Lilliputians in the Afternoon

Lunch was finally over and Chesca could hear Miguel watching tv in the next room.  Miguel is older, being 8 yrs old, but Chesca doesn’t mind.  Miguel is easy to talk to and he lets her do things she likes even if she is only 6 yrs old.  Chesca joined Miguel in the sofa who was watching a game show. 

“What is she doing?”  asked Chesca. 

“Playing” said Miguel. 

“Playing what?” asked Chesca. 

“Just playing.  Just watch.”  Miguel insisted. 

Chesca frowned.  She couldn’t understand what the people on tv were playing.

“Turn off the tv, please!  Time for your nap!” called Nina, their nannie.  Nina flew into the room and switched off the tv.  “Upstairs!  Now!  Time for your nap.  You could watch tv again later.”

Miguel and Chesca both grumbled but walked lazily up the stairs to the bedroom.  They shared a room but had separate beds.  “I’m not sleepy yet” Miguel said.  “Me too, I’m not sleepy!” echoed Chesca.  But Nina didn’t say anything.  She hurried Miguel and Chesca up the stairs.

“I’m not sleepy,” insisted Chesca, though it was only Miguel in the room with her. 

“Me too.  You could read a book or play with your doll” Miguel suggested.  He took a book from under his pillow and started to read.
Chesca didn’t want to read.  She didn’t want to play with Dolly. She wanted to go out and play in the garden.  Chesca lay in bed, went under the blanket and tried to see if there were any Lilliputians hiding.  She looked and looked but didn’t find any.  Chesca was about to give up her search for Lilliputians when she heard something.  She froze.  “What was that?” she wondered.  She waited, with eyes wide-awake and ears pricked open. 

Screech, screech!  Little feet scampering!

Chesca pulled and threw her blanket away and stood on her bed.  “Lilliputians!” Chesca shouted, pointing to her blanket.  “There, there!  There are Lilliputians there!”  she shouted to Miguel.

“What?”  asked Miguel, his eyebrows meeting together.  “No such thing, silly girl”  Miguel said, looking at her.

“I heard them!  I heard them running!”  insisted Chesca.  “Over there, in my blanket” pointing to her blanket on the floor.

‘You’re silly!”  Miguel said.  “Lie down. There are no Lilliputians, no tiny people.  They’re not real.”
“But there is!” Chesca insisted.  “Listen!” Chesca said as she hopped on to Miguel’s bed.  “Be quiet and listen!”
Miguel ignored her but made room for his kid sister.  “She could wait all afternoon” thought Miguel.
Everything was quiet.  Chesca was lying on her tummy, chin on her hands, watching and waiting for her blanket to move.  Miguel was reading his book. 

Screech, screech!  Then the sound of little feet running.  Miguel sat up.

“Shhh!” Chesca whispered, her finger to her lips.  Eyes ever so wide, she pulled Miguel to lie down beside her.  Miguel followed.  Chesca pointed to the far corner of the room near their desk and box of toys.  “Mouse!”  Chesca whispered excitedly.  Miguel lay down and patiently waited for the Lilliputians or mouse to appear.

After an eternity, when both Chesca and Miguel were about to doze off, they heard the scampering of little feet.  Carefully, they peered and saw a light colored gray mouse scampering from behind the box of toys to the desk.  He was a cute, little mouse, with bright eyes, big round ears and twitchy whiskers.  He looked scared as he looked from left to right and right to left.  He was carrying something, a white, rectangular piece. 

“It’s a mouse!”  Miguel said.  “He’s carrying your biscuit.”

“To give to the Lilliputians” Chesca proudly said.