Good morning!
This week the weather has been oh, so lovely! The nights have gotten down into the low 60s and even 58º one night. And the days haven't been humid and miserable! My sister and I have gotten out to walk nearly every morning which has been great! And we've had the house open every morning! I'm dreaming of fall! ;)
Speaking of fall, I've spent a lot of time this week getting work done on the Five Fall Favorites blog party. I think I finally have everything out to all the bloggers. Now everyone can choose their books, and get their blog posts ready. It's coming, folks! And the Grand Prize! :)
I've also been working on the Blog Tour for Angie's and my new books. We still have a few days that "could" use another blogger, but we don't have to have them. I think it will be fun. It's going to be a bit different than your normal blog tours in that there are not going to be any "book spotlights" and each post will be different. I won't tell you anything else. You'll just have to come to it. ;)
I've also done some writing. I took a break from the other stories I was working on and wrote a new Christmas story. Yeah, I know. I shouldn't be working on Another Christmas story! It's only July! I know all that but it didn't help. This story wanted to be written and so write it I did. I may end up with 3 Christmas Collection books coming out this year. :P
Well, I'm going to go get to work on other things. My sis and I might walk before breakfast today since it's so nice, and we have to clean the house after breakfast. So enjoy this next part of the story!
Triplets
Part 2
Not pausing to look back, the three girls raced for the alley, tripping and stumbling over the carpet of ivy that caught at their shoes in a seeming attempt to delay them. At last they reached the alley. With hands gripping, they fled to the street, and were soon pounding back down the uneven pavement. Gasping for breath and running until their sides hurt, they pressed forward at a rapid walk. No one said a word until their own familiar house stood before them, and Sofia had retrieved the key from its hiding place, and had unlocked the door. Only after they were safely inside with the door locked behind them did they stop to draw several long breaths.
Vienna sank on to the sagging couch and looked at her sisters. “Why did we run?”
Sitting on the only chair, Geneva’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you hear the noises? Like someone was hurt or–”
“It was coming from inside that old shed place,” Sofia added. She joined Vienna on the couch. “It was creepy.”
“Like something, or someone, was in there.” Geneva’s voice was almost a whisper.
“I know, but it could have been just a bird or a mouse. The window was open, you know.” When neither of her triplets answered, Vienna shrugged. “Besides, aren’t we a little old to be so frightened of just a little sound? We are in high school, remember. And we just turned fourteen.”
“Yeah.” Geneva didn’t sound convinced.
“You were scared too,” Sofia pointed out.
“Some, but more from losing my step and falling, I think.” She grinned across the room at Geneva. Then she looked down at her scraped arms. Her hands were only lightly scratched, but her right arm was bleeding a little. “I think I’ll go wash these scratches.”
Geneva sprang to her feet. “Did I make you hurt yourself? Oh, Vivi, I’m so sorry! I’ll get stuff and–”
“Forget it, Gen. They’re just scratches. I’ll take care of them. After I wash them off, I think we need to go back.”
Geneva sank down onto the floor in front of the couch, blocking Vienna’s way. “Go back?” she quavered, looking from Vienna to Sofia and back again.
“I don’t know,” Sofia began slowly. “Maybe we should wait until Grandma gets home–” Her voice trailed off.
“Grandma won’t be home from work until after five.” Standing, Vienna side-stepped her sister, and called back over her shoulder as she headed for the bathroom, “If we don’t go back today, we’ll have nightmares tonight.” As she washed the scratches, wincing at the sting they gave, she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to go back to that brick building any more than her sisters did. “But I don’t want to dream about it either,” she muttered, turning off the water.
It took some convincing–an entire lunch time worth–but in the end Vienna’s idea won. Armed with a flashlight, the old cellphone Grandma had given them to use if they needed something, and as many cheerful possibilities of what the noise could be as they could think of, the triplets started out again. The sun still shone brightly. There seemed nothing to be afraid of on that summer afternoon.
Until they saw the old, red building before them.
Standing in the road with hands clasped tightly together, the flashlight in Sofia’s pocket and the cellphone in Vienna’s, the three girls stared. Vienna’s eyes scanned the building from one side to the other. On the far right bushes, vines, and other brush formed a protecting wall at the corner. On the front and left only un-mowed grass grew. She knew that behind the building ivy climbed the walls and carpeted the ground between the wall and the row of trees.
“Why are there no windows in the front?” Sofia whispered.
“Maybe it used to be the back?” Geneva answered.
“Oh, look!” Vienna pointed. “See the way those bricks are arranged? Kind of like in an arch. I’ll bet this used to be the front of the building and there were large doors there. Of course they wouldn’t need windows if they had big doors.”
“Like a garage?” Geneva looked at her sister.
“Vivi is right,” Sofia answered, nodding. “They must have decided not to use them anymore and just bricked them up. We didn’t pay close attention the first time we looked.”
“Do they have to crawl through the window to get inside now?” Geneva’s voice was skeptical.
“I’m sure there’s a door somewhere.” Vienna tried to remember if there might have been a door on the back wall, but decided there wasn’t.
“Let’s look around,” suggested Sofia. “Not in the back,” she added quickly, “but here in the open.” She pulled her sisters with her to the tall grass. “We can check this side first. I couldn’t see it very well from the alley, could you?”
Vienna, who was looking at the bricks, suddenly bumped into Geneva. “Sorry.” She noticed that Geneva had let go of Sofia’s hand. “Aren’t you going on?”
Geneva shook her head. “There might be poison ivy in that grass.”
“I’m not afraid of poison ivy,” Sofia retorted over her shoulder, plunging into the tall grass.
“You would be if you’d had it.” Geneva backed into the road still keeping hold of Vienna’s hand.
Silently Vienna waited in the road with Geneva and watched. Sofia carefully examined the side of the building. She even went to the corner and looked down the back. With a shake of her head she returned to the road. “Nothing there?” Vienna asked.
Sofia shook her head again. “No door, and no sign of a door. But there is a high window on this end. It’s too high to look in though.” She pointed to a small window near the point of the roof.
“That must mean the door’s on the other end.”
“If there is one,” Geneva said in a low voice.
“There has to be a door, Gen.” Vienna laughed a little nervously. For some reason, the thought of a building without a door, but with an open window, sounded more frightening than . . . than going to a football game at a new school when you didn’t know anyone.
Vienna sank on to the sagging couch and looked at her sisters. “Why did we run?”
Sitting on the only chair, Geneva’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you hear the noises? Like someone was hurt or–”
“It was coming from inside that old shed place,” Sofia added. She joined Vienna on the couch. “It was creepy.”
“Like something, or someone, was in there.” Geneva’s voice was almost a whisper.
“I know, but it could have been just a bird or a mouse. The window was open, you know.” When neither of her triplets answered, Vienna shrugged. “Besides, aren’t we a little old to be so frightened of just a little sound? We are in high school, remember. And we just turned fourteen.”
“Yeah.” Geneva didn’t sound convinced.
“You were scared too,” Sofia pointed out.
“Some, but more from losing my step and falling, I think.” She grinned across the room at Geneva. Then she looked down at her scraped arms. Her hands were only lightly scratched, but her right arm was bleeding a little. “I think I’ll go wash these scratches.”
Geneva sprang to her feet. “Did I make you hurt yourself? Oh, Vivi, I’m so sorry! I’ll get stuff and–”
“Forget it, Gen. They’re just scratches. I’ll take care of them. After I wash them off, I think we need to go back.”
Geneva sank down onto the floor in front of the couch, blocking Vienna’s way. “Go back?” she quavered, looking from Vienna to Sofia and back again.
“I don’t know,” Sofia began slowly. “Maybe we should wait until Grandma gets home–” Her voice trailed off.
“Grandma won’t be home from work until after five.” Standing, Vienna side-stepped her sister, and called back over her shoulder as she headed for the bathroom, “If we don’t go back today, we’ll have nightmares tonight.” As she washed the scratches, wincing at the sting they gave, she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to go back to that brick building any more than her sisters did. “But I don’t want to dream about it either,” she muttered, turning off the water.
It took some convincing–an entire lunch time worth–but in the end Vienna’s idea won. Armed with a flashlight, the old cellphone Grandma had given them to use if they needed something, and as many cheerful possibilities of what the noise could be as they could think of, the triplets started out again. The sun still shone brightly. There seemed nothing to be afraid of on that summer afternoon.
Until they saw the old, red building before them.
Standing in the road with hands clasped tightly together, the flashlight in Sofia’s pocket and the cellphone in Vienna’s, the three girls stared. Vienna’s eyes scanned the building from one side to the other. On the far right bushes, vines, and other brush formed a protecting wall at the corner. On the front and left only un-mowed grass grew. She knew that behind the building ivy climbed the walls and carpeted the ground between the wall and the row of trees.
“Why are there no windows in the front?” Sofia whispered.
“Maybe it used to be the back?” Geneva answered.
“Oh, look!” Vienna pointed. “See the way those bricks are arranged? Kind of like in an arch. I’ll bet this used to be the front of the building and there were large doors there. Of course they wouldn’t need windows if they had big doors.”
“Like a garage?” Geneva looked at her sister.
“Vivi is right,” Sofia answered, nodding. “They must have decided not to use them anymore and just bricked them up. We didn’t pay close attention the first time we looked.”
“Do they have to crawl through the window to get inside now?” Geneva’s voice was skeptical.
“I’m sure there’s a door somewhere.” Vienna tried to remember if there might have been a door on the back wall, but decided there wasn’t.
“Let’s look around,” suggested Sofia. “Not in the back,” she added quickly, “but here in the open.” She pulled her sisters with her to the tall grass. “We can check this side first. I couldn’t see it very well from the alley, could you?”
Vienna, who was looking at the bricks, suddenly bumped into Geneva. “Sorry.” She noticed that Geneva had let go of Sofia’s hand. “Aren’t you going on?”
Geneva shook her head. “There might be poison ivy in that grass.”
“I’m not afraid of poison ivy,” Sofia retorted over her shoulder, plunging into the tall grass.
“You would be if you’d had it.” Geneva backed into the road still keeping hold of Vienna’s hand.
Silently Vienna waited in the road with Geneva and watched. Sofia carefully examined the side of the building. She even went to the corner and looked down the back. With a shake of her head she returned to the road. “Nothing there?” Vienna asked.
Sofia shook her head again. “No door, and no sign of a door. But there is a high window on this end. It’s too high to look in though.” She pointed to a small window near the point of the roof.
“That must mean the door’s on the other end.”
“If there is one,” Geneva said in a low voice.
“There has to be a door, Gen.” Vienna laughed a little nervously. For some reason, the thought of a building without a door, but with an open window, sounded more frightening than . . . than going to a football game at a new school when you didn’t know anyone.
Would you have wanted to go back to that building?
Are you excited for the FFF party?
How has your week been?
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