Andy stood in his kitchen slowly cooking his next project. Now that he had someone who actually liked his cooking, he had something to work for. Even the slightest appreciation can do wonders for a person's drive. Now he cooked happily and often, to the distress of his own children. Speaking of whom, Ephram walked into the kitchen with a grumpy look on his face. Andy smiled hearing Gracie bound up the stairs.
"How was school?" Andy asked him. Ephram, silently, placed a piece of paper to the refrigerator and put a magnet on it to hold it there. Then, still with a glum expression, left. Andy, somewhat disturbed, walked over to the paper. At the top were the words 'My FamIlE,' under it were three oddly familiar figures. Andy frowned. Either Ephram was failing art class, or they had a problem.
Ephram walked upstairs and over to his room. He had his headphones on and his head moved slightly from side to side with the beat of his music. When he turned the corner his mouth opened in surprise and he slide the headphones off of from around his ears. Gracie was in his room, jumping up and down on his bed, giggling.
"Eph-ram! Eph-ram! Eph-ram!" she yelled hopping up and down.
"Gracie!" he yelled. She saw him and on the next jump picked up her feet and sat on the bed, giving him a large grin.
"Ephram!" she yelled again, the name throwing her into a fit of giggles. He walked into his room.
"Gracie, what are you doing?" he asked her.
"Jumping!" she yelled. He nodded.
"Why?" he asked her.
"Because…" she said and started laughing again.
"Because why?"
"Because it's fun!" she said getting up and jumping again. Ephram walked over and lifted her into his arms, or, more importantly, off of his bed.
"Ephram!" she yelled again, this time in his ear. She then kissed his cheek and broke out into laughter. He nodded, forcing a smile for the child.
"Let's find Delia…" he said carrying her out into the hallway.
Delia wasn't in her room so he carried the child downstairs. Gracie was excitedly looking and twisting every which way to see as much as she could from her new perspective. Delia wasn't downstairs either so the two entered the kitchen.
"Where's Delia?" Ephram asked his father. Andy turned from the stove to look at him, smiling.
"She's helping Nina," Andy told him. Ephram scoffed.
"But she needs to be here playing with Gracie!" Ephram told him.
"You could always play with her. She likes you," Andy told him. Gracie started to cheer and yell Ephram's name. She then hugged him tightly around the neck. Ephram made a few gagging noises.
"No, really?" Ephram asked Andy who just chuckled slightly as the small child choked his son.
"Her coat's by the door, why don't you take her to the park?" Andy suggested.
Besides the coat and Wellies she was forced to wear, Gracie had insisted on the bunny ears as well. So now Ephram stood in the middle of the closest park to their house, watching a 28-inch tall bunny hopping after squirrels. And, oddly, somewhere inside of him, Ephram wouldn't be surprised if she caught one. She reminded him of Pearl from The Scarlet Letter. This small person who seems more like magic. That's it, that's why Gracie just suddenly appeared out of no where, she's a fairy. She's some little sprite who came to Everwood for some unbeknownst reason.
"Gracie!" he called her over to him. He kneeled down as she joyfully hopped over to him. When she reached him she stood still, giggling.
"Yeah!" she yelled.
"Gracie are you a fairy?" he asked her.
"No I'm a bunny!" she yelled, giggling some more. He sighed.
"I'm going to find out what you are some day," he told her.
"No you won't," she said very seriously. Ephram's eyes widened in surprise. But Gracie broke out into another fit of giggles, kissed him on the cheek, and hopped off to chase another squirrel. Ephram stood up again and watched her. She was not a normal child. She was sunlight that danced in the air to form the shape of a child.
They hadn't been there for long before they were joined. Actually, it was Gracie who initiated the meeting. The squirrels were beginning to bore her young mind, so she ran off in search of newer things. Ephram, in charge of her well being for the time, pursued. When he found her again he frowned. Gracie was sitting on one of the park benches, silently swinging her feet under her. It was not the stillness or the silence that made Ephram frown, obviously, it was Gracie's companion. Bright's reason for sitting on a park bench in the late afternoon, seemingly alone until joined by the young girl, Ephram didn't care. All Ephram cared about was that Gracie was sitting next to him, and that meant-
"Ephram!" Gracie yelled, standing up on the bench and waving to him. Bright turned around and frowned seeing Ephram standing about fifty feet behind him. Ephram, now having no choice, approached them.
"Come on Gracie…" Ephram said, standing ten feet from the bench. Gracie smiled. She looked at Bright, took a step closer to him, and hugged him around the neck. She kissed his cheek and jumped off of the bench.
"Bye!" she yelled to him running over to Ephram. She grabbed Ephram's hand and pulled him back the direction he had just come.
Gracie skipped home, her hand still hanging tightly onto Ephram's. Her bunny ears had gone lop sided, but Gracie didn't seem to mind. Eventually she stopped skipping and held the back of Ephram's hand to her cheek. Ephram cleared his throat and looked down at her.
"So, Gracie, what were you talking to Bright about?" Ephram asked her.
"He's nice," Gracie said, smiling. Ephram frowned.
"But what'd you talk about?" he repeated, hoping she hadn't, for some reason, said anything about him.
"He liked my ears…" she told him. Ephram rolled his eyes.
"He would…" Ephram said and Gracie started giggling. Ephram looked down at her and smiled.
Delia was home again when the two got there. Gracie started running toward the kitchen, where Delia was. Ephram grabbed her bunny ears and they came off as she ran. She turned to him, smiling, spun in a few circles, and continued running to the kitchen. Once she got there Ephram heard her yelling his little sister's name. He also heard Delia's cough as Gracie hit her at mach two. He smiled and took off his coat and boots. He walked into the kitchen and found Delia sitting on one of the counter stools. He smiled as he watched Gracie trying to climb up onto one of the stools. He walked over to her and helped her up on to the stool. She turned to him with a smile.
"Thank you!" she said. He nodded and sat in the stool next to her. Andy turned around and placed plates in front of them all, and one in front of himself. He sat down.
"So, how was the park?" Andy asked Ephram and Gracie. Ephram was picking at his food, but Gracie already had gravy on the tip of her nose.
"It was fine," Ephram told him. Delia wiped the gravy off of Gracie's nose. Gracie giggled.
"I made a friend!" Gracie told him. Andy's eyebrows widened and he looked at Ephram, who was oddly fascinated with what was on his plate. Andy turned back to Gracie.
"Who?" he asked her. She smiled, chewing on something.
"A boy. He liked my ears," she told him. Andy nodded.
"That's nice," Andy told him.
"What was his name?" Delia asked her.
"Bright. But he wasn't," Gracie said and started laughing. Delia's eyebrows raised but she looked back down at her plate. Ephram chuckled slightly.
"Amy's brother?" Andy asked. Ephram nodded.
"Yea," he said. At that particular name the smile on Gracie's face faded into a strong pout.
"I didn't like him," she said, looking at her food. The other three looked at her surprised. They watched her push her food angrily around the plate. She looked up at Andy.
"Can I be excused?" she asked him. He nodded. She set her fork down, and jumped off of the stool. She walked out of the kitchen without enthusiasm. Andy turned to Ephram for an explanation. Ephram shrugged.
Ephram walked upstairs and over to his room. He frowned hearing a familiar sound. He opened his door.
"Eph-ram! Eph-ram! Eph-ram!" Gracie yelled jumping up and down on his bed. He sighed aggravated.
"Gracie…" he said. She stopped jumping and looked at him, smiling. He walked over to her and stared at her. She stared back at him for a few moments before breaking out into giggles. He smiled too. But, Gracie soon stopped smiling.
"Ephram, do you love Amy?" she asked him. His eyes widened in surprise. It was quite the question from a five-year-old. He thought about his answer before he spoke it, he thought about the look on Gracie's face. He sighed.
"No, don't worry about it," he told her. A wide smile spread itself once again over Gracie's face. She leaned forward and hugged him.
"I love you Ephram," she said. Ephram bit his lower lip and frowned. This was trouble.