Grand Trails B+B (First draft idea) II

My eyes lazed open.  The cotton pile was warm; I gasped a yawn before re-curling back into the down.  I felt the morning goings about now though, the footfalls had probably woken me to start with.  I would not be sleeping anymore, I reluctantly arose.  

Turning the corner I found the family already sitting down for breakfast

"Good morning sweetie" mother piped on seeing me

An approximation of the word morning left my mouth as I pulled a cushion up next to the table.  I corrected myself after I leaned and wobbled sleepily on sitting down.  Ara, Dent, and Fia didn't pay me much mind and father was already gathering up his gear.

Pulling over half an oat O I stared at if for a second.  

"What's wrong with it" Ara prodded with an acridly sweet tone of the elder sibling.

Dent was ready with the barb "it wasn't handed down to him from on high"

I sighed out a nothing and Fia gave Dent a nasty look.  Ara took back the moment quickly before it escalated.  Dent and Fia were quick to brawl over the littlest thing, "ok you're done Dent, go help father with the leads."

"What did I do" he pleaded to himself mostly.

Mother taped him on the head and he shot up without another word.  "Lett, do you want some jelly today?" mother asked me.

"Thank you, no Mom.  I'm fine" I started into the half O.  Dry but filling as usual.  The rest of the family going about their daystart, I set my mind to a start as well.

After a quick sponging I gathered up my gear and met Ara Dent and Father at the entrance to what we call the glass hall.  Jack usually just called it the cupboard.

While there might be several versions floating around the house, the history of this place is recognized by all tall and small.  My family is one of the oldest to live here, and the relationship between my family and Jacks goes back several generations.

At some point Jacks fathers, father.... father?   Anyway way back when, he caught a decent glimpse of my great, great, great aunt; somewhere around where ahead of where I stand now.  From that point on accounts vary depending on who's telling the story, in the end it all worked out so no one really argues the details anymore.

But what happed after still goes on today.

We emerged from an obscured knot in the veneer, into the warehouse; or again as Jack would insist, the breadbox.  A room inside the greater glass hall, with a great sliding door on one end and our removable panel on the other, betwixt the two portals a trove of goods.  

Here an exchange of notes had begun, and after that little bit of this and that accompanied the notes.  And soon, as the most of the versions of the story go, a vibrant exchange started.  I say exchange, things were, ahhh, returned when requested, and other things were given when asked... nicely.   We have the very first note, or so granpapa had said, hanging up in the den.

We walked up to the parcels, notes, boxes and jars of everything.   Our Family has run the warehouse ever since that time.  We're sort of become the official human minders of the house.  There are several families living around the building, most leave the affairs of humans to us; when it's convenient for them at least, which is almost always.  That is just as well though, Jack and Jessie are one thing, but if anyone else saw us, it's something none of us like to think about.

I picked up a scrap of paper nearest to a bag of sugar.  It was in Jessie's hand, "one teaspoon of this fine sugar for the first to retrieve a lost earring!"  I read the description out loud before rolling up the paper and stowing it in my bag.  I spoke over a stack of toothpicks to father, "got a findy to post!"

Father peered around the stack, "for the sugar?"

I nodded "it's the nice stuff too."

Father rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Alright, run it up the wall."

I grinned as I turned and skipped back to the knot.

Rounding an electrical conduit I double checked Jessie's note was secure at my side.  I always liked her handwriting; it was legible.  Jack never got the hang of "reaaaaaaaly tiny letters".  Hers were always easy to read.  Everybody quietly noticed a few months back, after jessie started writing notes for herself.  Now most of the notes were all in her hand -  Ara had let slip the difference  between the styles around that time to Jack and Jessie.

Ara was more formal with the humans of the house, but then she was eldest, she would take over the warehouse at some point.  Thinking on it, I liked the idea, I had decided awhile ago that I wouldn't want the responsibility anyway: too many complaints.

I reached the top of the climbing slats and looked out over the flat expanse of the first floor ceiling space. It was dim and low and just the way a proper person should like it. I gave my arms a quick shakeout before I started a brisk jog into the dark distance.  

I reached the brick wall in good time.  The light was still low, but more usable here as a crack from the floorboards overhead kept this part of the wall lit.  The whole affair was simple.  Brick and mortar with papers of vary size quality and legibility plastered pasted and pinned on to it.  

I wasn’t the first to show up today. Others from around the building had come to post things.  Messages to one family to another, announcements to everybody, or the rare message to pass on to a human; they all overlapped in the well light parts of the wall.

I got a few glances, the occasional greeting, but they were all more interested in what I would be posting than in conversation.  My family usually posted the most lucrative of notes, today would be no exception.

I didn't really need to talk to them anyway. Besides they would talk with father if they needed something, I reminded myself.  With care I unrolled the scrap with Jessie's request and clipped it to the wall, the rest gathered up behind me.

I wiggled out between them as they read it out loud at various paces; most only read the most basic of English.  Only a few families like mine had any need to know it with any real proficiency as a group, most families had one or two skilled readers though.  

"Did it say where it last was?" a son of the Hearthstack clan asked out loud.  I recognized him but his name escaped me in the moment.  I had discovered in previous conversation that he was as thickly built in body and he was in mind.

"They would have added it to the post if they knew." a member of the Undderstove family rebuffed.  The kitchen clans were a resilient and often gruffly fair about most matters. I have had some rather productive and reliable trades with them in the past, and they make a mean Crum mix.

I sighed as I tried to ignore the exchange; I was looking at the other posts now.  I had collected the ones addressed to anyone in the family, when I saw it.  It was rare but occasionally one would actually be addressed to one of the bigger residents.  And what a request.

I grabbed the rest then turned back the way I came.

I skidded down the last pass to our den in record time.  Catching my breath mother was already getting me a drop of water before I could refuse.  I gulped it down under her expectant gaze without question and handed the cup back.  "Well?"  She promoted after the loaded pause.

I got the request scrap out of my satchel.   Unrolling I held it up for her to inspect.

Mother pulled the note down so she could see me again, she gave me one of those side smirks, "you better tell father first"

I nodded, "here's the rest."  I unpacked the other notes from the satchel and handed them off.

Mom was already sorting through them as I zipped back to my space, and grabbed my climbing gear.  I heard the faint chime from the upstairs clock count to seven by the time I was ready and out the door and up to the warehouse again.  Ara spotted me first, "Let, why the gear?"

Father turned the corner emerging from behind the tissue box, "oh ho and where are we going so early?"

I fumbled with my satchel and gave him the note from the posting wall. "The rest are with Mom," I informed him as he read.  I glanced over at Dent who was trying to make a face at me and look busy at the same time.  It wasn't worth prodding that nest today.

Father made an audible sigh as he finished reading, "I suppose I can't talk you out of this? Ara really should be the one to go."

"Oh, come on dad," I protested.

"Wait, what is it?" Ara demanded immediately upon hearing her name.  At this point she stopped minding her pile of papers, and started stepping closer.  

Father paused and looked at the two of us, "now that I think of it you should both go.  Lett, you're more experienced in this, and Ara you avoid this too much"

I could see her ears droop a little, but her voice stayed as proud as ever "What kind of request is it Father?"

"A meet and greet.  Looks like they want to ask them something in person..." Father said taking care to look Ara in the eye, completely missing the silly grin plastered on my face.

"Who asked and with which one?" she blurted out faster than she should have.  She did that ever since we were little. When the plan goes sidewise Ara talks fast and gets rather blunt.  It actually usually gets things fixed.

Still it was a bit of a damper on the news "That’s the part you won't believe" I interjected with relish.  She didn't seem to appreciate my saying so.

Father glanced at me; he hid his internal amusement well.  He turned back to Ara "as unlikely as it sounds, the Yonders."

"From the basement, those Yonders?" Ara asked incredulously.

"The same" father stated.  "Lett you've got yours, Ara did you bring the right equipment?"

Ara looked a little lost until the question registered, "yeah... I mean yes" she scurried off to where she had left her own bag and rope.  

Apparently I was smiling too much. Father put his hand on my shoulder "you'll leave marks if you smile that wide son."  I sheepishly tried to keep a straight face, "just try and keep things simple today, ok?"

I nodded "sure". Somehow that might happen, I thought.  It's not every day the most cloistered and human adverse of clan's requests one of those humans show up in person to their home.  Nope simple this was not.  I hadn't even really met a yonder before.