Post by greenie on Dec 10, 2009 21:34:43 GMT 10
Title: Sisters
Rating: G
Prompt: Family
Summary: Little Goodwin wants to play sisters, and she knows just how to get her way.
“Hey Uncle Matty, are you actually my uncle?”
He smiled as she bounced around his rooms. “No,” he told her. “I’ve just been friends with your parents for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Your mama and I used to be street partners together, like Beka is my partner now. We first started that about twenty years ago.”
“That’s even older than me!”
He tweaked her nose. “I know.”
“Uncle Matty, I wish you were my big sister.”
He burst out laughing. “Little, that’s impossible.”
“We can pretend.”
“I’m not even a girl. Why don’t we do something else, like pretend to be dogs? I’ll teach you how to growl. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.” He swooped in and tickled her but she took a step back and crossed her arms.
“I want to play sisters, and I’ll throw a tantrum if you say no.”
“Hey, no tantrums!” he protested. “You’re supposed to be good while your parents are off getting your Midwinter presents.” She pouted at him and he gave in. “Only for a little while then.”
“You’ll play dress ups with me too?”
“Dress ups? There’s nothing to dress up in.”
“Aunty Sabine has lots of dresses and things in the chest in your bedroom. I found them when I was hiding there.”
“No,” he insisted. “We’re not touching Aunty Sabine’s things. They’re hers.”
“She won’t mind! She’s let me try her jewellery on before.”
Mattes shook his head at her. “No. I’m not playing dress ups, and especially not with Sabine’s things.”
Little Goodwin pouted. “I’ll throw a really big tantrum,” she threatened.
“We can do something else and have lots of fun,” Mattes tried.
Little just took a big mouthful of air and then fixed her eyes on Mattes. His eyes widened. “You’re not doing that again! Your mama told me about that one, you little mumper.” She just stared at him, not breathing, her face turning red. He let out a string of curses in Hurdik. “Come on Little, just breathe. You’re being ducknobbed. We can do something else fun instead.” The little girl kept on stubbornly staring at him. He tried tickling her, and then picked her up and shook her gently, and then tried tipping her upside down to see if that would either make her breathe without thinking or make her laugh. Apparently she had an iron will just like her ma. He set her back down again and saw that her face was purple by now. No wonder Tom had said Clary was beside herself when Little had deliberately made herself faint; he had no idea what to do, and Little was starting to sway on her feet now. “Fine,” he said, desperate. “I’ll do it.”
She immediately let out the air she was holding and took in a fresh breath. “There,” she said, and gave him a satisfied smile. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
……………………………………
They both heard the knock on the door and Little Goodwin beamed. “I’ll get it!”
“No!” said Mattes, horrified. “Not yet, Little!” She was running for the door, tripping over the skirts as they trailed on the floor and the large shoes on her feet. “CLARY, DON’T COME IN!” he bellowed.
It was too late; Little was already pulling the door open. “Hello Mama, hello Da! Me and Uncle Matty were playing sisters, and we dressed up and it was lots of fun!”
Clary and Tom both stared at her. She was dressed in an adult’s dress with ribbons all through her hair, and face paints caked onto her face. Necklaces were piled around her neck and bracelets snaked all the way up her arms. “Look at my face paints!” she said. “Don’t I look grown up? Uncle Matty did them, and I did his and it was lots of fun.”
“You put face paints on Uncle Matty?”
“I don’t know how you two managed to breed such a little monster,” said Mattes.
Clary and Tom both looked up to see him standing in the doorway, dressed up and decorated much the same as Little – except the face paints looked even worse. They burst out laughing and he rolled his eyes.
“She tried the fainting thing,” he complained.
Clary was laughing so hard that there were tears running down her face. Tom chuckled and scooped up his little daughter. “You’re a right little mumper,” he told her.
“The style of that dress suits you well,” Clary managed between gasps. “Gods, I wish Beka and Sabine were here to see this.” She wiped at her eyes, composing herself.
Mattes ignored her. “You might want to get the monster in the bath. I’m getting out of these things.”
Clary gave him a sly grin. “I see Sabine’s leaving herself some spare things at your place now.”
Mattes scowled at her. “I’ve already been tormented by the little version of you all afternoon. This is too much for one day,” he complained, and shut himself in the bedroom to change.
“I had lots of fun,” announced Little, “but Uncle Matty sulks too much when we play sisters.”
Rating: G
Prompt: Family
Summary: Little Goodwin wants to play sisters, and she knows just how to get her way.
“Hey Uncle Matty, are you actually my uncle?”
He smiled as she bounced around his rooms. “No,” he told her. “I’ve just been friends with your parents for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Your mama and I used to be street partners together, like Beka is my partner now. We first started that about twenty years ago.”
“That’s even older than me!”
He tweaked her nose. “I know.”
“Uncle Matty, I wish you were my big sister.”
He burst out laughing. “Little, that’s impossible.”
“We can pretend.”
“I’m not even a girl. Why don’t we do something else, like pretend to be dogs? I’ll teach you how to growl. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.” He swooped in and tickled her but she took a step back and crossed her arms.
“I want to play sisters, and I’ll throw a tantrum if you say no.”
“Hey, no tantrums!” he protested. “You’re supposed to be good while your parents are off getting your Midwinter presents.” She pouted at him and he gave in. “Only for a little while then.”
“You’ll play dress ups with me too?”
“Dress ups? There’s nothing to dress up in.”
“Aunty Sabine has lots of dresses and things in the chest in your bedroom. I found them when I was hiding there.”
“No,” he insisted. “We’re not touching Aunty Sabine’s things. They’re hers.”
“She won’t mind! She’s let me try her jewellery on before.”
Mattes shook his head at her. “No. I’m not playing dress ups, and especially not with Sabine’s things.”
Little Goodwin pouted. “I’ll throw a really big tantrum,” she threatened.
“We can do something else and have lots of fun,” Mattes tried.
Little just took a big mouthful of air and then fixed her eyes on Mattes. His eyes widened. “You’re not doing that again! Your mama told me about that one, you little mumper.” She just stared at him, not breathing, her face turning red. He let out a string of curses in Hurdik. “Come on Little, just breathe. You’re being ducknobbed. We can do something else fun instead.” The little girl kept on stubbornly staring at him. He tried tickling her, and then picked her up and shook her gently, and then tried tipping her upside down to see if that would either make her breathe without thinking or make her laugh. Apparently she had an iron will just like her ma. He set her back down again and saw that her face was purple by now. No wonder Tom had said Clary was beside herself when Little had deliberately made herself faint; he had no idea what to do, and Little was starting to sway on her feet now. “Fine,” he said, desperate. “I’ll do it.”
She immediately let out the air she was holding and took in a fresh breath. “There,” she said, and gave him a satisfied smile. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
……………………………………
They both heard the knock on the door and Little Goodwin beamed. “I’ll get it!”
“No!” said Mattes, horrified. “Not yet, Little!” She was running for the door, tripping over the skirts as they trailed on the floor and the large shoes on her feet. “CLARY, DON’T COME IN!” he bellowed.
It was too late; Little was already pulling the door open. “Hello Mama, hello Da! Me and Uncle Matty were playing sisters, and we dressed up and it was lots of fun!”
Clary and Tom both stared at her. She was dressed in an adult’s dress with ribbons all through her hair, and face paints caked onto her face. Necklaces were piled around her neck and bracelets snaked all the way up her arms. “Look at my face paints!” she said. “Don’t I look grown up? Uncle Matty did them, and I did his and it was lots of fun.”
“You put face paints on Uncle Matty?”
“I don’t know how you two managed to breed such a little monster,” said Mattes.
Clary and Tom both looked up to see him standing in the doorway, dressed up and decorated much the same as Little – except the face paints looked even worse. They burst out laughing and he rolled his eyes.
“She tried the fainting thing,” he complained.
Clary was laughing so hard that there were tears running down her face. Tom chuckled and scooped up his little daughter. “You’re a right little mumper,” he told her.
“The style of that dress suits you well,” Clary managed between gasps. “Gods, I wish Beka and Sabine were here to see this.” She wiped at her eyes, composing herself.
Mattes ignored her. “You might want to get the monster in the bath. I’m getting out of these things.”
Clary gave him a sly grin. “I see Sabine’s leaving herself some spare things at your place now.”
Mattes scowled at her. “I’ve already been tormented by the little version of you all afternoon. This is too much for one day,” he complained, and shut himself in the bedroom to change.
“I had lots of fun,” announced Little, “but Uncle Matty sulks too much when we play sisters.”