Formalities: Hah- found another way to start my chapters without
"disclaimer" and still avoid lawsuits! I don't own any of the Square
characters- but I do own my original characters, except for Gella Ember
Shym, who is Harper's and also who's birthday is today (June 6) at least,
it was today when I wrote this.
Time passes quickest when you wish that time would be slow, someone once said. And as usual Someone was right. Zell was growing and progressing every day- he was two years old now and he could already do so much. He spoke in garbled, yet real sentences and had been crawling for awhile now. He also had discovered the joys of scribbling and was demonstrating this skill by 'prettifying' every porous surface in the household. Just last week he had drawn a crude, but quite recognizable line fish in the entryway. A woeful Etta had spent hours on her knees scrubbing the blue crayon marks off the wall, all the while complimenting Zell on his beautiful artwork. Etta was sure he didn't know any better and she didn't want to discourage his creativity, so she decided to take him down to the Harbor Market the next day to buy a pad of drawing paper and different colors of crayons.
Etta gathered up her purse and a small bag of things for Zell- a juice box and a plastic bag full of fish crackers for him to snack on while she shopped. The Dincts didn't own a stroller, so Etta was going to have to carry Zell the entire time. After doing a quick once-over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she scooped up Zell from his playpen in the front hall and rested him on her hip. She opened the door with one hand and sighed as Zell grabbed for his jacket that was hanging on the coatrack. "Zelly- it's July, you aren't going to need a coat," she tried to reason with him. But Zell was not one to be discouraged.
"Want coat 'long jus' 'cause." he stubbornly declared. Etta sighed again, once Zell had an idea firmly cemented in his mind, there was no changing it.
"Alright, you can bring it along, but you'll have to carry it yourself, okay?" Etta told him. She didn't mind him taking it along, but she had to set some boundaries somewhere.
Zell thought for a second that smiled happily and chirped "O- tay!"Etta couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was cute. Mischievous, but very cute.
Once they were all ready, and the coat issue was settled, Etta and her boy finally set off for the Harbor Market. The Harbor Market came to Balamb in the summertime, and stayed until early fall. The people of Balamb could barter for or buy nearly anything they could want from the Market, for the quaint little sellers' stands sold almost everything imaginable. There was an area for things like fresh fruit, a children's area, which Etta planned to visit, an area for housewares, and even an area for monster pieces that students from the nearby Balamb Garden could use to remodel their weapons. Etta and Zell stepped out the door of the Dincht residence into the bright sunny atmosphere of summertime Balamb. Zell looked at his jacket and frowned in the July heat. Etta saw this and paused- she was pretty sure she knew what would happen next.
"Ooh- can go back?" Zell asked, holding up his jacket. Etta almost had to smile, he was such sweet little bundle of mischievous energy. Once again, she opened the door and hung the jacket back up on it's rack and once again, they set off for the Market. Only this time they got farther than the doorstop.
Etta and Zell made their way to the stands that swarmed the area around Balamb's harbor, and the air was alive with the noise of people talking and the smell of the fresh fish being unloaded at the dock. They found their way through the masses of people, villagers and Garden students, to the children's area where Zell's eyes lit up at the sight of so many new things.
"Etta- is that you?" a voice suddenly called out and Mrs. Dincht spun around to meet the speaker. It turned out to be Mrs. Shym from next door and Etta realized that for being neighbors they really didn't see each other very often.
"This must be your son," Mrs. Shym continued, "he's so darling." Etta smiled and looked down at Zell, who was still looking around with the amount of amazement only a two year old can achieve.
"He is, he's my little angel," Etta confessed, then noticed the small girl in the stroller that Mrs. Shym was holding on to. "And who's this little sweetie-pie?" Etta asked.
"Oh- that's just my little Gella. Say hi, Gella." Mrs. Shym tried to coax. The little freckled red-head smiled, but said nothing. Mrs. Shym sighed.
"She's already two, but she hasn't said a word . . . She'll smile and laugh, but she just doesn't say anything. " she explained. Etta smiled sympathetically, and replied,
" I have the opposite problem- Zell talks non-stop all the time," Etta wryly smiled "We just can't get him to stop talking," And that was true, ever since Zell had said his first words, he talked happily and to anyone who would listen. Mrs. Shym seemed to be contemplating this for a moment and her eyes squinted, hinting at and idea.
"Maybe we could help each other then. . ." she commented. "You know, just let Gella and Zell hang out and hope they'll rub off on each other." Mrs. Shym offered. Etta considered this, it would be a healthy thing for Zell if he had a friend his age.
"I suppose. . . I mean, I think that would be great- Zell needs someone his own age to be friends with. . ." she answered.
Etta set Zell down on the ground beside her, and he sat there next to Gella's stroller. Mrs. Shym and Mrs. Dincht started discussing things that were only of true concern to parents, such as what cleaning products got crayon off walls the best, and how to curb the nasty habit of throwing food. Zell looked around and set his eyes on Gella.
" You 'n me be friends, o-tay?" Zell said to her. Gella smiled, and her shoulders came up to meet her chin as she smiled in her hunched up position. And that was the way the day went, the two women talking as the walked around the market, while Zell babbled to Gella and made faces and Gella giggled at Zell's little antics. It seemed as if Zell and Gella weren't the only ones who had gained friends. Etta had made a friend, too.
Time passes quickest when you wish that time would be slow, someone once said. And as usual Someone was right. Zell was growing and progressing every day- he was two years old now and he could already do so much. He spoke in garbled, yet real sentences and had been crawling for awhile now. He also had discovered the joys of scribbling and was demonstrating this skill by 'prettifying' every porous surface in the household. Just last week he had drawn a crude, but quite recognizable line fish in the entryway. A woeful Etta had spent hours on her knees scrubbing the blue crayon marks off the wall, all the while complimenting Zell on his beautiful artwork. Etta was sure he didn't know any better and she didn't want to discourage his creativity, so she decided to take him down to the Harbor Market the next day to buy a pad of drawing paper and different colors of crayons.
Etta gathered up her purse and a small bag of things for Zell- a juice box and a plastic bag full of fish crackers for him to snack on while she shopped. The Dincts didn't own a stroller, so Etta was going to have to carry Zell the entire time. After doing a quick once-over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she scooped up Zell from his playpen in the front hall and rested him on her hip. She opened the door with one hand and sighed as Zell grabbed for his jacket that was hanging on the coatrack. "Zelly- it's July, you aren't going to need a coat," she tried to reason with him. But Zell was not one to be discouraged.
"Want coat 'long jus' 'cause." he stubbornly declared. Etta sighed again, once Zell had an idea firmly cemented in his mind, there was no changing it.
"Alright, you can bring it along, but you'll have to carry it yourself, okay?" Etta told him. She didn't mind him taking it along, but she had to set some boundaries somewhere.
Zell thought for a second that smiled happily and chirped "O- tay!"Etta couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was cute. Mischievous, but very cute.
Once they were all ready, and the coat issue was settled, Etta and her boy finally set off for the Harbor Market. The Harbor Market came to Balamb in the summertime, and stayed until early fall. The people of Balamb could barter for or buy nearly anything they could want from the Market, for the quaint little sellers' stands sold almost everything imaginable. There was an area for things like fresh fruit, a children's area, which Etta planned to visit, an area for housewares, and even an area for monster pieces that students from the nearby Balamb Garden could use to remodel their weapons. Etta and Zell stepped out the door of the Dincht residence into the bright sunny atmosphere of summertime Balamb. Zell looked at his jacket and frowned in the July heat. Etta saw this and paused- she was pretty sure she knew what would happen next.
"Ooh- can go back?" Zell asked, holding up his jacket. Etta almost had to smile, he was such sweet little bundle of mischievous energy. Once again, she opened the door and hung the jacket back up on it's rack and once again, they set off for the Market. Only this time they got farther than the doorstop.
Etta and Zell made their way to the stands that swarmed the area around Balamb's harbor, and the air was alive with the noise of people talking and the smell of the fresh fish being unloaded at the dock. They found their way through the masses of people, villagers and Garden students, to the children's area where Zell's eyes lit up at the sight of so many new things.
"Etta- is that you?" a voice suddenly called out and Mrs. Dincht spun around to meet the speaker. It turned out to be Mrs. Shym from next door and Etta realized that for being neighbors they really didn't see each other very often.
"This must be your son," Mrs. Shym continued, "he's so darling." Etta smiled and looked down at Zell, who was still looking around with the amount of amazement only a two year old can achieve.
"He is, he's my little angel," Etta confessed, then noticed the small girl in the stroller that Mrs. Shym was holding on to. "And who's this little sweetie-pie?" Etta asked.
"Oh- that's just my little Gella. Say hi, Gella." Mrs. Shym tried to coax. The little freckled red-head smiled, but said nothing. Mrs. Shym sighed.
"She's already two, but she hasn't said a word . . . She'll smile and laugh, but she just doesn't say anything. " she explained. Etta smiled sympathetically, and replied,
" I have the opposite problem- Zell talks non-stop all the time," Etta wryly smiled "We just can't get him to stop talking," And that was true, ever since Zell had said his first words, he talked happily and to anyone who would listen. Mrs. Shym seemed to be contemplating this for a moment and her eyes squinted, hinting at and idea.
"Maybe we could help each other then. . ." she commented. "You know, just let Gella and Zell hang out and hope they'll rub off on each other." Mrs. Shym offered. Etta considered this, it would be a healthy thing for Zell if he had a friend his age.
"I suppose. . . I mean, I think that would be great- Zell needs someone his own age to be friends with. . ." she answered.
Etta set Zell down on the ground beside her, and he sat there next to Gella's stroller. Mrs. Shym and Mrs. Dincht started discussing things that were only of true concern to parents, such as what cleaning products got crayon off walls the best, and how to curb the nasty habit of throwing food. Zell looked around and set his eyes on Gella.
" You 'n me be friends, o-tay?" Zell said to her. Gella smiled, and her shoulders came up to meet her chin as she smiled in her hunched up position. And that was the way the day went, the two women talking as the walked around the market, while Zell babbled to Gella and made faces and Gella giggled at Zell's little antics. It seemed as if Zell and Gella weren't the only ones who had gained friends. Etta had made a friend, too.
