The Spring in her Step

The Second Day

Bristle had made plans in an effort to make tomorrow different. She picked out a colourful set of clothes to wear for the day. Whenever they went to Eckelby, she didn't care what anybody thought of her various outfits; she really liked her wardrobe, and that was all that mattered. If anybody commented on it, she didn't care... or really even remember. It wasn't worth remembering.

She remained mindful of the cold weather – their parents reminded them that it was only the beginning of spring. That was no problem – if it was a particularly cold day she had a lovely orange-brown plaid scarf and her bumblebee mittens that she'd received for the winter just passed.

If it rained... well, she wouldn't be deterred. She'd put on her rain things, and go outside anyway. Pa had to, when he had to work in the rain. So why couldn't she? In fact, during the summer – another reason for summer being great – the three of them often went outside when it rained and played together. Sometimes Pa or Ma would be there as well.

At this point, she'd even welcome a thunderstorm – not a really bad one where Ma and Pa needed to make preparations, and there could be danger and damage. Just one where they could hide under a blanket or a table with a sheet thrown over it. One where they could sing their "thunderstorm songs" as a means of getting through it. Wis was trying to write some of her own. It was lucky lightning rhymed with frightening, but it was well-worn and she didn't want to rely on it – there was also stuff like brightening and heightening; those offered variety. She was satisfied with that; besides she had other rhymes such as "shutters" and "gutters."

However, as the morning wore on, there was no hint of rain. It was kind of disappointing; playing in the rain was its own unique kind of fun.

After lessons, they played their games as usual – Wis was very accommodating of Tis' desire to incorporate more pirate stuff, but it did lead him to wryly ask if they got a bunch of stuff together for a boat prop, would Pa be suspicious?

Pirates and parrots went together thematically, too – and the words sounded alike. It allowed for them to get their Overlords of the Sky – both apprentices and masters – without it being an interruption of the current story. It was a good thing they had those costumes left over.

Afternoon came, and Tis went off with Ma to work on their current sculpture. Bristle, also feeling the artistic, yet adventurous mood, went with Wis to take some photos. They hoped to see some animals on their travels. This wasn't crazy and different like the earlier "Bischief" so it must surely be all right. It wasn't near any tanks or pits containing liquids, any fences in disrepair – incidentally they were hazards that they'd identified in earlier discussions.

Their travels, however, brought them near one of the boundaries. Pa, curiously, insisted on coming along – said he'd like to have a look at that part of the property, see if any work needed doing.

Bristle was inclined to complain about this – he might scare away animals. At least he stayed mostly distant to them, so he wasn't getting into their shots. He had joined in playing with them earlier, when the Overlords of the Sky had been involved, and that had been fun, but this... it was less so.

Maybe he was just worried about the camera. Bristle supposed it was rather robust, but she didn't feel inclined to test that out. At least, not deliberately.

He could rest assured that they tried no "circus stunts" as he called them. Bristle was inclined to pout at the remark, but the idea of being a circus performer briefly took hold of her imagination. What if she was a circus performer – she had some curiosity about that. There was the matter of early morning starts, for preparation or rehearsal or other things. It might involve animals... taking care of them, certainly, but also training them... and she'd have to somehow work between musical performances she wanted to do. Did circus performers sing while they performed? Were they allowed to? On the whole, she preferred the idea of performing in musicals more than circuses. Just a passing interest.