When a day in the fifties feels like seventy degree weather, after the bitter cold temps … Spring is coming! Soon, time for sandals.
When tough love is tough.
If you could make some lesser known word popular, which word would you choose? What song do you automatically start singing to every time you hear it?
This is the conclusion to The Fun Begins!
Fiona was eager to share with Harold what she had thought of early this morning when she woke up.
“I woke up remembering a ticket that I had shoved into my purse when we went through spammer boy’s stuff that he had left behind.
“Look!” She laid it in front of him on the table. Their breakfast dishes had been cleared, and they were enjoying coffee.
Harold picked up the ticket . “A ticket to the monkey exhibit at the San Antonio Zoo.”
He rubbed his chin. “Are you thinking we should go there?
“Yes, look at the date. It’s for tomorrow.”
” I haven’t been to a zoo in years. I would be even more interested in going on an African safari. Maybe Jane and I could go there for our honeymoon.”
“She needs a ring on her finger first.”
“I am aware of that.”
“Good.” She smiled.
“Now back to Caleb. I am sure that with all the money he has swindled from the ladies, he can buy another ticket, since he left this one behind. In fact, I wouldn’t put it past him to try and get some pretty lady to buy him a ticket.”
They walked out of the restaurant and got in Harold’s truck, heading for San Antonio.
Fiona covered her ears as Harold started singing, “Is Anyone Going to San Atone.”
“Its too bad that you didn’t learn how to play the bagpipes instead.”
In good spirits, they rolled on down the highway as Fiona made some phone calls.
After a couple of hours, they noticed a woman standing by the road with her thumb up.
Harold wasn’t in the habit of picking up hitchhikers, but he felt like he should help this young woman. Plus, Fiona may have kept telling him to. He pulled his truck over onto the side of the road and when the young woman walked up to his door, he rolled down the window.
“Hi! Where are you headed?”
“To San Antonio.” Fiona gave him a smug smile.
“You are welcome to hop in. That’s where my sister and I are headed.”
The young woman, whose dark hair was colored a light green on the ends, thanked them and crawled into the back seat.
“Hi, my name is Fiona, and that is my brother Harold. I love your hair.”
“Thanks. My name is Daria, and I really appreciate the ride.”
“Are you headed to San Antonio for pleasure or business?” Fiona asked.
“I am headed to track down a lying slimeball.”
Fiona’s ears perked up. Was it possible that this was yet one more woman on Caleb’s trail? She pulled out his picture.
“This wouldn’t happen to be the guy you are looking for, would it?”
“YES! That is him. Wearing that sly smile and those mesmerizing blue eyes. As my mama always said. Don’t be fooled by good looks and charm. I should have listened! Did he fool you out of money, too?”
“No, he didn’t, but if it makes you feel any better, you aren’t the only one who he fooled. You are the fourth young woman so far that we have found.”
The fourth! Man, he is trouble with a capital T. Are you guys like bounty hunters or something? Can I be the first one allowed to hit him?”
Harold started coughing as Fiona quickly said that they were not bounty hunters.
“I am a private detective and was hired by a young woman to track him down and get her money back. I will be glad to try and get yours back to.”
“I guess he told you about his ailing grandmother as well to get your money?”
“Ailing grandmother? No, he didn’t say anything about her. He needed money to go to New Zealand and visit his father, who was dying. He wanted to play his bagpipes for him one more time. I am such an idiot. He had told me that we could go together and he would show me the beauty of New Zealand where he grew up. But nope! I gave him the money to buy the tickets and the next morning he was gone!
At first, I thought he had gone to New Zealand without me, but that was before I got a text that he accidentally sent to me.”
“Hi, Corinne, I am looking forward to meeting you at the San Antonio Zoo. I am sure you will be even more beautiful in person.”
“I was seeing red after that text!”
Fiona and Harold didn’t know what to say, Caleb kept digging his hole deeper and deeper! She really hoped they would be able to find him at the zoo.
It had been a long drive, and they all were growing hungry. They were close to their destination, so when they saw a billboard sign for the best pies at Mason’s Diner, Harold got off at the exit.
The diner felt warm and inviting when they walked in.
“Welcome to Mason’s. Take a seat anywhere you would like, and I will be right with you.”
They looked over the menu, and everything sounded good. Fiona ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, and Harold chose a tunafish platter, with Daria choosing a juicy hamburger.
“I will have a slice of banana cream pie as well.” Harold added.
“I will have some peanut butter pie, please.” Daria added.
“Make mine shoo-fly. I haven’t had that for years.”
” It is the best.” Cara said. “But banana cream and the peanut butter pie are really good too.” She was quick to add.
Cara was quick with their orders. Fiona’s grilled chicken was a little too spicy, but Harold said the tuna salad was great, and Daria’s hamburger was the perfect mix between medium and well done.
Fiona went to the restroom, and when she came back. She grabbed Harold’s arm and looked at Daria.
“Caleb is here!”
“No way! Seriously?”
“Yes! He was sitting in the booth right by the restrooms. I know it was him.”
They ate their pies debating what to do.
“We need to stop him now, not wait until tomorrow.”
Harold agreed.
“Oh No! He is leaving.”
Harold turned his head and saw him walking towards the cashier to pay his bill.
They both got to their feet, intending to confront him when Cara yelled, “Watch out!” But it was too late.
Caleb’s feet flew out from underneath him, and he hit the floor with a thud!
“I am so sorry!”
Her cheeks burned as Mason picked up the half- empty jug of Felipe Bavio’s olive oil that she had spilled.
Daria saw her chance and walked over to Mason, grabbing the jug. She poured the rest of the oil all over Caleb.
He started yelling, and Daria was too. Fortunately, Grayson, the sheriff, was there, and he stepped in to help.
After all was said and done, Caleb was given a ride in the back of Grayson’s car to the police station. It turned out that along with swindling women, he also had been driving with a suspended license.
Fiona called the other young women, and they were overjoyed to hear about Caleb’s arrest. He had surfed his last wave for a while.
Mason said their meal was on the house and that they were welcome back anytime.
“Are you still planning to go to the zoo tomorrow?” Cara asked.
“Yes, I was looking forward to visiting the monkeys. Do you want to come with us?”
Cara looked at Mason.
He sighed. “I am too nice, but Thursdays are typically slow, so go ahead.”
“Thanks!”
“I am sure the monkeys will be glad to see you.” He added, but Cara didn’t hear him. She was too busy chatting with Daria about hair dye.
Harold chuckled, he had heard. He put out his hand and shook Mason’s hand. “Thanks again for the meal. I will be sure to leave a 5-star review on Yelp.”
Thank you very much, and have fun tomorrow.”
Fiona slept well that night, already thinking of what her next detective job may entail.
This is Part 2 to Monday’s post, The Surfer Scammer!
“Wait! What is that?”
They stared at the emerald green glow emanating from under the surfer’s beach towel.
Fiona looked at Harold. “Go pick up the towel and take a look.”
“Me? You are the investigator. What if there is some green snake under there?”
Fiona shook her head. “I will never understand how you can be scared of snakes, but yet you have wrestled with a crocodile before!
She picked up the towel.
“This looks a little freaky.” Fiona held up a tiny stuffed monkey with glowing green eyes.
She decided to keep it in spite of it looking freaky. Maybe somehow it would help them as they looked at the other clues that the surfer dude had left behind.
Back at Fiona’s place, they discussed the clues, and Harold was a great help as to what the next step should be.
After Fiona served some raspberry cheesecake to Harold, he told her he needed to go.
“Thank you so much for your help! I wish you were coming with me tomorrow.”
“Well, if you are serious, I would be glad to come with you. I can throw some things in a suitcase, not knowing how long this search will take, and be here first thing in the morning.
Fiona threw her arms around him. “Oh, you are the best, thanks!’
“You are welcome, sis. Get some rest so you aren’t blurry eyed in the morning.”
“I will. You too!”
They said goodbye, and it didn’t take long for Fiona to fall asleep. She was exhausted from having not slept well last night.
They were on the road by 8 am. sharp the next morning.
Fiona was still laughing every time she looked at her brother and his bright orange flowered shirt.
“I didn’t even know you had a Hawaiian shirt and straw hat.”
“Well, I only wear them on special occasions like today. It is my disguise.”
“A disguise?” She laughed even harder at that.
Soon, they were at their first stop. They walked along the beach with their eyes looking all around for the surfer. Fiona’s client had provided Fiona with plenty of pictures of him. They didn’t see him anywhere.
“Onto the next beach.”
It took a few hours to get to the next beach, and as much as Fiona enjoyed walking in the sand unfortunately tbey still didn’t find the surfer scammer.
“We were lucky that the beaches we went to were small. If he went farther away to some big, popular beach, we may never find him.”
“Maybe we should go to Hawaii. I could propose to Jane there.”
“Ooh, she would love that. As long as you aren’t wearing that shirt. ”
“Funnny!”
“As much as I would love to go to Hawaii, I know he didn’t go there, for he is scared of flying, my client said. I don’t think anyone has built a bridge across the ocean yet.”
“Well, that narrows places down.”
“Haha. I would like it if we could narrow places down a lot more.”
“We could go with my idea.”
‘Bar hopping?” Fiona made a face.
“Hey, what better place to find a gullibe woman to swindle out of money. Some young woman who is down on love?”
Fiona sighed. “i can’t deny that you make a good point.”
Harold grinned as they drove down the road and pulled into O’Reilly’s Pub. Fiona hoped they had good food for she suddenly realized how hungry she was. They had been so caught up in looking for the surfer dude that they hadn’t stopped for food.
To her delight, her Reuben sandwich was tasty, and the number of fries they served were huge. Harold was happy to help eat her fries.
“How can you dip fries in mayonnaise?” Harold asked, making a face.
“It’s better than ketchup, that’s why.”
“Strange taste you have.”
“Says the one wearing a bright orange Hawaiian shirt.” She teased back. Then she started showing the surfer’s photo around, but no one had seen him.
Two men had flirted with Fiona, telling her she could do better than Harold. That made her night, though Harold didn’t laugh as hard as she did.
Three bars later, Fiona was growing discouraged. It felt like they were wasting their time, who knew what direction the surfer dude had gone in.In her mind, she was going over again the items that Scam Boy had left behind.
His oversized beach towel, a stuffed monkey, an empty tube of 200+ sunscreen. Where does someone order 200+ sunscreen? It must be special ordered, and he must be highly sensitive to the sun!
“Fiona, I would like you to meet Anna and Lexi.”
She looked up to see a brunette and a red head. The red head was all fired up!
“You looking for the liar? He owes me $573.46.”
“46 cents?” questioned Fiona.
“Yes, my little girl gave him money from her piggy bank so that he could help his poor, ailing grandma.”
Her brown eyes burned with such an intensity that it gave Fiona the feeling that she should duck so that she wouldn’t get hit with laser beams.
The brunette was quieter but still plenty angry. He had taken $350.00 from her.
It seemed that the surfer boy was leaving a trail of angry women behind him.
After hearing their stories, Fiona and Harold thanked them and headed out of the bar, back to the truck.
“Looks like we should plan on getting a hotel. We aren’t going to find him tonight.”
Fiona agreed with Harold, and they headed to the Mariott.
Harold let out a little laugh, shaking his head. “A surfer who serenades with bagpipes. What else are we going to find out about this guy before we find him?”
“It looks like the fun has only begun, big brother.’
**To be continued**
Happy Tuesday! My love for quotes began when I was a child. I remember copying down some quotes from the books I read and stapling the pages together, making a little quote book for my Dad. All these years later, he still enjoys my quotes. Thank you for enjoying them, too, and for stopping by every Tuesday. I hope you leave with a smile on your face and peace in your heart. Have a wonderful day!
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The doorbell was ringing, but Fiona ignored it. She heard Harold open the door and shout, “Hello! Fiona?” She stayed quiet as he walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, sis! I saw the bluebird of happiness singing away on your tree out front.”
He stopped talking and stared at Fiona in confusion.
“Um…are you feeling Ok? You realize its 11am, right? Why do you still have your robe on? Why aren’t you dressed to go out?”
Silence.
“Fiona! What is going on? Are you going to talk or keep drinking your coffee and ignoring me? I thought we were going out today? I have lunch reservations made at the rooftop restaurant. The one with the incredible view overlooking the river.”
She poured herself another cup of coffee without uttering a word.
Harold was getting agitated. “Well, I am hungry so I am going to eat at the restaurant whether you go or not. I will leave in half an hour.”
He left the kitchen in a huff and turned on the tv in the other room.
She knew she owed her brother an explanation, but she had been too upset to speak. This was supposed to be her day off of work. Her one day to relax, but she couldn’t get the troubling case out of her mind. She had been awake late last night thinking about it.
Fiona may not be the best company today, but she would go with her brother like she had promised. She rose from the table to go and get ready.
Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of the tv, feeling cute in a casual lavender spring dress, a seashell bracelet, and her new matching sandals.
“I am ready.”
“Well, look at you. I am shocked that you got ready so fast. Miracles do happen.”
She gave him a jab in the arm but then gave him a hug and a smile.
“Sorry about earlier, I was upset, but I am looking forward to lunch. Shall we go?” She yelled at Alexa to turn off the tv, and they walked out the door.
Mr. Bluebird watched them from the top of the tree.
“Don’t let my sister scare you, Mr Bluebird. Sing away.”
And with that, the bluebird puffed out his chest and started to sing.
Then Harold started singing with him.
“Now you are going to scare Mr Bluebird away. You haven’t sang for Gina yet, have you?”
They got into Harold’s car, and he said, “I was thinking of serenading her when I propose.”
“Oh, that is sad, I was really hoping to have her as my sister in law, but if you serenade her, she may run away.”
Harold put his hand on his heart. “I am crushed.”
Fiona laughed. It was a long-standing family joke about none of them being able to sing.
“Ahh! The sound of laughter is much better to hear than your silence earlier. So, what has you upset. Is it something I can help you with?”
“It is my job. I started this private investigator business on the side, seeing if I could make a go of it, but now I am wondering what I was thinking. I am afraid I got in over my head.
My client is depending on me, and I don’t want to let her down. I have been wracking my brain, and I keep coming up empty.
A week ago, she was on vacation in the Florida Keys. She met a surfer named Caleb. According to her, they hit it off real well and were having an amazing week until he disappeared!”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes. He broke her heart by leaving suddenly, and she wants to track him down. Not only did he break her heart, but he also took her money.”
“Gee! What a great guy!” Harold said with sarcasm.
“Well, she gave him the money. He told her that he needed money for his poor, sick grandmother.
My client had a soft heart, gave him the money, and hasn’t heard from him since. Then she looked for his “grandmother” at the hospital name he had given her. There is no such hospital, and she feels like such a fool!
She knows it’s a longshot, but she did find some clues as to where he may have headed.
I want to find this scumbag before he scams more women out of money. Do you want to take a look at the clues?”
“Sure. I will put on my Sherlock hat and see what I can do. But first I need to fill my stomach.”
They enjoyed a delicious lunch of crab legs and scallops. Kept the conversation light and then drove to Fiona’s office, where she showed Harold the different clues. Things that Mr Surfer dude had left behind in his hotel room.
**to be continued**
Okay, readers, would you like to put on your Sherlock hat as well? What type of clues did the surfer dude leave behind? Have fun, be creative, and share your clues in the comments. They may make it into Part 2. 😉
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The day had started out in an ordinary way. Mr Fluffer-Nutter started baking his bread at four in the morning, and by six, there was a line in front of his shop. Everyone knew he made the best bread in town.
Mrs Thimble’s shop opened by eight, and she was ready to mend anything that needed to be mended. Billy Bob was a regular customer. He was always getting his shirt caught on the fence post when running from Mr McGregor’s yard after a date with his daughter.
Soon, the sidewalks were full of ladies eager to shop. Many of them were looking for a new hat for Sunday and a pink parasol for an afternoon picnic in the meadow.
Meanwhile, men were shining up their carriages and maybe bidding on more horses at Farmer Ed’s auction.
Everyone was so busy that they paid little heed to the clown who sat on the corner of Happy and Land Street. He was there every Saturday.
Some would greet him with a smile, and the men may tip their hats, but no one paid him much mind.
Sometimes, he would juggle, but once he dropped the balls and they rolled, catching the eye of Mrs Golds’ retriever. The dog took off after the balls, pulling Mrs Gold along with him.
Other times, he had fairytale books in his lap. He would offer them to the men and women that walked by, but few would take them.
“I have no time for fairytales, boy.” was often the reply.
This made the clown sad. No time for fairytales? He couldn’t wrap his mind around that thought. If grown-ups didn’t have time for fairy tales, then he never wanted to grow up.
He didn’t give up easily. He kept trying to make the grown-ups see the magic that was to be found, if only they would believe.
The little boy continued to put on a happy face, disguising himself as a clown. No one knew who he was, but they got used to seeing him sitting on the corner of Happy and Land Street. Some grown-ups even started accepting his books and coming back, asking for more.
One small girl named Lily-Bell especially loved his books, and she called him her friend.
As time went by, the townspeople started feeling happier because of the clown in their town. People didn’t pass by now without stopping to say hi, and the clown thought that maybe he had found a place to stay.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be. One day, tragedy struck. The clown was blowing his toy horn, which the little children were dancing to. All the children had grown to love the clown.
Mean Dirk was in town. He always wore a frown, and he grumbled at the clown for blowing his toy horn.
Now the clown was a patient boy, but he was tired of mean Dirk always ruining his fun. The man had no imagination. So, on this particular day, the clown was mad because Dirk had made the little girls cry with how loud he had shouted.
The clown ran after Dirk and blew the horn extra loud in the middle of the street. The shrill blast spooked Mr. Ed’s horse, and he bolted, knocking down Dirk and trampling his hand.
Mean Dirk releashed a torrent of words as adults covered the childrens ears.
His eyes shot lasers at the poor clown, and he demanded to know the boy’s name and that he showed his true face. He had to take off his mask.
“My name is Peter, sir, and I am so sorry.”
Dirk didn’t care about his apology. He looked the boy straight in the eye and said. “I won’t ever forget your name or your face, and I will have my revenge someday.”
Then Dirk was whisked away to the hospital, where they hoped to save his hand.
The townspeople were sad, but they knew that Peter the clown had to leave. It was no longer safe for him to be around. Not as long as Dirk’s threat loomed over his head.
In the middle of the night, Lily-Bell came to visit Peter, and she passed on a magical gift. The gift of being able to fly.
Together, they flew to a far-off land. A land where one was always happy and never had to grow up. A land that became known by the name of Never-Land.
As for mean Dirk, his hand was saved, only to lose it in the jaws of a mean crocodile. It never pays to be mean!
When the cold wind blows the chimes … I smile … Especially when I am inside.
If today was a Saturday morning back in 1983, what would you be doing? I would probably be at my bestie’s house, lying on her bed, with her radio tuned into the Country Music Countdown.
My cardiac rehab ended this week. I graduated 🙂 …. But the cardiac rehab I get from writing, chatting, and laughing on here continues on.
This is part 2 to yesterday’s post, The Reflection
The old woman turned when she heard Tanya coming. Her eyes danced with fear as she opened her mouth, and nothing came out.
But Tanya heard Courtney shouting. Where was she!
“You have to help me! One minute, I was looking in the mirror, making faces, and the next minute ….”
Tanya looked at the mirror and shrieked. “Courtney! It’s you. You are in the mirror!”
“You are observant.Now tell me HOW do I get OUT OF HERE!”
Tanya’s legs became weak. She put her hand to her head as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Sinking to the ground, she put her head in her hands.
Lifting her head, she shook it in disbelief. “I thought it was a myth. A crazy legend, but now …”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“The mirror. I was going to tell you about the funny legend. How one should never make faces into the mirror or they will be ..”
Courtney pierced her with her eyes. “What are you talking about, Tanya? Will be what??”
“Don’t worry. We will figure this out.”
Tanya wrung her hands as she looked in the mirror.
“They will be forever stuck in the mirror and turned into … ” Tanya pointed at the mute old lady whose eyes were so grave.
She put her arm around the old woman as Courtney shrieked at her from inside the mirror, putting her hand on the glass.
“Don’t worry?? You are telling me NOT to WORRY!! I am stuck in a mirror!”
“I promise, my friend, I will get you out.”
She put her hand up against the mirror, and Courtney did too.” Then she turned to the old woman put her arm around her, and they walked to the house.
After a quiet lunch, Courtney, the old woman, wanted to take a nap. Tanya had a headache trying to absorb what all had happened.
Courtney, her dear friend, was trapped inside an enchanted mirror as herself, but outside of the mirror, she was trapped inside the body of an old, mute woman.
What did she have to do to break this spell of the enchanted mirror? She wouldn’t even entertain the possibility that the spell may not be able to be broken!
Getting into her car, she drove back to the auction site, hoping to find the auctioneer and find out from him who the mirror had belonged to.
Fortunately, the auctioneer was able to give Tanya the information she needed.
Tanya thanked him and drove to the house of the previous owner. She had called him, saying she needed to talk about the mirror. When the man heard that, he said she could come right away.
A white-haired man was at the door to greet her.
“Welcome.” He put out his hand, and Tanya shook it as he invited her in to sit down.
“I need your help.” She blurted out.
The man’s pleasant smile quickly changed. “Are you hear about the magical spell?”
“Yes! My friend is trapped.”
She went on to explain as the man listened to her in silence, his face grave.
“I knew I should have thrown away the mirror, but the auctioneer insisted that he could sell it. He was supposed to warn whoever bought it!”
“Well, he did kind of tell me about the legend of it. But we laughed and didn’t believe it.” Tanya admitted, feeling chagrined.
“I understand. I had made the same mistake about not believing it when I first got the mirror.”
Tanya’s eyes brimmed with hope. “So you were trapped in the mirror as well? But you are out now. How did you break the spell? Please tell me!”
“I wasn’t the one trapped in the mirror . Like I said I didn’t believe the enchanted tale either when I first heard it. Who would believe that making faces into a mirror would get you trapped inside of it. Though my mom did always tell me not to make faces that sometime my face would freeze and stay like that.”
A grin crossed Tanya’s face. Her mom had told her the same thing.
“If it wasn’t you who got trapped in the mirror, who was it?”
With a sheepish look, the man replied, “My mother-in-law. I may have told her that it was a magical mirror and to make a face into it, and she would become a Queen.”
Tanya’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hand.
“I was kidding! I didn’t think she would actually do it.”
“I bet she was mad!”
“That would be an understatement.” The man replied.
“Well, how did you get her out of it?”
“Well, the good news is that they don’t stay inside the mirror forever.”
Tanya, let out a big sigh! “So the spell breaks on its own?”
“Kind of.” He said, looking nervous.
“What do you mean, “kind of?”
“They fade from the mirror, but they remain old and mute. I guess the trick is breaking the spell before they fade from the mirror.”
Once again, Tanya buried her face in her hands.
“How long until they fade from the mirror?”
“48 hours. I am sorry I don’t have better news for you.”
His face was so compassionate that she couldn’t be mad at him.
Tanya rose to leave. “So your mother-in-law stayed a mute?”
“Yes.”
“How did your wife handle that?”
“She lives with her mom in Florida now.”
A laugh escaped from Tanya before she could stop it.
“Yes, she took it rather well, eh?” He said with a wry smile. “Let me know if you break the spell. It may be worth a try to get my wife back.”
“I will.” She shook his hand again and wished him a good day as she left.
When she got home, she grabbed a hammer. Maybe there was a simple way to break the spell.
Courtney saw her coming. “Did you get an answer? Why do you have a hammer?”
Tanya hit the glass. Nothing happened. Hit it harder and still nothing. Not even a crack. Well, so much for that idea.
Then she started to cry, for she had no idea how to save her friend. The two friends sat there pouring out their hearts. Trying to say everything they could say in the span of 48 hours. They talked long into the night.
The next day, she hugged Courtney, the old woman, a lot and wiped her tears.
Time was ticking down, and Tanya had tried every magical spell possible. Had concocted potions, which she read about in books. Courtney had drank them willingly but made awful faces, which made them both laugh.
Nothing had worked, and once again, Tanya was sitting in front of the mirror talking to Courtney in the mirror.
Then, out of nowhere, Tanya heard the strangest sound.
“Did you hear that?” Tanya asked.
“Yes! I never heard anything like it before. Something or someone must be hurt really bad!”
“I am going to go check it out. Stay here.”
“Ha! Aren’t you funny. What else am I supposed to do?”
The high-pitched sound was getting closer as Tanya ran in the direction of it.
She was seeing it but not believing it!
How???
She held her ears as the sound was louder, and then the idea hit her.
Courtney saw her friend walking back towards her and Wow! Where did the hippo come from? Was she hallucinating?
“Hi Courtney, this is Henrietta and she is going to sing for you.”
“Sing for me? Was that you singing earlier?” She asked Henrietta.
“Yes, and your friend here said how you would love a private concert. I love to sing so I would be glad to sing for you.” Henrietta gave a huge smile.
Courtney looked at Tanya like she had lost her mind as Henrietta began to sing.
Tanya closed her eyes, it simply had to work.
Oh, she covered her ears. That note was painful. It was piercing. It … It…worked! The mirror was shattering!
Courtney screamed in delight as the mirror shattered around her. She was free!
Henrietta stopped. “Oh dear! Your mirror!”
“No worries. You sang perfectly. Thank you. Thank you!”
They profusely thanked Henrietta, and then Tanya invited her to stay with them. To rest her voice and enjoy some S’mores over a campfire.
Henrietta had never eaten a S’more before, and Tanya had to drive to the store for more marshmallows.
They had a wonderful night of celebration. It was so much fun chatting with sweet Henrietta.
When Tanya closed her eyes that night, there was one lesson that she would always remember.
When you invite a hippo over for S’mores, make sure you are well stocked with marshmallows. Hippos love them!
Her greenhouse was thriving. Tanya was thankful for having inherited her mom’s green thumb.
“Taking a walk through your greenhouse always brings a smile to my heart.” Her friend Courtney said, as she came around the corner Whoa! I wasn’t prepared to see myself in a mirror! When did you get the mirror?”
“I went to an auction last night and was elated to get it for a bargain! I have quite the story to tell you about the mirror.”
Courtney raised her eyebrow, “Oh?? You have me curious. Did you get any other bargains?”
“Yes, I did, I am having it delivered here today.”
With a twinkle in her eye, Courtney teased, “Donovan drives a delivery truck, right?”
Blushing, Tanya quickly changed the subject. “I have something for you. Let me run in and get it.”
“Okay, I will keep an eye out for Donovan.”
“You won’t stop trying to be a matchmaker, will you.”
“I will once he asks you out.” She replied with a smile.
Tanya walked inside, and Courtney continued walking around. She came back to the mirror and stared at her reflection and then was making silly faces.
Wha-what was happening? The mirror was fogging up, really bad.
Oh, no! Her skin was changing, and her hair was turning gray!
Tanya found the small gift she had for Courtney and walked back outside. She wondered what Courtney would think when she told her about the legend of the mirror and that it supposedly has magical powers.
She came around the corner of the house and stared into the distance.
Where did Courtney go and who was the old lady looking at the mirror?
Nuggets of Gold 