"You are the worst boy, Theodore Laurence."
--
For centuries, humankind has used the stars. Whether it be for navigating across unfamiliar oceans, for preserving myths and legends of great heroes who were bestowed a spot in the heavens by the gods...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
---
IN TYPICAL JO fashion, the tall and awkward girl rushed into the crowded parlor on the night before New Year's Eve with a purpose.
This specific evening, Marmee and Mr. March had retired to their bedroom, while Meg, Charlotte, Beth and Amy reclined in the parlor and tended to the fire. Jo had gone gallivanting off with Laurie and the house had fallen into a pleasantly quiet routine. Meg lit a little lamp beside her as she added on to the pair of mittens she was knitting and Charlotte sat beside her with her constellation book spread open on her lap. She unspooled the yarn for Meg every couple of minutes as she flipped page after page of her book. Her fingers were itching for the feeling of the telescope beneath them, but every time she lifted it from its box and decided to set up her observatory in the garden, her eyes would blur and make the dazzling night sky morph into a dark, indescribable blob. It was driving her mad, so she resigned herself to muddle through her book and wait for her eyes to clear. Beth and Amy relaxed on the floor beside Meg and Charlotte, playing with a chipped tea set that Amy adored. Beth was dressing her porcelain doll in a new dress she had fashioned out of scraps of an old scarf and giving compliments to Amy about her tea and the delicious spread of jam and toast she had gathered from the kitchen.
The four of them barely spoke as they listened to the crackle of the fire in the fireplace and the clinking of Meg's knitting needles, but as Jo burst into the room, the quiet bubble of serenitywas burst and the air filled with commotion. She didn't bother to shed her woolen hat or brush the wild curls from her eyes as she shouted at a glass-rattling volume, "A party at the Laurence's! We've all been invited!"
"A party?" Amy shot to her feet excitedly and clasped her hands together as she tried to contain herself. The tea laid forgotten on the floor, dangerously close to spilling over and staining Marmee's beloved rug.
"What do you mean, Jo?" Asked Beth. Her face held a flash of fear as she met her older sister's eyes. While Amy was delighted at the mention of a party, Beth was visibly less so.
"Mr. Laurence is hosting a party tomorrow evening— on New Years Eve— and he's invited us all!" Jo whipped an invitation from her pocket and waved it around.
Amy snatched it from her grasp and read it over. Once she was done she let out a gleeful shout. "Oh my! What a surprise!"
Meg took it from her afterwards and she and Charlotte read the elegant cursive together. To Charlotte, the party sounded like a fine idea and she happily passed the letter back to Amy, who was squealing with happiness.
"Do we all have to go?" Beth murmured as she clutched her doll to her chest. Nervousness was written all over her troubled face as she thought about having to attend with so many other people.
"The old gentleman didn't say, but he loves you so Beth. I'm sure he understands." Jo said, collapsing onto the sofa and throwing her arms around Meg and Charlotte's shoulders. Beth nodded quietly and went back to playing with her doll, her mood slightly dulled by the anxieties that came with parties and crowds.
