Little Sinclair (Moonlight Tales Presents)

Rosy

A bowl of oats. That was the solution to any problem.

Steady drizzles made the lawn give a funny squelching sound each time someone ran across it. One-third of the pavement was already dotted with rainwater that looked like tiny bubbles and those parts were much colder than the rest. A steady breeze blew that occasionally nudged the multicolored beach ball into a brief roll and sent lightweight things tumbling along on the grass.

From the safe side of the pavement where he lounged on a luxurious mat, Sinclair watched the weather turn even grayer with lashing rain, munching on some oats Matilde had served him not too long ago. He had followed her to the pantry to get them out and nearly believed he died and went to food heaven. The Hopkins's pantry could make any supermarket feel like a disgrace.

Just like the weather, Sinclair felt gloomy.

He overheard some of the staff saying that Matilde was going to be replaced. He had been unsure at first, until Mrs Hopkins said so herself. Another thing he was unsure of was who her replacement would be, what they would be like and how they would treat him. He really liked Matilde. He preferred her to any kind of replacement Prim and Honey could find.

As he sat there, wondering a thousand things back and forth, he noticed that the rain had stopped. His bowl of oats were empty. Good thing he no longer yearned for more. He was full to the point of feeling bloated. He lapped up as much water to his satisfaction, then sat up and stretched. Leah was away for the afternoon. She had gone with her father to the hospital for another test. In spite of the numerous treatments, he saw no tangible improvements in her health; only that on some days she looked pale and pink as a flamingo on others.

The sound of more squelching made him lift his gaze and saw two approaching pairs. The first pair was Eloise in the company of Maxie. The second was Rosy led by a young girl about half Eloise's height. She wore her dark hair in a long ponytail and her roundish face was strewn with dark freckles.

"Look, it's Sinclair." Eloise said, beaming.

As they came up to the pavement, Prim appeared in the doorway accompanied by the staff.

"Good day, Mrs Hopkins." The shorter girl greeted.

"Joey!" Prim exclaimed, looking astonished. "Good to see you. Look how tall you've gotten. How long ago was that trip?"

The visitors came up to the pavement. Sinclair recoiled as Rosy and Maxie walked up to him.

"Hi." Greeted Rosy, quite sheepishly.

"H-Hey." Sinclair stuttered. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Came to pay the lil sick Hopkins girl a visit." Maxie clarified. "We're neighbors after all, won't be nice if we didn't stop by to see how she was doing after all them feast they share with us in those big groovy parties. News is lil Hopkins got a nasty flu down in Looks 'em Burg."

"Luxembourg." Rosy corrected with a chuckle. "That's how it's pronounced."

"What do I know about how to look a Burg?!" The dog scoffed. "That ain't none of my business."

Rosy faced Sinclair. "Felix would've come too, but the Murphys are leaving for a business trip and he's gonna go with them."

Maxie went over to sniff the inside of the empty bowl on Sinclair's mat. "What is it you was eating?"

"Um, dried oats."

The Great Dane made a whooping sound. "You must be having one hell of a good day, ain't ya, Sinclair boy? These oats might be gone, but they smell good. Say, don't the Hopkins wanna share some with us? All I got for breakfast was chicken. Same as yesterday morning. I want me some oats, some o' that condensed milk with the. . ."