When a woman moves into the sleepy town, it rouses everyone's tongues to start wagging. She is strange and distant in her manner. Tia Frost is blissfully unaware of the townsfolk's discomfort with her. With Burt at her side, she wonders about the wo...
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She's fallen asleep now. She must have been tired! I wish I had more but... I suppose I will have to wait until she's awake before I get answers.
I picked up one of the books from the pile near me and opened it on the title page. My eyes grew heavy as I reached chapter 12. A sound drew my attention over to Tia who was shifting and clutching Tobin. She must be
having a nightmare. Do I intervene or...
She opened her eyes and looked around the room. "You were dreaming Tia."
She looked over at me and then scanned the room again before settling back down with Tobin. She was asleep again in minutes. I went back to my book and was asleep before the end of the second page.
***
My eyes came open at the warm feeling next to me. I moved the book from my chest and looked down. Tobin was lying on me staring up at me. "Tobin? What are you doing there?"
"Waking you up." Tia said.
I looked over to the makeshift kitchen. Tia was standing there staring at a pot. "What's for breakfast?"
"Beans and sausage with buttered bread. Did you sleep well?"
Tobin was still laying on me and I tried to sit up. "Don't move... you will scare it." Tobin sounded... playful.
"Please don't tell me it's a spider."
Tia laughed. "No Maverick, not a spider, a centipede."
"Great! Can't you capture it in a jar and keep it as a pet?"
Tobin frowned. "It's an insect, not a dog"
I smiled at him. "I used to have a pet stick insect. I think a centipede would make a much better pet than a stick insect."
Tia brought over a jar and handed it to him. "Do it slowly." She said watching the thing intently.
Tobin moved slowly, putting the jar down on the floor next to me. I shifted now Tobin wasn't on my chest. Tobin had the centipede in the jar and had his hand over the bottom of it holding it down. He watched the centipede run around the edge of the jar looking for a way out. "Maverick will help you turn the jar over. You will need to read that book I gave you before it gets hungry."
Tia went back to cooking and I found an old bit of card and helped Tobin turn the jar over slowly so it ran to the bottom. "We need to make some holes in the lid so it can breathe. Then we need your book to make his house better for it."
Tobin smiled watching the centipede. I looked at the lid of the jar and pulled out my pen knife. I used the corkscrew to poke small holes in the metal lid and screwed it into the jar. Tobin brought the book over and opened it to the centipede page. He sat on my lap and started reading it to me.
After a few minutes, Tia brought us both a plate and a cup. "I could get used to this." I said waving my cup at Tia.
Tia smiled walking back to the kitchen for her breakfast. Tobin moved to lying on the floor and was eating while staring at his new pet. Tia came back with her plate and sat on her blankets. "Are you feeling better?" I asked.
