After taking an official picture of the family for the newspapers, Amelia, Caroline, and Helen helped Phineas hand out flyers, but no one was taking them. And if they did, then they scattered them on the ground.
After a rough day of trying to get the word out, they headed back to see how many people came to purchase tickets.
"Welcome to the Barnum Museum, where everyone's special..." O'Malley said, half asleep.
"How many tickets?" Phineas asked, making him perk up.
"Four," O'Malley said to him, making Phineas sigh.
"Four?" Phineas asked him before turning to see Charity hold up four tickets for her and the girls.
That night, Charity was passed out on the couch when Phineas came home. He looked at the paper in her hand. It was another bill that they could not afford.
"Daddy!" Caroline called from the girls' room. Phineas wrapped a blanket on Charity before going to check on his daughters.
"Daddy!"
Phineas moved the curtains to see the small room with one bed. Caroline and Helen lay with Amelia in the middle of the bed. Phineas smiled, seeing her girls were still awake when he sat on the side of the bed next to Caroline.
"Did you sell any more tickets today?" Amelia asked him when he found a book where he was sitting, moving to sit it on the nightstand, Tom Thumb.
"A few. Yeah... Most everyone was rushing home; it's Friday, but... we sold a few."
"I think you have too many dead things in your museum, Daddy," Helen spoke up, making Caroline nod at her.
"Do you?" Phineas asked his youngest.
"She's right. You need something alive," Caroline added when Phineas sighed, with a small smile on his face.
"Go to sleep, all of you..." He said softly.
"Something sensational," Caroline added again.
"That's a big word." Phineas smiled at her.
"It's your word." Amelia smiled at her dad while she had her arm around Helen, playing with the ends of Helen's hair.
"Something that isn't stuffed," Helen remarked when Caroline moved to cuddle up to her big sister.
"Like a mermaid." Caroline smiled, sounding sleepy.
"Or a unicorn," Helen said, making Phineas and Amelia chuckle at them.
"Unicorns aren't real," Caroline argued, looking at Helen.
"Well, mermaids aren't real either." Helen objected.
"Okay, it's time to get some sleep, munchkins," Amelia said as Phineas kissed their heads goodnight before going to the dining room table.
~402 words~
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What if We Rewrite the Stars?
FanfictionAmelia Barnum grew up with her parents telling her that she could do anything she wanted. She grew up loving to do tricks and dance around the rooftop of their small apartment complex. After her father, Phineas T. Barnum, gets a grand idea, Amelia...
