A soft breeze blew through the oak trees, lifting Piper's short dark hair
off her neck and cooling her just a little bit. That summer had been the
hottest, most oppressive one she could remember: hazy, hot, and humid with
any indications of rain few and far between. To help alleviate the stress
of the heat, Penny had allowed Prue and Andy to take Piper and Phoebe down
to the park to play. While going down to the park took them out of the
stagnant humidity of the Manor, the area of the park where Phoebe liked to
play provided very little shade.
On a hunch one day earlier in the summer, Piper had slipped into the woods, trying to find some place to cool off. Just as she had suspected, the woods provided a much cooler area. The humidity seemed to abate, there was a lot of shade, and there was even a small breeze that ran through the trees almost constantly. While she was exploring, she had remembered that there was a climbing rock deep in the woods. Andy and his friends used to climb it, and he had taken the girls down there one day a year or two prior to show off. She decided to go looking for it, just for something to do. When she finally found it, the spot was more gorgeous than she remembered. The top of the rock overlooked a small clearing filled with wild flowers in pale pinks and purples. She had quickly taken to sitting on the rock and just looking out over the clearing.
Not only was her little spot nice and cool, it was also very quiet. When she was sitting on the top of the rock, all the other sounds from the park seemed to melt away until they were merely a quiet drone in the background. She had taken to craving the quiet more and more. Maybe it was because she had two sisters who were always around her and she didn't get much quiet time, but she loved the peace and quiet she found in the woods.
She had also taken to bringing along a little red memo pad and a pen. She had developed a penchant for writing. It wasn't much; just her thoughts and feelings at the time, sometimes the start of a short story or poem. Even still, she wanted to keep her little notebook a secret from her sisters. It was hard to keep a secret in her house, but she was trying desperately. She didn't think that such a small amount of privacy was too much to ask.
She sighed, pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring out at the flowers. The notebook and pen were lying unused at her side. She didn't feel like writing at the moment. The flowers were swaying in the breeze, and it was too pretty for her to turn away.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Piper jumped to her feet with a tiny scream, kicking her pen off the rock as she did. She whirled around and found herself face to face with a young girl about her age. Her light brown hair was pulled into two long braids which started at her ears and ended just before her waist. She had deep blue eyes and she was wearing a simple long brown dress that hung just to her ankles and almost covered black boots. The entire look was one out of the late nineteenth century. Piper regarded her curiously, wondering how the girl was even comfortable in that get-up. "Where did you come from?"
"Back there. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"You didn't," Piper replied. It was a lie; the girl had scared her half to death. She looked her over warily. She seemed nice, though a little strange. Piper couldn't understand why she was wearing such an old- fashioned outfit at all, never mind on the hottest day of the summer. "My name's Piper," she said a moment later, remembering her manners.
"I'm Melody Thomason," the girl replied.
"Nice to meet you," Piper said, smiling.
"Likewise." Melody grinned, then stepped away and started to climb down the rock.
"What are you doing?" Piper asked. She followed Melody down slowly, wondering how the girl could go so fast without tripping over her dress.
"I'm getting your pen," she answered. She jumped down the last two feet or so and began peering at the ground, trying to find the pen. She grinned, crouched down, and dug the slim black pen out of a pile of dead leaves. She straightened, turned to Piper, who had just jumped down from the rock, and handed the pen back to her. "After all, it is my fault it fell. If I hadn't startled you, you wouldn't have dropped it."
Piper accepted the pen with a smile. "You didn't have to."
Melody smiled and started back up the rock. Piper followed her and reached the top a good minute and a half after Melody. "How are you so good at climbing this thing?" she asked, panting as she plopped down on the rock next to the girl.
"I climb it all the time," she answered with a shrug. "My mother constantly gets angry with me because I come out here instead of doing my chores. How old are you?"
"I'm eleven," Piper replied, turning around so that she was facing Melody.
"I am, too!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes twinkling. "Finally, someone my own age!"
"Really?" Piper frowned. "How come I've never seen you in school? Where do you live?"
"I live back there," Melody answered, pointing over her shoulder towards the park.
"But the park's back there," Piper said hesitantly, the wary expression returning to her face. "You can't live back there."
"Oh, well, I live next to the park," she quickly corrected herself. "A few houses over."
Piper nodded, but she was pretty sure that Melody could tell that she didn't quite believe her. The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring out at the flowers. It wasn't until Piper heard Prue calling her that she moved. She jumped up and stuffed the notepad and pen into the back pocket of her denim shorts. "Oh, shoot, I have to go!"
Melody jumped up as well. "What? Now?"
Piper nodded. "I don't want my sister to find out that I sit out here. It's really the only place I can be alone."
Melody gave her a sympathetic smile. "Will you be back?"
"Probably not today . . ." Piper said thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, unless it rains. Meet back here?"
"That would be wonderful!" Melody said with a wide grin. "I will see you tomorrow!"
Piper waved goodbye to her and ran back towards the park. She was running so fast that she didn't see Prue until she crashed into her. The force of the collision almost knocked her down. "Whoa! There you are!" Prue said, gripping Piper's arms to steady her. "I thought I told you I didn't want you disappearing into the woods."
"I'm a big girl now, Prue," Piper said, rolling her eyes. "I can take care of myself for a couple of hours."
Prue opened her mouth to argue, then closed it, changing her mind. What would be the point of arguing? It would only make both of them angry with each other. "I know you can," she said instead, wrapping her arm around Piper's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go home."
Piper nodded and pretended to listen to Prue as she told her a story about a game she and Andy had played. As they walked out of the woods, all Piper could think about was Melody. The girl sure was strange. Everything about her, her clothes, even her vocabulary all seemed to be out of another time. Not only that, but some of the things she said simply didn't make sense, like her being so excited about finding someone her own age. There were tons of kids in the neighborhood around Piper's age. Adding that to the fact that Piper had never seen her in school and the fact that Melody had lied about where she lived, Piper was sure she had walked into the middle of a mystery. Though, despite all that, Piper couldn't help but like the girl. She grinned to herself, excited at the prospect of solving the mystery that surrounded Melody Thomason.
On a hunch one day earlier in the summer, Piper had slipped into the woods, trying to find some place to cool off. Just as she had suspected, the woods provided a much cooler area. The humidity seemed to abate, there was a lot of shade, and there was even a small breeze that ran through the trees almost constantly. While she was exploring, she had remembered that there was a climbing rock deep in the woods. Andy and his friends used to climb it, and he had taken the girls down there one day a year or two prior to show off. She decided to go looking for it, just for something to do. When she finally found it, the spot was more gorgeous than she remembered. The top of the rock overlooked a small clearing filled with wild flowers in pale pinks and purples. She had quickly taken to sitting on the rock and just looking out over the clearing.
Not only was her little spot nice and cool, it was also very quiet. When she was sitting on the top of the rock, all the other sounds from the park seemed to melt away until they were merely a quiet drone in the background. She had taken to craving the quiet more and more. Maybe it was because she had two sisters who were always around her and she didn't get much quiet time, but she loved the peace and quiet she found in the woods.
She had also taken to bringing along a little red memo pad and a pen. She had developed a penchant for writing. It wasn't much; just her thoughts and feelings at the time, sometimes the start of a short story or poem. Even still, she wanted to keep her little notebook a secret from her sisters. It was hard to keep a secret in her house, but she was trying desperately. She didn't think that such a small amount of privacy was too much to ask.
She sighed, pulled her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring out at the flowers. The notebook and pen were lying unused at her side. She didn't feel like writing at the moment. The flowers were swaying in the breeze, and it was too pretty for her to turn away.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Piper jumped to her feet with a tiny scream, kicking her pen off the rock as she did. She whirled around and found herself face to face with a young girl about her age. Her light brown hair was pulled into two long braids which started at her ears and ended just before her waist. She had deep blue eyes and she was wearing a simple long brown dress that hung just to her ankles and almost covered black boots. The entire look was one out of the late nineteenth century. Piper regarded her curiously, wondering how the girl was even comfortable in that get-up. "Where did you come from?"
"Back there. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"You didn't," Piper replied. It was a lie; the girl had scared her half to death. She looked her over warily. She seemed nice, though a little strange. Piper couldn't understand why she was wearing such an old- fashioned outfit at all, never mind on the hottest day of the summer. "My name's Piper," she said a moment later, remembering her manners.
"I'm Melody Thomason," the girl replied.
"Nice to meet you," Piper said, smiling.
"Likewise." Melody grinned, then stepped away and started to climb down the rock.
"What are you doing?" Piper asked. She followed Melody down slowly, wondering how the girl could go so fast without tripping over her dress.
"I'm getting your pen," she answered. She jumped down the last two feet or so and began peering at the ground, trying to find the pen. She grinned, crouched down, and dug the slim black pen out of a pile of dead leaves. She straightened, turned to Piper, who had just jumped down from the rock, and handed the pen back to her. "After all, it is my fault it fell. If I hadn't startled you, you wouldn't have dropped it."
Piper accepted the pen with a smile. "You didn't have to."
Melody smiled and started back up the rock. Piper followed her and reached the top a good minute and a half after Melody. "How are you so good at climbing this thing?" she asked, panting as she plopped down on the rock next to the girl.
"I climb it all the time," she answered with a shrug. "My mother constantly gets angry with me because I come out here instead of doing my chores. How old are you?"
"I'm eleven," Piper replied, turning around so that she was facing Melody.
"I am, too!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes twinkling. "Finally, someone my own age!"
"Really?" Piper frowned. "How come I've never seen you in school? Where do you live?"
"I live back there," Melody answered, pointing over her shoulder towards the park.
"But the park's back there," Piper said hesitantly, the wary expression returning to her face. "You can't live back there."
"Oh, well, I live next to the park," she quickly corrected herself. "A few houses over."
Piper nodded, but she was pretty sure that Melody could tell that she didn't quite believe her. The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring out at the flowers. It wasn't until Piper heard Prue calling her that she moved. She jumped up and stuffed the notepad and pen into the back pocket of her denim shorts. "Oh, shoot, I have to go!"
Melody jumped up as well. "What? Now?"
Piper nodded. "I don't want my sister to find out that I sit out here. It's really the only place I can be alone."
Melody gave her a sympathetic smile. "Will you be back?"
"Probably not today . . ." Piper said thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, unless it rains. Meet back here?"
"That would be wonderful!" Melody said with a wide grin. "I will see you tomorrow!"
Piper waved goodbye to her and ran back towards the park. She was running so fast that she didn't see Prue until she crashed into her. The force of the collision almost knocked her down. "Whoa! There you are!" Prue said, gripping Piper's arms to steady her. "I thought I told you I didn't want you disappearing into the woods."
"I'm a big girl now, Prue," Piper said, rolling her eyes. "I can take care of myself for a couple of hours."
Prue opened her mouth to argue, then closed it, changing her mind. What would be the point of arguing? It would only make both of them angry with each other. "I know you can," she said instead, wrapping her arm around Piper's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go home."
Piper nodded and pretended to listen to Prue as she told her a story about a game she and Andy had played. As they walked out of the woods, all Piper could think about was Melody. The girl sure was strange. Everything about her, her clothes, even her vocabulary all seemed to be out of another time. Not only that, but some of the things she said simply didn't make sense, like her being so excited about finding someone her own age. There were tons of kids in the neighborhood around Piper's age. Adding that to the fact that Piper had never seen her in school and the fact that Melody had lied about where she lived, Piper was sure she had walked into the middle of a mystery. Though, despite all that, Piper couldn't help but like the girl. She grinned to herself, excited at the prospect of solving the mystery that surrounded Melody Thomason.