"I made breakfast!!!!" she hollered cheerfully in the kitchen the
next morning. Her clear voice rang out and bounced off the walls of the
kitchen and she set a platter of eggs on the table before Hall and Gray.
Her brother looked down at the platter before him and his face had gone paler than usual. His eyes swiveled toward his father under his blue cap. "Dad," he said nervously. "Dad."
"Hm?" grumbled Hall with his customary scowling look, holding a newspaper in front of him while pulling at his auburn mustache.
"Dad, look what Ann made." Gray's eyes moved onto the platter in front of them.
"N-nice job, Ann," Hall stammered, exchanging looks with his son.
"I'll get the orange juice!" Ann exclaimed and went off.
"Dad?" Gray looked over at Hall again, clearing his throat and busying his hands with his jacket. "What is that?" He pointed at the platter, specifically at the liquid goo that was running across it.
"I think she tried to cook eggs today," their father sighed. Ann had always been a terrible cook. Why they let her continue cooking anyway, they didn't know. Hall said something about not crushing her spirits and they kept their mouths shut, so from then on Ann continued trying to make things. "Let's... let's just try to eat them and say nothing."
"You mean like we always do?" Gray's solemn face returned as his head tilted. The shadow of the front of his cap covered his face like usual and he went back to being silent. His eyebrows furrowed and he turned his fork sideways in an attempt to scoop some of the runny egg onto his plate.
Ann returned with hearty amounts of orange juice in two glasses after removing her messy apron. She saw them chewing at a different rate than usual and they gulped the juice down quickly. She smiled, thinking happily that she was successful for once.
"I'm---I've got to go, now," Gray declared in his soft, stern voice. "I think I'm going to be sick." He dashed for the door to get a head start on various chores.
"Good thinking," Hall declared and dashed behind his son, at his heels. He twirled the keys to the shop in his callused hands.
Ann cleaned up after them silently, wondering if it was absolutely necessary that she learned to cook. She thought of Elli, the old bakery master's daughter, who was very feminine and was an excellent cook. For a moment Ann was thinking that she had a complex since she couldn't be like that. Maybe a devotion to animals and being so diligent about the farm chores just wasn't enough. Ann thought of the grim looks on Hall and Gray's faces and shook her head.
When she made her way outside it was already about 4:30 AM (on a normal basis they woke up at 4 to get a head start) and Gray was already in the barn, feeding the animals. She followed him in and started collecting fodder for the sheep, her favorites. Getting quality wool excited her very much because she picked up knitting as a new hobby recently, and for this reason she cherished them.
"No, no, that's okay, Ann." Gray took the pile of hay out of her hands and fed them to the animals himself. "You cooked this morning. I'll do this."
Ann beamed. Gray was very annoying, but at the same time she was happy because he spoiled her so much. Just recently she tried being an adult about it and paying her brother back, exchanging favors equally, but to no avail, it hadn't worked. Gray would still do most of the chores, cook, spoil her, and still tease her whenever he pleased.
She went out to the horses' stables and sat on the gate to the stall of her favorite horse, Cliff. She brushed him, talked to him, and scratched between his ears. She especially liked the silky coat that ran down his narrow face. Ann knew Cliff had full potential as a race horse but for some reason he was always losing. She never stopped believing in him, but now she just felt more distant from a victory than they'd ever been. Cliff's large, clear and truthful eyes couldn't hide how hard he'd tried to be all that she believed he could be. The horse stared back at her lovingly and with the same hope. Being so preoccupied with everything else, Ann never paid things like this any thought before, but she sincerely hoped that this feeling that washed over her right now was not a premonition.
Her brother looked down at the platter before him and his face had gone paler than usual. His eyes swiveled toward his father under his blue cap. "Dad," he said nervously. "Dad."
"Hm?" grumbled Hall with his customary scowling look, holding a newspaper in front of him while pulling at his auburn mustache.
"Dad, look what Ann made." Gray's eyes moved onto the platter in front of them.
"N-nice job, Ann," Hall stammered, exchanging looks with his son.
"I'll get the orange juice!" Ann exclaimed and went off.
"Dad?" Gray looked over at Hall again, clearing his throat and busying his hands with his jacket. "What is that?" He pointed at the platter, specifically at the liquid goo that was running across it.
"I think she tried to cook eggs today," their father sighed. Ann had always been a terrible cook. Why they let her continue cooking anyway, they didn't know. Hall said something about not crushing her spirits and they kept their mouths shut, so from then on Ann continued trying to make things. "Let's... let's just try to eat them and say nothing."
"You mean like we always do?" Gray's solemn face returned as his head tilted. The shadow of the front of his cap covered his face like usual and he went back to being silent. His eyebrows furrowed and he turned his fork sideways in an attempt to scoop some of the runny egg onto his plate.
Ann returned with hearty amounts of orange juice in two glasses after removing her messy apron. She saw them chewing at a different rate than usual and they gulped the juice down quickly. She smiled, thinking happily that she was successful for once.
"I'm---I've got to go, now," Gray declared in his soft, stern voice. "I think I'm going to be sick." He dashed for the door to get a head start on various chores.
"Good thinking," Hall declared and dashed behind his son, at his heels. He twirled the keys to the shop in his callused hands.
Ann cleaned up after them silently, wondering if it was absolutely necessary that she learned to cook. She thought of Elli, the old bakery master's daughter, who was very feminine and was an excellent cook. For a moment Ann was thinking that she had a complex since she couldn't be like that. Maybe a devotion to animals and being so diligent about the farm chores just wasn't enough. Ann thought of the grim looks on Hall and Gray's faces and shook her head.
When she made her way outside it was already about 4:30 AM (on a normal basis they woke up at 4 to get a head start) and Gray was already in the barn, feeding the animals. She followed him in and started collecting fodder for the sheep, her favorites. Getting quality wool excited her very much because she picked up knitting as a new hobby recently, and for this reason she cherished them.
"No, no, that's okay, Ann." Gray took the pile of hay out of her hands and fed them to the animals himself. "You cooked this morning. I'll do this."
Ann beamed. Gray was very annoying, but at the same time she was happy because he spoiled her so much. Just recently she tried being an adult about it and paying her brother back, exchanging favors equally, but to no avail, it hadn't worked. Gray would still do most of the chores, cook, spoil her, and still tease her whenever he pleased.
She went out to the horses' stables and sat on the gate to the stall of her favorite horse, Cliff. She brushed him, talked to him, and scratched between his ears. She especially liked the silky coat that ran down his narrow face. Ann knew Cliff had full potential as a race horse but for some reason he was always losing. She never stopped believing in him, but now she just felt more distant from a victory than they'd ever been. Cliff's large, clear and truthful eyes couldn't hide how hard he'd tried to be all that she believed he could be. The horse stared back at her lovingly and with the same hope. Being so preoccupied with everything else, Ann never paid things like this any thought before, but she sincerely hoped that this feeling that washed over her right now was not a premonition.