I used to believe in many myths growing up. Fairies, mermaids, ghosts, monsters. Even perfect families. I know what you’re going to say; how could this be a myth? Oh, trust me, it is. I used to be like you once, with an unwavering belief in the idea that perfect families exist. But then, one day, I made a discovery: every family has its own weakness. Still don’t believe me? Well, then allow me to tell you the story of when I realized that this lie was merely a figment of my imagination.

It began on a crisp fall day; the leaves were shocking shades of red and orange and still clung to the treetops. The mist hung low, and the air smelled fresh, like it usually does after it rains. The outside world appeared relaxed and tranquil, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in my grandma’s house. 

I had just woken up when I heard shouting come from downstairs. Curious at what was kindling the clamor, I headed toward the kitchen. Not surprisingly, I saw Marissa, my older sister, pacing back and forth, clearly outraged. 

“What I don’t understand is why I can’t stay here if you're letting Martin,” she complained, “He doesn't even need to prepare for his speech.” I glanced at Martin, who sat at the end of the kitchen table; his expression was unreadable. In an effort not to get involved in the drama, I remained standing outside the kitchen and concealed my presence.

“Marissa, for the last time, this is an important moment for your brother. Why can’t you support him? He needs this time to prepare,” my mom pleaded, trying to reason with Marissa. 

“Well, if he’s staying, I’m staying.”

“Marissa, you don’t even have a valid reason to stay here. You are arguing because you don’t want to spend time with us.”

“I never even catch anything fishing anyways, so why would I want to go?”

“Marrisa-”

“I’M NOT GOING!” she shouted, her eyes blazed defiantly. 

“Alright, I think you managed to wake up your grandma and your younger brother,” Mom huffed as she massaged her temples. “Both of you are coming fishing, and that’s final.” That obviously wasn’t the answer that Marissa wanted to hear, but it clearly was better than just her going. 

“Whatever,” she muttered as she trudged out of the kitchen, her long brown hair sweeping wildly and dissatisfaction echoing through the halls. Martin looked exasperated at having to give in once again. In our house, Marissa always got her way because she was the most stubborn. She seemed to believe that she was the sun and that we were the planets that revolved around her. And if we didn’t bend to her will, there would not be peace in the galaxy. Personally, I liked peace. 

Silently, I sat down at the table and ate the fluffy scrambled eggs and toast that my mom had graciously made. I did my best to avoid Martin’s gaze. Martin was so serious all the time, especially when it came to school. He must be fuming that he had to go fishing with us instead of practicing reciting his speech for the National something something Convention. I wish I could tell you the full name, but honestly, I don’t remember it. All I knew was that there were going to be some elite college scouts there, which is why he was endlessly rehearsing. 

That’s when it happened. Just as I raised my glass to take a sip of orange juice, I heard shuffling behind me and a loud “boo!”

I was so startled, my hand jolted upwards, spilling orange juice all over me and the ground. I whipped around to witness my younger brother, Ricky snickering behind me. Ricky was only six, so he didn’t know any better.  But still, this was going to be a long trip.

After everyone had changed, we made our way down to the lake and hopped into the canoes. My mom and dad went with Ricky, which left grandma, Marissa, Martin, and me. Because Martin and Marissa were still furious with one another, I had the unfortunate luck of being paired up with Marissa. Not to mention, my oar had broken in half, so I had to row twice as hard. Just my luck.

We had just rowed to the middle of the lake when I witnessed Ricky’s tiny body tumble over the edge of the canoe. After hauling him back in, our mom asked us who wanted to take him back to grandma’s so that he can change out of his dripping wet clothes. Eager to escape, Martin, Marissa, and I volunteered to take him there. Reluctantly, our mom agreed.

By the time we got back to the house, the sun had begun its descent toward the horizon. We let Ricky go upstairs to change since he insisted on “doing it himself,” and then crashed on the sofas. 

“Could you not do that now please,” Marissa’s voice was tinged with annoyance. Martin had been murmuring under his breath.

“Why do you always have to be like this? This speech is very important to me, why can’t you understand that?”

“Because it’s not important. Nobody even knows about this convention.”

Martin's expression darkened. “That’s not even true. There will be so many elite college scouts there. People who you will never meet because you wouldn’t be able to get into any of those colleges anyways.”

“How dare‒”

“That’s enough. I’m not going to keep hearing you guys argue,” I interjected before it got worse.

“Jenny, I know you secretly agree with me,” Marissa accused.

“I don’t agree‒” my voice faltered. I just realized we had been lounging for over twenty minutes. “Where is Ricky?” 

I listened for a moment, I couldn’t hear a single sound coming from upstairs. Something wasn’t right. 

“Guys I don’t think it should have taken him this long.” I was panicking now. We all rushed at once. Scrambling, Martin made it to the bedroom door first. He burst through an empty room. Frantic, we started checking every corner to make sure he wasn’t hiding. That’s when I noticed the patio door wide open. 

“Guys…” My breath came out raspy. Either he had run out by himself or… I didn’t want to think about the other possibility. I could tell they had the same thoughts as me because their faces were grave.

Immediately we start calling for Ricky. “Ricky this isn’t funny anymore, come out!” We hastened out the patio door, searching desperately. The thick fog made it difficult to detect anything more than fifteen feet away. Next to me, Marissa's shoulders shuddered as her piercing sobs broke out into the night. I hadn’t realized that she cared so much for Ricky. 

“It’ll be ok,” I found myself comforting her, “we’ll find him.” Our eyes met, and I could see the fear washing over her dampen a little. 

“Your right,” she whispered weakly, taking a deep breath. 

After a couple more minutes of running around, we collapsed on the patio chairs, feeling defeated. I rubbed my hands across my bare arms; the cold was slowly creeping on us. My hands were shaking, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold.

“I think we should tell mom and dad,” I said feebly. Nobody respondeds. Martin’s expression was somber; the shadows from the lantern danced upon his face. 

“It’s my fault. I’m the oldest, I should have been more responsible,” guilt weighed upon his words. “He was only six. I should have never let him out of my sight.”

“We’re all responsible,” Marissa spoke quietly, her voice fragile, threatening to shatter like glass. “We should have known better.” She paused for a moment. “And I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have said all those things about your speech. If it’s important to you, it should be important to me.”

“I’m sorry too. I know that I’ve been obsessed lately. I should have been more considerate of you guys.” I knew that he was being genuine. 

“I agree that we should have been more careful, but there is nothing we can do about it now,” I interjected, “I think we should head back. They’ll know what to do. They are also probably worried sick about us.” They nodded in agreement, and just as we were about to get up and leave the patio, a small head popped up from behind the bushes.

“What are you guys talking about?” And there Ricky was standing with his smiley, clever self, acting like everything was fine in the world. We all rushed forward and embraced him.

“Where have you been?” we questioned him as a million thoughts flew through our heads.

“Hiding,” he chuckled. We all laughed, relieved that the worst had passed. I looked around at the shining faces of Martin and Marissa and for the first time in my life, I could feel the chasm between us dissipate. And at that moment I knew that even though perfect families didn’t exist, this was the closest I would ever get to one.