Bea was tired of watching other girls go out and have fun.  High School was more stressful than she thought it would be.  And then watching other girls get all dressed up and going off to have fun at prom and homecoming dances had, of late, been very irritating.

“When do I get to go to a dance,” asked Bea to herself, as she looked at herself in the mirror curling her hair.  To make matters worse, Mother’s Day was fast approaching.

Mother’s Day was not an easy day for Bea or her older sister, Purity.  Their mother had “flown the coop” some years ago.  In the past, the girls would make cards for their Grandmother and spend time with their oldest sister, Prudence on this day.  That made things a bit easier.  But for reasons too insidious to discuss, Grandma and Prudence were no longer welcome in the family.

The last few years without them had been very hard.  But Prudence had found a way to reach out to her sisters…the magic of the world wide web.  Through storytelling, pictures, and songs, Prudence had begun to teach her sisters how to “cast a spell” and perform this magic for themselves.  They had an “internet coven” and Prudence seemed determined to stay connected to her younger sisters.

Bea longed to hug Prudence.  She knew Prudence sat down every day and wrote something to them.  Bea tried to imagine Prudence typing away at her computer.  Her long fingernails sliding slowly across the keys.  Prudence did not know how to type, which made her more than a thousand posts just that much more meaningful.

“What would Prudence type?” Bea asked herself.  She could feel a story brewing.  She had begun to carry a notepad and pen wherever she went (just as Prudence did) so that she could write ideas for stories as she got them.  She got out a piece of notebook paper…

Prudence starts story @ Mother’s Day.  

Dancing under moon

Sisterhood-girls laughing, talking

first drink?

Bea wasn’t sure about that one.  She was curious why adults liked wine and alcohol so much.  It seemed to make them a little crazy. But it also looked like they got more relaxed.

“What are you doodling?” asked Purity.

“Ideas for a story with Prudence.” said Bea.

“How is Prudence going to start the story?” asked Purity. She was aware of her sister’s ability to write and was curious how Bea might finesse this idea into the start of a story they had not experienced yet.

“I’m thinking…” She sat on the bed for a few minutes.  Then, she jumped off the bed. “Let’s go for a walk.  I think better when I walk.”

“The sun is going down,” said Purity.  “We can’t stay out too long.”

“We won’t need too long. I just wanna look up at the moon.” answered Bea.

They walked up and down the street for a few minutes.  The new moon was rising across the desert landscape.

When they went inside, Purity turned on the T.V. But Bea was completely engrossed in her idea for Prudence’s story.  The gypsy music from the show made it easier for Bea to imagine that Prudence was with them.  She closed her eyes as the music started to build.  Bea could remember how Prudence smelled: like vanilla and bergamot.  She remembered her soft shoulders and her long fingernails. The music helped Bea envision her sister.

“Good evening, Ladies!” said a familiar voice. The girls turned toward the entrance to the room.  They saw a cloaked figure standing in the doorway.

“Are you ready to go?” asked Prudence.

“How can we go? asked Purity.  “You know we can’t go out with you. What if the parents want us for something?  How will we get past the front door?

“This is MY story now, Purity, isnt it? said Prudence.  She looked at Bea.  Bea nodded in agreement. “Have a little faith.  First of all, I brought your Christmas cloaks with me.  Remember, you wore them on our ride to Bethlehem?  I bet you did NOT know that they are invisibility cloaks.  Put them on and we’ll walk right past everyone.

“But what about when we go to bed?  They’ll know we aren’t here when they check on us later,” asked Bea.

“But you will be – look!” replied Prudence.

Purity and Bea looked towards the window of the girl’s room.  Standing there were two exact look-a-likes of Bea and Purity.  The girls looked at each other and smiled.

“Let’s go! exclaimed Purity grabbing her cloak.  They hastily put on their hoods.  They walked out into the hall.

The TV in the living room was blasting. Older brother was sitting on the couch watching a martial arts show.  The girls walked right past him.  But then, they came to the door.

“Do we open the door?” asked Bea.

“Yes, but slowly,” answered Prudence.  “I left the screen door open when I entered earlier. Go ahead Purity…grip the doorknob and turn it slowly.”

“Why do I have to do it?” giggled Purity nervously.

“You know why…” responded Prudence knowingly.

Purity’s hand quivered as she reached for the knob.  She turned it silently.  Bea kept watch as the doorway began to widen.  Older brother did not notice that the door had become ajar.

“Now go through and leave the door open.  That will make it appear as if the door opened by itself,” explained Prudence.

The girls walked down the short path, through the gate and down the driveway.

“Where is your car?” asked Bea.

“We don’t need the car.  Turn around,” said Prudence.  As they did, they saw that they were no longer on their street, but on a different moonlit street in a different part of town.

Dusk had already fallen, but birds were chirping in the bushes all around them.  The street had trees scattered about and it was lined with brown trashcans that all looked exactly alike.

“Where are we?” asked Purity.

“My street! Let’s go! My bare feet are freezing standing out here on the street.” exclaimed Prudence!