Lost in the Dunes - Part 1

Good Morning FFFs,
This was a strange weather, busy days, exciting moments week. :) Where should I start?
The weather is always a good place, right? Well, on Monday we got snow! It ended up about 2 inches. Enough to cover most of the grass and great for packing. "Priscilla and Amy" went out and had a snowball fight. :) I'm sure that will be mentioned when "they get up north this winter." Only a bit of snow remained on Tuesday and then Wednesday it rained. Yesterday it was sunny and in the 50s. Told you it was strange. :)


Busy days. Well last Saturday I spent nearly all afternoon down at my best friend's house working on the new cover for the soon to be republished "Home Fires of the Great War." It looks really nice. On Tuesday we baby-sat two little ones (Sweet-pea just turned 2 and J-J is nearly 1) for some friends from 7:15 am until 4:15. They were such fun and so easy. Around lunch time we added Pickle Puss, Goof Ball, Funny Boy and Doodle Bug. We were glad we could take them outside to swing and play. Then we added the 5 N. children to the mix and things got lively. :) It was a full but fun and busy Valentine's Day. On Wednesday I had two writing classes to teach and I didn't get ready for them until that morning. :} I had to write a paragraph about "problems with toothbrushes." :) This afternoon some families from church and some other friends are going bowling.


Exciting moments - One was on Saturday when I came home after working on my book cover. I had some mail. I had stumbled across a world poetry contest a few weeks back and just because, I decided to enter one of my poems. Well, I found out that my poem had made it into the semi finalists and they wanted to publish it in a book of poems! I didn't think the poem was that good. :) Last night I just about finished getting my book ready to publish except for the cover which has to be finished!


Well, that has been my week in three short paragraphs. I did get some writing done as well.
This story was so delightful to write. Anna gave me some great instructions and after starting it once in one place and getting stuck before I was very far, when I started it in another place it flew along and now Mom and I are both rather wishing it was longer. :)


Characters: 3 (including Narrator) (I had to let a few other people get in at the very end or you wouldn't have liked the ending.
Tense: First Person
Length: Two Friday's Worth (approximately 2,000 - 2,500 words)
Special Instructions: Portray fear through narrative, without saying "I'm afraid."


Oh bother! I don't have the picture for you! I would take one now but my sister-in-law has the card reader. I'll try to get it up by next week. Let me know what you think of this first part.

Lost in the Dunes

by

Rebekah M.

Everywhere was sand; mountains, hills and more mountains of the gritty stuff. No matter which direction I turned, the golden dunes were to be seen. Libby had sunk down, exhausted, and waited for me to point the way home. Even Chad, when he slipped coming up that last slope, hadn’t made a move to get up. I could still see him almost to the top, but not quite up to us. We didn’t have much water left, for none of us had any idea that we would still be here, far from any sign of civilized life this late in the day.

“Come on, Chad,” I called down to him. “Get up here.”

“Can you tell which direction to go?” he hollered back without stirring.

What should I tell him? If I admitted I had no idea, Libby might panic, but I couldn’t lie. I decided to compromise. “We need to have a conference, and I don’t want to have to shout.”

Slowly, as though he didn’t really care if he ever moved again, Chad climbed the rest of the way up. It is hard work climbing sand dunes. If you’ve never tried it, you haven’t a clue just how tough it can be, for you slip and slide with each step.

“I’m here,” he panted at last. “Now what?”

I sat down too, noticing the stark contrast the setting sun made on the dunes; one side was black while the other golden. The ripples in the sand made by the recent winds were clearly visible.

“What are we going to do, Devin?” Libby looked at me confidently.

“Well,” I began, not quite sure what to say. “We know which way is west . . .”

“Duh,” Chad snorted, “we know which way is east too, but what good is that going to do us?”

Chad was a great friend, though he could sometimes be exasperating. He did have a point though. What good was it going to do us to know the directions? We still didn’t know which way to go to get back home. We had wandered so much during that storm that I was completely mixed up.

“Devin?” Libby’s voice broke my thoughts. “What are we going to do?”

Chad spoke before I had a chance to reply. “Hey, see that grass stuff down there?”

Libby and I nodded.

“Why don’t we go down there. It sure would be easier to walk than on these hills.”

“But what if--”

“Oh, Devin, let’s,” Libby pleaded. “I’m tired of fighting my way along and up and down these things.”

“But--” I began again.

“Aw, quit trying to act like you know so much,” Chad complained. “We all know we’re totally lost in the dunes and it will be dark soon. Let’s at least get comfortable.”

“That’s just my point,” I tried again. “We are lost and--”

Libby clutched my arm with a slight scream. “Lost! Oh, Devin, I want to go home!”

“We’re going to, Lib,” I told her, glaring at Chad. Why did he have to start her thinking about our being lost? Of course we really were, but if Libby, who was only eleven, didn’t think about it, she would continue to think this was just a great adventure. Now, however, I wondered if she would go hysterical on us. She did last year when she, Elliot and I got twisted around on the trails at Yellowstone. Elliot had to slap her to get her to calm down. But Elliot was nineteen. I wished he were with us now. He’d know where to go or what to do, but he was off in the army. The last thing he said to me was, “Devin, you have to be a man now.”

“Well, are you coming or not?”

I blinked and looked up. Chad was starting to slide down the golden side of the dune.

“Chad, wait!”

“For what?” he scowled, “So you can tell us you know which is your right hand now?”

I said Chad could be exasperating. He was just barely thirteen, ten months younger than I was. One thing I knew, we had to stay together. It would be much harder to find three people by themselves than it would be to find three people together. “No,” I replied, “I just think that when the helicopter comes, it will be easier to spot us up here than down in the valley.”

“What helicopter?” he snapped back. “You know there hasn’t been a single one in sight. Not even a glimpse of one all day. They won’t ever find us here. We’ll have to spend the night out here and be eaten by who knows what kind of wild creature. We’ll be dead long before they can get any kind of helicopter or plane way over here to find us!”

“Devin!” Libby cried, “Take me home! I want to go home now!”

For a minute I didn’t know who to take on first, Libby, who was growing more terrified by the second, or Chad who kept going on about how no one would find us and if we weren’t eaten we’d starve to death. Neither one was helping my feelings any. “Libby,” I ordered, pushing away her hands that were clinging to my torn jacket, “stop acting like a baby. We’re going to get home!”

An almost hysterical laugh came from Chad. “Yeah we’ll get home, for our funerals.”

That was it. I knew I had to stop Chad from making himself and the rest of us more nervous than we already were. “Stop it Chad!” I hollered at him. “We are going to be okay. Now cut out that kind of talk.”

“And what are we going to do when the sun sets all the way, huh? No one can find us in the dark. There aren’t even any helicopters in the sky anywhere. You can see for miles and no one--”

“Shut up!” I half slid and ran down the steep slope and slapped him good and hard across the face.

It stopped his words but it also made him mad and we were soon wrestling and fighting as we continued to slide, stumble and roll down the mountain of sand. I knew if I could get somewhere with something solid beneath us I could overpower Chad, but on that constantly shifting surface we just rolled over and over, now and then striking into rocks hidden by the sand.

I could hear Libby shouting something from somewhere, but we were moving too quickly to tell what she said. At last we reached the bottom and I quickly rolled Chad over and knelt over him, pinning his arms under my knees. We were both gasping for breath. “Now,” I panted, “will you please be quiet and quit scaring all the common sense out of yourself and Libby?”

Think it is worth coming back

for the rest of it next week? 

Wishing for Sherbet - Part 2

Good Morning Friday Fiction Fans,
I don't know what it's like where you all live, but here it is cold, cloudy and wet. No snow just wet.


Wow! What a week. Did I say that last Friday? Here is the short version of my week. Last Friday night S & I babysat the kiddos. We made a train and went for a train ride but when one of the passengers fell off (on purpose) as we were going over a "canyon" we ended up playing "hospital."
Saturday was fun because I got my own laptop in the mail! Now I can get to work on laying out my books to get published!
Sunday was the usual things only Mom didn't go to church because of her cough.
Monday came and you know how Mondays are, don't you? You can't seem to get anything done that you were going to get done. Dad & I had to go vote absentee. Then that night we went to the roller skating rink with a bunch of friends from church and others. It was so much fun! I hadn't been to a skating rink for years and years! (That makes me seem old, doesn't it.) And in case you are wondering, I managed to not fall down once. :)
Tuesday was one LONG day. Dad & I had been asked to be election judges. So, we had to get to our polling places by 5:30 AM! And since it was a really poor turn-out, and we had to stay there until the polls closed at 7:00 PM, it was long. It was the kind of day when you have been sitting there waiting for someone else to come vote, and you think it's been at least 15 minutes since you last looked at the clock only to discover when you look again that it's only been 5 minutes. :} Oh, well. There were some fun times.
On Wednesday I got to stay home! I helped Mom catalog more books. We finished World History and over half of American History.
Yesterday I was busy in the morning, worked on my book in the afternoon, babysat the kids for a little while until we ate, then Dad & I left with J & M, Doodle Bug, Mr. N and Mr. Cov. and headed to the JCRCC. This meeting usually lasts an hour. Well, last night it was over 2 hours! I did sell a book. :)
And now here it is Friday again. We are not babysitting. I'm hoping to get more of my book laid out after I clean house. 


So, all of that said, I now give you the end of Wishing for Sherbet. Enjoy! And tell me what you think of it.

Wishing for Sherbet - The End

Inside all was quiet as the song ended, but before any of the quilters could think of anything to say, another song started. This one was more lively than the first and done in fine style though off key as the first one had been.

“A capital ship for an ocean trip

Was the Walloping Window Blind!

No wind that blew dismayed her crew,

Or troubled the captain’s mind.

The man at the wheel was made to feel

Contempt for the wildest blow-ow-ow,

Tho’ it often appeared, when the gale had clear’d

That he’d been in his bunk below.”

Then came the chorus where the singers broke into parts, and the old song was sung as loudly as could be managed.

Lila knew they sounded terrible and could hardly keep from laughing as she and Dottie tried to sing alto.

The singers weren’t allowed to get much beyond the start of the second verse for the front door was flung open and the quilters appeared on the porch holding their ears and begging them to stop.

“What’ll you give us if we stop?” Perrin demanded.

“Yeah,” put in two or three of the other singers. “We came to sing, so you’ll have to pay us to stop.”

There was a hurried consultation among those in the doorway and Amy Boatright offered, “Would some sherbet and coconut pineapple cake do?”

“I’ll quit for sherbet,” Lila laughed, thinking of her clouds and her wish of the day.

Before long the nine serenaders were standing, sitting or lounging around the room with their cake and sherbet. Lila had asked if there was any strawberry milk but none was to be had, so she ate her raspberry and pineapple sherbet. There wasn’t any other flavor, but she didn’t mind.

After several minutes had elapsed since the singers had received their pay, Cami, glancing around asked, “So, why did you all decide to come entertain us?”

“And who’s idea was it in the first place?” Janice Henrick added.

Lila grinned. “Perrin thought of singing,” she volunteered.

“That’s because we wanted to get in the house.”

Sil and Cami looked puzzled. “Then why didn’t you just go on in?”

“Door was locked and no key was to be found.”

“Did you try the front door?” Sil asked.

Perrin looked at Lila. She shook her head. “I never thought of the front door. We never use it,” she admitted licking her spoon. “But that’s okay, this sherbet was worth it.”

Everyone laughed at her expression then Perrin demanded to know where the key was.

“I took it to use as a quilt pattern,” Cami explained. “I didn’t know Sil would lock the back door.”

“I left the front door unlocked. At least I didn’t lock it, so it should be unlocked.”

Yawning, Perrin stood up and stacked his plate and bowl on the table with the other dishes. “Well, since you quilters will probably be here all night, I will take the moonlight singers and depart. Farewell, and thanks for the delightful snack.”

“Yes, thanks Amy,” Lila echoed along with the others.

Laughing, Amy replied, “You’re welcome. Good-night.”

Pausing on the porch, the nine friends held a short whispered conference, then, as they began to move slowly away from the house along the sandy shore, they began to sing:

“In the sky the bright stars glittered,

On the bank the pale moon shone

And ‘twas from Aunt Dinah’s quilting party

I was see-ing Nellie home. . .”

After bidding the Davidsons and Henricks good-night at their homes, Perrin and Lila continued across the dark island to their own house. The moon was casting a silvery light on the bay and the sound of the waves lapping on the sandy beaches nearby was the only sound to be heard.

Lila gave a small sigh as the black shape of their house loomed up before them. “Perrin,” she whispered in the hushed quietude which surrounded them. “Do you think the front door is unlocked?”

“I assume so,” he replied, turning into the picket gate which led to the front stoop. “I don’t think they would have kept the key if the front door was locked as well.”

Lila wasn’t too sure for she remembered locking it the first night their parents had been gone and knew that she, at least, hadn’t unlocked it. Her thoughts were interrupted.

“Oh brother!”

“What?”

“It’s locked.” Perrin dropped to his hands and knees and began to feel under the doormat to see if the key was there, for the shadow of the palm trees blocked the moon’s light quite well.

Standing still just off the stoop, Lila waited. What would they do if they didn’t have a house key? She really didn’t want to walk all the way back to the Boatrights nor did she want to sleep outside.

“Well,” Perrin sighed at last, slowly standing up and turning towards his younger sister. “I can’t find it.”

“What do we do now?” Lila demanded.

For a few minutes Perrin remained silent, thinking. “I don’t really want to walk across the island again. We could go stay at the Henrick’s but if Cami and Sil come home before morning and don’t find us, they’ll be pretty worried. If there was just some way to get in to the house . . .” his voice trailed away as he slowly began walking around towards the back of the house, Lila trailing after him.

“Lila,” he suddenly exclaimed, “did you leave your window open?”

“Yes,” she replied, wondering what her brother was thinking of.

“Stay here,” Perrin told her when they reached the porch. “I’m going to climb up the lattice work and take your screen out. Then I can get in and come unlock the door.”

“Are you sure it is strong enough?”

“We’ll soon find out,” was the cheery reply as Perrin began climbing up the rose trellis.

Scarcely breathing, Lila watched the dark form moving steadily upwards, heard the sound of the screen being moved and then a thud followed by a moan.

“Perrin?” Lila called, anxiously wondering what had happened.

“Your window doesn’t stay open very well,” came a muffled response. “Just hang on, I’ll be there in a minute.” Sounds of banging, scuffling and muttering disturbed the peaceful night but soon the kitchen light flashed on and the door was unlocked.

Hurrying inside, Lila gave a sigh of relief. “I really didn’t want to stay outside all night waiting for the girls to come home.” Then she added with a giggle, “but at least I got some sherbet.”

Comments? Thoughts?

Wishing for Sherbet - Part 1

Good Morning FFFs,
I hope you all had a wonderful week. Mine was a bit overwhelming, a faster pace, busier than it has been but I did have some fun. :) What do you do when you are feeling overwhelmed, discouraged and tired? Me? I go and buy a hat. Yep, I did. It was delightful. Of course I'll probably only wear it a few times, but I still like it. It is a "5th Avenue" hat. :) But that was that.
Last night Grandpa came down again and he and I went to a wonderful concert! It was a string quartet with a guest pianist. Wow! They were good and you could tell they enjoyed it. The first and second violinists were very enthusiastic. They would sort of stomp their feet (quietly) and then at times they would look at and lean towards each other as though they were saying "I can play this part better than you can!" "Not a chance!" And other times their look was, "Can you hold this note as long as I can?" "Longer, just watch." :) Everyone was on their feet within 30 seconds after they finished the last song. They had to play an encore.
I did get some writing done this week in spite of the busyness. I can certainly tell it is not January any longer. Our life became full of this meeting, that meeting, doing this, helping with that, babysitting now, babysitting again. Next week I am losing three of my nights to write, but I'll tell you about that next week. :) This week I lost last night and tonight. I'm babysitting the kids tonight.


This story was written for a friend. Christah gave me these instructions:
Characters: 4 main
Words: 5 pages or so
Special Instructions: Really Happy and with a beach in it. She also wanted "raspberry coated clouds" in the story. :)
Sound interesting? Well, here is part one. What do you think of it?

Wishing for Sherbet

by

Rebekah M.

“I guess I should be getting back home,” Twelve-year-old Lila Mattison thought, reluctantly moving away from the little store on the island where she lived with her family. Giving one last longing look at the cartons of sherbet for sale in the ice chest, she sighed and, shoving her hands in her pockets, trudged out of the store into the blazing, hot afternoon sun. All day long she had wanted some sherbet, but there wasn’t any at home and she didn’t have any money to buy some. Her favorites were raspberry and pineapple.

At a slow pace, Lila started homeward wondering what she would do with herself the rest of the day. Her parents had left the day before for a conference on another island leaving Lila home with her older brother Perrin and two older sisters Sil and Cami. They weren’t expected back until Friday which meant it would be no use waiting and asking Dad for some money to buy sherbet. Her thoughts were interrupted just then.

“Lila!”

Turning her head, Lila caught sight of her friend Dottie Henricks waving from a hammock stretched between two palm trees.

“Hi!” Lila waved back, going over to chat.

“Can’t you stay and visit for a little while?” Dottie wondered. “I’m tired of reading.”

Lila shrugged. “Cami and Sil are both gone and I don’t know where Perrin is. I’m sure I can stay as long as I get home before it is too dark. Mom and Dad don’t like me to be out alone after dark.”

“Mine don’t either,” admitted Dottie, clambering out of her swing.

Soon both girls were busy organizing Dottie’s collection of sea shells while they chattered gaily together as girls will.

Thirty minutes later, Dottie’s sister, Lou, came upstairs to say that Lila could stay for supper as Perrin was at the Davidson’s and Cami and Sil were already at the Boatrights getting ready for the quilting bee. Both girls were delighted.

Having enjoyed their supper to the fullest extent, they went back to sorting. At last Lila looked up and noticed the sun was setting.

“Oh, Dottie, I have to go. Maybe I can come over tomorrow and we can finish.”

“Do, Lila, that would be fun!”

“Tell Lou thanks for letting me eat here. I probably would have been stuck eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich,” and with a final wave Lila skipped down the path and started for home glad the sun wasn’t so hot.

Her path lay along the bay which reflected the glory of the sky. Near the edge of the beach grew a row of palm trees. Etched in black, silhouette against the pineapple, tangerine and raspberry coated clouds which floated in a sky of strawberry milk, they stood, silent, slender sentinels, guarding the bay; guards with spiked feathers for hair. Lila always felt like passing on tiptoe when they looked like that. Their leaves made no noise though they waved slightly in the light breeze coming off the water. Giving a shiver, though it wasn’t the least bit chilly, she ran lightly, her feet making hardly a sound as she flew across the sandy beach, rounding the bay, not stopping until she reached home.

All was quiet when she arrived. The sherbet colored clouds were reflected in the windows, causing the white curtains to appear colored and causing her to wish again for her favorite dessert. Pressing one hand to her side, Lila gasped for breath, shivered and gave a nervous giggle.

“I don’t like the looks of the palm trees when they are so black,” she muttered, reaching for the doorknob. “Especially when the sky is so pretty.”

To her surprise, the door refused to open.

“Why in the world is it locked?” Lila snorted. “We hardly ever lock the doors here. And if they do get locked, the key should be here under the door mat.” As she was talking to herself, she had lifted the doormat and discovered no key.

“Maybe it fell,” she continued her one sided conversation. “But if it did, why can’t I find it? It isn’t on the porch and there is no crack it could have slid into, and it’s not caught on the rug,” as she carefully inspected it by the fast fading evening light.

For several minutes she silently searched in every conceivable place where the key might have disappeared to, but nothing came of it. The key was just not there. It was gone, had vanished, poof, into thin air leaving not a trace of it behind.

Sighing, Lila sank down onto the porch step, propping her chin in her hands and gazing gloomily into the dusk about her. She wasn’t scared, for she knew all the neighbors and any strangers coming to the island would have to come by way of the bay, which she could see from where she sat.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait until Cami and Sil get finished quilting at the Boatright’s. That could be a while,” she muttered. “But,” and she sat up and looked about her, “I wonder where Perrin is? I thought he was going to be home?”

“So I was,” a voice startled her, and there before her was her brother.

“You scared me!” she scolded, standing up.

“Sorry,” Perrin replied, “didn’t mean to, but you know sitting outside on the step talking to yourself is bound to make the neighbors think you’re crazy.”

Lila wrinkled her nose at her brother’s teasing. “You can open the door then,” she offered, stepping aside.

Perrin tried, but found, as his younger sister had, that it was locked. “Where’s the key?”

“Don’t know. I couldn’t find it anywhere.”

“W--e--ll,” Perrin dragged out the word as he turned to look at Lila. “I guess we’re stuck here till the girls get back.”

Lila groaned, “We could be here all night!” and then the two of them laughed. They both knew their older sisters well enough to know that they reallly might stay quilting at their friend’s house all night.

“I suppose we could go over there and wait,” Perrin suggested.

Lila sat back down on the step while Perrin perched on the porch railing. “I suppose we could . . .” she sighed and looked about at the darkened sky. The sherbet had disappeared from above, along with the strawberry milk, as though eaten by some giant, leaving only a dark bowl behind.

Suddenly Perrin jumped up, “I know,” he exclaimed, “let’s go serenade them.”

“Just us two?”

“No, we’ll get the Henricks and maybe the Davidsons. You know their parents went to the same conference with Mom and Dad.”

“And the older girls are probably all quilting,” Lila put in eagerly. “Let’s go!”

Knowing their way around the darkened island as though it were daylight, for they had grown up on it, the brother and sister hurried over to the neighbors’ houses and soon the nine friends, with much giggling from the girls, were making their way among the palm trees to the Boatright’s house where the quilting bee was in full swing.

Halting everyone before they reached the house, Perrin gave a few whispered instructions before gliding softly across the sand to stand under an open window where the muslin curtain blew in the soft evening breeze coming off the bay.

Lila could see the silhouettes of the quilters gathered around the large quilt frame and caught snatches of conversation and laughter from the girls inside.

Silently Parrin gave the signal and nine voices, slightly off key, began to sing:

“In the sky the bright stars glittered,

On the bank the pale moon shone

And ‘twas from Aunt Dinah’s quilting party

I was see-ing Nellie home.

I was seeing Nellie ho--me,

I was see--ing Nellie home.

And ‘twas from Aunt Dinah’s quilting party

I was seeing Nellie home.”

Come back next week to read what happens.

Will you be back?

Triple Creek Ranch - Part 15

Good Morning Faithful Friday Fiction Fans!
Wow! The sky is brilliant. To the east where the sun is announcing its arrival, the sky is flaming orange turning into bright pink with purple-blue clouds. Overhead the sky is overcast, but in every direction, north, south and west there is a rim of pink clouds along the horizon encircling the heavens. In the east the pink and orange clouds look like billowing colored smoke. All is changing now. The pink isn't as brilliant as before and the orange has died down. There is a chance of rain this afternoon.


What have I done this week that might interest you? I wrote a short story. It was so delightful and freeing using the instructions Anna gave me. It hasn't been proofed yet, so I will have to wait until next week to share it with you. :) Hope you come back.
I got some other parts to other stories checked and corrected. But no more on Triple Creek. It is rather difficult when you have three novel length stories all going on at once to know which story you should work on. I'm trying to work on all of them. :) And get some short stories in as well.
I'm also working on trying to keep up with Priscilla's letters for her "Traveling the USA." I thought it would be fun to keep a running total of how much such a trip would cost. I'm only recording what it costs to visit places, if we go to a special restaurant, rent something or pay to park somewhere. I'll add gas and toll roads later and food. :) This is one expensive trip! It's a good thing it is a virtual. Though there are some places I would really like to visit in person.


I got to catch up with a two of my "heart-sisters" this week. :) And today, my "triplets" and I are going out for ice cream and to talk! I've known them for almost twenty-three years! Then I babysit tonight. :)


So, now enjoy Triple Creek Ranch and don't forget to let me know what you think of it. :)

Part 15

“I was just wishing the table would sort of set itself tonight,” she confessed. “Because I haven’t had time to do it yet.”

“Where’s Orlena?” Norman stepped over to the door and opening it, glanced through into the empty dining room but saw no sign of his sister.

“Probably getting ready to eat . . .”

“I don’t like you working alone in this hot kitchen,” he frowned as he saw his wife’s flushed cheeks and noticed the dots of perspiration on her temples.

“I’ve been doing it most of my life,” she reminded him quietly.

“But you had your mother and sister to help you,” he protested.

Jenelle smiled indulgently, “Not since I married you,” she told him, adding, “Don’t you think you should be following your sister’s example and washing up?”

“All right,” he grinned. “I can take a hint. But,” he paused in the doorway as another frown crossed his face, “I still don’t like it.”

Jenelle quickly set three places and by the time she had the food on the table, Norman and Orlena were waiting. It was a relief to Jenelle to discover that the dining room was cooler than the kitchen had been. She didn’t want to admit it even to herself, but she was feeling more tired than she had been for a long time.

Grace was said and the meal began. It was a quiet one. No one seemed inclined to talk much. Perhaps the heat had something to do with it or perhaps everyone felt too tired to spend their energy talking. In either case, the meal was half over before Norman, after several glances at his strangely quiet sister and his tired looking wife, questioned, “Did you two have a busy day?”

Jenelle nodded. “It takes a while to unpack a trunk and get everything set to rights.” She didn’t add that it took longer doing it alone with an exacting mistress to please. “And that reminds me, Norman, Orlena’s trunk is ready to be taken to the attic.”

“I can do that after supper,” Norman agreed.

Silence again descended until the steady, sure hand of the clock had ticked away three minutes. Then Jenelle spoke. “How was your day, Dear?”

“We’re ready to move the cattle from the west creek pasture to the south creek. We’ll do that tomorrow.”

“Speaking of tomorrow,” Jenelle set her glass of water down and pushed her empty plate slightly away. “Orlena and I were thinking of going into town for a few things tomorrow.”

“No.” Norman spoke quickly, but with quiet decision and Jenelle looked somewhat surprised. “I don’t want you, either of you,” he added, looking first at his wife and then at his sister, “driving all the way to town in this heat. There won’t even be a cloud cover tomorrow. Wait until it cools off somewhat.”

Orlena hadn’t really wanted to go to town with her sister-in-law, but when Norman had so quickly and adamantly said they couldn’t go, she immediately felt contrary. She looked at Jenelle, wondering if she would pout or plead, but was surprised to discover she did neither. There was no sign of even disappointment on Jenelle’s still slightly flushed face. And no words of protest came from her mouth. Orlena opened her mouth to put in her own protest, but she had no chance to say anything.

“Oh, Norman, do be careful tomorrow if it is going to be that hot.” Jenelle looked concerned.

“We will, Sweet. That is why it will probably take us all day. We’ll be moving them slowly.”

With a sigh, Jenelle pushed back her chair, signaling that supper was over. There were still the dishes to wash and she dreaded the heat of the kitchen.

Feeling uncertain about the outcome, yet determined not to let his wife work in the hot kitchen alone, Norman spoke quickly. “We’ll all help with the dishes tonight. That way they will be done all the sooner.”

A greatful look swept over Jenelle’s face and she smiled at her husband. Yet, she wondered, will Orlena have anything to say about the arrangement? She didn’t have long to wait.

For a full half a minute Orlena was speechless. Had her brother told her they would all be moving out and living with Indians, she couldn’t have been more astonished. Her help wash dishes? She, Orlena Mavrich, who had had servants all her life, or at least as much of it as she could remember, expected to help in the kitchen like a common maid!

Norman’s voice, quick and genial, interrupted her thoughts. “Here Sis, we’ll stack the plates and you can carry them out to the kitchen while I grab these serving dishes.”

“I will not!” Orlena had found her voice. “I am not your servant!” Her grey eyes flashed.

Norman’s voice was even as he replied, “No, you are not. You are a member now of the Triple Creek Ranch and each member is expected to carry their share of the load around here.”

“I am not a member, I am a guest and I’ll have you remember that!”

Jenelle gave Norman no chance to reply for she saw that his temper was rapidly rising. “Dear,” and she placed a hand on his arm, “just carry those out and put them on the counter for me, won’t you?”

And Norman, biting back his sharp words, turned from his sister to the kitchen. After setting the dishes carefully down, he braced his hands on the counter top and stared down at the floor, his heart crying for help. “Oh, God, what do I do?” he pleaded silently. “I can’t let Orlena be another burden on Jenelle, but how do I make her help? And most of all, how can I keep my temper with her when she talks like that?” He pushed away from the counter and strode over to stand in the open doorway and stare into the cloudless evening sky with troubled eyes.

Questions? Comments?