Two
Trying to Understand
It was a very quiet teatime.
The girls had gone upstairs to wash up. They could hear their parents' voices below but couldn't make out what they were saying. It didn't matter. They knew that Father was telling Mother about the wasp.
"I'm sorry, Petunia," Lily whispered when they were both drying their hands and faces.
Petunia kissed Lily's cheek where she had hit her. "Oh, Lily," she whispered back, "I'm sorry I hit you." Lilly hugged Petunia and all was forgiven.
They went downstairs together, sat at the table and waited. Father and Mother must have heard them come down, because they lowered their voices but kept on talking. They finally came out from the kitchen together, Mother carrying the breadbasket and looking over the girls with a shaky smile. Even after their parents were seated and everyone had been served, none of them said a word.
When tea was done, Father finally spoke. "Let's go into the living room, shall we."
The girls exchanged glances and then eased from their chairs. Mother, for a change, didn't start clearing right away. She left everything on the table just as it was and walked with them into the living room. Mother sat with the girls on the sofa. Father sat across from them in his chair.
"Now," he said gravely, "let's try to work this out. I told Mother about the wasp." he glanced at Mother who gave him a small smile back. "I'm hoping you can tell me what happened." He was looking at Petunia.
"I told the bug to stop," Petunia said slowly, "and it did."
"We do it all the time," Lily spoke up, trying to be helpful.
Father looked at her blankly. He was trying to stay calm but this was something he had thought Lily was saying before and was sure that she must have been mistaken. He turned to Mother and said, "That's what I was trying to tell you in the kitchen. When we were in the garden, Lily said, 'It's not like we do it on purpose' and she meant making that bug stay still."
"Father," this from Petunia, "we do that some times. It's not all the time like Lily says but sometimes we can make things stop. I don't know how we do it, I think it only happens when we're scared." She started talking faster now as if she wanted to get it all out in a hurry. "Do you remember the dog Lily?" Petunia turned to Lily and held her hand.
"Yes," Lily nodded, as serious as Father. "I think that was the very first time."
"You made an entire dog 'stop'?" Their father was incredulous.
Lily nodded again, "It was a small dog father but you know . . ." He did know. Lily was a bit frightened of strange dogs. "I didn't even think but he ran up to me and he was small but he kept barking at me, and Petunia was running to chase him away but he kept barking and I just yelled out 'Stop It' and he did. His mouth was still moving like he was still barking but we couldn't hear him and his legs were still running like he was running and his tail was still wagging but he was just . . . just . . . just stopped."
"Wait a minute," Mother finally spoke. "Lily made the dog 'stop'? I thought Petunia made the wasp stop in the back garden."
"She did," Father replied. "I guess Lily can do it to."
Lily grinned. "And I stopped something bigger that you stopped, Tuni."
"So what," Petunia shrugged, "You could have kicked that little dog and he would have left you alone. That wasp was going to sting me no matter what!"
"The dog was still bigger."
"Who cares? I'm the one who figured out how to start it again. You wouldn't even know if it wasn't for me."
Father had had enough. "Stop it! Both of you!"
They were all quiet.
"Besides the wasp," he looked at Petunia, "and the dog" he looked at Lily, "have there been other times when this has happened?"
"Yes," they said together.
Mother began to cry.
"Mum, don't cry." Lily said just before her tears began also. Petunia moved closer to her and held her hand.
"She's right dear," Father left his chair and knelt in front of Mother. "It's all right. Our girls aren't mad you know, just a bit...well, it seems gifted. It's a very odd gift, but at least Petunia doesn't have a bad wasp sting and Lily doesn't have to worry about dog bite ever again."
Father was trying to get Mother to smile but not quite succeeding. He looked into Mother's eyes and she returned his gaze trying to smile but her eyes still brimming with tears. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes, then stared fondly at her girls who were looking back her with worried expressions.
"I don't know why I'm crying. It seems so silly, but this is so..." she cast about for a word and came up with, "odd. This is so very odd." And then, "Girls, why didn't you tell us about this. Either of you?" She smiled at Lily, "And Petunia says you can never keep a secret."
"We didn't think that you would believe us," Petunia looked sad. "Even we couldn't really realize it."
"She's right, dear," Mother said. "I would have just thought they had made up a new game. Would you have believed them?"
"I still don't realize all this and I saw it," Father said shaking his head.
"So our two little flowers can 'stop' things?" Mother asked shakily but smiling.
"And start them again, Mum," Petunia replied.
"Well," was all Mother said. All she could say. But Petunia and Lily knew then that everything would be ok.
Trying to Understand
It was a very quiet teatime.
The girls had gone upstairs to wash up. They could hear their parents' voices below but couldn't make out what they were saying. It didn't matter. They knew that Father was telling Mother about the wasp.
"I'm sorry, Petunia," Lily whispered when they were both drying their hands and faces.
Petunia kissed Lily's cheek where she had hit her. "Oh, Lily," she whispered back, "I'm sorry I hit you." Lilly hugged Petunia and all was forgiven.
They went downstairs together, sat at the table and waited. Father and Mother must have heard them come down, because they lowered their voices but kept on talking. They finally came out from the kitchen together, Mother carrying the breadbasket and looking over the girls with a shaky smile. Even after their parents were seated and everyone had been served, none of them said a word.
When tea was done, Father finally spoke. "Let's go into the living room, shall we."
The girls exchanged glances and then eased from their chairs. Mother, for a change, didn't start clearing right away. She left everything on the table just as it was and walked with them into the living room. Mother sat with the girls on the sofa. Father sat across from them in his chair.
"Now," he said gravely, "let's try to work this out. I told Mother about the wasp." he glanced at Mother who gave him a small smile back. "I'm hoping you can tell me what happened." He was looking at Petunia.
"I told the bug to stop," Petunia said slowly, "and it did."
"We do it all the time," Lily spoke up, trying to be helpful.
Father looked at her blankly. He was trying to stay calm but this was something he had thought Lily was saying before and was sure that she must have been mistaken. He turned to Mother and said, "That's what I was trying to tell you in the kitchen. When we were in the garden, Lily said, 'It's not like we do it on purpose' and she meant making that bug stay still."
"Father," this from Petunia, "we do that some times. It's not all the time like Lily says but sometimes we can make things stop. I don't know how we do it, I think it only happens when we're scared." She started talking faster now as if she wanted to get it all out in a hurry. "Do you remember the dog Lily?" Petunia turned to Lily and held her hand.
"Yes," Lily nodded, as serious as Father. "I think that was the very first time."
"You made an entire dog 'stop'?" Their father was incredulous.
Lily nodded again, "It was a small dog father but you know . . ." He did know. Lily was a bit frightened of strange dogs. "I didn't even think but he ran up to me and he was small but he kept barking at me, and Petunia was running to chase him away but he kept barking and I just yelled out 'Stop It' and he did. His mouth was still moving like he was still barking but we couldn't hear him and his legs were still running like he was running and his tail was still wagging but he was just . . . just . . . just stopped."
"Wait a minute," Mother finally spoke. "Lily made the dog 'stop'? I thought Petunia made the wasp stop in the back garden."
"She did," Father replied. "I guess Lily can do it to."
Lily grinned. "And I stopped something bigger that you stopped, Tuni."
"So what," Petunia shrugged, "You could have kicked that little dog and he would have left you alone. That wasp was going to sting me no matter what!"
"The dog was still bigger."
"Who cares? I'm the one who figured out how to start it again. You wouldn't even know if it wasn't for me."
Father had had enough. "Stop it! Both of you!"
They were all quiet.
"Besides the wasp," he looked at Petunia, "and the dog" he looked at Lily, "have there been other times when this has happened?"
"Yes," they said together.
Mother began to cry.
"Mum, don't cry." Lily said just before her tears began also. Petunia moved closer to her and held her hand.
"She's right dear," Father left his chair and knelt in front of Mother. "It's all right. Our girls aren't mad you know, just a bit...well, it seems gifted. It's a very odd gift, but at least Petunia doesn't have a bad wasp sting and Lily doesn't have to worry about dog bite ever again."
Father was trying to get Mother to smile but not quite succeeding. He looked into Mother's eyes and she returned his gaze trying to smile but her eyes still brimming with tears. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes, then stared fondly at her girls who were looking back her with worried expressions.
"I don't know why I'm crying. It seems so silly, but this is so..." she cast about for a word and came up with, "odd. This is so very odd." And then, "Girls, why didn't you tell us about this. Either of you?" She smiled at Lily, "And Petunia says you can never keep a secret."
"We didn't think that you would believe us," Petunia looked sad. "Even we couldn't really realize it."
"She's right, dear," Mother said. "I would have just thought they had made up a new game. Would you have believed them?"
"I still don't realize all this and I saw it," Father said shaking his head.
"So our two little flowers can 'stop' things?" Mother asked shakily but smiling.
"And start them again, Mum," Petunia replied.
"Well," was all Mother said. All she could say. But Petunia and Lily knew then that everything would be ok.