“The clouds floated idly by as If they’d no were to go and no one to see, Fluffy, white, and completely carefree”

“ And,…“ Katherine looked up and narrowed her eyes at the bright reflections the sun made on the tall grass. She rapped the pencil eraser on the little note/ sketchpad as she surveyed the beautiful springtime scenery from her favorite spot under the giant maple tree. “Perhaps,” She thought determined “I’ll find some inspiration out there.” She watched her settings one last time before surrendering to impatience “Well, poems were never my forte, anyhow.” She said trying to comfort her failure.

She sighed and leaned her head back angst the tree to watch the clouds and let them form little figures in her mind. It was so quiet and peaceful she began to drift off to a nice sleep when she was awoken rather rudely by a horrid stomping noise. “Ooohhhh, would mother be cross with you, if she knew you’ll been sleeping in the dirt again.” An amused voice said from atop a big fat field horse, intent on eating all the delicious, green grass in sight. Katherine covered her eyes from the harsh sun with her hand to keep from squinting again, but glared anyway. “I am not laying in the dirt!” She said quite annoyed “I’m sitting, and it’s on the grass, stupid.” “Same thing.” Adam said fully knowing and anticipating the argument that would follow his comment. “It is not.” The dark haired girl stated unamused. “Is so” Adam retorted with out skipping a beat. She sighed and bit her lip to keep from answering him and continuing this pointlessness. “What do you want?” she asked. “Did you really come all the way out here to bother me?” “Why Katherine dearest,” he started with fake surprise. “You read me like an open book.”

Katherine merely rolled her eyes and reluctantly began to get up from her comfortable spot. “Actually, we were getting worried about you, it’s been a few hours since you’d left the house.” He said, leaning over the hog of a horse, offering a hand of assistance. She took it reluctantly, half expecting him to let go when she was half way up just to see her fall back down. “Well, go ahead break my fingers, if that’s what I get for helping you.” He mused about her uncertain grip. “Oh, shut your mouth, Adam” Katherine said smiling and brushing the stray bits of grass off her frock front and folding back her sketch book. He twisted around and patted the large spot of horse back behind him, “One free seat on the blarney express, hop on doll.” She looked up, her eyes lightheartedly narrowed at his stupid attempt to cheer her up. “If I must.” She sighed, “My god this horse is fat, I think he may die of a heart attack on the way home.” Katherine commented atop the towering animal still gorging on the sweet grass. “Shhhh, don’t say such things, you’ll lower his self esteem!” Adam mimicked in a high-pitched girly voice as he covered Blarneys big fuzzy ears. “Adam!” she said sternly “What?” he asked with a dead seriousness. And all Katherine could do was laugh the whole way home.

“What is that clicking noise?” Renee thought as her eyes fluttered open. Everything was dark, except for a faint glowing coming from the library. “Bleeding Christ” She thought as she wandered in the dark “Adam better not have left the fire running unattended again, that’s all I have to say.” trying to make her way to the luminated strip on the floor boards that came from across the hall. She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest to keep what little warmth there was secure. “Adam?” She said quietly as she pushed the door open slowly.

But it was Katherine’s little voice and not Adams bold one that answered her. “Oh, I’m sorry did I wake you?” “Katherine, it must be 2:00 in the morning, what are you doing up?” she gripped her nightgown for warmth. “Actually its 3:04 but close enough” she whispered and noticed Renee’s shivering “and the fire is nice and warm.” Renee quickly made her way to the hearth, that Mea the cat had made her little kitty bed at, to be warmed. “I couldn’t sleep and so I decided to come in here and read, because that usually puts me to sleep but instead I saw Fathers old type writer here and I felt more like writing.” “Yes, well you have all day tomorrow Katherine.” Renee said groggily “Ok, Let me finish this last line then.” Katherine pleaded. “It better be a short one.” Renee mumbled her toes slowly regaining feeling again in the glow of the fire.

Tuesday morning the house was ablaze with a very heated shouting match and everyone was curious as to who or what it was all about. Finally after hours of calamity a few seconds of silence followed. Katherine stomped down the stairs a drip of blood on her bottom lip. Adams voice echoed angrily, assumedly at the stair top, “Hey Katherine, how do you spell, pain in the ass sister?!”. To which in reply Katherine turned on her heels and yelled “Hey Adam, spell this!” as she made a rather lewd hand gesture quite animatedly. Mrs. Middleton who had been peacefully embroidering despite the dull yelling all morning was now fully disgusted at the nasty turn of her children’s bickering. “KATHERINE !” she yelled astounded by her crude actions. “He started it!” Katherine yelled back her voice hoarse from this morning. “Did Not!” Adam yelled in reply rushing down the stairs to defend himself better.

“Did to, you hit me!” Katherine yelled arms flapping about like a mad bird. “I most certainly did no such thing!” Adam responded. “Oh and I suppose this,” she said pointing to her lip, “just appeared out of thin air!?”. Despite Mrs. Middleton attempts to quell the argument it only got more and more childish. “I didn’t hit you, if your just always in the wrong place at the wrong time, see if you hadn’t have been in the way of my fist, then,” Katherine cut him off “You are such a big fat liar! You hit me, damn it!” She stuck her nose up in the air and faced the opposite wall “Just admit it ……… you’re a woman beater.” “WHAT?!, am not, don’t you ever say that again.” This only brought on a repeating sing songy one line chorus from Katherine “Woman beater, woman beater, woman beater..” “Quit it or.” Adam stopped himself. “Or what, you’ll…. Beat me?” Katherine took full advantage of the situation stressing the latter half of her sentence. Even if she didn’t really mean what she was saying she knew Adam would never purposely hurt her.

Mr. Middleton who had sat at the table reading his paper ignoring the whole silly mess was now, full out laughing in amusement. “Girl curses like a sailor, … I taught ‘er that” he chuckled in accomplishment. “You better not have!!!” Mrs. Middleton turned a murderous look on him. William pulled his paper up over his eyes for cover from her stare. “Yes darling, my little muffin cakes” he pathetically attempted get on her better side. “QUIET!” his booming voice echoed as he slammed down his paper on the breakfast table causing forks and spoons to go flying in all directions.

Katherine jumped to Adam half out of bewilderment half out of habit. “Ugh, don’t touch me!” She quickly shoved him away as soon as she identified the noise. Adam said nothing but looked perturbed and confused. “Now I don’t know exactly what it is that happened but I think you owe and apology Adam.” Mrs. Middleton picked up where her husband left off. “But…. Uh, fine.” his protest was short. He turned to Katherine who had regained her cool composure, staring at the opposite wall nose in the air. “I’m sorry for hitting you, even if it was accidental.” “You say it” Katherine started and turned to him “But do you mean it?” eyebrow raised in joking suspsion and amusement. Adam rolled his eyes and laughed a little.

Back up stairs in the quiet of the library later that day, Katherine was reading Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” peacefully. “My Lord this book is such a bore, how could this woman have written something so dull with the power of fiction?” She thought scrolling over the tedious words each one more pointless than the last. “Do you think you two could have been any louder?” Renee said in a disgruntled voice, hanging on the side of the doorframe for support. “I suppose so, no one’s asked it of us yet though.” Katherine retorted, idly flipping the page not lifting her gaze from the book. Renee smirked and crossed the expanse of the library to the other end of the couch Katherine had been nestled on. “So what is it that you are reading, may I enquire?” she asked for the sake of conversation. “The most boring book ever written and read by man kind.” Katherine said stiffeling a yawn. “So why are you reading it?” Renee asked slightly confused. Katherine started at it for a few seconds before tossing the book in the calm fireplace sending a billion little orange sparks dancing, “I’m not.”

“And what’s with all the questions, I think I should be the one integrating you.” Katherine said placidly resting her head on the armrest and pulling the covers up to her neck. Renee grinned for lack of knowing what exactly how she felt about that comment. “I you think such then why not act on it?” she said after some thought. “Because.” Katherine mumbled from under a large mass of covers. “Because, why?” Renee laughed lightly. “Because,” Katherine sat up the blankets fell from her face and neck. “If I acted on every thought I had Adam would be no more, you would be eternally damned, the dog would have been shot, half the town would be dead by ghastly means and lets just say I would not be known for my well manners or conservative thinking.

And those would be some pretty horrid sins to live with, even for me. Renee nodded in response the flames from the fire reflecting off her glassy eyes as she watched the last of the book burn. “Here” she got up and pulled out a book from the second shelf. “I’ll let you borrow this one, I know you’ll like it.” She said confidently and tossed the book in Katherine’s lap. “Don’t say I never do anything for you.” “Oh joy, is it 101 ways to make someone by the name of, let’s say Adam, ’s life miserable?” Katherine asked caustically. “Sorry, my diary is off limits” Renee said with equal acidity almost to the doorway. “Heh, that’s what you think.” Katherine said under her breath. She looked at the heavy royal navy blue book intrigued. But not intrigued for it to daunt her from her sleep.