My mind was spinning, buzzing with possible explainations, everything came back to Peter Pan. I ran to the bathrooms then flew through the house turning on all the lights yelling her name. If this was a game she was playing to get back at me for yelling at her she was looking at no TV or candy, or worse yet, no Peter Pan for a month!
My frantic scurrying about the house woke Mom and Jim up. I was in the living room when Jim appeared, almost falling down the stairs, "What's going on Miora?" His almost gray hair was unruley and sticking up on his head, he threw on his glasses and he sheilded his eyes from the bright light of the living room. Mom was hobbling down the stairs holding onto the her stomach and the railing, not liking the bright welcome of the living room either. "Avery's missing."
"What do you mean?" Mom almost screeched.
"She's not in her bed or the kitchen-"
"-she's probably in the kitchen getting some water, she's been on this late night kitchen kick lately-" Jim said rationally removing his hand from his eyes and squinting in my direction.
"She's gone Jim. I looked everywhere!" I almost screamed.
Mom looked at Jim and Jim went into the kitchen and I heard the beeping as he punched three numbers into the phone. I helped Mom down the last few stairs and sat her down on the couch.
The police came at Jim's request and didn't leave until a few hours after sunrise. That was when Taylor and Shane came hopping down the stairs, almost too short to reach the banister. Mom had fallen asleep in the chair and Jim was in the den under the staircase explaining his expectant tardiness to his boss. I took the boys into the kitchen and had them sit at the counter while I fixed them their cereal. They didn't say a word about Avery. They often came downstairs without her because she spent the night in my room or in bed with Mom and Jim, I expect that's what they thought.
I went upstairs and grabbed a sweater to throw on, when I came back to the kitchen the boys were gone. I almost panicked until I saw Shane's foot peeking out from behind the other side of the counter. "She's gone you know." Taylor had said.
"I know that!" Shane spoke offensively.
"I had a dream she told me she was going to fly in the stars with Peter."
"And she told me she's bring me back pixie dust and a Never bug." Shane said smuggly.
"She said she's gonna bring me back a real Indian hat!" Taylor wanted to feel superior.
There was a moment of silence and then Shane asked, "Did she tell you when she was going to come home forever?"
Just then Jim flew open the door behind me, tieing his tie and setting his breifcase on the counter. The boys jumped back on their chairs and complained their cereal was soggy. "I won't be gone long Miora, call me immediately you hear anything." He grabbed a banana and threw a granola bar in his breifcase before putting his jacket on. He kissed the top of Taylor and Shane's before he instructed them to behave and then kissed the top of my head. He went out the garage door and I heard Mom stirring in the living room.
Avery had been already missing three days. The police were clueless and Jim was constantly checking hospitals. Mom tried to keep busy to keep her mind off of worrying. She had taken Shane and Taylor on a late night ice cream binge, Jim was in his den on the phone spelling out Avery's name, "That's right, A as in ant, V as in very, E as in elephant..." I sat in the chair near the front door worrying my every last nerve. I had already did all the laundry and scrubbed not only my room and the bathrooms but the whole kitchen and organized the pantry. I needed to be busy. I walked into the kid's room and picked up dirty clothes off the floor. I hoped Avery would come home soon, safe and sound, I almost cried staring at the empty bed. I picked up a pair of purple striped pants off the rocking chair near the fireplace and found a sock high upon the fireplace next to grandma's jug. The ledge was extremely dusty, their were tiny spots in the dust, like tiny foot prints, but dusted them away, thinking nothing about it. I picked up the jug and noticed a fair amount of dust build-up inside, so much so that it poured out into my hand. The weird thing about it was that it sparkled. The first thing that came across my mind was that Shane and Taylor had filled it with their homemade pixie dust, but then again it was so high up... I tucked it under my arm decided the children's room was no place for a family airloom and would later place it in the attic.
As I walked downstairs Shane and Taylor followed Mom through the front door jumping up and down singing a made up song about itsy bitsy birdie feet. It wasn't until after watching Peter Pan, and hour long bath, and five glasses of water that they finally went to bed. Mom and Jim were in the kitchen talking and I walked into my room wanting nothing more then to fall onto my pillow and go to sleep. But as I walked to my bed I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I froze. I stood completely still, all evidence of drowsiness dissappeared. I looked around and was relieved when what I saw wasn't an axe murderer, but grandma's jug. The dust glimmered in the moonlight and my heart started to calm down. I looked in my junk drawers for a flashlight (I had learned the hard way that there was no electricty in the attic) but came up empty handed. I saw a large taper candle sitting on my dresser and decided it would have to do. I lit it and headed toward the attic.
My frantic scurrying about the house woke Mom and Jim up. I was in the living room when Jim appeared, almost falling down the stairs, "What's going on Miora?" His almost gray hair was unruley and sticking up on his head, he threw on his glasses and he sheilded his eyes from the bright light of the living room. Mom was hobbling down the stairs holding onto the her stomach and the railing, not liking the bright welcome of the living room either. "Avery's missing."
"What do you mean?" Mom almost screeched.
"She's not in her bed or the kitchen-"
"-she's probably in the kitchen getting some water, she's been on this late night kitchen kick lately-" Jim said rationally removing his hand from his eyes and squinting in my direction.
"She's gone Jim. I looked everywhere!" I almost screamed.
Mom looked at Jim and Jim went into the kitchen and I heard the beeping as he punched three numbers into the phone. I helped Mom down the last few stairs and sat her down on the couch.
The police came at Jim's request and didn't leave until a few hours after sunrise. That was when Taylor and Shane came hopping down the stairs, almost too short to reach the banister. Mom had fallen asleep in the chair and Jim was in the den under the staircase explaining his expectant tardiness to his boss. I took the boys into the kitchen and had them sit at the counter while I fixed them their cereal. They didn't say a word about Avery. They often came downstairs without her because she spent the night in my room or in bed with Mom and Jim, I expect that's what they thought.
I went upstairs and grabbed a sweater to throw on, when I came back to the kitchen the boys were gone. I almost panicked until I saw Shane's foot peeking out from behind the other side of the counter. "She's gone you know." Taylor had said.
"I know that!" Shane spoke offensively.
"I had a dream she told me she was going to fly in the stars with Peter."
"And she told me she's bring me back pixie dust and a Never bug." Shane said smuggly.
"She said she's gonna bring me back a real Indian hat!" Taylor wanted to feel superior.
There was a moment of silence and then Shane asked, "Did she tell you when she was going to come home forever?"
Just then Jim flew open the door behind me, tieing his tie and setting his breifcase on the counter. The boys jumped back on their chairs and complained their cereal was soggy. "I won't be gone long Miora, call me immediately you hear anything." He grabbed a banana and threw a granola bar in his breifcase before putting his jacket on. He kissed the top of Taylor and Shane's before he instructed them to behave and then kissed the top of my head. He went out the garage door and I heard Mom stirring in the living room.
Avery had been already missing three days. The police were clueless and Jim was constantly checking hospitals. Mom tried to keep busy to keep her mind off of worrying. She had taken Shane and Taylor on a late night ice cream binge, Jim was in his den on the phone spelling out Avery's name, "That's right, A as in ant, V as in very, E as in elephant..." I sat in the chair near the front door worrying my every last nerve. I had already did all the laundry and scrubbed not only my room and the bathrooms but the whole kitchen and organized the pantry. I needed to be busy. I walked into the kid's room and picked up dirty clothes off the floor. I hoped Avery would come home soon, safe and sound, I almost cried staring at the empty bed. I picked up a pair of purple striped pants off the rocking chair near the fireplace and found a sock high upon the fireplace next to grandma's jug. The ledge was extremely dusty, their were tiny spots in the dust, like tiny foot prints, but dusted them away, thinking nothing about it. I picked up the jug and noticed a fair amount of dust build-up inside, so much so that it poured out into my hand. The weird thing about it was that it sparkled. The first thing that came across my mind was that Shane and Taylor had filled it with their homemade pixie dust, but then again it was so high up... I tucked it under my arm decided the children's room was no place for a family airloom and would later place it in the attic.
As I walked downstairs Shane and Taylor followed Mom through the front door jumping up and down singing a made up song about itsy bitsy birdie feet. It wasn't until after watching Peter Pan, and hour long bath, and five glasses of water that they finally went to bed. Mom and Jim were in the kitchen talking and I walked into my room wanting nothing more then to fall onto my pillow and go to sleep. But as I walked to my bed I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I froze. I stood completely still, all evidence of drowsiness dissappeared. I looked around and was relieved when what I saw wasn't an axe murderer, but grandma's jug. The dust glimmered in the moonlight and my heart started to calm down. I looked in my junk drawers for a flashlight (I had learned the hard way that there was no electricty in the attic) but came up empty handed. I saw a large taper candle sitting on my dresser and decided it would have to do. I lit it and headed toward the attic.