Waiting for a Playmate

Waiting for a Playmate

Anne closed the door and picked up the vase for the fourth time. “Geeze, this is getting weirder every day.” She grumbled, placing the vase to the back of the shelf. “Four times today, seven times yesterday! What the heck is going on here?”

Shaking her head with frustration, she marched back into the kitchen, her husband just coming in the back door. “Mark, there is something weird going on in this house!” she exclaimed. “Things are getting moved around and I keep hearing something behind the wall in the den.” Anne could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Anne, we’ve been over and over this. You've been hearing things every since we moved in last week.” Mark said. Coming closer he put his hands on her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes, “I’ve never heard anything. Believe me, I have listened and listened hard!”

Pulling away, Anne turned to the kitchen counter and began peeling an onion to give excuse to her tearing eyes. “I know you have,” she suddenly sobbed, “you must think I’m totally crazy!”

Moving behind her, Mark put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Of course not darling,” he soothed, “maybe you’re just getting anxious about the baby.”

It was true that Anne was anxious about the upcoming birth of their first baby, but she also knew she wasn’t crazy and no matter what her husband and that quack doctor thought, she wasn’t having some sort of hormonal imbalance either.

Leaning back into her husband’s strong embrace, she felt better for a moment. Suddenly straightening up, she turned around. Looking into Mark’s deep blue eyes, she could see the worry. Smiling bravely as she could muster, she patted his arm. “Supper will be ready in just a few minutes, why don’t you go wash up.”

Watching her carefully, Mark decided it would be okay to leave her to her preparations. “Okay,” he smiled, “whatever it is, it smells wonderful. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as Mark had passed through the living room and up the stairs, the form of a young girl began to materialize just outside the door to the den. “Billy Daniels,” she hissed, “just what the heck are you trying to do to that poor lady?”

With a spark and a sputter, another smaller form began to coalesce faintly into a younger boy. “What?” he smiled, “I was just fooling around! I didn’t break the vase, I never break the vase, I just move it.”

“Well, it isn’t nice!” The girl frowned. “She’s a nice lady and she is going to have a baby pretty soon. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little baby to play with?”

“Awwww, what do I care about a baby? A real little boy would be a whole lot better!” Billy smiled. “Maybe the baby will be a little boy, that would be great!”

“Oh, it is going to be a boy!” The girl smiled. “Of course it will be a baby first, but it will soon grow up enough for you to play with. That is if you don’t scare her completely and she makes her husband move.”

“It’s going to be a boy? Really?” Billy’s eyes lit with pleasure. “There haven’t been any boys here to play with in a very long time.”

“Yes, I know.” His sister sighed. “Not since the flu epidemic; long, long ago. Now you behave yourself, no more mean tricks and stay out of sight. Just for a few more weeks, then we can see the baby.”

“I will!” Billy promised. “I’ll stay real quiet. I can’t wait to have someone other than a dumb old girl to play with!”

Before Mark could come back down to his awaiting dinner, the two forms faded slowly away, waiting quietly.