![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
witticasterPoe Family Adventures, little bit of story number 2! Not nearly so many notes as the last one, because I don't feel the need to restate. >> I'm still not entirely sure about posting these, but I'm assured by Pelly that it'll make them easier to find in general, and that much is true, so. ^^;;;
In this episode: the Poe family doesn't need a pet cat, because one of their kids already creeps around like one.
It was a Saturday afternoon in the Poe household, one of many crisp fall days which spoke of wintry things to come. Edgar, having received many good reviews on his latest book of poetry, was in an effervescent mood. For the moment, he had shut himself up alone to rework an essay and had not been seen in some hours. Virginia was doing the mending--how had her little Ed made so many tears in his clothing? it was a marvel--while Mamie read quietly aloud to herself from her First Reader, stumbling over words as she went. Little Ed amused himself with some blocks, and Sukey...well, Sukey had a habit of disappearing at odd moments to other parts of the house. Virginia was unworried; Susan's many scrapes were almost unfailingly public.
The wail that found Virginia's ears just as she finished off a seam that had come apart gave her a start. Wherever Susan had secreted herself, she had managed to land herself in one of the rare mishaps that didn't allow for an audience. Setting aside her things, Virginia followed the sound to the hall closet, her mouth a thin line.
She hadn't accidentally shut herself into the closet, at least, for the door was open a crack. The afternoon sun did little to illuminate the inside of the closet, for there was little light to be had in the narrow hallway, but Susan's stocking feet were clearly visible--as were her hands; a thin, dark rope; and Virginia's sewing shears. The rest of Susan, including her powerful lttle lungs, was far back enough in the gloom that she melded into the rest of the shadows.
Virginia crouched before her daughter, took the shears away, and quickly glanced over the blades in search of tell-tale blood. Finding none, she sighed in relief and pocketed them into her apron. At the same time, Susan reached for the small coil that also lay on her lap and drew it back into the darkness to her, as though certain her mother would lift to the dim light that bit of evidence next. Her loud sobs began to subside, lessening into little whimpers.
She likely would have, if not for a voice at her side. "What has Sukey done now, Mama?" Maria, as all elder sisters tend to be at a certain age, was preternaturally interested in the doings of her younger siblings, particularly when said siblings had landed themselves in some kind of predicament.
"Maria! Have you left your baby brother alone in a room with pins within his reach? Go and watch him!" Having effectively dispatched of the overly intrigued Mamie, Virginia turned her attention back to Susan. "Susan, come out of there and let me have a look at you."
"No!" was the defiant cry issued from behind one of Edgar's overcoats. And following on the word's heels was the far more weepily offered, "I--I didn't mean to! I thought it would--it would--"
Trying to take the gentlest tone she could, Virginia began again. "Susan, darling, please come out and let me see you."
The little girl paused a moment, considering her mother's request. "W-will you be mad?"
"Until I've seen you, I cannot say. Right now, I am very worried that you haven't come out to me." Virginia rocked back on her heels and waited. Only a few moments passed before the child scrambled up from her seat and dove at her mother. Virginia caught the girl in her arms and hugged her to her tightly, attempting at the same time to ascertain what exactly had put Susan in such a state.
One glance made clear what exactly had befallen the poor girl. Susan and Maria each wore their hair in two plaits hanging down their backs, in hopes of keeping it from tangles during the day. Half of Susan's hair remained braided as always, if rather mussed from creeping about; the other half stopped just at the nape of her neck, as neatly shorn as if someone had borrowed her mother's sewing scissors to do the job. And clutched tight in Susan's left hand, for Virginia could now feel it hanging down *her* back, was the errant plait.
"Oh, Susan! You've cut your *hair*?"
Susan pressed her face into her mother's shoulder. "I--I didn't think--I didn't think it would *stay* like this, Mama."
Virginia held her breath, for she was in great danger of laughing. With some effort--at five years, Susan was getting much too heavy for this treatment--she stood, girl in her arms, and headed to the master bedroom, which held the nearest mirror.
Unfortunately, the master bedroom was currently in use as a writing den of sorts. Virginia tapped at the door and prayed that the writing was going well at the moment; two upset family members at once was no treat in this house. "Eddy, may we come in? There's been a small mishap." Susan sniffled at her mother's shoulder, as though to emphasize the point.
There was no answer for several moments, and then a gruff, "Come in." That particular tone betrayed neither a good nor poor disposition, and so Virginia opened the door and entered with some trepidation.
To her relief, there was no ill will in her husband's face, only the slight frown that came of wrestling with words. "What has our Susan gotten herself into this time?" he inquired, apparently blind to the fact that his daughter had only one tail of hair dangling down her back as opposed to the usual two.
"Susan, tell Papa what you have done."
Susan relinquished her hold on her mother, who set the girl down on the floor. Twisting the truncated braid between her small hands, she spoke in a most abashed voice. "I--I cut my hair, Papa." She added, teary dark eyes wide, "But I didn't think it would stay like this! I'm sorry--I didn't mean to--"
A flash of understanding crossed his face, and he began to laugh. A good minute passed as Edgar failed to withstand the desire his wife had managed. Finally, when he could speak without the tint of amusement in her voice, he looked at the little rope clutched in her hands, and then to his wife. "What are you going to make of this?"
"I'm afraid we will have to cut the other one off, too," Virginia replied gravely. "I brought her in here that we might do it without Maria's gawking."
Susan looked stricken, as well as on the verge of another waterfall of tears. "No! Puh-puh-people will thuh-think I am little Ed! I don't wuh-want to look like a boy!"
"Hush, Sukey, big girls don't cry over such a trifle," Virginia said, patting the girl's head. She looked to Edgar and bit her lip. "By all rights, we should. People will talk if she goes about half-bald..."
He considered and shrugged. "Let them. We will know what's become of Little One-Plait here; if she finds the idea agreeable, I have no objections." And if Susan found the idea agreeable, it would save everyone involved a headache from the inevitable weeping that would come of losing not half, but all, of her hair in the span of ten minutes.
Virginia knelt before the girl and turned her until they were looking at each other eye to eye. "Susan? If we do not snip your other plait, do you promise never to play with Mama's shears again?"
Susan, who had quieted once more to the occasional tearstained sniffle, nodded. "I'm sorry I played with them at all, Mama."
"Then I think you've been punished enough, Miss Sukey," her mother replied, smiling slightly. "Let us go and see what Mamie and little Ed have been up to during your little catastrophe."
Edgar shut the door behind the two as they left and hoped that this meant that there would be no further distractions from beyond the bedroom cutting into his concentration. And there nearly weren't, that day, save the astounded shout from Maria which came only a few seconds after mother and daughter exited: "Sukey! You're half bald!"
In this episode: the Poe family doesn't need a pet cat, because one of their kids already creeps around like one.
It was a Saturday afternoon in the Poe household, one of many crisp fall days which spoke of wintry things to come. Edgar, having received many good reviews on his latest book of poetry, was in an effervescent mood. For the moment, he had shut himself up alone to rework an essay and had not been seen in some hours. Virginia was doing the mending--how had her little Ed made so many tears in his clothing? it was a marvel--while Mamie read quietly aloud to herself from her First Reader, stumbling over words as she went. Little Ed amused himself with some blocks, and Sukey...well, Sukey had a habit of disappearing at odd moments to other parts of the house. Virginia was unworried; Susan's many scrapes were almost unfailingly public.
The wail that found Virginia's ears just as she finished off a seam that had come apart gave her a start. Wherever Susan had secreted herself, she had managed to land herself in one of the rare mishaps that didn't allow for an audience. Setting aside her things, Virginia followed the sound to the hall closet, her mouth a thin line.
She hadn't accidentally shut herself into the closet, at least, for the door was open a crack. The afternoon sun did little to illuminate the inside of the closet, for there was little light to be had in the narrow hallway, but Susan's stocking feet were clearly visible--as were her hands; a thin, dark rope; and Virginia's sewing shears. The rest of Susan, including her powerful lttle lungs, was far back enough in the gloom that she melded into the rest of the shadows.
Virginia crouched before her daughter, took the shears away, and quickly glanced over the blades in search of tell-tale blood. Finding none, she sighed in relief and pocketed them into her apron. At the same time, Susan reached for the small coil that also lay on her lap and drew it back into the darkness to her, as though certain her mother would lift to the dim light that bit of evidence next. Her loud sobs began to subside, lessening into little whimpers.
She likely would have, if not for a voice at her side. "What has Sukey done now, Mama?" Maria, as all elder sisters tend to be at a certain age, was preternaturally interested in the doings of her younger siblings, particularly when said siblings had landed themselves in some kind of predicament.
"Maria! Have you left your baby brother alone in a room with pins within his reach? Go and watch him!" Having effectively dispatched of the overly intrigued Mamie, Virginia turned her attention back to Susan. "Susan, come out of there and let me have a look at you."
"No!" was the defiant cry issued from behind one of Edgar's overcoats. And following on the word's heels was the far more weepily offered, "I--I didn't mean to! I thought it would--it would--"
Trying to take the gentlest tone she could, Virginia began again. "Susan, darling, please come out and let me see you."
The little girl paused a moment, considering her mother's request. "W-will you be mad?"
"Until I've seen you, I cannot say. Right now, I am very worried that you haven't come out to me." Virginia rocked back on her heels and waited. Only a few moments passed before the child scrambled up from her seat and dove at her mother. Virginia caught the girl in her arms and hugged her to her tightly, attempting at the same time to ascertain what exactly had put Susan in such a state.
One glance made clear what exactly had befallen the poor girl. Susan and Maria each wore their hair in two plaits hanging down their backs, in hopes of keeping it from tangles during the day. Half of Susan's hair remained braided as always, if rather mussed from creeping about; the other half stopped just at the nape of her neck, as neatly shorn as if someone had borrowed her mother's sewing scissors to do the job. And clutched tight in Susan's left hand, for Virginia could now feel it hanging down *her* back, was the errant plait.
"Oh, Susan! You've cut your *hair*?"
Susan pressed her face into her mother's shoulder. "I--I didn't think--I didn't think it would *stay* like this, Mama."
Virginia held her breath, for she was in great danger of laughing. With some effort--at five years, Susan was getting much too heavy for this treatment--she stood, girl in her arms, and headed to the master bedroom, which held the nearest mirror.
Unfortunately, the master bedroom was currently in use as a writing den of sorts. Virginia tapped at the door and prayed that the writing was going well at the moment; two upset family members at once was no treat in this house. "Eddy, may we come in? There's been a small mishap." Susan sniffled at her mother's shoulder, as though to emphasize the point.
There was no answer for several moments, and then a gruff, "Come in." That particular tone betrayed neither a good nor poor disposition, and so Virginia opened the door and entered with some trepidation.
To her relief, there was no ill will in her husband's face, only the slight frown that came of wrestling with words. "What has our Susan gotten herself into this time?" he inquired, apparently blind to the fact that his daughter had only one tail of hair dangling down her back as opposed to the usual two.
"Susan, tell Papa what you have done."
Susan relinquished her hold on her mother, who set the girl down on the floor. Twisting the truncated braid between her small hands, she spoke in a most abashed voice. "I--I cut my hair, Papa." She added, teary dark eyes wide, "But I didn't think it would stay like this! I'm sorry--I didn't mean to--"
A flash of understanding crossed his face, and he began to laugh. A good minute passed as Edgar failed to withstand the desire his wife had managed. Finally, when he could speak without the tint of amusement in her voice, he looked at the little rope clutched in her hands, and then to his wife. "What are you going to make of this?"
"I'm afraid we will have to cut the other one off, too," Virginia replied gravely. "I brought her in here that we might do it without Maria's gawking."
Susan looked stricken, as well as on the verge of another waterfall of tears. "No! Puh-puh-people will thuh-think I am little Ed! I don't wuh-want to look like a boy!"
"Hush, Sukey, big girls don't cry over such a trifle," Virginia said, patting the girl's head. She looked to Edgar and bit her lip. "By all rights, we should. People will talk if she goes about half-bald..."
He considered and shrugged. "Let them. We will know what's become of Little One-Plait here; if she finds the idea agreeable, I have no objections." And if Susan found the idea agreeable, it would save everyone involved a headache from the inevitable weeping that would come of losing not half, but all, of her hair in the span of ten minutes.
Virginia knelt before the girl and turned her until they were looking at each other eye to eye. "Susan? If we do not snip your other plait, do you promise never to play with Mama's shears again?"
Susan, who had quieted once more to the occasional tearstained sniffle, nodded. "I'm sorry I played with them at all, Mama."
"Then I think you've been punished enough, Miss Sukey," her mother replied, smiling slightly. "Let us go and see what Mamie and little Ed have been up to during your little catastrophe."
Edgar shut the door behind the two as they left and hoped that this meant that there would be no further distractions from beyond the bedroom cutting into his concentration. And there nearly weren't, that day, save the astounded shout from Maria which came only a few seconds after mother and daughter exited: "Sukey! You're half bald!"
