The Sisters of Isle
While standing at the bottom of the stairs, their mother hollered up toward the landing, hoping her voice would carry up the first flight of steps, continue around the corner and trudge up one last narrow flight to the third-floor attic room - sparing her the trip.
"Mallory! Pip! Breakfast is ready."
The girls heard the muffled announcement and played out one last scene with their dolls, knowing they had a fast-moving two minutes before their mom's tone might turn.
"Ok, Pip, now your doll is asleep in bed, and when we get back, I'll read her a tall tale," Mallory said—always taking charge of the imaginary scenes.
"But Mall, nothing scary, ok?" Pip said with a furrowed face. "Like what if you told a tale about a big sea creature, but he's friendly!"
"Yes, Pip that's a great idea. He'll be purple, and all his teeth are gone, and he only eats soft sea plants that grow at the bottom of the ocean." Mallory added in.
"Oh yes, and he has a sea friend. Like a starfish!" Pip said as she smiled, imagining the two friends playing on the ocean floor.
The girls could hear faint footsteps again and knew they had cut their time too close, so in stockinged feet, they hopped up and raced down the sets of stairs, hollering in unison, "Coming, Momma, coming!"
As Pip slid onto the bench with a winded voice, "Momma! After breakfast, Mallory is going to tell a tale with a purple sea monster, but this time it's not gonna be scary."
"That sounds like a wonderful creature. Maybe you can draw a picture of it later for Daddy. I saw his boat in the cove, and he said he'd be home by lunch."
"Oh, Momma I want to see, I want to see!" said Mallory.
"Me too! I get to go first!" added in Pip.
"Ok," she said with a warmed smile, wiping her dish hands on her apron, "Pip, here are the binoculars. He's just to the left of the island - at about 10 o'clock."
Pip looked at her hands and held up one of them, "Momma, is this my left?"
"Yes, great job Pip; yes, that's your left."
Pip put the binoculars up to her eyes and squealed, "I see him! I see him! Hi Daddy, hi!" she exclaimed as she waved with her right hand. "He sees me Momma, he sees me!"
With an annoyed and slightly impatient voice awaiting her turn, "Pip, Daddy cannot see you - he's far away."
"Yes he can Mall! I saw him!" Pip argued back.
"Ok, ok. It's Mallory's turn now, and after breakfast, I need you both to get cleaned up. Brush teeth and brush hair."
The girls took a few more turns passing the binoculars back and forth between bites of oatmeal and bacon and then hurried back upstairs.
"Mall, wait for me! And don't start the sea creature tale without me. Mall, did you hear meeee?" Pip hollered as her sister raced up the steps ahead of her.
Photo by me. Story is fictional.
Love, love!
Another sweet story.