Will You Fall?

Chapter 3

Celandine slept in a little later than usual, she quickly remembered the dream she just had before it slipped away into the black abyss of her mind. She vaguely remembered a garden pathway and she could recall wearing an expensive sundress, but the most vivid memory of the dream was a pair of dazzling blue eyes looking back at her. She looked up to see Stephen smearing jelly on bread, Buckley peering over his puzzle with a firm look of concentration, and the girls were knitting away furiously.

"Good Morning, why didn't anyone wake me up?" Celandine asked quizzically.

"We wanted to let you sleep." Stephen said nonchalantly not looking up from sandwich making. "Oh, um well thanks I guess." She said not being use to sleeping in so late though it was only eight in the morning. "Here, I made you a sandwich." Stephen said brining Celandine a messily prepared PB&J. "Thanks, I don't think I eaten this consecutively in ages." She joked taking a large bite.

"Cel, your not going out today right?" Anne asked not looking up from her stitches. "Nope, it's bath day." Celandine said finishing her sandwich quickly. The only good thing about winter is that they have endless amounts of bath water. "C'mon guys out on your coats, we're heading out." Celandine said pulling on her coat.

"Oh Cel here, Anne and I made them for you." Mary said walking up to Celandine handing her a pair of blue and red gloves. "Aww, thanks guys; my other gloves were falling apart." She said pulling them into her hands then inspecting them carefully.

Soon they all had their coats on and whatever raggedy hats they could salvage and walked out to the clearing where a fresh blanket of snow had built up over the past few days.

"Okay, Anne and Mary, you can start shoveling snow in the buckets over there while Stephen and I start shoveling snow into the metal basin tubs." Celandine ordered. What Celandine loved was that the others listened to what she said effortlessly; they trusted her with everything, and that terrified her. Buckley was still to young to do much manual labor, plus it was cold so he was off to the side building a snow castle. They had two metal basins to share between them and four large metal buckets to fill with snow; two could bathe at a time so they filled the basins with snow and the buckets with snow so they could have enough water. Celandine always let the others bathe first and she usually took her bath time after the others went to bed and got her own snow. Stephen already had a basin filled halfway with snow, though it wasn't a cold day it was obvious he was anxious to get back inside.

"Hey Cel, why don't you go get some more soap; I don't think we have enough for all of us and since we have enough cash until tomorrow-" Stephen said stopping himself short. "Yeah that's what I was thinking, but don't you need help?" She asked not wanting to leave Stephen with all the heavy lifting. "It'll be fine, I can handle it." He assured. "Okay well I'll say bye to the others and be right back." Celandine stood up brushing the snow off her gloves before shouting to the others that she's be back in a bit and that she loved them.

With her bag held tightly over her shoulder, Celandine entered the warm convenience store. Quiet elevator type music was playing throughout the store as she made her was to the hygiene section. She quickly grabbed the cheapest bar of soap she could find and a small bottle of shampoo and conditioner in one. They still had two cans of spaghetios so she wouldn't have to buy any food. She looked down toward the blue and white tiles sporadically placed around the store, that blue isn't nearly as nice as those blue eyes she saw just a day ago. Celandine zoned out slightly at the haunting thought of maybe one day seeing those same translucent blue eyes again?; her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the cashier who had cleared their throat.

"Sorry, um what was the total?" She asked taking a few crumpled bills from her coat pocket.

"$6.24" Said the cashier bluntly. Celandine quickly handed the cashier the money, grabbed her change and her bag and walked out the door, her head down.

It was twilight when Celandine made it back to "The Burrow" and she kicked herself for being later that she originally excepted.

"Hey Cel, the waters almost done, here's your serving." Stephen said passing her a bowl of circular noodles.

"Thanks, oh and here's the soap and stuff." She said tossing the bag over his way. Buckley was perched over his puzzle, he was already almost halfway done. Anne and Mary were reading silently. "Finish your work from yesterday?" Celandine asked reaching for their workbooks stacked neatly of the ground nearest the "couch".

"Yeah, we finished a while ago." Said Anne looking up from her book only slightly. Celandine looked over the kids work and finished eating only to stop to help Buckley with his bath. She was reading now because Stephen had graciously offered to put the kids to bed, which wasn't very hard but still. "Okay Cel, the tubs all yours I'm gonna sleep." Stephen yawned out climbing under his covers. "Okay, thanks Stev." Celandine walked over to the tub now filled with lukewarm water; about a half an hour ago she had went out to fill it with snow. She wasn't to conscious about her body, the bunch were all basically her family and they always promised not to look. Besides Celandine always bathed on the other side of the couch away from the beds. She stripped down cringing at the dirtiness of her body. Quickly she stepped into the water trying to warm up her nude body. The soap suds were struggling to stay too long and were leaving invisible streaks on her body but she was getting clean non the less. The scene was all very cozy and there was a feeling as if it came from a painting. The tin was reflecting the glow of the lights and her hair was wet and dripping down her back; it wasn't really provocative as much as it was artistic. The dim light made the shack look bigger and her silhouette danced on the walls and the floor; the only noises heard were of quiet breath and the sloshing of water. The water turned cold as Celandine finished washing her hair and rinsing off the suds. She dried off quickly with a thin, torn towel and threw on her only thick nightgown. With her long hair in a braid she dumped the water out the door away from the entrance so no one would trip on ice, and quickly climbed into her small bed trying to find salvation from the cold. Maybe tomorrow she would stumble upon a familiar pair of blue eyes.