Ok,the story's name is kinda weird and maybe I'll change it later,but for now,I hope you like it,and help with some stuff,'cause I'm actually brazilian,and the little I know of English I'm using to write this story,so read and ,please review!

Disclaimer:Mort doesn't belong to me (Bugger!)


Mort was in shopping in New London,in a small grocery store,which he liked very much,but didn't go often,'cause there was nearest places to shop in Tashmore Lake,but now,he was "forbidden"to show up around there.

He spotted a girl,actually a "girly woman",to be more precise,she was wearing a red blouse and a short jeans skirt and small boot,who didn't go further then her ancles.She looked very concentrated to the shelters,and started walking away,still distracted and turned a hallway ,he went to the parallel hallway,but by the end of it,he didn't find her.

He looked both side and shook his head,walking to the register.There was Mr.Wallace, a fat and tall guy,wearing a white shirt and suspenders,and talking happily to a customer.

"Thank for shopping,Miss Rachel!"Wallace said,waving his hand,the woman turned smiling and waved back,while walking to the door. "Mr.Rainey!It's been so long!"

Mort was surprised by how nice the man was being,he looked at him smiling,and for what he could see,it wasn't a fake smile.He took a while to respond,but finally smiled and walked towards the counter,putting his stuff on it.

"Yeah I…been having some problems lately"Mort answered and the man looked back at him a little bit more serious

"You wanna know something?" The man approached him"I think that's all a bunch of crap"He said in a lower voice and then laughed "I know you Mr.Rainey,you'd never do something like that…I remember the very first day I saw you here…with your wife…"The man turned serious again,trying to find a way to change the subject,while registering his shopping.

"Hey,dad,how much is that?"A girly voice yelled,and then the girl approached,holding a little bag of candy.It was the girl from the hallway.

"Dad?She's Wallace's daughter?!Wait a second,I don't remember knowing anyone as his daughter…"

"Oh,I'm sorry,did I interrupt?"She said looking from Mort to Wallace with an apologies look.

"No,honey,there's no problem at all…"Wallace said,opening a big smile,as only a proud dad could give his little child "let me check this…"

He took the bag from her hands and dialed some numbers on the register machine.While that,Mort could take a better look at the girl.She had shoulder length curly black hair,and tiny dark eyes,which Mort realized,were sending him a significant look,and she had a small smile in her full lips,covered with lip gloss,which he could feel,that smelled like strawberry.

"That's U$1,25,sweetie"Wallace said delivering the candy bag back to the girl,who took it,still looking at Mort.

"Thanks,dad"She said and stood there.Wallace looked from her to Mort and then suddenly started apologizing.

"oh,sorry,that's so rude of me.Mr.Rainey,this is my daughter,Naima.Naima,honey,this is Mr.Mort Rainey,he's a very famous writer"The man seemed pretty excited when saying this last words,Mort opened a small smile,and reached the hand to her,she took it,opening a big,yet,childish,smile.

"Nice to meet you,sir"She said.

"It is my pleasure,Miss Wallace….Mr.Wallace,I don't really remember seeing her around here…"Mort said,making an effort to remember her.

"Well,that's 'cause,after you started to shop here again,she was in her school period and before…I guess you only saw her a few times…but it really makes a long time.The only time I remember you saw her she was around…3."

"3?!"Mort asked,finally looking away from the girl to Wallace."Three years old?"

"Yeah…time went by and look at her,now"Wallace said.

"I met her when she was three?!How old is she now,for God's sake?"Mort couldn't stop feeling that weird thing "Am I getting old?"

"How old are you?"Mort asked intrigued to the girl.

"Fifteen"She said,taking a little candy out of the bag.

"Oh,then that's it…In thought 20 years have passed by and I didn't realize…"Mort said laughing and Wallace and Naima laughed along.

"Like Rip Van Winkle" Naima said.

"Pardon?"Mort asked.

"You know,the tale,Rip Van Winkle."She said.

"Oh,sure…that's pretty much like him I felt right now"Mort laughed and Naima too.

"Well,Mr.Rainey,it's U$ 25,43"Wallace said distracted,looking at the register.

"Ok.."Mort said,taking the money out the wallet,and putting it on the counter.Every move he made,he felt like the girl was staring at him,but he looked at her,she was profoundly distracted with her candy.

"Am I wanting her to look at me?God,she's a teenager…How can a teenager look like that?!"

"Right,Mr.Rainey,thanks for stopping by…."He looked at the bags "I think you'll need some help with it,right?"He asked with a smile,Mort nodded and grabbed some bags,so did Wallace.They left and took the bags inside the car.

"Thanks."Mort said as Wallace handed him the last bag "And congratulations…you have a beautiful daughter"Mort said,hoping that the word beautiful didn't sound so suspicious to her father as it sounded to himself after he said.

"Thank you very much,Mr.Rainey!She's really precious…she took all the beauty in the family to herself…She'll be a beautiful woman someday…"

"Someday?Is he blind?…she's already a woman…is she?Or am I seeing things?"

"Well,I'm sure she will really…thanks for the help Mr.Wallace,see you next time"Mort said getting inside the car.

"'Til next time,Mr.Rainey"Wallace said as Mort turned the car on and left the parking lot.

Just when he turned around to wave at Mr.Wallace,Naima rushed out the shop's dor,a lollipop in her hand.

"Be careful with little men in dutch outfits,Mr.Rainey!"She yelled at him with a smile,and the childish air still upon her.

Mort smiled,knowing she talked about the tale,and waved at her,she waved back,and placed the lollipop back in her mouth.

Mort drove back to the his house in Tashmore Lake,drown in thoughts.

"She's just a child…when I saw her,she looked like a woman…but…she's only fifteen…she's a child in a woman's body…"

"And you're attracted to her…"Mort heard the other voice echo inside his head,and felt confused.

"Am I really?Attracted to a child like her?"Mort caught himself waiting for an answer,but the voice inside his head didn't show up anymore.


Rip Van Winkle:The story is set in the years before and after the American Revolutionary War. Rip Van Winkle, a villager of Dutch descent, lives in a nice village at the foot of New York's Catskill Mountains. An amiable man whose home and farm suffer from his lazy neglect, he is loved by all except the one person who matters to him, his wife. He escapes his nagging wife by wandering up the mountains. After an adventure playing nine-pins with some weird little men dressed in weird dutch costumes, and sharing their liquor, he settles down under a shady tree and falls asleep. He wakes up twenty years later and returns to his village. He finds out that his wife is dead and his close friends have died in a war or gone somewhere else.