Susan's Art Project, Part 5

When we last left Helen and Harry they had just heard their Mother coming up the stairs while they were painting each other...

What Now?, they both thought.  

Guess we just have to take our punishment, no backing out, Helen decided.

Mother reached the door and tried the handle.

Oh no, thought Harry, now we'll be in trouble for locking the door.

"Open this door at once," Mother commanded firmly.

Harry and Helen looked at each other, then Helen ran to the door, unlocked it, and ran back next to Harry. She wasn't taking her punishment without Harry at her side.

Mother came in and shut the door behind her.

Then she saw the painting. The twins' faces. Their clothes.

"Helen, Harry. Go to the bathroom at once and wash the paint off your faces," Mother demanded, "then change your clothes and put those ones in the bathtub. After that I want you to lay down in your beds and think about what you've done. Eventually, I will come and tell you what your punishment is."

Helen and Harry started to run to the bathroom.

"And no locking doors, except the bathroom," Mother added, "do you understand?"

They both nodded and ran.



Helen and Harry lay down on their beds, waiting for Mother's punishment.

Finally, Mother came in.

"I am very disappointed in you," Mother began, "not only was the painting not yours, it was a school project," Mother paused to let her words sink in. The twins hung their heads.

"I have decided that you won't be allowed to do crafts for two weeks," she went on.

Helen and Harry groaned.

"But what about school?" Harry piped up.

"Do what your teacher asks, but at here at our house, no crafts. Understand?"

The twins nodded solemnly.

Helen and Harry looked up as Mother added, "The other thing is that you two are becoming too old and mischievous to share a room. Helen, you will stay in this room, but Harry, you will now be sharing John's room. I have already asked him about it."

The twins were shocked. It had never occurred to them that they might not share a room.

Suddenly, a great cry arose. All three rushed out of the twins' room, but Helen and Harry backed away when they realized where it was coming from: Susan's room.

"My beautiful painting is all ruined!" Susan cried.

"No, you don't," Mother spoke firmly, as the twins backed into their room, "You come and apologize."

"I don't have time to get more supplies and paint another before Wednesday," they heard Susan sob.

"It's not your fault, Susan," Mother soothed, "we'll work something out," then turning to Helen and Harry she motioned them forward.

"We're sorry," Harry began, "for painting your painting."

"Yes," nodded Helen, "we shouldn't have done it."

"Right," Harry agreed.

"Do-you--forgive-us?" They both asked slowly.

Susan knelt down on the floor, and hugged Helen and Harry tightly, "Of course, I do," she replied. "I love you, you two mischievous darlings."

                                                                                The End

Susan's Art Project, Part 4

When we last left Helen and Harry, they were in the attempts of sabotaging Susan's painting...

"No way! I thought I made this clear. I am NOT standing on top of those rickety containers." And Helen stamped her foot.

"Then how are we going to get them down?"

"You are going to. I am going to lift you up there."

Harry groaned, but relented. With a mighty heave, Helen pushed Harry on the top container. He grabbed the paints and Susan's beautiful picture, handed them to Helen and jumped to the ground with a great thud. Fortunately for them, no one seemed to notice.

Harry set the poster on the easel, while Helen opened the paints and located the brushes Susan had conveniently left in the mug of water.

After they had been painting for a while, and the beautiful picture Susan had made was only somewhat visible, Harry turned to look at Helen's work.

"My strokes are better than yours," he bragged.

"You shouldn't use such a big word that you don't know the meaning of, and besides, mine are prettier," Helen corrected.

"No they're not!"

"Yes they are!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Then they began shouting at each other, and Harry started to paint Helen's face, then Helen painted his.

Mother heard them shouting, and sighed, "I better go see what the twins are up to."

But when she reached the stairs, to her chagrin, she realized the screams were coming from Susan's room.

When Harry and Helen heard Mother's gentle, firm footsteps coming up the stairs, they froze.



Will Helen and Harry be caught? What will Mother say? Will the twins get their just deserts?

To be continued...

Susan's Art Project, Part 3

Sorry to keep everyone hanging! ;)

Susan's Art Project

After finishing her chores the next day, which was Friday, Susan pulled a picture out of her drawer and set her easel up, poster and paints ready. She knew exactly what she was going to paint. Susan looked at the picture, which Dad had brought back for her, when he had gone to Colorado. It was of majestic mountains and tall trees with a shining lake nearby reflecting the light of a beautiful full moon. This was what Susan was going to paint.

She got out her paintbrushes and opened the paints. Then she began her first strokes.



"When are we going to do it?" Helen asked Harry later that day.

"I don't know," he replied, "sometime when Susan's gone."

"Oh, I know! She has volleyball practice tomorrow afternoon. We could do it then."

"Great idea, Helen!"



Susan was putting the finishing touches on her painting when Mother called to her from downstairs, "Susan! Janet's mother is going to pick you up for volleyball practice in about five minutes."

"Alright, Mother!" She shouted. Susan shut the paints and placed the brushes in a mug of water so the paint wouldn't dry on them while she was gone. Then she placed the poster and paints on the bookshelf.

Helen and Harry will never get into them when they're all the way up there, she thought.

"Susan!" Mother called.

"Coming!" She replied, laying down her smock and grabbing her volleyball bag. In two minutes, she was out the door and on her way.

Once Helen and Harry heard the front door slam, they tip-toed down the hallway to Susan's room, shut the door and locked it.

That's what Susan should've done, if she were smart, Harry thought with a smirk on his face.

"Alright!" said Helen, "Come help me stack the containers."

When they had two containers stacked up Harry said, "Okay, now I'm going to pick you up so you can get the paints. They're still there aren't they? Yes. Okay, ready?"

"No way! I thought I made this clear. I am NOT standing on top of those rickety containers." And Helen stamped her foot.



Will Harry and Helen agree in their attempts to ruin Susan's painting?
To be continued...

Susan's Art Project, Part 2

When Susan came home from the store, she showed her new art supplies to Mother.

"Now Susan," recommended Mother, "why don't you put your paints up away where Helen and Harry can't get them-you know how they are-and come down and help me finish supper."

"Good idea!" Susan replied cheerfully and tripped upstairs into her room. She carefully placed her poster and paints on the top of her tall bookshelf, which was only a couple of feet from the high ceiling.

"Now Helen and Harry can't get it," Susan said satisfactorily. Then she ran downstairs to help Mother.

Helen and Harry heard her leave and raced into her room, looking around for the paints.

"Aw, Man!" cried Harry.

"What?" asked Helen.

"Look where she put them!"

"We'll never be able to get them down," added Helen.

Suddenly, they heard John's footsteps on the stairs and they raced back into their room.

"We've got to think of how we're gonna' get them down," sighed Harry. They sat down for a while thinking.

"I know," Helen replied, a little reluctantly, "we could get the hay ladder, and use it to reach them."

"Silly!" Harry scoffed, "We'd get caught before we got out of the barn. Besides, we couldn't carry it between us."

"But it's the best idea we've had!"

"It's the only idea we've had," Harry pointed out.

They sat for a while, still thinking.

"I know!" Harry exclaimed, "We'll stack up those storage containers Susan keeps in her room, and I'll lift you up on them so you can reach the paints."

"Are you crazy??!" Helen shouted, "I'm afraid of heights! I'll pick you up and you can get them."

"No way!" Harry replied, "You're not strong enough to pick me up!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

Helen and Harry continued arguing, completely forgetting about Susan's paints.



To be continued...

Susan's Art Project, Part 1

Well, I didn't keep my word. I had the story finished before July, but I didn't put it on here until now. Without further adieu...


Susan's Art Project

Susan ran off the bus, waving goodbye to her good friend, Janet. When she reached the Mudroom, she plopped her backpack on the bench and scurried into the kitchen where Mother was at the sink, washing dishes.

"Oh Mother!" She cried, "I've had the most wonderful day at school, but the best part is that Mr. Johnson assigned us the project I've always been waiting for!" She paused to breathe.

"Do settle down, Susan dear," Mother encouraged, "and try to be a little quieter. John has a headache."

"Yes, Mother," She answered, but nothing was going to keep Susan down, she was too excited. She went on, "We're supposed to paint a big poster of a picture of creation."

Mother took her chance while Susan stopped, "How wonderful!" Then Mother paused slightly,"But Susan, don't let it distract you from your other studies." She reminded.

"Oh yes," Susan sighed, "I better finish my homework as soon as possible so I can start working on it."

Susan took the floor at the dinner table that night and no one seemed to mind. She talked endlessly of the project. John and Elizabeth were very excited for Susan, too.

"I know how long you've been waiting for something like this," replied John, "and I'm sure yours will be more beautiful than anyone else's."

"Of course," Elizabeth chimed in. She had often been jealous of Susan's creative ability, but she had begun to see past that to notice Susan's natural talent.

"So Dad," Susan asked, "may I go to the store tomorrow to buy a poster and some paint?"

"Don't you already have paint?" questioned Mother.

"Well, I need a special kind of paint for this," Susan replied.

Harry and Helen looked at each other from across the table. So, they thought, Susan's getting some paint and something to paint on. That sounds like fun!

Harry and Helen loved to paint or do things with crafts, but more than that, they loved trouble. And paints-new special paints-definitely sounded like trouble...

...To be continued...