Hey, I'm back! Sorry for taking so long, but I've been a little busy and a little lazy over the last few months. Well, Chapter 13 is finally up. Enjoy!


The clock struck eight o'clock. Aggie leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Well," said Hattie, "We're both very tired."

"Oh, yeah, so tired," piped Olive.

"Perhaps you should show us to our rooms." They got up from the table.

"Wait, girls!" Aggie called out, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Hattie and Olive turned and stared for a moment, and then Hattie spoke up.

"Oh, of course. Thank you for the meal, although next time I would put a little more effort into it," she said, as she curtsyed. Olive copied her sister. "Yeah, thanks for dinner."

Aggie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, girls, but that's not what I meant. Would do both be darlings and do the dishes?"

Hattie would have laughed if she thought that Aggie was kidding.

"Are you serious?" Aggie nodded.

Hattie thought for a moment. How could she get out of doing the dishes? Then she had an idea.

"Well, we're both very tired. Perhaps if we could do it in the morning…"

Aggie pondered over the thought for a moment, and then smiled.

"I think that would work," she said, getting up from the table. "Very well, in the morning, the dishes will be waiting for you. Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room."

As the girls followed Aggie upstairs, Olive looked over at Hattie.

"We're not really doing the dishes, are we?"

"Of course not," Hattie replied, "but by morning, she'll have forgotten. And by the time she remembers them, we should both be long gone with our presents."

Olive smiled. "That's brilliant! You're a genius."

As they walked through the upstairs hallway, the girls noticed a large bedroom that looked like it was decked out for royalty. The girls stopped and stared for a second.

Hattie was wide-eyed in amazement. "Please say that's the guestroom!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, girls," said Aggie, "That's my room. But it is quite a sight, isn't it? Come on, your room's done here."

Hattie and Olive's jaws dropped when they saw the room. Bare walls, bare floors, almost no furniture, a rank odor, one window that didn't stay closed, and two beds that looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"You must be joking!" shouted Hattie. "Is this really how you treat nobility?"

"Oh, come now, Hattie," replied Aggie, "The beds may look uncomfortable, but once you settle in, they're really cozy."

Hattie thought for a moment. When she'd finished thinking, she grinned. "I've got a better idea." She grabbed Olive by the arm and dragged her back to Aggie's room.

"This will do nicely."

"Girls, you can't do this!" Aggie cried. "I need that bed. I have back problems. That bed is specially designed for my back."

"Oh, well I hear the beds in the guestroom are quite cozy once you settle in," snapped Hattie.

For about five minutes, Aggie and Hattie stared each other down. Neither blinked, and their frustration mounted. Olive just watched, wondering who would blink first.

"Fine," Aggie finally replied, "You can have my room tonight." As she sighed, Olive saw Aggie blink.

"She blinked!" she cried, "She blinked! She blinked!"

"That's because we have her outnumbered," replied Hattie.

"But I want my pajamas," Aggie continued, "And my toothbrush. And my pillow."

Hattie waved her arm, motioning her to go ahead. Aggie quickly got her pajamas, her toothbrush from the bathroom and her favorite pillow off the bed. As she left, she zapped two sets of pajamas for the girls.

"Good night, ladies!" Aggie said, grudgingly. She slammed the door behind her.

"She needs to work on her people skills," Hattie grumbled. "The very idea of sleeping in that drafty room on those stiff beds. Well, at least we got the good bed." She turned to the queen-sized bed and smiled.

The girls changed quickly, and then crawled into bed and put out the lamps on the nightstand. For once, the girls were finally relaxed, resting comfortably in a soft, warm, comfortable bed lined with satin sheets. And yet…something wasn't quite right. Hattie could feel a lump under her hip. She pounded the lump out with her fist. She sighed contently and rolled over, but just as she was getting comfortable, the whole bed suddenly felt lumpy.

"I don't think I like this bed," complained Olive.

"Shut up," Hattie replied. She began pounding the entire bed, trying to get comfortable. Olive did the same, but the more they tossed and turned, the more uncomfortable they became. When they had finally pounded out all the lumps, they realized they were sweating.

"It's too hot in here," Olive whined.

"Well, then take off they covers."

Both took off their covers and immediately froze.

"Too cold! Too cold!" Olive piped.

"Agreed," Hattie replied. Both dove back under the covers.

And so it continued all through the night.