An Unusual Guest

Lavender Lends A Hand

After moving out of her family's home in the bustling city of Goldenglen, Lavender Brownlee has been living on her own in the woods. From sleeping under the stars every night to exploring the plants and creatures out there, Lavender was delighted to be somewhere she had only read books about, and she wondered when she'd find something special out there. Sure, the forest was pretty enchanting for a city-girl like her, but she knew that she couldn't spend the rest of her life out there.

Now, Lavender didn't know that the Beardsley family lived in the forest, but that changed the same day that they went on their big walk. When a few drops of rain turned into a rainstorm, Lavender was frantically looking for some shelter when she saw a cottage in a clearing, which happened to be the Beardsley abode. Wanting to be polite, she knocked on the door and waited for a response, unaware that the owners were on a family walk. Giving into a rare burst of impatience, Lavender turned the knob before gasping when she realized that the door was unlocked, and she gulped as she let herself in before closing the door behind her and taking her shoes off.

Seeing a boot-mat by the door next to a coat-rack, she left her boots there before hanging her knapsack in the nearby closet, after which she looked around the house. The house looked quite cute with its old-fashioned upholstery and it's humble feel, and it felt like it fit the atmosphere of the forest pretty well. Even though she didn't want to leave too much evidence of her presence, Lavender figured that she could clean the house, thinking it would be a good way to thank the owners for helping her find shelter. With that, she set to work by cleaning everything from the cobwebs to the dishes, and even cleaning the couches and chairs.

Wanting to give the owners another thank-you gift, as well as a chance to possibly lighten their load, Lavender cooked up a delicious spaghetti dinner for them. Even though she didn't know exactly how many people lived in the house, she somehow made enough for all three of the Beardsleys, even opening the window to let the steam out along with the smell. As soon as everything was complete with the meal, she cleaned any dishes or utensils she had used while cooking before checking the bedrooms, since she hadn't been in them yet. After making the bed in the master bedroom, Lavender had just made the bed in the second bedroom when she heard the door start to open, causing her to gasp before hiding in a corner of the bedroom closet.