It was only Ruby who came in looking sad and grumpy. Annie was quick to notice as she rose from her seat and walked over to her children.

“Hello girls! How was school today?” their mother asked them warmly.

“I had a lovely day today!” Emerald said cheerfully.

“It was fine enough for us, mum.” Sapphire said glumly, “But not for Ruby.”

“I can see. Poor dear looks very glum about something.” Annie said with sympathy, “What happened Ruby? Did you have a bad day?”

“What do you think?” Ruby snapped rudely as if she thought her mum was being an idiot for asking that.

“Do NOT take that tone with me young lady!” Annie said sternly, “Just answer the question properly. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, sweetheart.”

Ruby looked down at her feet and clenched her fists.

“A pair of nasty boys bullied me in the playground today. They pulled my hair because they wanted to see if it was real.” she growled, “I hate school! All that happens there is people bullying me because of my freaky silver hair!”

She threw her schoolbag down on the floor in rage.

“Why does everybody have to be so mean to me? Why can’t I have friends like Em and Sapph do? Why am I picked on just for being different?! IT’S NOT FAIR!!!” she screamed, her eyes streaming with tears of anger and sadness.

She then stormed off upstairs to her room and slammed the door. Annie wanted to go up after her eldest daughter and say something, anything to try and cheer her up. But she had a feeling no matter what she said, Ruby wouldn’t be cheered up so easily. What could she say? She couldn’t stop Ruby going to school, as much as she’d love to. There was no other school in their local area she could attend instead. Emerald clutched Annie’s leg worriedly.

“Mummy, I don’t want Ruby to be sad.” she said, sounding on the verge of tears.

“I don’t either darling.” Annie sighed, stroking Emerald’s head tenderly, “Mummy will think of something. We’ll make Ruby better.”

“If only there was a way we could give her a friend.” Sapphire said sadly, “A true friend to call her own. That’d make her happy.”

Annie nodded, seeing where Sapphire was coming from. Her little girl needed someone who wouldn’t judge her for being different. Someone who wouldn’t see her as weird because of her hair. While it was true that lovely boy Tony Summers didn’t mind Ruby’s silver hair, he was more Emerald’s friend than Ruby’s and he was the only kid she knew who didn’t judge Ruby for her hair colour. Ruby needed a friend mostly for herself. Annie kept the thought in mind throughout the evening. After dinner and the girls had gone to bed for the night, Annie and Michael talked privately together in the living room with a cup of tea each beside them. Annie looked down at her tea cup as if she thought the brew inside could answer all her problems.

“Ruby’s such a wonderful little girl. It’s not fair that she’s picked on just because her hair is silver. It’s mind-blowing how you get so many kids who dye their hair all sorts of colours and yet Ruby is seen as the weird one. Why? Is it because her hair is naturally that colour? It’s obscene the hypocrisy of this world sometimes…” Annie fumed, the tea in her cup shuddering as if afraid of her.

“It’s not fair indeed love.” Michael muttered, “But that’s just the world we live in. People will judge you unfairly because they’re either afraid of what they don’t understand, or have been conditioned to think that way.”

“Yes dear, but let’s not delve into that.” Annie said dismissively, “We need to think about Ruby. We must find a way to make her happy. Sapphire lamented about giving Ruby a friend and I think we need to do just that.”

Michael nodded agreeably.

“Any ideas?” he asked.

“I’ve been thinking on it.” Annie replied, “And I think I have the solution. What if we get ourselves a pet?”

“Love it!” Michael said brightly, “A pet will be perfect for Ruby! They won’t judge her. Pets give the most unconditional love you can imagine. I think a pet will be just the ticket. It’ll do you some good as well since you won’t be so lonesome while we’re all out for the day.” he noted.

“Indeed Mick, and it’s what I wanted to talk to you about. What pet should we get for the family?” she asked, “I’m tempted to go with a cat or a dog out of all the options we have.”

“I think we should go with a dog.” Michael suggested, “Nothing against cats, but a dog would be the best friend Ruby could ask for right now. Dogs are more loyal than cats, and if we let the girls take it for walks, it’ll also do Ruby some good.”

Annie smiled warmly at her husband.

“Then a dog it shall be.” she agreed, “We’ll go to the nearest dog centre after the girls go to school tomorrow. Don’t tell them about our plan. I want to surprise them.”

“Funny dear, I had the same idea.” Michael said with a chuckle, “It’ll be a wonderful thing for them to come home to after school.”

It was settled. The two knew what they were going to do. Come tomorrow, they’d search for the perfect dog for not just Ruby, but the family as a whole. Annie and Michael couldn’t wait to see their daughter’s faces when they met their new pet…

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Everything went as planned. The next day, the girls went to school and the moment they were gone, Annie and Michael had gotten into their car and driven off to the nearest dog centre they could find. This one was all the way in Derbyshire and when they arrived, they told the keepers they were here to purchase a dog and wanted to look around. They were shown around the back where all kinds of dogs were on display. They were all in cages or fenced off paddocks. It was a little upsetting seeing so many lovely dogs in cages like this, but Annie and Michael told themselves that at least one dog would be getting a new home this week. After looking around for a few minutes, they came across one paddock that had a litter of puppies that had been donated to the centre about seven weeks ago. The puppies were eight weeks old and all seemed to be fighting for attention as they saw they had a visitor. A label on the gate said “Cairn terrier cross breeds”. It didn’t say what they were crossed with, which had Annie and Michael curious what their other half could be. Out of all the puppies, one stood out from the others. It was a boy and he had his paws up against the gate, keen to get out and meet these people. He wasn’t as lively or as noisy as the rest of his litter. Annie held out a hand and the puppy began licking at her fingers, sticking its tiny snout through the bars of the gate to do so. Michael smiled with awe.

“I think that’ll do.” he said happily.

“The little dear, so small and yet so quick to make a friend!” Annie said, touched by the puppy’s cuteness, “Let’s have this one.”

They told the keeper they thought they were going to pick that particular puppy. The keeper took him out of the paddock and put a harness and lead around the puppy. He stared up at Annie and Michael, now looking a little scared. His tail lowered between his legs. Annie and Michael gently stroked the little dog.

“Don’t be frightened sweetheart. We’re going to take very good care of you.” Annie cooed softly.

“We have three wonderful kids who’ll be happy to meet you.” Michael reassured the puppy.

The puppy began to feel braver now he could see these people were nice. Annie and Michael both agreed this would be the perfect pet for them all. They told the keeper as such and the keeper told them to come back the next day once all the necessary checks were done with. With that done, Annie and Michael went to a pet shop to buy a bed for the dog. After that was done and the two went home, they played it casual as if their day hadn’t been very interesting, which fooled their daughters. They didn’t suspect a thing. Even the dog bed went unnoticed since they’d hidden it in the car. The next day, after the girls went to school once again, Annie and Michael returned to the dog centre to finalize the payment and paperwork they needed to secure the dog for themselves. The puppy was officially theirs now and could go home with them. Michael drove while Annie sat in the passenger’s seat with the puppy lying on a towel in a box. He tried to climb out a few times, but eventually settled down and went to sleep for a bit before the parents arrived home. There was an hour left before the girls came home from school, so Annie and Michael let the puppy explore the house during that time. They took him into the back garden first and let him run around and sniff at the plants. Then they left the back door open so he could come into the house and walk around inside. The puppy was quick to climb up on the sofa and start making himself comfortable, but Annie took him down and showed the puppy his bed they’d purchased for him. At first it seemed like he was going to settle, but then he began chewing on the edges. Annie just laughed, seeing she and Michael would have their hands full with the little dog. With five minutes to go before their children got home, Michael got out a big cardboard box and put in the middle of the living room. Annie put the puppy inside and gave him a few treats before closing the box. She hoped the puppy wouldn’t start whining and give the surprise away. Then the door opened and in walked Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire. As usual, Ruby was the most unhappy of the three. She was fuming once again.

“Hello girls!” Michael said jovially, “I hope you had a good day today.”

“I didn’t.” Ruby said, scowling.

“Same as always dad.” Sapphire said sadly.

“Some nasty boys pulled on her hair again and made her cross.” Emerald mumbled.

“I’m going to have a serious word with that school, because it’s completely unacceptable they’re not doing anything about those boys!” Michael said furiously, “But we can do that later. Your mother and I have a wonderful surprise waiting for you three in the living room.” he said, his voice giddy with excitement.

“A surprise?!” Emerald shrieked with delight, “I can’t wait to see it! What is it?”

“Come in the living room and find out.” Michael said, winking.

“Oooh, this is exciting! What do you think it is Ruby?” Sapphire asked eagerly.

“Don’t care. It won’t make me feel any better.” Ruby said bitterly.

“Oh I think you’ll change your mind when you see this, darling.” Michael said smoothly.

He led his daughters into the living room. As the girls walked in, they saw Annie knelt beside a cardboard box. The trio went up to her and knelt down in front of it. Annie stood back and left them to it.

“It’s all yours girls. Open it up and take a look.” she offered.

The girls stared, their eyes wide with anticipation. Even Ruby found herself genuinely curious.

It must be a big surprise! Maybe it’s a big new toy or a games console… she estimated.

The girls opened the lid while Annie and Michael stood back. Michael had his phone in his hands and was recording the precious moment when his kids opened the box and got the surprise of their lives. There in the box, staring up at them with big, brown, curious eyes was an adorable little puppy. He put his paws up on the corner of the box and stuck his head out. His tail wagged. The girls stared in disbelief. But their astonishment turned to adoration as it sunk in what had just happened.

“No way! Mum, dad, you got us a dog?!” Ruby exclaimed in amazement.

“He’s adorable! I love him!” Emerald shrieked with glee.

“What a lovely surprise!” Sapphire squealed, “Aww, look at his little paws and those big brown eyes!”

“Ruby was very sad as you know because she didn’t have any friends, so your mother and I thought it would be sweet if we got us a dog to cheer her up.” Michael explained, “He’s not just for Ruby, he’s for everyone. But we hope that we’ve finally found a friend for you Ruby.” he said kindly.

Ruby was speechless. Her parents did this for her? She really did have the most amazing mum and dad in the world. She took the puppy out of the box and looked at him. The puppy looked back. His eyes told Ruby everything: I love you already. Ruby’s face broke into the biggest smile she’d felt in ages. This was the perfect gift for her. A dog wouldn’t care about her weird silver hair. A dog wouldn’t bully her for looking different. Her parents had indeed found her a friend. Ruby hugged the puppy and then began to cry. Emerald and Sapphire were worried at first, but Annie assured them she wasn’t upset. These were happy tears. It was the happiest Ruby had felt in so long.

“Oh mum, dad, he’s beautiful! I love him already!” Ruby sobbed with joy, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“No need to thank us dear. We’re just glad we found a friend for you.” Annie said softly.

“And we’re definitely going to be friends, aren’t we boy?” Ruby said, wiping her eyes and looking down at her new pet.

The dog just licked at her face, trying to wipe away her tears. Ruby giggled.

“No silly, no licking! That tickles!” she cried helplessly.

“He loves you already!” Emerald said with awe.

“I love him already.” Sapphire said brightly.

“Wonderful girls, we’re thrilled to hear it.” Michael said happily, “Now you three must promise to take very good care of him. A dog isn’t just some new present after all, it’s for life. You three must be very kind and gentle with him and you must promise to help look after him and keep him well fed and exercised.” he said firmly, “Do you promise?”

“Of course dad, we promise, we promise!” Emerald swore.

“I won’t let anything bad happen to him.” Ruby declared, “Neither of us will. We’ll love him every day of our lives and make him happy.”

“That’s brilliant!” Michael said joyfully.

“Now then, we need to give the dog a name.” Annie informed, “Your father and I agreed, we should let Ruby decide since it’s because of her we decided to get a dog in the first place.”

“Oh, I’m deciding on a name?” Ruby asked in amazement “OK…”

She looked to the dog as Emerald and Sapphire began to stroke his ears and tickle him under the chin. What name should she give the little puppy? There were so many names to choose from, it was going to be hard to pick. Ruby thought carefully. What name would be suitable? Then she remembered something.

“Dad, what’s that movie you like watching with the guy stuck on an island?” the ten-year-old girl asked.

“Oh? That would be Cast Away. Why?” Michael asked.

“I think I remember something about a ball called “Wilson” in the movie.” Ruby recalled, “Is that right?”

“It is.” Michael confirmed.

Ruby was glad she hadn’t misremembered. She looked to the dog and smiled with pleasure. She knew the perfect name for her new pet.

“Then I’ll call him Wilson.” she announced.

“Wilson! That’s a gorgeous name!” Emerald shrieked happily.

“I think it suits him.” Sapphire agreed.

“What do you think boy? You like your new name?” Ruby asked sweetly.

The dog yapped and wagged his tail. Ruby patted him on the head.

“Wilson it is then.” she said happily, “Welcome to the family Wilson. You, me, Em and Sapph are going to be best friends, all of us!”

Wilson yapped again and licked Ruby’s nose. He knew already he was going to love living with this family. His life had only started very recently, but already he had a wonderful future ahead for him. As his new owners stroked him and played with him throughout the day, Wilson already felt like he belonged and was very loved by them. But the love Ruby had for him was the most evident of all. At last, Ruby had a friend to call her own, a friend that didn’t care what she looked like and loved her for who she was…

THE END

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