Chapter 1

Josie fidgeted in her seat with impatience and love. But mostly impatience.  A trying act for any child.

Finally, her sister Valerie appeared.  Her six year old twin swayed happily, a plastic tea pot in her hands. “My dear lords and ladies of the court.”  Val sat down amongst stuffed animals at the table. “I bring you the finest tea from the lands of India. For you my sister I spared absolutely no expense!”

Val poured water into the tea cup - water, because at the age of seven years old they didn’t know to make tea. The real thing smelled gross, but Josie wondered - it was just hot water, right? And one of those tea packages? Josie made a mental note to try it later. She loved to experiment. To discover. To figure things out.

Val dropped a sugar cube into each cup - one them and one for each stuffed animal at the table. But that left one sugar cube unused.

“You counted wrong.” Josie frowned.

“It’s just sugar!” Val dropped the remainder into Josie’s cup. The inconsistency made Josie squeamish.

Josie pulled her tea cup aside. “Let’s play Old Maid, Dad just taught me how yesterday- it’s really really fun-”

“But we’re entertaining guests.  Mr. Bear is terrible at games.  And he’s aghast at your manners!  We should at least have cake first.”

“But they don’t eat, Val. They’re just stuffed animals!” Josie unpackaged playing cards from the box. “They’re inanimate!”

“You are inanimate. Everybody eats. Especially Mr. Bearington. He loves honey.” Val crossed her arms. “Look you’ve hurt his feelings.”

Josie looked at the stuffed toys, staring blankly as they ever were.

For being twins, Val and Josie were more different than alike. They weren’t identical in any way - but sometimes she wished they were.  If Valerie looked like Josie - thought like Josie - then maybe she wouldn’t be so insufferable.

Val called Josie her best friend.  But she’d never understood how your sister could be both your sister and your best friend at the same time.  Especially when the older they became the less they understood one another.

Josie shuffled and dealt the cards. “You’re supposed to have three players for Old Maid but I think I can make it work with two.”

“It just has to be your way, doesn’t it?” Valerie huffed in defeat. Pushing away her tea cup and gathering her cards. “How hard is it?”

“Not hard at all.”

Val frowned at her cards. “That’s what you always say.”

The games were never hard.

Not for Josie.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2