Standin' on Their Own Two Feet.
And Ringin' on Their Own Bells
“Girls should be strong together. Strong like steel, merry like the tinkling of chimes dancing in the wind.”
Halbrook, Kristin. (2013). Nobody But Us. Harper Collins.
__________
“Don't you ever run off like that again, Jenny!” scolded Kaitlyn, roughly grabbing Jacob by his chubby, little hand. “You scared us to death! You know you can't just play outside without supervision. There's bad people in the world. You have to get permission from me or Emily or mom. We're only looking out for you, okay? Now come on back inside. I promise, I'll play with you and spend some good quality time with you. I know it can get boring being locked up indoors all day. But we'll have fun together, right?”
Jacob looked up at Emily's kid sister, dumbfounded.
Somehow, the Toroid of Transformation had changed him into Kaitlyn's kid sister!
Not only was he a little girl, he'd also now become one of the fiery, red-headed Johnson girls – the youngest apparently.
“I'm only three,” he muttered aloud.
Whoa, thought Jacob. Where did that come from?
“I know, Jenny,” said Kaitlyn encouragingly. “You're a big girl. Your no longer in diapers, and in a few years you'll be starting school. But trust me: you still need your big sisters to look out for you. Now come on and let's go inside. I'll play stuffed animals with you? Or tea party? Or we can pop in one of your movies. Uh … wanna watch Little Mermaid,Sleeping Beauty, or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time?”
Jacob found himself giggling.
“That one is your movie – not me!” he laughed. “I wanna see Frozen.”
Kaitlyn's impatient sigh made it clear that film rated quite low on her scale of what is endurable for a girl her own age.
But why did Jacob want to see it so badly? It made no sense. He was fifteen-year old boy, mostly interested in comic books, science fiction, and the various other stupid, dumb stinky trappings of adolescent boys. Yucky! He wanted to dress up as a princess and sip chocolate milk while watching Frozen with his big sister, Kaitlyn.
“I'm Jenny!” he chirped suddenly.
“Uh … yeah, right,” replied Kaitlyn. “Me Tarzan; You Jane. Got it, kiddo. Look, let's do something other than watch movies. We'll play dolls, okay? But first let's get inside. Mom will kill me if she finds out I let you wander outdoors without supervision.”
“I'm a three year old girl named Jenny,” Jacob said, as he passively permitted Kaitlyn to shepherd him back into the Johnson family home. “I love princess movies. And playing with dolls. And coloring in my coloring books. And … what's happening to me, Kaitlyn?”
“Search me,” shrugged Kaitlyn indifferently. “Maybe you're becoming a weirdo like me, Jenny. The world needs level-headed types like dad, furious enforcers of the law like mom, vain prima donnas like Emily, and freaky crackpots like you and me. Go ahead and keep on being yourself: that's my advice.”
“B-B-But … Kaitlyn: I-I-I'm a big girl now. Not a little baby. Except … I can't read 'n write! My favorite color is pink. I sleep with a teddy bear and play with dolls. This doesn't make any sense! I'm s'posed to be your baby sister, b-b-but … sometimes I still wet my pants. And I get scared at night and hafta sleep with a nightlight. And … and … Kaitlyn, help me! The words I'm saying aren't what I want to be saying. Is this who I really am?”
“Yeah, probably,” smiled Kaitlyn. “The words I say are rarely what I really want to be saying either. But I gave up caring about that long ago. Let your tongue babble on, Jenny. And if all that stuff you're saying is really who-you-are, why that's all perfectly a-okay and right-as-rain as far as I'm concerned. Jenny: you're my sister, and the bonds of sisterhood are not so easily broken by a little bedwetting and the occasional spell of a bit of innocent, cryptic glossolalia.”
Jacob was so lucky to have such an understanding big sister, like Kaitlyn – even if she did use big words Jacob wasn't old enough to understand.
“I hope I'm just like you when I'm older,” Jacob said to his big sister.
“Be careful what you wish for, Jenny!” laughed Kaitlyn with a wink.
What do you do now?
No options available - Create your own addition below!
Title suggestions for new chapters. Please feel free to use them or create your own below.