The first thing Casey noticed when she pulled into her driveway was that
Meghan wasn't back yet. The second thing she noticed was that, being a
brilliantly sunny, gorgeous day, most of her neighbours would be outside
somewhere. Neighbours who had known her her whole life. If they noticed
something. unusual, they might mention it to her parents. Or better yet,
come over themselves to see what was up.
Then she became aware of Merry's indignant, "Hey! How do we get out of here?" They didn't have the slightest idea how to use the door handles.
"I should just leave you here," she told them, reaching for the door and then stopping.
Haldir had been watching her hawkishly. It took him all of two seconds to figure out how the doors worked. Before Casey knew what was happening, he had jumped in the front, climbed over her, opened the door, and was standing outside.
"Wai- wai- wai- wai- wait!" Casey yelled, panicked. Reluctantly he got back in. "Smartass," she glared at his triumphant face. "Look, we have to go in two or three at a time. Haldir, since you're already squishing me, we'll go first." One by one, she escorted them to the house.
At last, humming at her good luck that not a single neighbour had been in view of her house the whole time, she went to get Gimli.
He was just about to climb out when Casey heard a high pitched, "Hi!" She pushed Gimli down and slammed the trunk. A muffled 'ow' was heard as Casey whirled around.
"Hi Holly!"
"What's that?" the 10 year old blonde asked. Looking down, Casey saw the reason for Gimli's pain. A large tuft of red beard was sticking out of the trunk.
"That? Oh, um, that. um, well, that's a. a wig!"
"Oh." Holly accepted the lie easily. "Ummm, is Patrick home?" she asked, twirling her hair.
Casey smiled at the obvious crush. "No, he's gone to camp. But he should be home in a couple weeks," she informed the girl kindly.
"OK!" Holly said and skipped off.
Meghan pulled in just in time to see a little girl skip off across the yard. She saw Casey breathe an audible sigh of relief and noticed a large tuft of red. fuzz sticking out of the trunk. She watched as Casey opened the trunk, revealing a very disgruntled Gimli.
"Sorry," Casey told him but Meghan could tell she was fighting back laughter. As soon as Gimli was free, they hurried towards the relative safety of the house.
Inside was slight chaos. Everyone had stopped inside the tiny front hall and were talking. Merry and Pippin were chasing Sparkles, the oldest and biggest of Casey's many cats.
"Hey!" Casey yelled out. Nobody paid any attention. She put her two index fingers in her mouth and whistled, loud and shrill. Everyone turned to look at her. "Thank you," she said. "Now come on. We're going downstairs." She led the way down the basement stairs and into the family room.
"Wow," Pippin said, looking around. Then he and Merry ran to the futon and began jumping on it.
"Stop!" Casey shouted. But she was too late. The futon flew down into a bed. Merry and Pippin jumped off and backed away.
"That thing's dangerous!" Merry insisted. Suddenly a loud, high pitched scream was heard. Pippin spun around and screamed right back at the horror babe on TV.
"It's alive!" he shrieked.
"Honestly," Meghan sighed, turning off the TV. "It's not alive, you just pressed the power button."
"This whole place is dangerous!" Merry insisted.
"It's not dangerous. You just can't act like a bcomplete/b fool," Casey told him, pulling the futon back up. "I Ireally/I hope my mother doesn't notice the scrape on the wall." She sat down on the futon and looked around. Suddenly she noticed Legolas looking at the DVDs and videos on the bookshelf by the TV. His gaze was drawing closer and closer to her many ILord of the Rings/I DVDs.
She jumped up and stood in front of him. "Hi!"
"Hello," he responded, looking confused.
"What are you doing?" she asked him, reaching for the DVDs behind her back.
"Looking at these... things," he replied.
"Really? That's great." She stood there for a couple minutes.
"Yes. Could you please move?"
"Oh. Right." She turned around, snatched the DVDs and backed away with them behind her back.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing!" Aragorn looked at her suspiciously. "Really. It's nothing. It's just something you really, Ireally/I can't see." With that she turned around and raced upstairs hiding them in her room.
"I'm hungry!" Pippin announced 20 minutes later as they sat in the family room.
"You're Ialways/I hungry," Casey told him from where she lay on the floor with her eyes closed.
"I'm not!"
"Actually, Pip, you are," Merry told him.
"I am not!"
"Actually, I could do with something to eat," Glorfindel interrupted before WWIII exploded. Not that he knew what WWIII was.
Casey sat up. "What d'you think, Meghan? Pizza?"
"Sure!" she agreed. As Casey ran upstairs to use the phone, Meghan called after her, "Get one for us too!"
Then she became aware of Merry's indignant, "Hey! How do we get out of here?" They didn't have the slightest idea how to use the door handles.
"I should just leave you here," she told them, reaching for the door and then stopping.
Haldir had been watching her hawkishly. It took him all of two seconds to figure out how the doors worked. Before Casey knew what was happening, he had jumped in the front, climbed over her, opened the door, and was standing outside.
"Wai- wai- wai- wai- wait!" Casey yelled, panicked. Reluctantly he got back in. "Smartass," she glared at his triumphant face. "Look, we have to go in two or three at a time. Haldir, since you're already squishing me, we'll go first." One by one, she escorted them to the house.
At last, humming at her good luck that not a single neighbour had been in view of her house the whole time, she went to get Gimli.
He was just about to climb out when Casey heard a high pitched, "Hi!" She pushed Gimli down and slammed the trunk. A muffled 'ow' was heard as Casey whirled around.
"Hi Holly!"
"What's that?" the 10 year old blonde asked. Looking down, Casey saw the reason for Gimli's pain. A large tuft of red beard was sticking out of the trunk.
"That? Oh, um, that. um, well, that's a. a wig!"
"Oh." Holly accepted the lie easily. "Ummm, is Patrick home?" she asked, twirling her hair.
Casey smiled at the obvious crush. "No, he's gone to camp. But he should be home in a couple weeks," she informed the girl kindly.
"OK!" Holly said and skipped off.
Meghan pulled in just in time to see a little girl skip off across the yard. She saw Casey breathe an audible sigh of relief and noticed a large tuft of red. fuzz sticking out of the trunk. She watched as Casey opened the trunk, revealing a very disgruntled Gimli.
"Sorry," Casey told him but Meghan could tell she was fighting back laughter. As soon as Gimli was free, they hurried towards the relative safety of the house.
Inside was slight chaos. Everyone had stopped inside the tiny front hall and were talking. Merry and Pippin were chasing Sparkles, the oldest and biggest of Casey's many cats.
"Hey!" Casey yelled out. Nobody paid any attention. She put her two index fingers in her mouth and whistled, loud and shrill. Everyone turned to look at her. "Thank you," she said. "Now come on. We're going downstairs." She led the way down the basement stairs and into the family room.
"Wow," Pippin said, looking around. Then he and Merry ran to the futon and began jumping on it.
"Stop!" Casey shouted. But she was too late. The futon flew down into a bed. Merry and Pippin jumped off and backed away.
"That thing's dangerous!" Merry insisted. Suddenly a loud, high pitched scream was heard. Pippin spun around and screamed right back at the horror babe on TV.
"It's alive!" he shrieked.
"Honestly," Meghan sighed, turning off the TV. "It's not alive, you just pressed the power button."
"This whole place is dangerous!" Merry insisted.
"It's not dangerous. You just can't act like a bcomplete/b fool," Casey told him, pulling the futon back up. "I Ireally/I hope my mother doesn't notice the scrape on the wall." She sat down on the futon and looked around. Suddenly she noticed Legolas looking at the DVDs and videos on the bookshelf by the TV. His gaze was drawing closer and closer to her many ILord of the Rings/I DVDs.
She jumped up and stood in front of him. "Hi!"
"Hello," he responded, looking confused.
"What are you doing?" she asked him, reaching for the DVDs behind her back.
"Looking at these... things," he replied.
"Really? That's great." She stood there for a couple minutes.
"Yes. Could you please move?"
"Oh. Right." She turned around, snatched the DVDs and backed away with them behind her back.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing!" Aragorn looked at her suspiciously. "Really. It's nothing. It's just something you really, Ireally/I can't see." With that she turned around and raced upstairs hiding them in her room.
"I'm hungry!" Pippin announced 20 minutes later as they sat in the family room.
"You're Ialways/I hungry," Casey told him from where she lay on the floor with her eyes closed.
"I'm not!"
"Actually, Pip, you are," Merry told him.
"I am not!"
"Actually, I could do with something to eat," Glorfindel interrupted before WWIII exploded. Not that he knew what WWIII was.
Casey sat up. "What d'you think, Meghan? Pizza?"
"Sure!" she agreed. As Casey ran upstairs to use the phone, Meghan called after her, "Get one for us too!"