Burrow

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"Remember, there is food in the cupboard, and Ollie needs his cream on his arm, he has a rash." Mom fussed.

"I can do my cream! Neville bear will teach me, won't you, Neville Bear?" Ollie cried, clutching his favorite teddy. It was brown and cute, but he carried it everywhere. He was a little old for that, wasn't he?

"No, you can't, honey. Last time, you let the cream dry in your hair, and it wouldn't get out in the shower. Ollie, let Nell do your cream. Oh, and put the Red Ribbons on the door at three o'clock exactly. We'll be home at five."

"Why, exactly?" I asked.

"Keeps the ghouls out." Grunted Dad.

"Are you sure that letting them watch Ollie is a good idea?" Mom had her crease above her eyebrows. I could tell she didn't trust me to watch Ollie, especially with my newest neighbor, Mark. Moms had a way of seeing situations that were not going to happen. I would make sure I that, I wasn't going do anything with Mark when we weren't even close to dating. Besides, Ollie was there!

"Mom, take a chill pill." I told her.

"What?! Nelly Violet Karter, are you telling me to take nonprescription pills?"

"Mom, it's an expression. And it just means to relax. Ollie will be fine, you're only going out for a few hours. I'm responsible. It's no big deal, so let Jim enjoy his soccer." She visibly relaxed. If I had any other parents, maybe they wouldn't let me do this. But I'd proven myself, time and time again, and usually I was as mature as my parents.

"Bye!" I called to them as they nodded and left me.

"Smell you later!" Shouted the soccer bound Jim.

I waved. I couldn't wait to have some fun, take care of my brother, and show that I could be responsible and level headed no matter what.

Then I turned to Ollie.

"Do you wanna have a picnic outside?" I asked him.

"Oh, you bet I do! I want ice cream and chocolate and sugar and cookies!" I laughed.

"Well, we do have a box of cookies. Let's do it."

I rummaged through the boxes I had upstairs, and pulled out a box of cookies happily from the cardboard. I always packed my own snacks so Jim couldn't get to them.

And these were chocolate chip, my all time favorite. I wasn't sure I wanted to share, but...who better to share with then Mark and Ollie?

I never even made it down the stairs before Ollie pounced.

He literally leapt up from three steps below, snatched the cookies out of my fingers, tore open the packaging, with his teeth, no less, and began to gobble up as many cookies as his mouth could hold.

"Ollie, quit it!" I told him. He ran off with the cookies, out the door. Where Mark was waiting.

Mark intercepted Ollie, and glanced at the cookie box.

"If he ate that much sugar, he'll be bouncing off the walls in a few minutes." Mark theorized.

"Well," I put my hand on my hip, "he needs to calm down. I really don't want to do this, but he needs a time out. Let's take him to the very edge of the woods, so we can see him, but he's far away from any more snacks." I decided.

I gingerly lifted the cookies from Ollie's crumb coated fingers. Some babysitter I was. He'd eaten eight!

"I don't want to go in the scary woods!" Ollie whined.