Short Story Finale
As promised (though substantially late) here's the finale to the little girls' post-bedtime adventure.... if you didn't catch part one, you can find it here.
The two stood, their matching Disney princess nightgowns swirling around their ankles, then, without a breath, Allie pushed open the door and stepped into the uncharted territory of the past-bedtime hallway.
The twins tiptoed down the hall, careful not to make a noise, though they knew that, if they had the courage to go through with their plan, their silence in the hall wouldn't matter. By the time this was over, one way or another, their parents would know that they were out of bed.
When they reached the stairs the twins paused to take a deep breath. Sarah slipped her hand into Allie's, and they carefully stepped down the stairs. By the time they reached the landing, Allie was giddy, and even Sarah was less worried about getting in trouble.
The twins found themselves at the bottom of the stairs - the very place Sarah had been the night before when she realized her sister wasn't with her - the girls looked at each other, giggling slightly, then sprinted off to the living room, where their parents were sitting, watching a movie with their backs to the stairs. Allie grabbed Sarah's shoulder just before they reached the couch, motioning for her to go to the other end of the sofa.
Allie waited by the corner, holding up three fingers. With a slightly crazed smile on her face, she slowly lowered one finger, then another. On screen something exploded. A giant green monster was attacking something while another guy hit people with a really big hammer. Sarah jumped a bit as the sounds of another explosion crashed around the living room. Allie lowered her last finger, and together, like synchronized, though slightly giddy pixies, they jumped around the couch to ask their parents.
"Girls!" their mother exclaimed, not sounding mad at all, though understandably surprised, "What are you doing out of bed?" She looked at each of them in turn, smiling and shaking her head.
Meanwhile, their dad gazed intently at the screen, "Ooooh! You shouldn't do that, Captain's gonna - BAM! Told ya!" On screen some guy on a motorcycle plowed over some more guys. Sarah jumped at the sound, Allie was on her father's side though, "Cooooooool!" she squealed.
Their mother rolled her eyes. "Why are you two out of bed?" she asked again. By now both of the twins had forgotten their mission, completely enraptured by the movie.
"Ahem!" She looked at the girls' father, still oblivious to the fact that his daughters were doing something naughty. With a sigh, she reached out and paused to movie, just as some other guy went flying through the air. It was a pretty cool place to pause it.
As though just noticing his daughters' presence, the man looked around. "Girls, go back to bed."
"Okay," Allie said, eyes still glued to the frozen movie.
"What?" Sarah grabbed her twin. "This was your idea! You have to tell them."
"Wah - " Allie tore her eyes from the screen. "Oh." She blushed, suddenly shy. "Momma, could we, uh, well" she didn't meet her parents eyes, instead examining the hem of her nightgown. "Olivia said it was really fun, and, you know how smart Olivia is," Allie started to ramble on, "she reads big, big books, and she's really tall....."
"Yes, I know Olivia, " their mother said, looking confused. "What does she have to do with you naughty girls getting out of bed?"
"Does it matter?" Said their father, reaching for the remote, "Look, this is the best part," his finger hovered over the "play" button, but their mother snatched the controller away."Yes, it does, actually." she scolded. "WHY are you out of bed!"
Sarah, who still hadn't spoken, was getting tired of the conversation, which was going nowhere. "'Cause, Momma, We want to catch firepixies!"
"You what?" their mother was confused
"Lightning flies?" Allie suggested, furrowing her brow to remember what Olivia had called them.
"Fireflies? Lightning bugs?" their mother suggested.
"Yeah!" the girls squealed. "They only work when its dark outside." Allie added. "And it has to be warm," Sarah piped up.
Then the girls paused, looking at their parents with big, shining eyes. Their father was still looking at the screen, and their mother was smiling a little. "Come on," She smiled, grabbing each of her daughters' hands. She led the toward the stairs, and Sarah and Allie sighed, defeated. Behind them they heard the movie start up again.
Just before they reached the stairs, however, their mother turned toward the kitchen. "Olivia forgot something," she smiled warmly at her two troublemakers, " Your going to need something to keep your firepixies in." She reached down, grabbing two mason jars from a cabinet, the handed them to her daughters. "Have you two ever done this before?"
The twins looked at each other, shaking their heads.
"Lucky for you," their mother smiled, " You happen to be in the home of a lightning-bug-catching expert."
"Really?" Sarah asked, looking around to see who else was in the house. Surely Beorn, the German Shepard didn't know how to catch fire pixies.
Their mother nodded seriously. "I was quite the fire-fly catcher when I was your age." The girls looked confused, but slowly they began to smile.
"Go on out back, Firepixie Catching 101 begins in one minute." She handed the jars to her daughters, then turned to grab two more. On their way to the door, Allie and Sarah paused in the living room. Allie walked up to the television and made a big deal of hitting the power button. Sarah grabbed her father's hand, dragging him off of the couch. The bowl of popcorn sitting in his lap spilled onto the floor, and the girls giggled, herding him out of the house like a two-girl stampede.
"Come ON, Daddy! We're gonna catch firepixies."
Allie and her parents rushed outside into the blackness. The air glowed with the scent of freshly mowed grass and summer bonfires. Allie breathed in the smell, savoring ever bit of it.
"Briing Briiing!" Their mother made a very poor imitation of a bell. "class is in session!"
Allie giggled, grabbing her jar and following her mother. "Hang on," she paused, "Where's Sarah."
Behind them, the sound of giggles chimed through the air, "Come on Beorn lets catch the most!"
Sarah's small frame was silhouetted by the moonlight, jumping into the air after glowing beads of light. Beorn padded along behind her. Looking like the world's biggest, friendliest teddy bear.
"We're gonna, win" Sarah squealed.
"We'll see about that," her mother laughed, lifting Allie into the air to catch a particularly high "firepixie." They raced into the summer night, stars twinkling above them, guiding them through the yard to find as many firepixies as they could before exhaustion won out and sent the girls, long past their bedtime, to sleep.
The two stood, their matching Disney princess nightgowns swirling around their ankles, then, without a breath, Allie pushed open the door and stepped into the uncharted territory of the past-bedtime hallway.
The twins tiptoed down the hall, careful not to make a noise, though they knew that, if they had the courage to go through with their plan, their silence in the hall wouldn't matter. By the time this was over, one way or another, their parents would know that they were out of bed.
When they reached the stairs the twins paused to take a deep breath. Sarah slipped her hand into Allie's, and they carefully stepped down the stairs. By the time they reached the landing, Allie was giddy, and even Sarah was less worried about getting in trouble.
The twins found themselves at the bottom of the stairs - the very place Sarah had been the night before when she realized her sister wasn't with her - the girls looked at each other, giggling slightly, then sprinted off to the living room, where their parents were sitting, watching a movie with their backs to the stairs. Allie grabbed Sarah's shoulder just before they reached the couch, motioning for her to go to the other end of the sofa.
Allie waited by the corner, holding up three fingers. With a slightly crazed smile on her face, she slowly lowered one finger, then another. On screen something exploded. A giant green monster was attacking something while another guy hit people with a really big hammer. Sarah jumped a bit as the sounds of another explosion crashed around the living room. Allie lowered her last finger, and together, like synchronized, though slightly giddy pixies, they jumped around the couch to ask their parents.
"Girls!" their mother exclaimed, not sounding mad at all, though understandably surprised, "What are you doing out of bed?" She looked at each of them in turn, smiling and shaking her head.
Meanwhile, their dad gazed intently at the screen, "Ooooh! You shouldn't do that, Captain's gonna - BAM! Told ya!" On screen some guy on a motorcycle plowed over some more guys. Sarah jumped at the sound, Allie was on her father's side though, "Cooooooool!" she squealed.
Their mother rolled her eyes. "Why are you two out of bed?" she asked again. By now both of the twins had forgotten their mission, completely enraptured by the movie.
"Ahem!" She looked at the girls' father, still oblivious to the fact that his daughters were doing something naughty. With a sigh, she reached out and paused to movie, just as some other guy went flying through the air. It was a pretty cool place to pause it.
As though just noticing his daughters' presence, the man looked around. "Girls, go back to bed."
"Okay," Allie said, eyes still glued to the frozen movie.
"What?" Sarah grabbed her twin. "This was your idea! You have to tell them."
"Wah - " Allie tore her eyes from the screen. "Oh." She blushed, suddenly shy. "Momma, could we, uh, well" she didn't meet her parents eyes, instead examining the hem of her nightgown. "Olivia said it was really fun, and, you know how smart Olivia is," Allie started to ramble on, "she reads big, big books, and she's really tall....."
"Yes, I know Olivia, " their mother said, looking confused. "What does she have to do with you naughty girls getting out of bed?"
"Does it matter?" Said their father, reaching for the remote, "Look, this is the best part," his finger hovered over the "play" button, but their mother snatched the controller away."Yes, it does, actually." she scolded. "WHY are you out of bed!"
Sarah, who still hadn't spoken, was getting tired of the conversation, which was going nowhere. "'Cause, Momma, We want to catch firepixies!"
"You what?" their mother was confused
"Lightning flies?" Allie suggested, furrowing her brow to remember what Olivia had called them.
"Fireflies? Lightning bugs?" their mother suggested.
"Yeah!" the girls squealed. "They only work when its dark outside." Allie added. "And it has to be warm," Sarah piped up.
Then the girls paused, looking at their parents with big, shining eyes. Their father was still looking at the screen, and their mother was smiling a little. "Come on," She smiled, grabbing each of her daughters' hands. She led the toward the stairs, and Sarah and Allie sighed, defeated. Behind them they heard the movie start up again.
Just before they reached the stairs, however, their mother turned toward the kitchen. "Olivia forgot something," she smiled warmly at her two troublemakers, " Your going to need something to keep your firepixies in." She reached down, grabbing two mason jars from a cabinet, the handed them to her daughters. "Have you two ever done this before?"
The twins looked at each other, shaking their heads.
"Lucky for you," their mother smiled, " You happen to be in the home of a lightning-bug-catching expert."
"Really?" Sarah asked, looking around to see who else was in the house. Surely Beorn, the German Shepard didn't know how to catch fire pixies.
Their mother nodded seriously. "I was quite the fire-fly catcher when I was your age." The girls looked confused, but slowly they began to smile.
"Go on out back, Firepixie Catching 101 begins in one minute." She handed the jars to her daughters, then turned to grab two more. On their way to the door, Allie and Sarah paused in the living room. Allie walked up to the television and made a big deal of hitting the power button. Sarah grabbed her father's hand, dragging him off of the couch. The bowl of popcorn sitting in his lap spilled onto the floor, and the girls giggled, herding him out of the house like a two-girl stampede.
"Come ON, Daddy! We're gonna catch firepixies."
Allie and her parents rushed outside into the blackness. The air glowed with the scent of freshly mowed grass and summer bonfires. Allie breathed in the smell, savoring ever bit of it.
"Briing Briiing!" Their mother made a very poor imitation of a bell. "class is in session!"
Allie giggled, grabbing her jar and following her mother. "Hang on," she paused, "Where's Sarah."
Behind them, the sound of giggles chimed through the air, "Come on Beorn lets catch the most!"
Sarah's small frame was silhouetted by the moonlight, jumping into the air after glowing beads of light. Beorn padded along behind her. Looking like the world's biggest, friendliest teddy bear.
"We're gonna, win" Sarah squealed.
"We'll see about that," her mother laughed, lifting Allie into the air to catch a particularly high "firepixie." They raced into the summer night, stars twinkling above them, guiding them through the yard to find as many firepixies as they could before exhaustion won out and sent the girls, long past their bedtime, to sleep.
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