When the three of them had finished giggling, Millie stood on the top step and surveyed the remaining light. “No more painting today,” she said and headed to the carriage house to put away her supplies.

This greatly disappointed Josie. The envy that had been snuffed by the twinkling of an aspiring artist came roaring back to life. Josie shot her brother a look warning of impending revenge. Her eyes were so heated and her posture so poised for the kill one could almost see the pointed green tail of envy swish from beneath her skirt.

Matthew was not unfamiliar with this side of his sister’s perpetually shifting personality. If he waited long enough (and it usually wasn’t very) it would change. He rolled his eyes at her and stuck out his tongue.

Just as Millie turned back, as if by a trick of mirrors the look disappeared, Josie's posture relaxed, the tail recoiled, Matthew’s eyes returned to center and his tongue looked as if it were only licking his lips.

“Would the two of you like to come back tomorrow?”

Simultaneously they turned to her with twin innocent smiles. “We’d love to,” said Josie, speaking for the both of them. “But we have church first. Will that be okay?”

“The same time tomorrow would be fine. If it would help, I could pick you up and meet your mother.”

Josie and Matthew exchanged a look that did not go unnoticed by Millie. She chose to ignore it and instead waited for a response.

“Uh, our mother won’t be home. She has to…stay after church,” Josie answered.

“Oh, well then I can pick you up all the same.”

“No thank you. We like to walk.”

“Same time tomorrow then.”

Millie walked them to the carriage door and knelt down before Matthew. “Will you bury him tonight?” she asked. He nodded. “Remember where you bury him. I’ll make a marker for him, and you can take it with you tomorrow.”

With a nod he said softly, “I will.”
“Thank you for the soda, Millie,” Josie added.

“’Til tomorrow then.”

The children walked along quietly for several minutes. Matthew was pensive waiting for a cuff up side the head or a scathing lecture on the place of younger brothers. Neither came. Instead, Josie talked idly about the weather, school and whether or not she should wash her hair tonight.

Matthew wasn’t fooled. He was sure she was only lulling him into thinking he was safe, so he broached the subject himself. “I didn’t know she was going to paint me,” he said meekly, hoping just bringing up the subject didn’t garner him the expected cuffing.

“I know,” she said coolly.

“So…we’re okay?” he asked.

“Maybe,” she said drawing out the syllables.

“Oh.” Matthew knew the longer she held on to the impulse for revenge the worse it would be. If there were anyway he could draw it out now, he would. “Maybe she’ll paint you tomorrow.”

“What if she doesn’t?”
“I’ll ask her to.”

“No, Matthew. Don’t embarrass me by doing that.”

“Maybe I won’t go.”

“You have to.”

“You can leave me at the corner, and I’ll just wait there,” Matthew suggested.

“That won’t work either. Someone will see you.”

Matthew thought for a moment and then decided it all just wasn’t worth it. “What ever you do to me, you’ll get the switch and you know it,” he threatened.

“Who said I was going to do anything?” Josie asked.

Matthew was sure he saw a flash of green behind her.