She never could forget what happened that day.
Why did I agree to do this? she thought to herself. Children are nothing but trouble!
This was apparent as she surveyed the kitchen. Cupboards were open, bowls strewn about, flour all over the table, counters and floor, and eggs were cracked and dripping off the table.
We were just supposed to make cookies! I put the tray in the oven, turn around and he's gone!
"Zaniel, come back here and help me clean this up!" Sandry called.
"No! don' wanna!" the toddler yelled from somewhere in the house.
She walked down the hall and into her foster-brother, Briar's, workroom.
"What are you doing?" she asked standing over him as he drew in the dirt on the floor.
Startled he jumped up and ran out the door and up the stairs. "Nuffin!"
"Briar is not going to be happy about this." she commented on the mess of potting soil and broken pots. "Luckily, there weren't any plants in those."
She quickly followed the boy up the stairs, hearing giggling as she went.
When she reached him he was just starting to get into her workbasket.
"That is enough!" She sent out a wave of her magic and instantly the boys clothes wove together at the arms and legs.
"No! lemme go!" He started to cry. "Mommy! Help me!"
"Your mother isn't here right now Zaniel. She'll be back in a little while" Sandry tried to soothe him so he would stop his crying.
"You mean! Lemme go!"
"Not until you promise to help me clean up your messes!"
"No fun, cleanin up messes."
"Well that's just how things work. You make a mess you clean it up." Sandry explained to the two year old."If you don't want to clean then don't make a mess!"
"Tha's what servants for! They clean!"
"Oh? And who told you that?"
"Papa did. Papa said rich folks have servants who clean for 'em. Papa always right!"
"Well, I was raised to clean up after myself and you can learn to do it too."
"No! Lemme go! You hurting me!" The boy started to cry again.
Donkey dung "I'm not hurting you. Look." She pointed at his clothes. "See its just your shirt and breeches."
Zaniel stared at his shirt sleeves and saw his arms moving inside. Then he looked at his breeches and saw the same result.
"How you do that?" He looked up at her.
"Do you promise to help me clean up?"
His face scrunched up in thought. "I guess I clean if you tell me."
"It's magic." Sandry sent out her magic again and the threads in his shirt and breeches re-wove themselves back together.
Eyes wide Zaniel watched. "Wow, can you teach me?"
Laughing, Sandry shook her head. "It's not something I can teach you unless you have magic."
"I have magic! Teach, teach!"
"Let's go clean up those messes first. Then we'll see about magic." Sandry led the way downstairs and into the kitchen.
"Now, we need to clean this kitchen up before the cookies are done. That way you can have some."
Zaniel looked around and saw the mess he had made.
He smiled sheepishly and looked at Sandry. "Magic help?"
"My magic can't help with this mess." Sandry explained. "I'm a stitch witch. My magic only works with thread and cloth."
"Oh." He looked down at the floor.
"Maybe I can show you some more magic when the house is cleaned up. Are you willing to help me?"
"Guess so."
"Good, why don't you get me the broom and dust pan?"
"Kay." He ran to the cupboard and came back with the items requested.
"Thank you, now I will sweep up. Can you pick up the bowls for me?"
Together they soon had the kitchen cleaned up and put back together.
"Wonderful! Now we just need to clean up Briar's workroom and we'll be done." Sandry turned to go down the hall to that room and saw Zaniel sleeping in a corner.
"Well I guess that can wait." She leaned the broom against the wall and picked up the child.
Carrying him into the sitting room she thought, Maybe kids aren't that bad after all
She laid him on a couch and was closing the door when she heard someone moving in the room down the hall.
"Sandry!"
Calm down, I'm on my way. Sandry sent through their connection as she grabbed the broom from the kitchen.
"What happened in here?" Briar asked when Sandry came in the door.
"A two year old is what happened."
"A kid made this mess?" Briar exclaimed. "I didn't even think that was possible!"
"Believe me it's possible. I've been cleaning up after him for most of the afternoon. And keep it down, he's sleeping." Sandry started to pick up the broken pieces of pottery. "Help me please."
"Why are you watching a kid? I thought you just came to drop off some new frippery for Tris and Daja." Briar asked as he started to sweep up the dirt.
"I was." Sandry explained. "Just as I was about to enter the courtyard, Ena from Weaver's street was passing by and asked if I would watch her son while she went to the market for a few things. I said yes."
"When will Ena be back?"
"Soon, I hope. I don't know how much longer I can stand this."
As soon as Sandry said this the door slowly opened and her young charge stood there rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Cookies?" Zaniel asked sleepily.
"Cookies?" Briar asked.
"Cookies? Oh no, the cookies!" Sandry ran from the room to the kitchen.
She opened the oven and pulled out the trays of burned cookies.
"Cat dirt!" She exclaimed.
"What now?" Briar asked as he walked into the kitchen trailing Zaniel behind him.
"The cookies are burned." Sandry told him.
"No cookies?" Zaniel asked with tears in his eyes.
"Oh, Zaniel, don't cry." Sandry picked him up to comfort him. "How about we go and get a special treat, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed.
"Okay, let's go then." Sandry walked out the door and down the street.
She thought to herself, No, kids really aren't that bad after all.