Nicole sat on the grass, weaving the stems of flowers together into a bracelet, as her sister jumped back and forth over the stream. "You won't listen to anything I say anyway," she quipped as she picked another daffodil. "Your imagination will get the best of you."
"Magic slippers just don't show up in anybody's backyard!" Brooke belted as she leaped over the stream again. "There has to be a reason they would just appear here!"
Nicole looked up briefly from her flowers, "Then what do you suppose we do about it? There's two of us and only one pair of slippers. "
Brooke's feet left the ground to jump the stream. Distracted, she hadn't noticed where she was jumping when she landed in the water, splashing her sister. Nicole wiped her face (along with the smile she wore momentarily) to scold her Brooke. "You've made me drop my bracelet!" As Nicole retrieved them, Brooke studied her wet shoes.
They were the brown ones Mother always bought her, year after year. They go with everything she was told. Right now, feeling her toes squish inside, the slippers seemed to call to her. She could still hear the tinkling sound even though they were covered safely in her tote. Her brown shoes sploshed with each step as she went to uncover them. The glittering shoes had a more brilliant ruby color when held out in the sunlight. Brooke admired them as her sister approached her side.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try them on," Nicole smiled.
Brooke smiled back at Nicole as she handed the slippers over, bending down to take off her wet, brown pair. After letting her feet dry in the sunlight for a bit, she gently placed the magic slippers on her feet.
The slippers were just her size (thanks to magic, she knew). They slipped on with ease and felt remarkably comfortable for such elegant attire. She pranced around, keeping her eyes on the shimmering shoes. Nicole stood back, admiring the shoes, but pleased to see her sister so happy.
"What now?" Brooke begged. She valued the advice of her sister.
Nicole pondered the question for a moment. "How do magic shoes work?" She asked.
"Well," Brooke began, "in the story Dorothy knocked them together three times and made a wish."
"Alright, then that's what we shall do." Nicole strode over and grabbed Brooke's hands. "But first, a promise. We must be very careful, for we have never used magic before. And we must stay together, not matter what the shoes bring between us." Brooke nodded in agreement.
"Of course, sister!" Brooke exclaimed. "Now, what shall we wish?" She bit her lip with excitement, waiting for her sister's reply.
"Let's start small," Nicole advised. "Maybe sometime for our special place here in the woods?"
"I know just the thing!" Brooke beamed. She closed her eyes and knocked the heels of the shoes together very gently, enjoying the chiming sound they made when the heels met. "I wish we had all of the furnishings for a tea party," she wished.
When she opened her eyes, a wonderful table was set before her. Nicole squealed with delight. The girls rushed over to explore their treasures. There was a china tea set decorated with lavender roses and lined with gold placed on a delicate lace tablecloth. The centerpiece was a beautiful arrangement of flowers (Brooke noticed a few poppies). Another smaller table was filled with sandwiches, cookies, and cakes. The girls sampled them all and drank delicious honey and mint tea.
They laughed and played until the sun began to go down. Packing up the rest of the food, and carefully placing the slippers back inside of Brooke's tote, the girls set off for home. They did not eat their dinner well that night, and Mother sent them to bed early. But that did not matter, for the sooner they sleeper the sooner they would return to their treasures the next day. Brooke was already imagining all of the grand wishes her and her sister would be making next.
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