Hello everybody! Here is a short story I wrote - just thought I'd share! Special thanks to TeaChick and my mom for their help to make it sound right!
Jemini lay in bed, not wanting to get up. Once she opened her eyes, the day would be off and running, dragging her along. Just once she wanted to do nothing, no chores, no siblings. Speaking of siblings…Jemini heard muffled giggles and the pitter-patter of small feet. She suppressed a smile, her eyes still closed. No doubt that was Jayce and Jaime, 4 year old twins. Her mother had most likely sent them to wake her up. “Jaime!” Jayce whispered. “You pounce ova here.” Jemini heard a little body shuffle to her head. The other loudly took his place at her feet. “One, two, free!” Jayce and Jaime jumped onto their older sister giggling and shouting. “Wake up sweepyhead!” Jayce pounced onto her, tickling her feet. Jemini acted surprised. Jaime pounced, non to gracefully, on her sisters back. “Time fo breakfast!” She declared, bouncing up and down. “Go get Jeremiah up.” Jemini told them. Jaime was off the bed first and scampered into the next room, Jayce close behind. Jemini smiled as they ran off. She yawned and stretched. It was quite the life, living with 7 siblings. Her parents, not thinking they could have children, adopted twins – Jedidiah and Jaclyn. And then lo and behold – when they were 4 years old, her mother had given birth to Jemini! She herself had a twin, Jeremiah. They were both 14, Jeremiah being older. Next in line was Jasmine and Jermaine, 9 years old; last in line were Jayce and Jaime, an adorable pair, 4 years old. Jemini quickly dressed, ran a brush through her red-brown ringlets, and slid down the banister into the dining room in time to help her mother fix breakfast. “Good morning Jemini!” Her mother hugged her. “Could you fix a dozen eggs for breakfast?” Jemini nodded and took an egg carton out of the fridge. “How are you feeling?” While expertly cracking eggs 2 at a time, she questioned her mother. “Mighty fine!” replied her mother with a wink. “Ask me in a in a half an hour, I’m sure I’ll say differently.” She patted her rounded belly. “I can’t believe we are going to have another. Lord knows we have our hands full!” She glanced upstairs as a loud thud was heard. A pitiful wail came shortly thereafter. “Excuse me dear, would you mind finishing breakfast?” “Of course I can.” She threw the egg shells into the sink and wiped her hands on the seat of her pants. She whipped the eggs into a froth and poured them into the warm frying pan. While waiting for them to cook, she took out a gallon of milk and 7 glasses. “Jasmine!” She called up the stairs. A rumpled looking girl came grumpily down the stairs. Jemini smiled at her 7 year old sister. She sat down into a chair and pulled Jasmine into her lap. “Now what’s the matter?” “I didn’t wanna get up.” She stuck out her lip and crossed her arms. Jemini shook her head, trying not to smile. “Well in that case, I can’t help you.” She gently removed Jasmine from her lap. She tilted her chin up with her finger. “Turn that frown upside down, go brush your hair, get dressed, and set the table.” Jasmine sighed and trudged up the stairs. Jemini stirred the eggs and poured the milk. She popped 4 pieces of toast in the toaster. When the eggs were done, she turned off the burner, sprinkled them with cheese and put the lid on to keep them warm. “Jasmine!” She called again. “Come set the table!” She returned to the kitchen, got down 7 plates and put them at the head of the table. Jasmine again thumped down the stairs, this time with neatly brushed hair and clean clothes on. Seeing that her sister was working, Jemini poured the milk, brought the eggs over, and put 4 more slices of bread in the toaster, taking note that they would have to make bread soon. Her mother came down, holding hands with Jermaine, Jasmine’s twin. He held an ice pack on his head. “I bumped my head.” He said, stating the obvious. He removed the ice pack and felt the considerable bump that was rising on his forehead. His mother plunked a kiss on his hair and shooed him to the table. “Thank you for making breakfast darling!” She smiled gratefully at Jemini. “Jayce and Jaime should be coming down soon, I left them getting dressed.” She shook her head. “I think that they should be able to do that.” She sighed and put her hand on her back. “Going up and down all the stairs is hard work!” She stated, sitting down. “I’ll go make sure Jay and Jay are coming along alright.” She hugged her mother. “I have Jasmine setting the table.” She trotted up the stairs, almost running into Jeremiah. “Oh hey Jeremiah!” She waved to her twin, who had the same curly hair. “Could you go help mom? She’s tired because of the baby and Jasmine isn’t in the best of moods.” Jeremiah rolled his brown eyes. “When isn’t she?” He waved his hand and made a pouty face. “I didn’t wanna get up this morning!” imitating the girl’s voice with exact precision. “Jeremiah!” Jemini scolded him, but she couldn’t help but laugh at how accurate he was. Jeremiah saluted his sister as he slid backward down the railing. Jemini laughed again. She walked down the hall and was about to enter the youngest twins’ room when the door opened. “I am all weady!” Jayce said proudly. Jaime came up behind him, trying to pull her blonde hair into a hairband. “Jem, could you do my hair?” Jemini sat Jaime in her lap, braiding the little girl’s hair into a short but cute French braid. “There you go!” She took a hold of Jaime’s hand in one hand, and Jayce’s in the other. “Let’s go eat breakfast!” Upon arriving at the breakfast table, Jemini plunked the twins in their booster seats, and took her own seat next to Jeremiah. Her mother looked to see that everyone was at their place, raising her eyebrow at Jasmine’s scowl, and then bowed her head in prayer over the food.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“That was wonderful breakfast, Jemini!” Her mother, Charlotte, wiped her hands on her napkin and pushed her chair back. “Jasmine, Jermaine, would you help me clean up? The others will start on the outside chores. While she and the second-youngest twins cleaned up, she thought of her oldest two - Jedidiah and Jaclyn. They would soon be off to college. Jaclyn was leaning toward being a nurse. It fit her nature very well. She was as sweet as could be and very caring. Jedidiah wasn’t sure, though he was contemplating farming. Charlotte missed her eldest set of children. They were gone on a month long summer Mission trip to Africa. They were due back any day now, possibly even tomorrow. It was definitely a challenge to manage a household of young children without their help. But Jemini and Jeremiah had stepped up and were a blessing to Charlotte. She gathered the stack of plates and took them to the sink. When the table was cleared and all that was left of the morning meal was the dishes, Charlotte sent Jasmine and Jermaine outside. She turned on some Christian music and sang along to the tunes as she loaded the dishes and wiped off the counters. Yes, she was blessed beyond words.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jemini eagerly slipped into her tennis shoes, and helped Jayce and Jaime with theirs. Jemini took Jaime’s hand, and noted that Jeremiah did the same with Jayce. Walking out to the barn, Jemini took a deep breath. The dewy wet grass from rain the night before and newly leaved trees smelling wonderful, with the scent of early blooming flowers and the slight wind. Jaime tugged at her sister’s hand. “C’mon Jem!” She urged her sister. “My chickens will be hungry!” In her small hand she held on tightly to a dish of lettuce, tomato, and broccoli, leftover from last night’s supper. Jemini laughed and quickened her pace. Jaime took after her love of all animals. “Here chicky chicky!” In answer to their young mistress’s call, six chickens raised their voices. Jaime ran ahead of Jemini to the coop. “Hi Daisy!” Jaime greeted her favorite hen affectionately. Jemini walked to the other end of the coop where her chickens were and greeted them in a similar manner. “Hey girls!” She crooned as she threw them some cracked corn. She checked their food and water, and gathered six warm eggs. She let them out to the run and went to see how Jaime was doing. After checking to make sure Jaime had done her chores right and added three eggs to the collection, they set off to the goat stalls. An eager, ‘maaa-aa!” was heard as they neared. A furry caramel colored face appeared over the door. “Hey Nessa!” Jemini rubbed between the Nigerian Dwarf goat’s ears. With a grunt of delight, the goat leaned into the caress. “Jaime.” Jemini began. “Would you go get the hay for them?” As the young girl ran off to do her job, Jemini measured the grain. With a total of three goats, and a couple kids on the way, they had plenty of milk to make into cheese. After Jaime had given the goats their hay, Jemini sat down to milk. “Why don’t you go see how Jeremiah is doing?” “Okay!” Jaime trotted off to find her older brother.
~~~~~
Jaime peeked into the cat shed. She saw four shapes huddling in the farthest, darkest corner. “Jeremiah?” She trotted over. “Oh!” She gasped. Jeremiah, Jasmine, Jermaine, and Jayce were gathered around a newborn litter of kittens – five to be exact. “Can I hold one? Please?” Jaime reached for one of frail, young creatures. “Whoa, hold up there.” Jeremiah blocked her. “They are too young to hold, they are just little kitties.” A frown gathered at Jaime’s brow. “But I’m just a little person, and you still hold me!” She crossed her arms. “But…” “Jasmine!” Jeremiah turned quickly to her. “Can you and Jasmine go start checking the garden? Us guys will finish here and then come help you weed.” Jasmine grinned. That was one of her favorite things to do. “Sure! C’mon Jaime!” She practically dragged Jaime out with her. Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed on them. Jaime could definitely be stubborn.
~~~~~
“Jemini!” Jayce hollered across the yard. He dashed to her as fast as his legs could carry him. “Guess what!” Jemini scooped him up, depositing him on her shoulder and opened her mouth to guess, but he didn’t wait. “Kittens!” He crowed. “We got kittens! Five of ‘em.” Jemini listened to him chatter about them as she and her brothers meandered to the garden. It was a huge plot of dark, rich earth, planted with all kinds of veggies and fruits. It was bordered neatly on the west side by towering sunflowers. “Jaime!” A high-pitched shriek startled them. Jeremiah took off running in the direction of the scream, the others close behind. “Jaime, stop!” came the wailing, screaming, voice of Jasmine. “What is going on here?” Jeremiah demanded. Jaime and Jasmine looked up defiantly at him. “Well?” He crossed his arms. “You aren’t my Daddy.” Jaime pouted. “Well I could get Daddy in this.” Jeremiah answered. Jaime spit her tongue out at him. A slight smile tried to find its place on Jeremiah’s face but he forced it away. “Jasmine won’t let me pick the pumpkins!” Jaime whined. Jasmine threw her hands up in the air. “I told her they aren’t ready to be picked! She won’t listen to me.” Jeremiah looked from Jasmine to Jaime. “She’s right, Jaime. They won’t be ready until the trees start changing colors.” Jasmine gave Jaime a smug look. “I told you.” Jaime stomped her foot, looking as angry as a thundercloud ready to burst. “I think this needs to go to mom.” Jemini nudged Jeremiah. At that moment, Charlotte came out of the house. “I heard it all. Thank you for trying to resolve it.” She smiled at Jeremiah. Jeremiah smiled back at her, and then went to the other side of the garden with Jemini, Jermaine, and Jayce. Charlotte kneeled between the two fighting girls. “It’s not good to be mad at each other. Jasmine, that wasn’t a nice thing to say to your sister. ‘A soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.’ You know where that is found in the Bible?” Jasmine dug her toe into the soft dirt. “Proverbs 15:1.” Charlotte nodded. “Yes. I suggest you memorize it and store it in your heart. Jaime.” She turned to the little girl who was still fuming. “Do you know what James 1:19 says?” Jaime didn’t answer. “It says ‘Be quick to listen, slow to speak.’ Jasmine was trying to tell you kindly why the pumpkins couldn’t be picked. She is older so she knows a little bit more then you. Okay?” Jamie nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, Jaime, for saying mean things to you. Will you forgive me?” Jasmine put an arm around Jaime. Jaime hugged her back. “Yeah.” She didn’t say anything else. Charlotte cleared her throat. “Jaime?” the little girl scowled slightly. “Sorry.” Her mother raised her brow. Jamie sighed. “I’m sorry for not listening to you.” Jasmine hugged her again. “I forgive you.” Charlotte kissed her and waved her off. Jasmine skipped off to help the others. Jaime received her kiss and walked away slowly. Charlotte watch her leave, knowing she wasn’t fully sorry; but she was feeling terrible from morning sickness and had to go lay down again.
~~~~~
Later that day, Jemini was climbing her favorite tree. Reaching her favorite spot, she settled herself in, leaning her head against the trunk. Today had been rough. Jaime was still not in the best of moods, and had had several other tiffs with her siblings. Charlotte was feeling sick, and Jemini’s Dad, Chase, was at work, so he couldn’t exactly deal with it. Jayce and Jaime were now in bed, Jasmine and Jermaine were headed in that direction, and Charlotte was being waited upon by Jeremiah. Jemini watched the sun starting to set and the birds settle into their nests. Reluctantly, Jemini found her way to the ground and started back to the house, kicking a pinecone as she went. At the snap of the twig behind her, she whirled around in time to see movement duck behind a tree. What was that? She wondered. “Jem!” Jeremiah’s voice startled her. She spun around again. Jeremiah held his hands up innocently. “Whoa. It’s just me. What’s up with you?” “Sorry.” She laughed at herself. “I just thought I saw something move behind that tree.” Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you did, sis. There is a lot of moving things here. It’s a grove of trees. Animals like trees. It was probably just a rabbit.” Now it was Jemini’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yeah yeah.” She pushed him forward with a smile. “Let’s go.” Jeremiah laughed and started walking toward the house. “You know, there IS coyotes and bears in this place! I heard on the news today there is a bear around here.” Jeremiah said solemnly. “So you should actually be careful.” Jemini nodded. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry; I can scream real loud if I ever need help.” She grinned. “You wanna hear?” Jeremiah clapped his hands over his ears. “Nah, I’ll take your word for it.”
~~~~~
Jemini woke up with a start. What was that sound? It came again, and this time she recognized it as a knock. “Come in.” She looked at her alarm clock. 5:30. Her door creaked open and the worried face of Jayce peeked in. Jemini patted the bedside next to her. “Come on up. What’s the matter?” Jayce ran over to the bed and leaped onto her lap, looking her straight in the eye, frantic. “Jaime’s gone.” “What?” Jemini half-shouted. Jayce put a small hand over her mouth, holding a finger to his. “Shhhh!” He whispered fiercely. “Don’t wake up Mommy or Daddy. They will be really worried.” Jemini gently removed Jayce’s hand. “What do you mean, ‘gone’?” Jayce went on to explain that he had seen Jaime sneak out last night, but was asleep before she came back. “So when I waked up just now, and saw Jaime’s bed empty, I looked in the house and outside. I can’t find her nowhere!” “You should have woken me, or Mom or Dad, up.” Jemini thought a moment. “Go wake up Jeremiah.” The little boy slipped out of Jemini’s room and ran down the hall. Jemini got dressed quickly and waited for Jeremiah and Jayce to return. Soon, Jayce came in dragging Jeremiah behind him. “What is going on?” He grumbled. “It’s 5:45 in the morning.” He stretched and plopped down on Jemini’s bed. “Listen Jeremiah. Jayce said that he can’t find Jaime. He’s looked all over for her. I think we should look again, and if we can’t find her before mom and dad wake up, we’ll tell them. She might just be…” Jemini couldn’t think where a little girl might be early in the morning. “Just get dressed. Jayce, go back to bed. We can look for her.” She herded Jayce back to bed, among his protests, and put him to bed. “Don’t worry, Jayce.” She whispered as she closed the door behind her. Meeting Jeremiah outside the door, he handed her a flashlight. “You look up here, I’ll look downstairs. Meet me outside after you are done.” Jemini gave a quick but thorough search of the rooms. No Jaime. She padded softly down the stairs, and waited outside. The night air was cool. She put on a light jacket, hoping that Jaime was somewhere warm. “Any luck?” She whispered as she saw Jeremiah coming out of the house, with his jacket on. He shrugged. Jemini sighed. “Let’s start at the garden, and work our way around to the cat shed.” They moved silently in the dark night, flashing their lights into every corner and calling their missing sister’s name. By the time they finished disturbing the cats, looking everywhere they could think of, Jemini was getting frantic. “Oh Jeremiah, what are we going to do?” She thought of their conversation last night. Coyotes. Bears. “Just calm down!” He was starting to seriously worry too. “Just, think! Where could she have gone?” Jemini wracked her brain. Suddenly she gasped and grabbed Jeremiah’s shoulders. “The noise!” She yelled, shaking him. “Why didn’t I think of it?” She let him go and started running toward the woods. “Wait!” He raced after her. “Jemini!” He lunged for her and tackled her to the ground. “Hold on just a second!” He ordered, breathing heavily. “What are you talking about?” Jemini wiggled out from under him. “The noise I heard last night! You know, the rabbit?” She brushed herself off. “We have to go find her! I am sure it was her! Now that I think of it, I saw something blonde.” She started off again, but Jeremiah grabbed her arm. “Like I said then, it’s a grove of trees. Animals like trees. And not just rabbits! Remember there could be coyotes in there, or…” He instantly regretted saying that. “We have to tell Mom and Dad.” “But Jaime could be in there with the coyotes…or worse!” Jemini yelled at him. “We have to find her! She’s been gone since 9:00 last night, we have to hurry!” She struggled to get away. “Jemini!” Jeremiah shouted. “Listen to me! We can tell Mom and get Dad to look with us. It will take but fifteen minutes, and be much safer and not risk Mom three of her children! Besides, bears aren’t that common.” Jeremiah tried to calm her down. Jemini looked from Jeremiah to the dark, mysterious woods just beyond him. He was right. “Fine.” She shrugged his hand off her arm. “Let’s go.” They quickly entered the house and told their parents the events of the past hour as calmly as they could. Charlotte became pale, and closed her eyes. “Oh, Lord. Keep her safe.” She breathed. Chase quickly got dressed and went to the garage, lifting his gun down from its place. “Just in case.” Was all he said to Jeremiah and Jemini. Taking Charlotte aside, he said in a low voice. “I’ve heard of a bear roaming these parts.” Charlotte gasped. “Oh Jaime.” She whispered, tears beginning to come. “It’s alright, I’ll find her. I’ll bring her back safe.” He hugged her, kissed her, and went to find Jemini and Jeremiah. “Dad!” Jemini jumped up from where she was comforting Jayce and hurried over to him. “Are we leaving now?” “We? Jem, you aren’t coming.” He told her gently but firmly. Jemini was silent for a moment, and Chase could tell she was trying to figure out a way to come. “Dad, I know where she went. I know those woods like the back of my hand! I’ve taken Jaime out there for walks multiple times.” When there weren’t bears around. Jemini brushed the thought away. “I would know where she would go.” “Jemini.” Her dad sighed, glancing toward Jayce. “You don’t understand.” He walked with Jemini out to the hall, closing the door behind him. Jemini frowned. She wanted to obey her Dad, but most of all, she wanted her sister back. “I think I do, Dad. I know about the bear! That’s why I want to come! Dad, if something happens to Jaime…” Jemini stopped abruptly. Chase put an arm around his daughter. “Alright. You can come.” Jemini looked up at him, eyes shining. “However; you must do what I say, and stay behind me. Got it? And no more of this persuading stuff.” He smiled down at her. Jemini grinned. “Yes sir!”
~~~~~
Jemini ducked under a tree branch, following Chase as close as she could. His large foot prints fell next to the much smaller ones of Jaime’s in the mud. Sure enough, Jemini had found them where she had heard the noise the night before. They headed deeper into the woods, and soon a drag line appeared beside the prints, indicating that the little girl had grown tired of carrying a bag of things she had packed. Jemini hoped that meant that Jaime would be sitting on a log or rock somewhere, waiting for someone to find her, tired of running away. Jemini herself felt tired. After looking for an hour, they had found nothing but tracks. “Jemini, look.” Chase pointed silently to a small bag at the left of the tracks. “Jaime?” He called. No answer. “Jaime?” Again, no answer. “Let’s go a little farther.” A couple more minutes brought them to a shallow stream. The foot prints were lost at the bank amongst the tracks of animals that had stopped to drink. “Jaime?” Chase called again. “Daddy!” Came a terrified scream that made Jemini’s blood run cold. “Jaime! Jaime, what’s the matter? Where are you?” Chase shouted, frantically. “Keep yelling, Jaime!” Chase and Jemini ran to where the voice was coming from. “Daddy! Oh, Daddy, it’s going to get me! Come quick!” Jaime sobbed. Jemini’s heart pounded. What’s going to get her? She almost didn’t dare to wonder. Oh, God, keep her safe! She almost collided into her father as Chase stopped abruptly. “Jemini.” Chase said slowly, frozen. “Back up. Quietly.” Jemini didn’t ask. She backed up, step by step. Over Chase’s shoulder, Jemini caught a glimpse that made her want to scream; Jaime, half way up a tree, with an angry coyote snapping at her heels, dangling just out of her reach. Jemini could hear whimpering too – most likely the coyote’s pups, which Jaime had probably tried to pet. Chase slowly raised the gun to his shoulder, intentionally aiming just above the coyote. With a loud bang, the gun went off. The coyote yelped and jumped back, running off several yards. She raised her head and pricked her ears, looking at Chase, then slunk into her den nearby. The whimpering stopped. “Don’t move, Jaime. Jemini.” Chase didn’t take his eyes off of the cave. “Come with me. I want you to help Jaime down.” Chase and Jemini slowly walked toward Jaime, Chase keeping his gun aimed at the cave. He could see the coyote’s eyes gleam in the dark of the cave. “Come on Jaime.” Jemini whispered. She helped the terrified girl out of the tree. “Alright, Dad.” Chase glanced back at his two girls, and together they crept away. Jemini held Jaime in her arms. The walk home was the longest time of Jemini’s life, Chase always on alert. When they finally reached their yard, Jemini shouted. “Mom! We found Jaime! She’s alright!” Charlotte ran out of the house as fast as she could, sinking to her knees and holding Jaime close. “Jaime! Oh honey, you’re safe!” She gasped. Jaime hugged her with all her little might. All the rest of the family came pouring out of the house, including Jedidiah and Jaclyn. “Jedidiah! Jaclyn!” Jemini gasped. She threw herself at her two oldest siblings. “You’re back! When did you get here?” “Jemini!” Jaclyn returned her hug. “We got here just as you and Dad left, according to Mom. I am so glad you found Jaime! Why’d she leave anyway? Where did you guys find her?” Jemini laughed weakly. “That, my dear sister, is a story in of itself!”
The End
Jemini lay in bed, not wanting to get up. Once she opened her eyes, the day would be off and running, dragging her along. Just once she wanted to do nothing, no chores, no siblings. Speaking of siblings…Jemini heard muffled giggles and the pitter-patter of small feet. She suppressed a smile, her eyes still closed. No doubt that was Jayce and Jaime, 4 year old twins. Her mother had most likely sent them to wake her up. “Jaime!” Jayce whispered. “You pounce ova here.” Jemini heard a little body shuffle to her head. The other loudly took his place at her feet. “One, two, free!” Jayce and Jaime jumped onto their older sister giggling and shouting. “Wake up sweepyhead!” Jayce pounced onto her, tickling her feet. Jemini acted surprised. Jaime pounced, non to gracefully, on her sisters back. “Time fo breakfast!” She declared, bouncing up and down. “Go get Jeremiah up.” Jemini told them. Jaime was off the bed first and scampered into the next room, Jayce close behind. Jemini smiled as they ran off. She yawned and stretched. It was quite the life, living with 7 siblings. Her parents, not thinking they could have children, adopted twins – Jedidiah and Jaclyn. And then lo and behold – when they were 4 years old, her mother had given birth to Jemini! She herself had a twin, Jeremiah. They were both 14, Jeremiah being older. Next in line was Jasmine and Jermaine, 9 years old; last in line were Jayce and Jaime, an adorable pair, 4 years old. Jemini quickly dressed, ran a brush through her red-brown ringlets, and slid down the banister into the dining room in time to help her mother fix breakfast. “Good morning Jemini!” Her mother hugged her. “Could you fix a dozen eggs for breakfast?” Jemini nodded and took an egg carton out of the fridge. “How are you feeling?” While expertly cracking eggs 2 at a time, she questioned her mother. “Mighty fine!” replied her mother with a wink. “Ask me in a in a half an hour, I’m sure I’ll say differently.” She patted her rounded belly. “I can’t believe we are going to have another. Lord knows we have our hands full!” She glanced upstairs as a loud thud was heard. A pitiful wail came shortly thereafter. “Excuse me dear, would you mind finishing breakfast?” “Of course I can.” She threw the egg shells into the sink and wiped her hands on the seat of her pants. She whipped the eggs into a froth and poured them into the warm frying pan. While waiting for them to cook, she took out a gallon of milk and 7 glasses. “Jasmine!” She called up the stairs. A rumpled looking girl came grumpily down the stairs. Jemini smiled at her 7 year old sister. She sat down into a chair and pulled Jasmine into her lap. “Now what’s the matter?” “I didn’t wanna get up.” She stuck out her lip and crossed her arms. Jemini shook her head, trying not to smile. “Well in that case, I can’t help you.” She gently removed Jasmine from her lap. She tilted her chin up with her finger. “Turn that frown upside down, go brush your hair, get dressed, and set the table.” Jasmine sighed and trudged up the stairs. Jemini stirred the eggs and poured the milk. She popped 4 pieces of toast in the toaster. When the eggs were done, she turned off the burner, sprinkled them with cheese and put the lid on to keep them warm. “Jasmine!” She called again. “Come set the table!” She returned to the kitchen, got down 7 plates and put them at the head of the table. Jasmine again thumped down the stairs, this time with neatly brushed hair and clean clothes on. Seeing that her sister was working, Jemini poured the milk, brought the eggs over, and put 4 more slices of bread in the toaster, taking note that they would have to make bread soon. Her mother came down, holding hands with Jermaine, Jasmine’s twin. He held an ice pack on his head. “I bumped my head.” He said, stating the obvious. He removed the ice pack and felt the considerable bump that was rising on his forehead. His mother plunked a kiss on his hair and shooed him to the table. “Thank you for making breakfast darling!” She smiled gratefully at Jemini. “Jayce and Jaime should be coming down soon, I left them getting dressed.” She shook her head. “I think that they should be able to do that.” She sighed and put her hand on her back. “Going up and down all the stairs is hard work!” She stated, sitting down. “I’ll go make sure Jay and Jay are coming along alright.” She hugged her mother. “I have Jasmine setting the table.” She trotted up the stairs, almost running into Jeremiah. “Oh hey Jeremiah!” She waved to her twin, who had the same curly hair. “Could you go help mom? She’s tired because of the baby and Jasmine isn’t in the best of moods.” Jeremiah rolled his brown eyes. “When isn’t she?” He waved his hand and made a pouty face. “I didn’t wanna get up this morning!” imitating the girl’s voice with exact precision. “Jeremiah!” Jemini scolded him, but she couldn’t help but laugh at how accurate he was. Jeremiah saluted his sister as he slid backward down the railing. Jemini laughed again. She walked down the hall and was about to enter the youngest twins’ room when the door opened. “I am all weady!” Jayce said proudly. Jaime came up behind him, trying to pull her blonde hair into a hairband. “Jem, could you do my hair?” Jemini sat Jaime in her lap, braiding the little girl’s hair into a short but cute French braid. “There you go!” She took a hold of Jaime’s hand in one hand, and Jayce’s in the other. “Let’s go eat breakfast!” Upon arriving at the breakfast table, Jemini plunked the twins in their booster seats, and took her own seat next to Jeremiah. Her mother looked to see that everyone was at their place, raising her eyebrow at Jasmine’s scowl, and then bowed her head in prayer over the food.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“That was wonderful breakfast, Jemini!” Her mother, Charlotte, wiped her hands on her napkin and pushed her chair back. “Jasmine, Jermaine, would you help me clean up? The others will start on the outside chores. While she and the second-youngest twins cleaned up, she thought of her oldest two - Jedidiah and Jaclyn. They would soon be off to college. Jaclyn was leaning toward being a nurse. It fit her nature very well. She was as sweet as could be and very caring. Jedidiah wasn’t sure, though he was contemplating farming. Charlotte missed her eldest set of children. They were gone on a month long summer Mission trip to Africa. They were due back any day now, possibly even tomorrow. It was definitely a challenge to manage a household of young children without their help. But Jemini and Jeremiah had stepped up and were a blessing to Charlotte. She gathered the stack of plates and took them to the sink. When the table was cleared and all that was left of the morning meal was the dishes, Charlotte sent Jasmine and Jermaine outside. She turned on some Christian music and sang along to the tunes as she loaded the dishes and wiped off the counters. Yes, she was blessed beyond words.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jemini eagerly slipped into her tennis shoes, and helped Jayce and Jaime with theirs. Jemini took Jaime’s hand, and noted that Jeremiah did the same with Jayce. Walking out to the barn, Jemini took a deep breath. The dewy wet grass from rain the night before and newly leaved trees smelling wonderful, with the scent of early blooming flowers and the slight wind. Jaime tugged at her sister’s hand. “C’mon Jem!” She urged her sister. “My chickens will be hungry!” In her small hand she held on tightly to a dish of lettuce, tomato, and broccoli, leftover from last night’s supper. Jemini laughed and quickened her pace. Jaime took after her love of all animals. “Here chicky chicky!” In answer to their young mistress’s call, six chickens raised their voices. Jaime ran ahead of Jemini to the coop. “Hi Daisy!” Jaime greeted her favorite hen affectionately. Jemini walked to the other end of the coop where her chickens were and greeted them in a similar manner. “Hey girls!” She crooned as she threw them some cracked corn. She checked their food and water, and gathered six warm eggs. She let them out to the run and went to see how Jaime was doing. After checking to make sure Jaime had done her chores right and added three eggs to the collection, they set off to the goat stalls. An eager, ‘maaa-aa!” was heard as they neared. A furry caramel colored face appeared over the door. “Hey Nessa!” Jemini rubbed between the Nigerian Dwarf goat’s ears. With a grunt of delight, the goat leaned into the caress. “Jaime.” Jemini began. “Would you go get the hay for them?” As the young girl ran off to do her job, Jemini measured the grain. With a total of three goats, and a couple kids on the way, they had plenty of milk to make into cheese. After Jaime had given the goats their hay, Jemini sat down to milk. “Why don’t you go see how Jeremiah is doing?” “Okay!” Jaime trotted off to find her older brother.
~~~~~
Jaime peeked into the cat shed. She saw four shapes huddling in the farthest, darkest corner. “Jeremiah?” She trotted over. “Oh!” She gasped. Jeremiah, Jasmine, Jermaine, and Jayce were gathered around a newborn litter of kittens – five to be exact. “Can I hold one? Please?” Jaime reached for one of frail, young creatures. “Whoa, hold up there.” Jeremiah blocked her. “They are too young to hold, they are just little kitties.” A frown gathered at Jaime’s brow. “But I’m just a little person, and you still hold me!” She crossed her arms. “But…” “Jasmine!” Jeremiah turned quickly to her. “Can you and Jasmine go start checking the garden? Us guys will finish here and then come help you weed.” Jasmine grinned. That was one of her favorite things to do. “Sure! C’mon Jaime!” She practically dragged Jaime out with her. Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed on them. Jaime could definitely be stubborn.
~~~~~
“Jemini!” Jayce hollered across the yard. He dashed to her as fast as his legs could carry him. “Guess what!” Jemini scooped him up, depositing him on her shoulder and opened her mouth to guess, but he didn’t wait. “Kittens!” He crowed. “We got kittens! Five of ‘em.” Jemini listened to him chatter about them as she and her brothers meandered to the garden. It was a huge plot of dark, rich earth, planted with all kinds of veggies and fruits. It was bordered neatly on the west side by towering sunflowers. “Jaime!” A high-pitched shriek startled them. Jeremiah took off running in the direction of the scream, the others close behind. “Jaime, stop!” came the wailing, screaming, voice of Jasmine. “What is going on here?” Jeremiah demanded. Jaime and Jasmine looked up defiantly at him. “Well?” He crossed his arms. “You aren’t my Daddy.” Jaime pouted. “Well I could get Daddy in this.” Jeremiah answered. Jaime spit her tongue out at him. A slight smile tried to find its place on Jeremiah’s face but he forced it away. “Jasmine won’t let me pick the pumpkins!” Jaime whined. Jasmine threw her hands up in the air. “I told her they aren’t ready to be picked! She won’t listen to me.” Jeremiah looked from Jasmine to Jaime. “She’s right, Jaime. They won’t be ready until the trees start changing colors.” Jasmine gave Jaime a smug look. “I told you.” Jaime stomped her foot, looking as angry as a thundercloud ready to burst. “I think this needs to go to mom.” Jemini nudged Jeremiah. At that moment, Charlotte came out of the house. “I heard it all. Thank you for trying to resolve it.” She smiled at Jeremiah. Jeremiah smiled back at her, and then went to the other side of the garden with Jemini, Jermaine, and Jayce. Charlotte kneeled between the two fighting girls. “It’s not good to be mad at each other. Jasmine, that wasn’t a nice thing to say to your sister. ‘A soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.’ You know where that is found in the Bible?” Jasmine dug her toe into the soft dirt. “Proverbs 15:1.” Charlotte nodded. “Yes. I suggest you memorize it and store it in your heart. Jaime.” She turned to the little girl who was still fuming. “Do you know what James 1:19 says?” Jaime didn’t answer. “It says ‘Be quick to listen, slow to speak.’ Jasmine was trying to tell you kindly why the pumpkins couldn’t be picked. She is older so she knows a little bit more then you. Okay?” Jamie nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, Jaime, for saying mean things to you. Will you forgive me?” Jasmine put an arm around Jaime. Jaime hugged her back. “Yeah.” She didn’t say anything else. Charlotte cleared her throat. “Jaime?” the little girl scowled slightly. “Sorry.” Her mother raised her brow. Jamie sighed. “I’m sorry for not listening to you.” Jasmine hugged her again. “I forgive you.” Charlotte kissed her and waved her off. Jasmine skipped off to help the others. Jaime received her kiss and walked away slowly. Charlotte watch her leave, knowing she wasn’t fully sorry; but she was feeling terrible from morning sickness and had to go lay down again.
~~~~~
Later that day, Jemini was climbing her favorite tree. Reaching her favorite spot, she settled herself in, leaning her head against the trunk. Today had been rough. Jaime was still not in the best of moods, and had had several other tiffs with her siblings. Charlotte was feeling sick, and Jemini’s Dad, Chase, was at work, so he couldn’t exactly deal with it. Jayce and Jaime were now in bed, Jasmine and Jermaine were headed in that direction, and Charlotte was being waited upon by Jeremiah. Jemini watched the sun starting to set and the birds settle into their nests. Reluctantly, Jemini found her way to the ground and started back to the house, kicking a pinecone as she went. At the snap of the twig behind her, she whirled around in time to see movement duck behind a tree. What was that? She wondered. “Jem!” Jeremiah’s voice startled her. She spun around again. Jeremiah held his hands up innocently. “Whoa. It’s just me. What’s up with you?” “Sorry.” She laughed at herself. “I just thought I saw something move behind that tree.” Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you did, sis. There is a lot of moving things here. It’s a grove of trees. Animals like trees. It was probably just a rabbit.” Now it was Jemini’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yeah yeah.” She pushed him forward with a smile. “Let’s go.” Jeremiah laughed and started walking toward the house. “You know, there IS coyotes and bears in this place! I heard on the news today there is a bear around here.” Jeremiah said solemnly. “So you should actually be careful.” Jemini nodded. “Yeah, I know. Don’t worry; I can scream real loud if I ever need help.” She grinned. “You wanna hear?” Jeremiah clapped his hands over his ears. “Nah, I’ll take your word for it.”
~~~~~
Jemini woke up with a start. What was that sound? It came again, and this time she recognized it as a knock. “Come in.” She looked at her alarm clock. 5:30. Her door creaked open and the worried face of Jayce peeked in. Jemini patted the bedside next to her. “Come on up. What’s the matter?” Jayce ran over to the bed and leaped onto her lap, looking her straight in the eye, frantic. “Jaime’s gone.” “What?” Jemini half-shouted. Jayce put a small hand over her mouth, holding a finger to his. “Shhhh!” He whispered fiercely. “Don’t wake up Mommy or Daddy. They will be really worried.” Jemini gently removed Jayce’s hand. “What do you mean, ‘gone’?” Jayce went on to explain that he had seen Jaime sneak out last night, but was asleep before she came back. “So when I waked up just now, and saw Jaime’s bed empty, I looked in the house and outside. I can’t find her nowhere!” “You should have woken me, or Mom or Dad, up.” Jemini thought a moment. “Go wake up Jeremiah.” The little boy slipped out of Jemini’s room and ran down the hall. Jemini got dressed quickly and waited for Jeremiah and Jayce to return. Soon, Jayce came in dragging Jeremiah behind him. “What is going on?” He grumbled. “It’s 5:45 in the morning.” He stretched and plopped down on Jemini’s bed. “Listen Jeremiah. Jayce said that he can’t find Jaime. He’s looked all over for her. I think we should look again, and if we can’t find her before mom and dad wake up, we’ll tell them. She might just be…” Jemini couldn’t think where a little girl might be early in the morning. “Just get dressed. Jayce, go back to bed. We can look for her.” She herded Jayce back to bed, among his protests, and put him to bed. “Don’t worry, Jayce.” She whispered as she closed the door behind her. Meeting Jeremiah outside the door, he handed her a flashlight. “You look up here, I’ll look downstairs. Meet me outside after you are done.” Jemini gave a quick but thorough search of the rooms. No Jaime. She padded softly down the stairs, and waited outside. The night air was cool. She put on a light jacket, hoping that Jaime was somewhere warm. “Any luck?” She whispered as she saw Jeremiah coming out of the house, with his jacket on. He shrugged. Jemini sighed. “Let’s start at the garden, and work our way around to the cat shed.” They moved silently in the dark night, flashing their lights into every corner and calling their missing sister’s name. By the time they finished disturbing the cats, looking everywhere they could think of, Jemini was getting frantic. “Oh Jeremiah, what are we going to do?” She thought of their conversation last night. Coyotes. Bears. “Just calm down!” He was starting to seriously worry too. “Just, think! Where could she have gone?” Jemini wracked her brain. Suddenly she gasped and grabbed Jeremiah’s shoulders. “The noise!” She yelled, shaking him. “Why didn’t I think of it?” She let him go and started running toward the woods. “Wait!” He raced after her. “Jemini!” He lunged for her and tackled her to the ground. “Hold on just a second!” He ordered, breathing heavily. “What are you talking about?” Jemini wiggled out from under him. “The noise I heard last night! You know, the rabbit?” She brushed herself off. “We have to go find her! I am sure it was her! Now that I think of it, I saw something blonde.” She started off again, but Jeremiah grabbed her arm. “Like I said then, it’s a grove of trees. Animals like trees. And not just rabbits! Remember there could be coyotes in there, or…” He instantly regretted saying that. “We have to tell Mom and Dad.” “But Jaime could be in there with the coyotes…or worse!” Jemini yelled at him. “We have to find her! She’s been gone since 9:00 last night, we have to hurry!” She struggled to get away. “Jemini!” Jeremiah shouted. “Listen to me! We can tell Mom and get Dad to look with us. It will take but fifteen minutes, and be much safer and not risk Mom three of her children! Besides, bears aren’t that common.” Jeremiah tried to calm her down. Jemini looked from Jeremiah to the dark, mysterious woods just beyond him. He was right. “Fine.” She shrugged his hand off her arm. “Let’s go.” They quickly entered the house and told their parents the events of the past hour as calmly as they could. Charlotte became pale, and closed her eyes. “Oh, Lord. Keep her safe.” She breathed. Chase quickly got dressed and went to the garage, lifting his gun down from its place. “Just in case.” Was all he said to Jeremiah and Jemini. Taking Charlotte aside, he said in a low voice. “I’ve heard of a bear roaming these parts.” Charlotte gasped. “Oh Jaime.” She whispered, tears beginning to come. “It’s alright, I’ll find her. I’ll bring her back safe.” He hugged her, kissed her, and went to find Jemini and Jeremiah. “Dad!” Jemini jumped up from where she was comforting Jayce and hurried over to him. “Are we leaving now?” “We? Jem, you aren’t coming.” He told her gently but firmly. Jemini was silent for a moment, and Chase could tell she was trying to figure out a way to come. “Dad, I know where she went. I know those woods like the back of my hand! I’ve taken Jaime out there for walks multiple times.” When there weren’t bears around. Jemini brushed the thought away. “I would know where she would go.” “Jemini.” Her dad sighed, glancing toward Jayce. “You don’t understand.” He walked with Jemini out to the hall, closing the door behind him. Jemini frowned. She wanted to obey her Dad, but most of all, she wanted her sister back. “I think I do, Dad. I know about the bear! That’s why I want to come! Dad, if something happens to Jaime…” Jemini stopped abruptly. Chase put an arm around his daughter. “Alright. You can come.” Jemini looked up at him, eyes shining. “However; you must do what I say, and stay behind me. Got it? And no more of this persuading stuff.” He smiled down at her. Jemini grinned. “Yes sir!”
~~~~~
Jemini ducked under a tree branch, following Chase as close as she could. His large foot prints fell next to the much smaller ones of Jaime’s in the mud. Sure enough, Jemini had found them where she had heard the noise the night before. They headed deeper into the woods, and soon a drag line appeared beside the prints, indicating that the little girl had grown tired of carrying a bag of things she had packed. Jemini hoped that meant that Jaime would be sitting on a log or rock somewhere, waiting for someone to find her, tired of running away. Jemini herself felt tired. After looking for an hour, they had found nothing but tracks. “Jemini, look.” Chase pointed silently to a small bag at the left of the tracks. “Jaime?” He called. No answer. “Jaime?” Again, no answer. “Let’s go a little farther.” A couple more minutes brought them to a shallow stream. The foot prints were lost at the bank amongst the tracks of animals that had stopped to drink. “Jaime?” Chase called again. “Daddy!” Came a terrified scream that made Jemini’s blood run cold. “Jaime! Jaime, what’s the matter? Where are you?” Chase shouted, frantically. “Keep yelling, Jaime!” Chase and Jemini ran to where the voice was coming from. “Daddy! Oh, Daddy, it’s going to get me! Come quick!” Jaime sobbed. Jemini’s heart pounded. What’s going to get her? She almost didn’t dare to wonder. Oh, God, keep her safe! She almost collided into her father as Chase stopped abruptly. “Jemini.” Chase said slowly, frozen. “Back up. Quietly.” Jemini didn’t ask. She backed up, step by step. Over Chase’s shoulder, Jemini caught a glimpse that made her want to scream; Jaime, half way up a tree, with an angry coyote snapping at her heels, dangling just out of her reach. Jemini could hear whimpering too – most likely the coyote’s pups, which Jaime had probably tried to pet. Chase slowly raised the gun to his shoulder, intentionally aiming just above the coyote. With a loud bang, the gun went off. The coyote yelped and jumped back, running off several yards. She raised her head and pricked her ears, looking at Chase, then slunk into her den nearby. The whimpering stopped. “Don’t move, Jaime. Jemini.” Chase didn’t take his eyes off of the cave. “Come with me. I want you to help Jaime down.” Chase and Jemini slowly walked toward Jaime, Chase keeping his gun aimed at the cave. He could see the coyote’s eyes gleam in the dark of the cave. “Come on Jaime.” Jemini whispered. She helped the terrified girl out of the tree. “Alright, Dad.” Chase glanced back at his two girls, and together they crept away. Jemini held Jaime in her arms. The walk home was the longest time of Jemini’s life, Chase always on alert. When they finally reached their yard, Jemini shouted. “Mom! We found Jaime! She’s alright!” Charlotte ran out of the house as fast as she could, sinking to her knees and holding Jaime close. “Jaime! Oh honey, you’re safe!” She gasped. Jaime hugged her with all her little might. All the rest of the family came pouring out of the house, including Jedidiah and Jaclyn. “Jedidiah! Jaclyn!” Jemini gasped. She threw herself at her two oldest siblings. “You’re back! When did you get here?” “Jemini!” Jaclyn returned her hug. “We got here just as you and Dad left, according to Mom. I am so glad you found Jaime! Why’d she leave anyway? Where did you guys find her?” Jemini laughed weakly. “That, my dear sister, is a story in of itself!”
The End
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