An Easter Story

It was early spring, and still a little cold outside in the city. It was Tessa and Zoë's first day of vacation. They were excited to be off school; but they were nervous as well because they had a question. Each of them held tightly to their mother's hand as they walked home. Zoë really wanted to ask their question, but Tessa had convinced her that it would sound more serious coming from her because she was older, and that way they were more likely to get an answer. So now, Zoë was merely waiting for when Tessa would say something.

"What's wrong, girls?" Their mother asked as she stopped walking.

"Nothing. We just had a question, that's all."

"Oh, and what would that be?" She asked as they resumed on their walk.

"Well, Zoë and I wanted to know if we could have a kitten."

"Well I'll have to ask your Dad, but maybe."

"Really." The girl's eyes grew wide; they hadn't expected this at all.

"Yes, really. Now who wants ice cream?"

"I do!"

"I do!" The girls cried.

……………………

That night, not long after they were put to bed they snuck into the hallway and sat on the front stairs. They did this almost every night, in an effort to listen to their parent's conversation.

"Shu." She whispered to Zoë. "Don't make a sound."

"But you are."

"Shu." And so, the girls just listened.

"How was your day?" Andrew asked as he kissed his wife softly.

"Great. How was yours?"

"Wonderful."

"So, listen, the girls asked me something today, and I said I'd have to ask you."

"What is it?"

"They want a kitten."

"I don't see why they can't have one. Except for well, we're not here a lot of the time. They hadn't thought of that."

"Oh. That's a shame."

"I'll try to figure a way to work it out. Just tell them that I'm thinking about it."

Tessa took Zoë's hand and they quietly snuck back up to their room.

"I don't get it." Zoë said once they had climbed into their beds.

"We might not be able to have a kitten because we're almost never here to take care of it. Do you understand?"

"I guess." She sighed.

"Don't be surprised if Mommy and Daddy get us a puppy."

"Why?"

"Because we can take a puppy with us where ever we go."

"True. How about a bunny."

"No, that's even harder to take care of than a kitten."

"Maybe a turtle!"

"No Zoë, not a turtle. Let's just hope for a kitten or may be a puppy. Good night."

"Good night."

………………..

"I feel so bad." Andrew said.

"About the kitten thing."

"Yes, about the kitten thing."

"We should have known that they'd want something like this one day." She said running her fingers through his hair.

"Wait a minute. Tess had a dog, remember?"

"Oh, yes, I remember. But they want a kitten, we can't take a kitten with us wherever we go."

"I know. But we should talk to them in the morning, and see what they think about a puppy."

"Okay. I'm not so sure that Zoë will be all that thrilled."

"Well, what else happened today?"

"Nothing much. We went for ice cream. And as always, they were very good girls today."

………………..

The next morning Tessa and Zoë went in the back yard. It was warm out for spring. Tessa wore a pink flowered dress with pink cotton mary janes, while her sister wore pink overalls and the same shoes. Pink was their favorite color by far.

"What's that for?" Zoë asked of the jar her sister held.

"Bring me some leaves and I'll tell you."

Zoë went and brought back the leaves and gave them to her sister.

"What are you looking at?"

"Shu." Tessa said as she took the leaves out of Zoë's little hands and stuffed them in the jar. Then she picked up what she had been looking at. Zoë didn't know what it was, but she didn't like it.

"Zoë, go in the house and get me some plastic wrap and a toothpick."

"Okay." She said, rushing back into the house.

"Good morning Zoë." Tess said. "How are you today sweetheart?"

"Good morning. Tessa needs some stuff."

"What stuff honey?"

"A small piece of plastic wrap and a tooth pick."

"Any idea what this is for?"

"No."

"Okay." Tess said as she opened a drawer and gave Zoë a small piece of plastic wrap. She grabbed a toothpick and took Zoë's hand. "Let's go see what your sister is up to."

By this time the strange thing that Tessa had picked up was in the jar. But it was not a strange thing; it was in fact, a snail.

"What are you doing with that snail little miss wings?" Tess asked.

"Keeping it as a pet." Tessa said as she used the tooth pick to poke holes in the plastic wrap.

"Alright, but you can only keep him for a little while." Tess rolled her eyes and went back into the house.

"What are the holes for?" Zoë asked.

"So the snail, can breath."

"Oh. What's his name?"

"That's what I was just about to ask you." She took her sister's hand and they went back inside.

"Don't let that snail out of the jar!" Tess shouted as they walked through the kitchen.

"We won't!' Tessa yelled as they kept on walking. Finally they reached the library and there they sat looking at the snail.

"Hi guys." Came a voice.

They turned and saw Aunt Gloria sitting behind them.

"What do you have here?"

"It's a snail." Tessa said.

"Don't keep him there. That's mean."

"But we want a pet."

"Oh girls. Ask your Mommy and Daddy for a real pet."

"We have." Tessa said.

"Well good luck girls." Gloria said as she picked up her book and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Zoë asked.

"Oh, I…"

"You're going to see Uncle Adam again, aren't you?" Tessa laughed and both the girls began to giggle.

"Yes, girls, I am." Gloria smiled.

"Have a good time."

"I will." She thanked them as she left the room.

Just as Gloria left Monica and Andrew walked in.

"What do you have there girls?" Their mother asked, picking up the jar with the little snail in it.

"It's a snail." Tessa said.

"He's our pet." Zoë added.

"Well." Monica began as she got down on her knees so she could talk to her daughters at their level. "Don't you think that you should let him go? After all, maybe his Mommy and Daddy will miss him."

"Maybe." Tessa said as she and her sister exchanged glances. "Okay, we'll put him back. But we won't have a pet then."

"That's what we came to talk to you about."

"Really?" The girls asked, suddenly happy.

"Yes. How would you girls like to have a puppy?"

"Okay." They said.

"I thought you wanted a kitty." Their mother told them.

"We do, but a puppy would be fun too."

……………………

That next morning, they put the snail back where they found him, and not to their surprise, a few other snails were waiting for him. This made the girls happy about giving their new friend up. A few mornings later the girls woke up, excited because it was Easter. That day was going to be a fun day for them. First they had church. And unlike most children, they loved church, of course that could partly be because they were angels, but still they loved God and they loved church. Then they had an Easter egg hunt. After that they just got to play all day until dinner, which a lot of people would attend. Not just their whole family, but Adam, Sam, and Ruth, among others. They would also get their Easter baskets that day.

When Tessa opened their door that afternoon, she found two baskets sitting by her door, and she brought them back into their room. She sat Zoë's basket in front of her and they started to open them.

"Wow. This is a lot for Easter. What did you get Zoë?" She asked as she opened one of the little boxes in her basket.

"A kitten." Tessa's head shot up upon hearing her sister's words.

Zoë's kitten was cute, and soft and furry and grey, and she just loved it, but it was just a stuffed animal. She smiled, knowing that Zoë didn't care one way or another, and understanding why they couldn't have a real kitten. As for Tessa, she got a stuffed golden retriever puppy, and despite the fact that it wasn't real either, she too loved it.

Happy Easter! I hope you liked it! Please review.