24th of December, 1977
“Marlth, Marlth, thlook, I lotht thtwo thteeth!!” Marlene’s seven-year-old sister bounds over to her, triumphantly holding up two small teeth laying on a tissue in her little hand.
“Merlin beard Dolly, two at once?! Did you fall out of a tree again?” Marlene teases suspiciously and her sister giggles like Marlene knew she would.
“Noooo,” Dolly says slyly before skipping away to go show their mother who is currently mending a giant hole ripped into one of the twins’ shirts. The circus life will do that to you. Tear or singe all your clothes if you accidentally drop a flaming torch or get caught on one of the trapeze hooks.
Oh, how Marlene misses it.
“Hey Mama, do you know where the twins are?” Marlene asks, walking over to the older lady. Her Mama has bright blonde hair to match Marlene's, though it's constantly streaked and striped with colours hexed to match whatever outfit she is wearing. They currently glow deep, rich reds and purple to match her mother’s skirts. Marlene has always thought her Mama was the coolest person alive. It takes a warrior to raise six kids in a constantly travelling circus. Even if the family usually spent most of the year in England ever since her parents had had their first, Marlene.
Her Mama hums thoughtfully, looking up from the spell she is casting to fix the outfit.
“I think they’re in the main tent with your father and Prudence. Please remind them that our Eve dinner is very soon and then we’ll be doing our Secret Santa.”
“Ok Mama!” Marlene calls cheerfully, already heading for the large tent their trailers are hidden behind.
Even though Christmas and Christmas Eve could bring in excellent money for her parents, they have always insisted on closing for the two days so they can be together as a family. Her mother makes chocolate chip pancakes with fruit and iceacream and bacon and maple syrup, and they all sit together on their large table with their mismatched chairs and exchange gifts for the name they select from a hat at the start of the month. Christmas is always spent unwrapping presents their parents have bought them before they snuggle under blankets and mountains of pillows in the big tent, watching Christmas movies on the projector all day.
It’s Marlene’s favourite time of the year. On these days, no one is allowed to interrupt their traditions. It’s peaceful. She misses it when she’s at school, though Peter and James often try to replicate it for her for her birthdays or when she’s sad.
‘What are childhood best friends for if they don’t try and share your traditions with you?!’ They always reply when she tells them they don’t have to.
She wanders over to the tent, pushing inside to find her father there, balancing on a large ball with his arms flung to the sides.
“Dad? What are you doing?” Marlene calls out, laughter in her voice.
The question startles her father though and he loses his balance, tripping to his feet on the floor. Luckily, he doesn’t seem hurt and laughs that loud, boisterous laugh that instantly puts Marlene at ease when she hears it. “Having a bit of fun dear! But don’t tell your mother!” He answers with a wink and Marlene snorts, sticking her tongue out at the twins who glare at her for interrupting their fun.
“Hello boys,” She lifts a brow.
She’s met with silence as Wilbur and Andrew turn back around and she scoffs lightly, striding over to ruffle the 12-year-olds’ hair. They yelp and smack her hands away, but she can hear the smiles in their voices.
“Marls!” An excited scream comes, and Marlene opens her arms with a wide grin as a three-year-old head of dark curls launches herself at Marlene from the top of a hay bale boundary.
“Prue! Hello sweetness, how are you?”
“Good,” Prudence mumbles, face pressed against Marlene’s shoulder. Prudence always gets like this when Marlene visits from school. She misses Marlene too much, her parents always say, and it sends a familiar pang of guilt through Marlene. One and a half more years. And then Marlene can be out of school and see Prue all the time. That’s what they promise each other. All the things Marlene will get to show her baby sister. It makes the distance easier for both of them.
Prudence wriggles to be put down, seemingly finished with her cuddles now. “Marlene,” the three-year-old says seriously when Marlene puts her down, big brown eyes blinking up at her older sister, “Jameson is no longer my friend.”
Marlene stifles her laugh at the proclamation, crouching down to be level with her little sister. “And why is that Prue?”
“Because! He thinks he knows everything just because he’s 15 and he thinks he can boss me around, but he can’t because he’s not even the oldest!”
Marlene coughs. Honestly, her brother has been back for the same amount of time as Marlene, obviously because they go to the same school, and has already managed to annoy the baby of the family. Marlene isn’t surprised but she is amused.
“Should I go tell him off?” Marlene whispers to Prue who nods eagerly, letting go of Marlene’s hands to pick up the plush frog that she must have dropped when she threw herself at Marlene. Mr. Hops. Marlene loved that frog when it was hers.
“Yes, I think you probably should,” Prudence says solemnly, and Marlene can’t help a little chuckle escaping at that.
“Ok sweetness. I will. But first, let’s go get some dinner, shall we?”
Prudence beams, nodding, and switching Mr. Hops to one hand so she can wrap her hand around a few of Marlene’s fingers. “Yes!”
Marlene yells out to her father that dinner is ready, and he shouts that he’s right behind them before sending the twins off ahead of Marlene and Prudence to go see if their mother needs any help.
It isn’t long before they’re all at the table in one of the caravans that is bewitched to be bigger on the inside than the outside. The full-length table fits easily, chairs of all colours and shapes housing all the members of the McKinnon family. That’s why they make such a good family, their parents like to insist. They’re all as different as their chairs but it just makes them all the more interesting.
And as Marlene unwraps her Secret Santa gift (the poor taping makes her think it was courtesy of Dolly), she realises maybe that is the secret to having such a close family. All of you being different but with the shared experiences.
And in that moment, Marlene feels loved in the asymmetric.