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| "Felix King, what are you doing?" Sara asked. "Getting my room back." Felix replied, turning the handle on the stove pipe. |
Hetty was sipping her tea, gently letting the hot liquid slide down her throat and into her stomach,
allowing it to warm her from the inside out.
Janet came down the stairs, holding a sniffling toddler, Daniel.
"It's been so cold lately that Daniel has gotten a cold." she told her sister-in-law, setting the child down into his highchair.
"Alec doesn't seem to be much better." Hetty replied, refilling her tea cup with the steaming liquid. "Colds seem to be going around these days, not much you can do to prevent them, except for staying warm and indoors."
"Not that Alec has, or will." Janet said, sitting herself into a chair next to Hetty, with tea in hand. "I only hope it won't spread from a minor cold to influenza, especially with the lambing keeping him busy and Great Aunt Eliza in the house."
From upstairs, a ringing bell sounded, catching all of their attention, except for Janet's, who sagged inwardly.
"What on earth is that?" Hetty questioned with a glance up the stairs.
"I'm coming!" Janet said in a high voice, getting up from her relaxed position. "Great Aunt Eliza is turning the household into a tizzy with that bell." Janet hissed for Hetty's ears only.
The bell sounded again.
"I'm coming!" Janet's high voice sailed up the stairs, this time with a hint of exasperation in it.
She disappeared upstairs, leaving Hetty and Daniel alone in the kitchen.
"Look, Daniel," Hetty cooed to her nephew, "a lambs' bottle." she said, pointing to the the bottle on the stove's top. Daniel looked at it eagerly with large, blue eyes.
A cold rush of air blew through the kitchen. Hetty shivered.
"Goodness, children," she told Sara and Felix as they quickly scampered for the warmth of the kitchen, "mind you close that door. Do you want Daniel to catch a chill?" she huffed.
Felix paid her no mind and reached for the cookie tin, while Sara made herself a steaming hot cup of cocoa. Hetty sneezed, which was quickly followed by a "bless you" from both children.
"I'm going back out to help with the lambing. Keep an eye on Daniel for me until your mother, Felix, comes back down. She's tending to Great Aunt Eliza." Hetty explained as she wrapped herself in a thick layer of shawls, sweaters and a scraggly barn coat. She picked up the lambs' bottle and headed out. "See you later in the barn."
"Yes, Aunt Hetty." Both children replied as she closed the door behind her.
Felix tore into his cookie. "Want one?" he offered his cousin the box full of delicacies.
"Sure. Here's a cup of hot chocolate. Be careful, don't spill it." Sara cautioned him.
Felix took the cup, and gingerly took a sip. "Mmm, that's good, Sara, you're a good cook." he told her.
Sara smiled. "Thanks, but I didn't make it. It was already on the stove. Aunt Janet probably made it."
Just then, Janet came down the stairs, eagerly awaiting her cup of tea, which had probably turned cold by now. As she almost reached for her tea, the irritating bell sounded again.
Daniel howled. Janet groaned, picked up the baby and chugged back up the stairs.
"I'm coming!" her high voice rang once again.
Sara and Felix both looked at Janet's retrieving back. "Poor Aunt Janet." Sara commented.
Felix said nothing, but pulled up a chair next to the stove. Next thing he hopped right on it, and, trying to balance his bulky weight on the wobbly chair, he reached for the handle on the stove pipe.
"Felix King, what are you doing?" Sara asked, wide eyed.
"Getting my room back." Felix replied, turning the handle on the stove pipe.
Sara stood aghast. "Felix, she'll freeze!" she said, imagining a blue Great Aunt Eliza the next morning.
Felix brushed aside her comment, jumped off the chair and quickly put it back in place before his mother came back down the stairs. He tugged Sara towards the door.
"C'mon, we've got chores to do." he said, making his escape to the barn.
He chuckled gleefully. That'll show the old aunt a thing or two. he thought, dreaming of his own warm bed that would soon be his again.
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