Jess: once upon a time, there were two lovely girls living in a house in the country.

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Auto response from Megan: jess, i want to talk to you.

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Megan: :-)
Jess: and in the mornings, they would wake up smiling, because they were very happy where they were.
Jess: they would lie in their beds, in separate rooms, and smile at the sun twinkling in their windows, because they knew they were waking to much adventure and love.
Jess: and they would go downstairs and stand in their kitchen, with its pots hanging from the rafters and its windows and its bright yellow gingham, and they would cook big country breakfasts for themselves, for each other.
Megan: :-)
Jess: and they would sit at the kitchen table, which was tucked cozily in a corner made entirely of glass windowpanes which overlooked the huge, shady maple that stood out front. they ate their breakfasts and drank warm, delicious cups of coffee and cool glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice.
Jess: and they would talk-- about the books they were reading or the wonderful things they'd written the day before. they'd talk excitedly about the things they were planning on doing that day: gardening, biking, swimming, canoeing, or just lying in the hammock with a good book.
Jess: (they had jobs but this was the weekend. and just so you know, their jobs were perfect too. but that's another story for another time.)
Jess: and some days, they would decide it was time for a field trip, and they would clamor into their dusty old truck, perfect for carrying people or lots of groceries. and they'd drive to the beach, or to the park, or to the nearby city.
Jess: on one specific day, they were busy eating breakfast when there came an unexpected knock on the door.
Megan: ooh.
Jess: and one looked in surprise at the other, who shook her head. neither knew who it could be.
Jess: so they leapt up and peeked out the side window, through the lace curtains.
Jess: and saw a little dog sitting on their front porch.
Jess: and one girl shouted! and opened the door quickly, and said hello puppy!
Megan: :-)
Jess: and the other was a little skeptical. she didn't think dogs knocked on doors.
Megan: hehe
Jess: she poked her head past the pile of girlanddog and looked outside, but saw no sign of anyone around.
Jess: so she shrugged and closed the door, joining the pile of happy yelping and licking and arms and legs and happy tail wagging.
Megan: mmm
Jess: after the initial welcome, the girls stood and brushed themselves off while the stranger dog sat, looking up at them expectantly. one of the girls bent down (to an immediate lick on the cheek) and checked the dog's collar, where she discovered that their new friend's name was plato.
Megan: :-)
Jess: hello plato! she said, and the tail wagging commenced again. the girls decided that they'd call the local animal shelters to see about missing dogs. it was sunday, and the shelter was closed, so in the meantime they decided to get to know their new friend.
Jess: this called for a day out.
Jess: they packed some sandwiches and juice and big, juicy pears and blackberries (and some dog biscuits they happened to find in the pantry) and walked toward the car.
Jess: will he stay with us without a leash? asked one of the girls.
Jess: the other frowned. they had a few leftover items from dogs gone by, but a leash wasn't among them.
Jess: then she brightened. she ran inside and took out an old sheet from the rag pile in the basement. then, she tied an end of it to plato's collar and held the other. she smiled at the makeshift leash, and plato barked.
Jess: they clamored into the car and were off. the beach called.
Megan: oh boy.
Jess: as they pulled off down the driveway, they didn't notice a quiet young girl sneak out of the nook underneath the porch.
Jess: they spent the day at the beach, romping happily with plato, who turned out not to need the leash at all. the beach was nearly deserted, so they had a fantastic time throwing things for the dog to fetch and watching as he scampered off after them.
Jess: they tried swimming briefly, but didn't get much farther than the surf. plato's little legs kept getting knocked over by the waves rolling in, so they stayed on the shore and played in the foam.
Jess: after they were good and tired, they sat and ate their sandwiches and fruit and drank their juice. they fed plato his dog biscuits and broke off half a sandwich for him, because they thought he was hungry.
Jess: (he was)
Jess: then, as the sun began to set, they climbed, wearily but happily, back into the car and set off for home.
Jess: when they arrived, they immediately noticed things were not as they'd left them.
Jess: the screen door, which didn't shut tightly by itself, was slightly ajar. they frowned, and plato waited expectantly. they hesitated but didn't feel in danger, so they entered the house.
Jess: everything was still there, but it was clear someone had been sifting through the house. the spice containers on the kitchen counter were slightly out of place, the books in the den were rearranged (as if someone had been trying to find a good book to read), and some of the doors upstairs were left closed, instead of the usual opened.
Jess: the girls were slightly concerned. who would have come in but left everything?
Jess: just then, they heard plato downstairs, whining softly at the front door.
Jess: they came downstairs carefully, trying not to make too much noise. they again peeked through the lace curtains and, to their surprise, saw the same young girl at their doorstep.
Jess: she was a few years younger than they, and very pretty. she was alone, and seemed hesitant to knock, as though she were afraid to be disturbing something sacred.
Jess: they opened the door. 'hello,' said one of the girls. 'can we help you?'
Jess: the girl at the door bit her lip. 'well.. ' she said, 'i.. i came to say hello. i'm, well, i'm sorry i didn't call or send something or .. yes. i wanted to say hello. i've read some of your writings and we've.. well. i don't think you would remember...' she trailed off.
Jess: they looked at her encouragingly. 'go on,' one of them said.
Jess: 'well, i sent plato here this morning to see if you were really as friendly as you seemed to be. i thought if you weren't nice to him then i would know not to bother. but then you were so wonderful and your house seemed so wonderful that I thought it was worth a shot. you see, i.. well, i've come from home. my home isn't very happy and i fear i just can't stay anymore. and i've read some of your work and seen some of your paintings and i just thought maybe..' she trailed off again.
Jess: 'would you like to come in?' one of the girls said.
Jess: the girl looked up and smiled.
'yes. please,' she replied.
Jess: they brought her in and made her sit at the table while they cooked dinner. she told them all about her family, how awfully they treated her and her dog and how she just couldn't survive there any longer. how she had been eyeing their house for days, too scared to come and speak directly, and how it was she who'd come into the house, which she had found unlocked.
Jess: 'i couldn't believe you'd left the door open like that, and i. .well, i knew it was wrong but i just had to see if the inside of the house was as beautiful as the outside, or as beautiful as you seemed to be, and it was. and i didn't steal anything, i promise. i just. i just had to know, in case i never got the nerve to knock on the door.'
Jess: they smiled.
Jess: 'please stay with us?' asked one. 'we have an extra bedroom for friends, and you seem like a friend. do you write, or paint, or ..? we always like new friends.'
Jess: the girl smiled in gratitude.
'i'm an aspiring everything, really,' she answered. 'i love to dance' (at this, one of the girls beamed) ' and draw, and write. and i love books, and school. which is why i had to leave my house-- they hated that i was smart, they just wanted me to work all the time, to help them pay the bills. I wanted more than that.'
Jess: 'it's settled,' they said. 'you're staying with us. for as long as you need.'
Jess: so that was how the two girls in the big house on the hill became a trio (well, a quartet really. we can't forget plato). from that day forward, the young shy girl lived with them, and they loved her. and she loved them. and plato did too. and she pulled up an extra chair in the mornings for breakfast, and the table was almost not big enough for them, but it was the perfect size, really. even with the dog under their feet.
Jess: and at nights, they would lie on the roof and look at the stars.
Jess: and when the sun rose, they rose too. and all three girls-- three now, not two-- awoke smiling.
Jess: (smile)
Jess: the end.
Megan: oh wow
Megan: thank you thank you thank you jess. that was so lovely.
Jess: (hug). i'm glad. i never feel very good at stories, and i didn't know who was knocking at the door anymore than you did until the girls looked out the window :-).
Megan: :-). no it was wonderful.
Megan: and stories have a way of coming together like that. i used to tell one of my roommates bedtime stories. it just happens.
Jess: (smile). i feel better too now. i was all weird feeling from a nap that wasn't long enough and was just kind of bad.
Megan: mmm. i'm glad we both feel better. *hug*