Xaria Doesn't Want to Sleep

It had been a long and busy day. The whole Oliver family was relaxing on the couch and watching TV: Mommy, Daddy, Xanthe and little Xaria. Xanthe was exhausted. She kept yawning, and she could barely keep her eyes open. "Sweetheart." suggested Mommy after she had yawned for about the hundredth time. "If you are so tired why don't you go up and go to bed?"

"Okay, Mommy." replied Xanthe. She really was tired, and she couldn't wait to lie down in her nice soft bed and go to sleep. Just thinking of it made her smile. "Goodnight, Daddy." she said kissing him on the check. "Goodnight, Mommy." she added kissing Mommy on the check too.

"Do you need one of us to tuck you in?" asked Mommy.

Xanthe shook her head and shuffled off to bed.

As soon as Xanthe had disappeared up the stairs, Xaria eagerly turned to her parents. "Well, what are were going to do now?" she asked excitedly as if Xanthe going to bed meant it was now party time.

Mommy and Daddy just shook their heads. They couldn't believe Xaria was not at all tired. Even they were exhausted and couldn't wait to go to bed after they finished a few last minute things. "Don't you want to go to bed too?" asked Daddy. "It's been a long day."

Xaria shook her head. "Nah, I'm good." she assured them. "What else do you want to do?"

"Let me put it another way." Daddy told her. "It's time for bed."

Xaria frowned. "But, I am not tired!" she insisted.

"It's bed time anyway." Mommy informed her. "Do you want one of us to tuck you in?"

"No!" exclaimed Xaria not because she was trying to act like her big sister as usual but because she was mad. She angrily stormed up the stairs. When she went in the room she shared with her sister, Xanthe was already in bed and fast sleep.

Xaria got in her own bed, but she did not go to sleep. First she played with the dolls and stuffed animals that she kept on her bed. Then, she made shadow puppets on the wall. Then, she hung upside down over the side of her bed and stared at the ceiling. After a while, she got bored.

For a little while, she didn't know what to do, but then she got an idea. "I know! I'll read." she decided. She looked through a bunch of the books on her shelves for a while, but then she got bored with that. "These are baby book!" she declared.

Xaria wanted to read big girl books so she decided to read some of her sisters books instead. Xanthe was already reading short chapter books. Xanthe's book shelves were on the wall next to her bed. Xaria couldn't reach them so she got up on her sister's bed and stood on her tiptoes. "Not this one!" she  said grabbing a book off the shelve and gently tossing it on the bed. "Not this one either." she declared grabbing and discarding another. Finally, she found a book she liked. She sat down on the bed and flipped through the book but quickly got bored because it didn't have enough pictures. She discarded the book on Xanthe's bed and chose another. She quickly got bored of that one too so she chose yet another. She kept doing that until the entire book shelf was empty except for one book. She reached for it and grabbed it but it slid out of her fingers and went crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

Xaria looked at Xanthe but luckily she was a very deep sleeper and didn't even stir. Xaria was relieved, but her relief didn't last long as she heard Mommy and Daddy hurrying up the stairs. They must have heard the noise and were coming to see what it was. Xaria didn't want to get in trouble for being out of bed when she was supposed to be sleeping so she quickly dove into her bed and under the covers just as they reached the door.

Mommy and Daddy peaked in the room, but it was really dark so they didn't see anything. They couldn't imagine what had made the noise if both their girls were sleeping so peacefully. They tiptoed in the room just to check. As soon as they stepped into the room, they saw Xanthe peacefully sleeping covered and surrounded by a pile of books. They gave each other knowing looks and both said at the same time. "Xaria!"

Magdalena's Lamb

"Oh where, oh where can she be?" sighed Magdalena Boppre melodramatically.

"Oh where, oh where can who be?" asked  her younger sister, Jordan giving her a strange look.

"My little lamb, Lamkins." explained Magdalena. "She's lost. I can't find her anywhere."

"You have a lamb?" replied Jordan in surprise.

"Why, of course, I do." declared Magdalena as though it should have been obvious.

Jordan thought about it for a moment. She knew Magadelna was fond of animals and was always begging for various pets, but she didn't remember Mom and Dad ever saying yes to getting a lamb. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Well, of course, I am!" replied Magadalena indignantly.

Jordan shrugged and was about to go off to her own room when Magadalena stopped her. "Can you please help me find, my poor little lost lamb?" begged Magadalena fluttering her big sad eyes at her sister.

"I have homework to do." replied Jordan.

"Please Jordy." begged Magadelena using her special name for her sister and making a puppy dog pouty face. Jordan could never resist that.

"Okay." agreed Jordan with a sigh. "But if we don't find her in a few minutes, I have to do my homework."

The two girls looked all over the downstairs. They look all over the upstairs. They looked all over the basement. They looked all over the backyard which was the most logical place for a lamb to be. However, there was no sign of Lamkins in any of those places.

"I'll never find her! Never!" exclaimed Magadalena dramatically flinging herself down to ground and putting her head in her hands.

Jordan sighed. She was torn between feeling sorry for her sister and wondering how in the world her parents had let Magadalena get a lamb without her knowing about it, and why she wasn't allowed to get one too. It was so unfair! Did they like Magdalena better than her? She decided to try to be sympathetic. She knelt down on the grass beside her sister and patted her on the back.

"Oh, where, oh where, can my Lamkins be?" Magadalena said sorrowfully.

"Maybe, she ran away." suggested Jordan. "After all, we don't have a fence." she reminded her sister indicating there ungated yard.

Magdalena looked up for just a brief moment and looked at Jordan as if that was the worst idea she had ever heard.

"It was just a suggestion." replied Jordan defensively taking a step back. For a few minutes, she was afraid to say anything, but finally, she asked "Where was the last place you saw her Why don't you retrace your steps?"

That was a great idea! Magdalena thought about it for a second and then, she instantly brightened up. "I had her in the car when I went with Dad to the gas station. Maybe, she's still there." She started racing for the car.

Jordan raced after her. "You left her in the car!" she screamed in horror. "Did you at least leave the windows open?"

However, Magdalena was too excited with the prospect of being reunited with her Lamkins that she did not hear or respond to her sister's cries. She hurried to the front yard, flung open the car door as Jordan closed her eyes afraid of what she would see.

"Lamkins!" exclaimed Magdalena truimphantly.

Jordan slowly opened one eye and then the other, but she didn't see a lamb. All she saw was her sister holding something in the air. It looked a little small to be a lamb living or dead. "What is that?" she asked getting ready to hide her eyes again just in case,

"It's Lamkins, of course," declared Magadalena bringing it over and showing Jordan so that she could clearly see that it was a fluffy white toy lamb."

Jordan's eyes blazed angrily. "A stuffed animal?" she fumed. "A stuffed animal? You mean all the time we were looking for a stuffed animal?"

Magdalena looked at her little sister as if she were crazy. "Yeah, what did you think? Did you think Mommy and Daddy would let me get a real lamb?"

Jordan just sighed and shook her head.

The Matchy Match Girl

Odette Zaccaro considered herself a very fashionable girl. She was very particular about her clothes and the way she dressed. Everything she wore had to match. If she wore a red shirt then she needed to have red pants and red socks and a pair of red shoes as well.

When she was little, no one paid much attention to the way Odette dressed, but now she was older, and she would be starting a new school. She was very excited about it, and she couldn't wait to pick out an outfit for her first day. After carefully consideration, she decided to wear pink. She picked out a pink dress and pink tights and a pink pair of shoes.

 Her mother worried that if Odette always wore only one color, the other kids would tease her. "Why don't you wear this blue belt?" she helpfully suggested as Odette was getting ready for her first day of school. "It would give such a nice pop of color with all that pink.

Odette just looked at her as if she had suggested Odette go to school naked. " Pink is a color too. " she reminded her mother, "and today is not a blue day. It's a pink day." she added firmly as if her mother should have know that.

However, Odette's mother was right to be worried. At school the kids did tease her. They called her Peppa the Pink Pig. Odette wasn't crazy about it, but she thought maybe they just didn't like pink and tomorrow would be a better.

The next day, Odette was even more careful picking out an outfit. She decided it would be a blue day. She picked out a pretty blue shirt, blue jeans, blue socks and blue sneakers. Then, she admired herself in the mirror. She thought she looked just perfect and other kids would think so too.

Her mother, however, was not so sure. "Why don't you wear your red sneakers instead of your blue ones?" she suggested. "They go so well with all that blue." She quickly went to the close and took out Odette's red sneakers, and helpfully handed them to Odette.

Odette frowned and shook her head. She took the red shoes and put them back in her closet. "Red goes with red and blue goes with blue." she informed her mother. Didn't her mother know anything
about matching colors? Odette had learned that in preschool and had stuck to it ever since.

In school, things didn't go any better. This time, the kids called Odette, Baby Bluebird. She tried to act like it still didn't bother her but it did.

On the third day of school, Odette wore head to toe yellow and they called her the Big Banana. On the fourth day, she wore green, and they called her The Jolly Green Girl. By the fifth day, she had had enough of their teasing and she didn't want to go back school. As soon as she came home, she ran out into the backyard and hid behind a tree and vowed to stay there forever.

"Please come in the house." begged her mother. "You'll freeze out here." They were having an usually intense cold spell for the Fall, and the weather was quite chilly. Odette shook her head. "Well, at least put on a sweater." urged her mother trying to hand her one. She had even brought Odette a green sweater that matched her outfit of the day.

Odette  shook her head and pushed the jacket away. "I don't care if I freeze." she said stoically and turned away from her mother.

Later that day, Grandma arrived. She came home out to the backyard to see Odette. "Are you going to tell me to go inside too or to wear a sweater?" Odette asked wearily.

Grandma shook her head. "No." she replied. "I am going to tell you how am proud I am of you."

"You are?" asked Odette in surprise.

"Yes." Grandma assured her. "I'm proud you are your own person with your own sense of fashion. You are not a sheep that always has to dress like everyone else like the other kids in school."

Odette nodded. That was true. She was definitely not a sheep. "But maybe, it's easier to be a sheep just like all the other kids." Odette declared defeatedly.

"Just because you don't want to be a sheep doesn't mean you have to be a wolf.  You can be a lamb." suggested Grandma.

"What?" exclaimed Odette all these animal metaphors were confusing her.

"What I mean to say is that you can be different without being so different." explained Grandma. "You want to stand out subtly and not in an over the top way. Do you know what I mean?" she asked.

Odette smiled. "I think I do." she said. "Thanks, Grandma." she added giving her Grandmother a huge grateful kiss.

From then on, Odette started dressing differently although she still didn't quite dress like the other kids. She wasn't so matchy matchy any more. She still wore mostly the same color like before, but she always added a pop of a different color. If she was wearing all blue she might wear a red belt or if she was wear all purple she might wear gold shoes. She still stood out but in a good way.  The other girls began admiring her style. Instead of making fun of her, pretty soon, they were dressing like her.

Our Little Secret

Four year old, Yuli Jesko and her mother were in the car on their way back from the supermarket. They were just pulling into their driveaway. Yuli heard a noise and felt a big bump. Then, Mommy said some words that Yuli knew were not very nice because Mommy always yelled at Daddy when he said them. "What happened, Mommy?" asked Yuli curiously.

"Nothing, sweetheart." declared Mommy distractedly, "Let's go in the house." She unbuckled Yuli from her carseat. Yuli quickly climbed out of her seat and scrambled out of the car as her mother went to the trunk and grabbed the groceries.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Yuli pointing to the car. "The car has a boo boo!" she pointed to a  fresh scratch on the front of the car.

"Shh!" Mommy told her. "Dad doesn't need to know that. It will be our little secret." She put her finger to her lips.

Yuli put her finger to her own lips. "Our little secret." she echoed back.

Mommy gave Yuli a nervous smile and they quickly went in the house.

Mommy began to put the grocerie's away. Yuli went upstairs. She went into her big sister, Yana's room and planted herself on her sister's bed.

"What are you doing here?" asked Yana in a not so friendly voice. "I'm doing my homework, Get out!"  she added  even more angrily when Yuli didn't budge. She just sat there smiling but not saying anything. "What's with you?" inquired Yana. Little kids sure could be weird and annoying.

"I have secret. " announced Yuli proudly as her smile spread even wider.

"What is it?" demanded Yana. She couldn't resist some good gossip. In school, she was the one who always knew everybody's business.

"Shh!" said Yuli. "It's our little secret."

Yana shrugged. "Whatever." she said acting like she didn't care. What kind of gossip could a four year old possibly have anyway? Although deep down, she had to admit she was still curious. She just didn't want to act like she was.

"The car has a boo boo!" Yuli half whispered half shouted.

"A boo boo?" repeated Yana. "Oh, you mean a scratch?" she realized after thinking about it.

Yuli put her finger to her lips. "Shh! It's our little secret." she whispered  even louder than before. Then, she wandered off before her sister could ask her any more about it. Yana just shook her head.

Yuli wondered into her brother, Yardley's room. Yardley was lying on his bed studying, but unlike Yana he was always glad for an interuption. "Hey! What's up little sis?" he called out to Yuli  warmly as she entered the  room.

Yuli grinned from ear to ear. She adored her old brother.  "Shh! It's our little secret." she told him putting her finger to her mouth.

"What's our little secret?" asked Yardley curiously.

"The car has a boo boo." Yuli told him putting her finger to her lips again.

"The car has a boo boo?" repeated Yardley scratching his head, but the phone started ringing and Yuli ran off before he could find out what she was talking about.

Yuli hurried to Mommy's room and picked up the phone. She loved talking on the phone. "Hi Grandma." she cheerfully greeted the caller on the other end. Luckily, it actually was Grandma this time because Yuli was known to pick up the phone and say that to just anyone. "The car has a boo boo." Yuli quickly said into the phone. "Shh! It's our little secret." she added just before Mommy entered the room and took the phone away.

Soon, Daddy came home, and it was time for dinner.. "Daddy! Daddy!" shouted  Yuli excitedly running over to her father when he walked in the door.

"Hi Princess." Daddy replied picking her up and giving her a big kiss. "How was your day?"

Yuli opened her mouth to answer, but she didn't have a chance to say anything before  Mommy started calling her brother and sister. "Yana, Yardley!" Mommy called. "Come down to dinner!"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Daddy looked up in surprise. "Are we expecting anyone?" he asked Mommy.

Mommy looked just as surprised as Daddy was. "Not that I know of." she replied shaking her head. She went to answer the door, and Yuli followed her.

Yuli was surprised to see Grandma standing there when Mommy opened the door. "Grandma!" Yuli shouted excitedly.

Mommy seemed surprised to see Grandma too and not as happy as Yuli.  "What are you doing here?" she asked Grandma curiously.

"Are you alright?" asked Grandma worriedly bursting into the house. "Yuli said the car had a boo boo. What does that mean? Were you in an accident?"

Mommy  looked at Yuli and frowned but before she could even answer Grandma, Yana and Yardley barged loudly down the steps.

"What happened to the car?" Yana demanded to know.

"Yeah." added Yardley. "Yuli said it had a boo boo." He still wasn't quite sure what that meant.

Daddy was the most confused one of all. He stared at Mommy. "Yes, I'd sure like to know what's going on around here." he declared.

"Shh!" said Yuli quickly putting her finger to her lips. "It's our little secret,"






.

Aurora's Angel

It was  a bitter cold stormy day, Aurora Beckwith shivered as she pulled her threadbare sweater more tightly around her. She sat on the curb  by the highway selling pretty bouquets that she had put together out of the weeds in her backyard to the passersby.  Business was slow, given the weather, but she had no choice but to sit there and try to sell anything she could to help support her family.

Once Aurora had been a happy carefree young girl with a mother and father and a younger sister and brother. They lived in a nice house and had plenty to eat. Aurora didn't have to work, and she went to school like other kids her age.

Then, when Aurora's little sister was only a baby, her father disappeared. He just left for work one day, and never came back. Aurora's mother who had never worked before worked as many jobs as she needed to support the family. Aurora still went to school then, but she helped out a lot and took care of her brother and sister when she wasn't in school.

When Aurora's mother got sick, and couldn't work anymore, that was when Aurora had to stop going to school. It was also the reason, she was sitting out here in the cold trying to sell her flowers.

"Would you like to buy some flowers?" she cheerfully asked each passerby.

Some were nice and gave her a polite. "No, thank you." before they walked  quickly away anxious to get out of the cold and rain.

Most just walked ignored her in their haste. Some gave her pitiful looks at they walked by. Sorry that she had to be out there in the cold but not enough to take pity on her and buy some flowers. Others gave her scornful looks as if it were crime for her to be out there doing what she needed to for her family.

Aurora sniffled and coughed a little. She hoped she wasn't getting sick too. Where would they family be than if she couldn't work anymore either?

Aurora's eyelids grew heavy, and she found herself getting really sleepy. She knew she shouldn't sleep out there in the cold, but she couldn't stop herself. As she drifted off, she could see carlights in the distance, and she imagined they were a roaring fire and she was sitting beside the fire warming herself. For a moment, she felt warm and happy. She started drifting into a deeper and deeper sleep.

Just than, a pair of headlights shined right in Aurora's eyes. She jerked awake and opened them but quickly put a hand over her eyes to shade them from the bright light. A beautiful golden haired woman got out of the car. Aurora just starred at her. To Aurora, she looked like an angel.

"What are you doing out here in the cold little girl?" the woman asked in an accusatory tone. Aurora started to stutter out an answer but before she could get a word out. The lady cried out. "It couldn't be!" She grabbed Aurora and looked her all over and then began to cry.

Aurora was scared. She began to back away.

"Please don't go." The woman begged. Aurora froze. "I'm Amelia Beckwith." the woman continued "and I think that I am your grandmother." She took out a picture and held it out to Aurora. Aurora took it cautiously, she still wasn't sure this woman wasn't completely crazy and mistaking her for some dead grandchild or something. She looked at the picture in her hand and sure enough it was her father along with the golden haired woman who was a lot younger than and a man.  Aurora figured the woman was probably telling the truth.

As Aurora handed the photo back, she was suddenly filled with anger. "If you're my grandmother, why haven't  I ever met you before?" she demanded to know.

Her grandmother 's face was filled with sorrow. "I'm ashamed to say that we disowned our son when he married your mother. We didn't think she was good enough for our son." she admitted.

"He wasn't good enough for her." Aurora cried out defensively. "He left us when my little sister was a baby. My mom's been taking care of us all by herself ever since until she got sick, now I have to help!"

"You have ta sister?" said her grandmother.

Aurora stared at her. 'That's what she took out of all that I said' Aurora thought, 'That wasn't really the point.' Out loud, she just said. "Yes and a brother too."

Aurora's grandmother sighed. She felt sad for all the time she'd lost with the grandchildren she'd never met. For a moment, she seemed lost in thought, but then she spoke again. "You're right." she told Aurora. "You're father was too good for your mother. He was too good for all of you, but I would like to make it up to you. " It was one thing for a man to leave his parents that was natural. It was another for him to leave his children. That was unforgiveable.

Aurora shivered. Her grandmother looked over her thin and worn out clothes. "My poor child. You must be freezing." she said. "Come and get in my car and get out of the rain, and let me take you home." she insisted.

"But I haven't finished selling my flowers." Aurora protested holding up the rest of  her remainig bouquets. They were all waterlogged and wilted, and she had to admit that no one was going to buy them so she finally she let her grandmother persuade her to get in the car.

The minute she stepped into the car, she was instantly filled with warmth. She sighed and sank into the backseat and for the first time she actually felt a sense of relieve and that maybe life was actually going to get better, and that her grandmother would help them. Her grandmother really was an angel. She was Aurora's angel.

I Want A Goldfish

Uli Wheeler wanted a pet, but she didn't know what pet to get. She asked her Mom to take her to the library, and she took out a big book full of pictures of different pets. As soon as she got home, she sat down at the table and opened the book.

The first section of the book was about goldfish. The goldfish were so pretty. It would be fun to watch them swimming around their bowl. Goldfish would be easy to take care of. "I want a goldfish!" Uli decided.

The next day in school when Uli told her friends she wanted to get a goldfish they were not impressed. "Goldfish are boring." said one.

"Yeah, all they do is swim and eat." said another.

"I don't want a goldfish." Uli decided.

When she got home that day. she immediately took out the big book of pets and started to go through it again. The next section was about cats and kittens. They looked so soft and cute and cuddly. "I want a cat." decided Uli.

When she went to school and told her friends she wanted a cat, they still were not impressed.

"My sister's cat is always scratching me." said one.

"Their litter boxes smell, and you have to change them a lot." complained another holding her nose.

"I don't want a cat." Uli decided.

As soon as she could, she went back to the big book of pets. Next, there were dogs. There were dogs happily wagging their tails and dogs doing tricks. Having a dog looked like fun. "I want a dog." Uli decided.

The kids in school still were not impressed. "You have to walk a dog even if it's cold or hot or rainy or snowy." said one.

"Our dog is always bothering us when we are eating and trying to still our food." another kid told her.

"I don't want a dog." Uli decided.

When she went back to the big book of pets, she saw rabbits. They were nice and soft and quiet. "I want a rabbit." Uli decided.

The kids at school said "Rabbits leave droppings all over your house." and they also told her that sometimes rabbits bite.

Uli did not want a rabbit.

Next in the big book of pets, there were guinea pigs, and hamsters and gerbils. They were all cute and little and stayed in cages. Uli was sure she wanted a guinea pig or a hamster or a gerbil.

The kids at school told her that guinea pigs and hamsters and gerbils might bite and their cages had to be changed a lot or they got really smelly.

Uli did not want a guinea pig or a hamster or a gerbil.

There were birds but birds were noisy and messy. There were horses but horses were hard to take care  of and expensive. There were turtles but turtles might have salmonella.

Uli was sad. She did not know what pet to get. "Don't worry about your what your friends say." her mother told her. "Just get the kind of pet you want."

Uli thought about it for a long time.  "I want a goldfish." decided Uli. A goldfish would be easy to take care of. It would not have to be walked, and it would not have to have it's cage changed.

"You're sure, that's what you want?" asked her mother.

"Yes." replied Uli decisively. "A goldfish will be a great starter pet."

"Starter pet?" said her mother in surprise.

"Yes. After I have a goldfish, I will get a cat, and then I will get a dog ...

Pease Porridge, Not!

Zora Eaton had the most fabulous family. Her father was a sports coach and he taught her how to play all kinds of fun games like football and baseball and tennis, and he never once told her that any sport was something that girls shouldn't play. Her mom was a cooking whiz who liked to experiment with different foods. She went through phases in which her cooking was inspired by different subjects. cooking. There was her Disney phase when they'd had spaghetti and meatballs like in Lady and the Tramp, beignets like in The Princess and the Frog as well baked apples inspired by Snow White (Zora's little sister refused to eat those because she thought they were poison), and cupcakes shaped like Mickey Mouse ears. When she was in her Harry Potter phase, they ate yorkshire pudding, chocolate frogs and cauldron cake.

Zora's friends always loved coming over to see what her mother would be cooking up next although they would often turn their noses up at the thought of  actually eating whatever it was. Zora's little sister Zuzu, was the same way.  Zuzu was short for Suzanna, but nobody ever called her that. It was the name Zora had called her when Zuzu was born and she couldn't pronounce the name Suzanna, and the nickname had stuck. ZhuZhu would have been happy having macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and pizza for dinner every night.

At the present time, Zora's mother was firmly entrenched in her nursery rhyme phase. They had already had hot cross buns, curds and whey (cottage cheese), and pumpkin pie. Zora was really excited to see what her mother was going to come up with next. She was not really that particular about food, and she enjoyed most of what her mother made although some of it more than others, of course.

"Hi mom!" she called out to her mother cheerfully after coming in from school and depositing her books on the floor near the door.  She could smell something coming from the kitchen, but she couldn't quite make out what it was. She hurried into the kitchen and leaned over the pot where her mother stood stirring. "What is that?" she exclaimed in horror starring at the pukish green looking mixture.

"Pease Porridge." her mother told her as she continued stirring.

"Pease porridge?" repeated Zora but saying the name didn't make it seem any less horrible. She couldn't get that terrible picture of the greenish mixture out of her mind. Although she had been starving when she walked in the door, she suddenly lost her appetite and was glad dinner was several hours away. She didn't know how she was going to make it through the meal.

When it was finally dinnertime, Zora miserably trudged into the dining room at  a snail's pace. "What's the matter?" asked her mother. "You look as if you are being led to your death." Zora didn't say anything. She just silently slid into her chair.

Her mother carefully spooned some of the gross mixture into bowls and passed them out. As her mother and father quickly began eating, Zora just stared at her food. Zuzu didn't eat either. She just moved the spoon around in her bowl.

"Eat it while it's hot." their mother instructed. "It tastes good." she assured them, but Zora somehow didn't think so.

"Too hot, too hot!" declared ZhuZhu shaking her head and banging her spoon on the table, but as her food cooled down she began eating.

"You like it cold?" asked their mother in surprise.

Frankly, Zora was suprised that she liked it at all, but ZhuZhu nodded happily and quickly lapped up the rest of her food. Zora still couldn't quite get herself to eat. "I'm not hungry." she declared although she was actually  quite famished. "I am going to go upstairs and lie down." she announced quickly pushing her chair away from the table and jumping out her seat.

"Are you going to be alright?" her mother asked with  great concern. She started to get up to go over to feel Zora's forehead.

Zora nodded. "I'm sure I'll be fine after I lie down for a little bit." She hurried out of the room before her mother could come over to her.

"It's too bad you didn't get to try any of the pease porridge." her mother symphathetically called after her. "But don't worry, There's a lot more." she added cheerfully.

Zora's sighed and wretchedly shook her head as she headed up the stairs. Darn! She forget that her mother would go on binges where she would make massive amounts of food. Sometimes, they would eat the same meal for a week. Why did now have to be one of those times Zora wondered miserably.

For over a week, they ate pease porridge for dinner every night. Zora feigned illness or pretended to eat every night. Later, she would be starving, and she would sneak a sandwich or something when her mother wasn't looking.

Zora's mother was worried about her. "Maybe, I should take you to the doctor." she fretted at dinner one evening. "You're hardly eating and your getting so skinny, and you seem to be not feeling well quite a lot. Maybe you're coming down with something."

"I'll be fine," Zora assured her quickly changing the subject and pretending to eat her food.

The next day, Zora was starving. It already been 8 days of pease pudding. She was hoping the 9th day would be the charm, and her mother would be ready to move on to something else. She looked in the refrigerator but there wasn't any bread left. She looked in the freezer but there wasn't any there either, In fact, there was hardly any food at all. She suddenly remembered that her mother had told her that she was going food shopping today so that's why she and ZhuZhu weren't there when Zora got home from school

Zora smiled happily, Surely, this meant it would be the end of her mother's pease porridge phase. She went in the other room to watch TV and wait for her mother to get home. After a little bit, her stomach started rumbling and she realized she was too hungry to wait. She went back in the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator and freezer again. All she could find was the last little bit of the pease porridge. She sighed unhappily and started to put it away, but then her stomach started rumbling loudly again, and she was starting to get a hunger headache, and she knew she couldn't wait any longer. She had to eat something now.

She  walked over to the cupboard and got out a pot. She carefully poured the awful looking pease porridge mixture into the pot and heated it up. When she felt like it was hot enough, she scooped up a tiny bit on  a spoon, blew on it to make sure it wasn't too hot, and very very slowly lifted it to her mouth and tasted. "That's not bad." she declared completely surprised to find out after all this time that she actually liked it. She sat down and quickly ate the whole bowl.

Aftewards, Zora went back to the refrigerator and freezer to see if she could find anymore, but there was none left. "Oh rats!" she exclaimed in disappointment. She couldn't wait for her mother to come home so she could ask her when they were going to have pease porridge again.