1901

In a perfect imitation of her oldest sister, five year old Sybil rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. "Why can't we play something else?"

"It's my turn to choose" nine year old Edith scolded.

"But tea parties are so boring" Sybil countered.

Undaunted by her younger sister's reluctance, Edith continued placing the red and beige flower painted china plates and their matching cups and saucers on the child sized table. She had chosen this child's china set, a birthday gift from Granny, over the blue flowered set since she had put a rose colored tablecloth on the table. Edith had already placed a serving plate on the table that, thanks to Sybil, held two kinds of biscuits. Looking especially at the deliciously appealing chocolate covered biscuits she marveled at Sybil's ability to cajole sweets from the cook.

Although the tea set's sugar bowl and milk pitcher were empty, Edith insisted on filling the tea pot with water. "At least that way we can practice pouring without spilling" Edith pronounced to further eye rolls from Sybil.

With Edith busy in the far corner of the nursery filling the tea pot with water from a pitcher that was always kept in the nursery, a task not quite as easy as she thought since the pitcher was rather heavy, Sybil surveyed the table. It did look pretty if one liked that sort of thing she thought. However what she didn't like were the two tall china dolls that Edith had placed at the extra chairs as their guests. One always has guests for tea parties Edith had previously explained to Sybil. Yet there was something so eerie about those dolls, especially their glass eyes, that Sybil didn't like to play with them and she certainly didn't like sitting across from one while eating biscuits and pretending to drink tea.

Edith carefully carried the now full tea pot across the room, her steps slow and deliberate so that she wouldn't spill any tea. She was concentrating so carefully on her walking that she didn't notice the two china dolls had been replaced until after setting the tea pot on the table she took a step back to admire her handiwork.

"Sybil!" she shrieked pointing to the table and the two stuffed animals that now sat at the table.

"You did a nice job Edith" Sybil sweetly remarked, her soft voice giving no indication that she was aware of Edith's dissatisfaction. "The table does look quite pretty."

"But why are that elephant and that lion there?" Edith glared at her sister.

"I thought it would be more fun talking with them than those silly dolls" Sybil blithely replied.

Now it was Edith's turn to roll her eyes. "One doesn't talk to elephants and lions."

"Have you ever been around an elephant or a lion?"

"Of course not."

"Then how do you know one doesn't talk to them?" Sybil demanded. "Besides I think it would be more interesting to talk to an elephant or a lion than those silly dolls. Can you imagine what an elephant would say or a lion?"

"Now you're saying that an elephant or a lion can talk?" Edith was incredulous as her sister's stance.

"We're doing make pretend Edith" Sybil now stood erect with her hands, knotted into fists, on her hips. "We pretend we're talking with dolls we can pretend we're talking with animals."

"But not at a tea party" Edith insisted. She fingered one of the fine china plates of the dish set that had been a birthday gift from Granny. "Tea parties are polished and elegant affairs for refined ladies."

"But can't they be fun too?"

Edith looked a bit puzzled. She had been receiving training from the governess on manners for young women and while Miss Dalmoore covered such things as how one should sit or how one should hold their cup or when one should talk she had never discussed having fun.

"I don't think having fun is the purpose of a tea party" Edith finally said.

"Well, if you can't have fun then I don't think I'll go to one" and with that Sybil snatched several biscuits off the serving plate and walked out of the nursery.

A/N: I'm thinking about doing a series of these –