“Randall Pitts!” Lucy circled the desk a second time, shielding herself with a flimsy folder in an attempt to keep the crazed office manager at bay. “What has gotten into you?” Every time she made a lunge for the door, he managed to block her path, sending her scurrying back around his desk.

“Whoo hoo! Looks like we got here just in time. That little filly sure doesn’t want to be corralled.” Marene quickly reached into her quiver and pulled out an arrow.

“It’s you, Miss Dotson. You’re the paperclip that holds my requisitions together, the CWR3 to my CWR4...the..”

“Enough!” Putting all her might behind it, Lucy shoved the leather office chair in his direction and bolted for the brass handle that would set her free. Fumbling with the knob, she barely had the door open when two hands slammed it shut, one on each side of her head.

“Don’t go! I want you! I need you! I...”

“Don’t you dare say it!” Lucy seethed, staring straight into Randy’s face. Her hand reached behind her, twisting the doorknob.

“That won’t work, my precious,” he crooned, leaning closer to her face. “The door opens the other way.”

“Then I suggest you move or you’re going to be singing about an octave higher,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

“Well, Charlene did say that there’s no reason Lucy shouldn’t find happiness with someone else. And he obviously has the hots for her.” Passing off the queasy feeling in her stomach as extreme hunger, Grace gave the go-ahead. “Let ‘er rip, Marene.”

Grace is definitely having a nightmare! Hopefully the door doesn't lock and the desk is rather small and flimsy!

Oh, please don't tell me they're just about to shoot Lucy with a Love arrow so she falls in love with Randall Pitts! Oh, dear, this trully is a nightmare that I need to wake up from!

I'm closing my eyes This is a nightmare!

Jill, I didn't think I could ever laugh harder than I have in the past with your cherubs, but I was wrong!! This is absolutely hilarious!! Poor Levi!! Poor Grace!! Jack's mood has lightened, it can only be uphill for him and Sue now!! And, Randy and Lucy!! "My Precious" indeed!! I can picture Randy holding the door closed and trapping Lucy!! I'm supposed to be eating lunch, but I'm not sure I can now after that vision!!!

Joy

Lucy and Randy -- that truly makes this a nightmare and a half!

Randy chasing Lucy!! Poor Lucy I think she had better make a run for it.

Oy! Tell me you haven't had nightmares of this variety, Jill!! Course, if you woke up laughing hysterically (as opposed to screaming) then maybe it wouldn't be too bad!

Oh dear!!! That's a real nightmare!! Run, Lucy, run!!!
Josy

Gracie has a very vivid imagination, doesn't she? ..or would that be Jill? I think I can handle anything...as long as it isn't Randy going all on us! YOu'd have to post a warning for that one!

kav

Okay, Kav. I"ll keep that in mind!

It's my father-in-law's 80th birthday this weekend and all of the kids and grandkids are throwing him a surprise party, so I'll be out of town til late Sunday night. On the bright side, it'll give me 4 hours of plane riding each way to see if these cherubs want to let me in on anything....
On the downside, my husband booked the return flight DURING THE SUPERBOWL!! What was he thinking?????
I know. He wasn't.

Take care and see you on Monday.

Jill

i'm sure they'll find a way to show it on the plane....(maybe?)

Jill, have a wonderful time, a safe trip, and have someone tape the Super Bowl!!!

Joy

Superbowl? Is that where Pammie makes her special fudgie brownies in a super sized bowl so there's lots of finger licking left overs for any interested cherubs?

kav

Or maybe chocolate creme filled cupcakes? You might have to get in line for that bowl!

Everyone else can have the bowl - I'd like one of the cupcakes!!

Looking forward to more of your hilarity, Jill!!

You guys are making me hungry! Jill, hope you had a safe trip home. Looking forward to more.

Glad to see we're not going to go hungry! The trip went well and it's great to be back!
I know that I put scenes from Quiver Of Love in red in past posts...and I was going to for this one, but it has become such a mix of the old and the new that it looked very distracting to have things go from one color to another....so I'm going to leave it all in black. Hope that's okay with ya'll.

Grace and Marene quickly fluttered back towards the bullpen, grinning at the chuckles coming from the mouth of Miss Dotson as she fairly skipped down the hall. “She’s pretty happy,” giggled Grace, her wings beating in double time to keep up with the mirthful rotor.

Marene wiped a smidgen of drool pooling at the corner of her mouth. “Yessiree, Bob! We done grrr….LOOK OUT!” The cheery cherub’s cry came too late for either of them to do anything about the cataclysmal catastrophe that occurred around the next corner.

“Myles!” Lucy sputtered her arms and legs splayed out from beneath the lanky frame that sprawled across the top of her. “You’re crushing me!” she gasped, whacking his shoulder lightheartedly.

“Well there’s a double dilemma.” Grabbing Marene by her sash, Grace pointed to the Exit sign. Perched up out of harm’s way, they watched the scene below, smiles plastering their faces courtesy of the snorts and chortles winging their way.

“Myles! Myles! Are you all right?” The jovial jaunt of her voice only increased the volume of the gasping and gurgling coming from on top of her. Wriggling her arms back beneath the mass of man, she gave a hearty heave-ho, rolling him to the side. Kneeling over the red-faced agent, grinning ear to ear, she walloped him on the chest. “Myles! Don’t die on me! Breathe, Myles! Breathe!” She whacked his chest again, his face turning blue as he wheezed, gasping for air. “Oops. Too hard?” she snorted, smacking him one more time for good measure. “I’ll save you!” As he attempted to respire a response, she tipped his head back and sealed his lips with hers, breathing the breath of life into his mouth.

“Well, if that don’t beat all…” whistled Marene, giving Grace a hearty jab with her elbow.

“And Charlene said there was no hope for those two.” Grace smirked as Myles’ arms wrapped around the slender form above him, drawing her to him, his mouth moving passionately against hers. “Guess she hasn’t read too much fanfic, lately.”

"Nope. Bet she hasn't.” Marene stood, ready to launch ceiling-ward and flit back to the bullpen. “Uh oh! Mad bull at eight o’clock! Get ready for the fireworks cuz I think he’s about to blow!"

“Lucy!” Randy sputtered, jerking her to her feet and forcefully pulling her away from Myles, eyes shooting daggers in the downed agent’s direction. “Since when are tongues a part of mouth to mouth resuscitation?!”

“I guess it all depends on what it is she’s trying to revive, my dear Randy,” Myles nonchalantly replied. His eyes crinkled with mirth. “I, for one, found it to be most stimulating...” The crack of Randy’s fist against his Harvard jaw stopped him short.

“Never saw it coming,” Grace surmised, shaking her head in disappointment. “And they were having so much fun.”

“She’s mine, Leland! Hands off!” The office manager cradled his fast-swelling fist against his stomach and moved to encircle Lucy with his good arm. “You touch her again and I’ll slap you with a sexual harassment suit so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

“He’s going to hit him again?” Marene questioned, one eyebrow raised. “Whoo-eee. For a lil’ itty-bitty fella, he’s sure got gumption.”

“Yeah….but Lucy’s got more. Look at her. Even that Arrow of Laughter can only do so much.”

“UGH!!! MEN!” Lucy shrieked, slamming Randy against the wall and glaring at Myles. “Neanderthals! The pair of you...A couple of ughgh! You’re both nuts and I’ll have nothing to do with either one of you!!!” She tossed her head in defiance, straightened her skirt, and stomped back to the bullpen, fighting the smile creeping up on the corner of her lip. “One more man even looks at me today, I’ll get Tara’s gun and shoot him!” she shouted for good measure, slamming the bullpen door behind her.

I was immensely enjoying the banter... until the last crack... OUCH!!!! I have to admit I didn't see that one coming. Not sure if I should feel sorry for Myles' jaw or ego?

You go, Lucy!

Loved the banter between Myles and Randy!

You know, I was really rooting for Myles and Lucy in that post and then Randy had to go and interrupt. Although that little smile at the end gives me so much hope!

Well, Jill, I'm finally back to read your story, AFTER spending three days at my dentist, endodontist and peridontist last week, with the result being a root canal. My jaw was propped open so much I developed ear pain which, after a week, is finally beginning to go away.

It even hurt to sing the hymns at church last Sunday. But I've had hardly any pain from the actual root canal and I'm very proud of myself for not taking any pain medication, and ever so grateful to the endodontist! Now I think I'm okay for laughing continuously for several hours while I catch up on this story, before I go back next week to be fitted for a crown. Ah, the joys of dentistry! But, I must say, the anesthetic didn't affect me the way it seems to be affecting Gracie!

Be back later with my comments.

Lynn

Whew! I’m exhausted from laughing so hard. Some of my favorite quotes?

P2-19 - [quote] “I can’t believe this. There has to be something left of the Pammie I know. Where’s your spatula…or mixing bowl? You’ve got to at least have some brownies in there!” She twisted the velvet vessel, upending Pammie in the process, and began to shake the two with all of her might, growling her frustration through gritted teeth. “They’ve got to be here somewhere!”[/quote]

P2-30 - [quote]The dashing Dr. Dentyne[/quote]

P3-35 - [quote]“Those two are either constipated or need to spend an hour in the lotus position,” Trecey sighed.[/quote]

P3-45 - [quote]Marene gave a hearty yell and pummeled the golden’s head with her tiny heels. “I reckon Git Along Little Doggie won’t do much soothin’. Neither would yodelin’…and…”[/quote]

P4-51 – Oh, there were two from this one… [quote]“It’s you, Miss Dotson. You’re the paperclip that holds my requisitions together, the CWR3 to my CWR4...the..” [/quote] and

[quote]Passing off the queasy feeling in her stomach as extreme hunger, Grace gave the go-ahead. “Let ‘er rip, Marene.” [/quote]Oh, Gracie, now you’ve really done it!

P5-68 - Oh, there were so many jewels in this one, I can’t quote them all….just suffice it to say that I’m wiping the tears from my eyes from laughing so hard! The antics their wayward arrows have created is too funny…my jaw hurts again now and I can’t wait to see what Gracie’s dream conjures up next!

Lynn

I love Lucy's cheerful attempt to save Myles' life!! And, they were doing so well until Randy showed up!! I can't believe he actually hit Myles!!!

Lucy shined all through that post, Jill!! I love the little smile at the end - I think she enjoyed giving CPR!!!

Have I told you lately how much I love your cherubs???

Joy

Neither did we, Grace... too bad they aren't having fun, because WE sure are!!! This is awesome!

Oh, dear! Randy, you really have got it bad, haven't you?

Interesting technique for the kiss of life Lucy has there...

Still can't quite get my head round non-chocolate cherubs - it seems un-natural!

Oh dear!!!! My tummy hurts...I laughed too hard...
Poor Myles!!! and mostly Lucy, good luck!!!
Josy

Too funny! until Bam (literally) and now things are in even more a cafuffle. (though I do wonder how long Lucy can really swear off men).

kav

This story is absoultely hillarious. Can't wait to see what happens next.

D

“Dis is dewicious. Absowootely dewicious.” Trecey sighed again, eyes closed in sheer ecstasy as a morsel of melting chocolate glazed evenly over her tongue. “Grace is gonna die when she tries this.”

Pammie took a tentative bite of the double chocolate brownie and sighed in both relief and satisfaction. “New recipes always make me nervous, but this one is as good as it promised.” The remainder of the brownie popped into her mouth, filling the empty cavity with a warm, gooey delight. “When is she finished?” she managed to mumble through chocolate covered lips.

“Bientôt. I should probably head over there, in case they finish early.” Marene plucked the last bit of crumb from her sash before reaching for a third piece. “I would hate for her to leave on her own.”

“Yep. Flying solo could be purdy dangerous,” agreed Trecey, hovering over the frosting bowl. “Anyone care if I lick this clean?”

“I’m more worried if she should fly too high. In that thinner attitude, she might get disorient-expressed. Flying low is mieux...much better.” Oblivious to the gentle headshakes and inward chuckles of her cherub chums, Marene adjusted her glasses and headed for the edge of the cloud. “I’ll be back with two shakes and a lamb’s tail.”

“Chocolate or strawberry?” Pammie called posteriorly to the fading figure, giggling gleefully as she carefully wrapped the remaining brownies. “What would she do with a lamb’s tail, anyway?”

Trecey simply shrugged. “Prolly give it to Bo Peep. I’ve got dibs on the chocolate shake, though.”

“Hah.” The shorter of the two set aside the brownies and fluttered a little higher…just high enough to be eye to eye. “I’ll wing westle…I mean wring wrestle…wing wrestle you for it.”

The taller cherub flexed her shoulders and grinned. “Easy as takin’ candy from one of Cupid’s babies.”

“Oh yeah?” Pammie grinned an even broader grin. “Babysat for Gabby lately?”

Trecey hesitated for a minute, recollecting a round of toy arrow fencing with one of the Courtly Couple’s boys over a chocolate covered cherry. “Almost got harpooned. Point taken…” She settled on the cloud counter, scraping the last bit of frosted sweetness from the bowl. “I’ll just flip you for it, instead.”

All that swimming and shoveling is paying off!

Jill this continues to be so much fun - you are so clever. Tonight I made roses out of fruit roll-ups - it was an evening of family fun (I think I'd rather swim). They do look cute on top of the chocolate cupcakes but I doubt the 4th graders will notice. I drew the line at cutting out leaves (begin eye rolling now)!

Loved their conversation and the chocolate brownies....hmmmm, would like to have some right about now. lamb's tail....Bo Peep

Lynn

Two shakes and a lamb’s tail???

Sure, Marlene.




“How much longer? She’s starting to wiggle her toes, Doctor.” The able aid nervously gnawed on her lower lip, her action barred behind the blue mask.

“Never seen anything like this.” He straightened and stretched his wings before peering back into Grace’s mouth. “She’s got no wisdom teeth…which may explain her willingness to consume enormous amounts of chocolate confections between her meals of chocolate confections.” Readjusting the light, he shown it down upon the offending tooth. “And this one,” he groaned, “the more I drill, the more I see left to drill. Guess I should have pulled it and given her a fake tooth, instead.”

“I won’t tell Tooth Fairy, if you don’t.”

Dr. Dentyne sighed, running his hand through his short dark hair. “She’d find out, sooner or later. And then you know she’d be impossible to live with. It’s already a 24-7 challenge. What with her letting me know every time she finds a tooth with a cavity in it stuck under a pillow….” He revved the drill, drowning out his voice and his thoughts as he began to work furiously on his pixie patient.

Stuck under a pillow…Grace shook her head. “Did you hear that?”

“Come again?” Marene glanced over her shoulder as she flew furiously, following Jack back into the Bullpen.

“Someone said, ‘Stuck under a pillow.’ I think.” She shook her head harder. “Maybe some of that gray stuff got in here. I’m feeling fogged up again.”

“Con…fu….cious…..!!!!”

The pair of pixies ducked just as a streak of freckled flesh and crimson shot past them at breakneck speed.

“It’s Geronimo!!!” Marene called after her, watching as the tall winged warrior hooked a book on Sue’s desk with her tiny toes, flipping it though the air so it landed a few feet away with an unusually loud thud.

“Nah. He’s associated with too much violence for my tastes,” Trecey answered, designated deed done, and now hovering cross-legged above the file cabinet.

Jack turned at the sound, immediately noticing the book on the floor. His first instinct was to pick it up and put it back on Sue’s desk. As he reached for it, he hesitated, then straightening, looked around the room.

“ACK!” He’s acting like there are girl germs on it or something,” groaned Pammie.

“Give him a minute. I think he doesn’t want to get caught.” Gabby hovered over him, willing him to pick up the paperback.

“Do you ever get a feeling of déjà vu?” Grace whispered to Marene, while intently watching the agent.

“Déjà who? What in tarnation are ya yapping about?” She circled around Jack’s desk and lit on the olive green lamp.

“It’s French. You’re French.”

The cowgirl cupid slapped her thigh and let loose with a hearty guffaw. “The only French I know is the smoochin’ I saw goin’ on back in that there hallway, Gracie. You done gone and sniffed some of that chocolate over yonder?”

“Chocolate!” The word resonated through her like a love song long forgotten, its tune suddenly orchestrated, performing to the beating of her heart. “That’s what we need! Chocolate!”

chocolate? Yeah, I definitely need chocolate !!!


Priceless, Jill !!!!

Oh Jill...thanks for the hysterical laughs this morning...
And now I am starving for chocolate and brownies and strawberries...and it's not even 7am!!!
Josy

Do you think it's all right to eat chocolate for breakfast the day after Valentine's Day? And did you know that dark chocolate is actually a cavity fighter? Hmmmm I wonder what dark chocolate porridge would taste like?

kav

Absolutely Kav....chocolate is good any time of the day or night....and dark chocolate chips on porridge, its the best!

Jill, I'm loving this story! Maybe Jack needs a heavy dose of chocolate to get him out of turtle mode!

Lynn

Your humor knows no bounds. Too many good lines to quote, or I'd start with "two shakes and a lambs tail" and continue from there!

Awesome, awesome, awesome!!!

I still feel bad for poor Gracie! She's trapped in this topsy-turvy world while a mean ol' dentist is drilling her poor tooth to death.

And chocolate? Yup, I could go for that... I wonder if there's any left for the after Valentine's Day sale....

I have plenty of chocolate cupcakes left over from the 4th grade party (if you need 25 you have to make 4 dozen) and I don't see anything wrong with stirring some dark chocolate into your oatmeal, lower your cholesterol and improve your mood!

Oh and Jill you are doing a great job - keep it up!

Deadline??? There's a deadline??








The frenzied fairy failry raced across the room, dodging red, purple, and pink projectiles as they whizzed past her, each on their way to their mark. Gladiators got nothin’ on me. Avoiding Levi’s acrobatics, she snatched a red velvet heart from Tara’s desk and whisked it behind the file cabinet fern. It only took her a few seconds to wrestle the lid from the cardboard case. Immediately, heavenly scents of dark and milk chocolate rewarded her effort. “Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” She couldn’t breathe it in deeply enough or long enough. Before the gathering group of astonished angelicas could say a word, a dark chocolate candy popped into her mouth. “Dis is….” She couldn’t finish. She was floating on air.

“Get down here!” Pammie ordered, grasping the tip of Grace’s wing. “What on earth…or sky…do you think you're doing? If Charlene finds out, you'll get ejected...and fined...and...suspended...and....”

“Have you lost your mind?” Trecey gasped, knees quivering at the thought of their supervisor's wrath. "Okay. Take a cleansing breath...and I MEAN CLEANSING!!!"

“It’s forbidden, now don’cha know,” Gabby added, nodding her bobbed head in agreement as she siddled up to the dissenting duo.

Marene simply stood, mouth agape, unable to believe what she had witnessed. It was the opening Gracie needed. Quicker than a greased pig fleeing a porkchop picnic, she popped a milk chocolate covered caramel into her friend’s mouth.

“Chew.”

With baited breath, the trembling trio of cherubs watched the pair, waiting for what certainly would be an ultra-cataclysmic repercussion for their cowgirlish cupid’s suddenly eager compliance to Grace’s command.

“Yee…haw! Whoooo doggie!!!!” The curly haired cupid somersaulted in air, nearly knocking over the winged watchers. “Sublime! Un pur délice pour la bouche!” She planted a kiss on her fingertips, and then flung it upwards. “Magnifique!”


Stuffing her quiver with a few more confections, Grace swept around the circle, stuffing open mouths as she flew, and popping another into hers for good measure. The transformation of FBI agents below, courtesy of accurately aimed arrows, paled in comparison to the changing of the cherubs. The Rank Amateurs, fresh out of the Academy of Love, burst into flight, lighting up the room with fireworks, cherub-style.

“This is amazing! I feel so….I feel like baking!!!” Pammie whirled a spatula above her head, conducting miniature mixing bowls and an Easy Bake oven into place on the cabinet below.

“Something with chocolate, S’il vous plaît. Chocolate cupcakes! With cherries, ma chérie!”

“Dreamy chocolate cupcakes….deep and dark, just like Jack’s eyes.” Gabby flitted above Sue’s head, locking in on the steamy stare directed at the analyst. “Don’t you think J-J-J-J…”

Expertly, Grace dove and caught the fainting fairy, grinning from ear to ear as she settled her behind a fern frond. “Has to be a Certified Swoon Position, Gabby girl,” she chuckled, arranging the comatose cupid carefully. “Definitely déjà vu.”

“Prolly should wake her up soon.” Armed with her varnished bow and the single golden arrow, Trecey landed beside the pair, eyeing prone Gabby in thought. “Want I should find a 2X4 after I shoot Jack and Sue? One whack and she’ll come to.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

The deep, booming voice resonated throughout the room, vibrating feathers from wings frozen in place. Grace closed her eyes, steadying herself against the plant’s plastic pot in an attempt to halt the swirling inside her head. “Chocolate. Need more chocolate,” she whispered, crawling toward the valentine box. “Almost there….”

Now, I understand my own problems!

Yes, more and more and more chocolate!

Jill, I don't know how you do it. This just keeps me in stitches!

A world where chocolate is forbidden?

What a nightmare!!!!


And yes, chérie, there is a deadline.

Wholehearthy agree!!!
Jill, your cherubs make me laugh so loud!!
Josy

You are something else, Jill!! This is hilarious!!!

I'm still caught up in "disorient expressed" and a world where chocolate is forbidden!!!

And, what is this "certified swoon position"?? Does this mean we can't just flop down in a puddle like we usually do??? LOL

Joy

Egads, I didn't know about the certified swoon position either and I've just been flopping around like a fish out of water all this time. I'm so embarrassed. I like that order is returned to our cherubs' world with a taste of chocolate. I salute you tonight with a piece of chocolate cake.(Though I'm sure it's not as tasty as what Pammie can make)

kav

Certified Swoon Positions....a topic of debate in the latter parts of A Quiver of Love.

Sorry this had to be so short, or that topic certainly would have been dealt with in depth!

Marlene, you can come out from under your bag. I made it...with about an hour to spare!

Dr. Dentyne stared down the statuesque warrior wielding a wooden weapon in her hand, firmly repeating his words. “It won’t be necessary.”

Trecey sighed and pushed the polished board back into her quiver. “I know. I know. This takes a ‘softer touch’.” She shook her head in disappointment and reluctantly stepped aside, clearing the way.

“Wake up, chérie,” whispered Marene, gently shaking the limp form slumped in the plastic-covered chair. “It’s over. The dentist affixed your tooth. Or is it Fixadented your tooth? No matter. You can wake up, now.”

“I baked cupcakes,” Pammie cooed, waving the delectable dozen beneath Grace’s nose. “Your favorite…” she added, with a wink towards her fairy friends. “Chocolate cupcakes with cream filling…cupcakes as dark as Jack’s eyes. Remember Jack’s eyes? How Gabby would swoon?”

“How we thought she swooned and got stepped on and Pammie got stuck in the door knob trying to get to her?” Marene dipped her finger in the fluffy frosting and dabbed the end of Grace’s nose. “Remember Pammie plugging up the door knob, Grace?”

“I was stuck in the hole in the door after I expertly removed the knob…I was not stuck in the door knob,” Pammie corrected dryly, not quite to Mommy Voice Mode, yet.

“It was Pooh-in-Rabbit’s-hole all over again,” Trecey giggled, judging the distance between herself and Pammie’s carefully guarded prize. “But it all worked out. Jack got Sue. Tara got Bobby. And Myles got…”

“Sucker punched!” Grace’s eyes fluttered open, wide with fear. “Marene! We shot the wrong arrow! Randy got Lucy! We’ve got to fix it!” She threw off the chained bib and dragged her palm across the side of her face, swiping the pool of drool lingering at the numb corner of her mouth. “What are you waiting for? Why does my mouf feel funny? Who put…” Grace wiped her nose on the back of her other hand. “… chocolate on my nose?” Without waiting for an answer, she feebly flew from the chair.

With the skill of a midshipman hooking an F15 to an aircraft carrier, Trecey reached out and snagged Grace’s crimson sash as the confused cupid attempted to hurtle by. “Whoa, there, amazing Grace. You need to…”

“I’m not taking any more deep breaths, Trecey! You know, I liked you a whole lot better with your 2X4! And I can say ‘prolly’ if I want to!” She pulled against the tight hold, puffing her cheeks as she strained. “Isn’t anyone going to help me fix this mess?”

“Sure.” Pammie presented the pixie with a plate of perfectly frosted cakes. “Chocolate, anyone?”

“Chérie,” Marene murmured, wrapping an arm around her frenzied friend, “You’ve been at the dentist. A tooth canal, remember? You must have been dreaming. Lucy and Myles…they are together. Honest."

An hour later, the cupid quartet lounged lazily on a slowly drifting cloud. “Baseball, huh?” Pammie closed her eyes, imagining leather and wood, mingled with dirt and dust, taking center field in her life. “No baking at all?” She giggled for a moment, and then threw back her head and laughed heartily. “Although that isn’t nearly as funny as Trecey without a 2X4, preaching peace and happy places.”

“I’ll happy your place if you keep it up.”

Pammie promptly apologized, chocolate style, tossing the last of the brownies to her frowning friend.

“Moi? A Texas draw? Yee-haw?” Marene slapped her thigh and then gave her friend a hearty slap on the back. “And Gabby was from Fargo? When you have a bad dream, you really have a good one!”

“I know. Believe me, I know.” Grace lay back on the cloud, toothache gone and tummy full of everything chocolate. “It was so real, though. I mean, you each were in it. And so many parts were the same. The part with Charlene…. that I could have lived without.”

“Well, Dorothy, it’s good to have you back.” Trecey stood and stretched, holding her breath before releasing it with precision control. “Next time, just click those ruby slippers a little sooner.”

“You have ruby…”

“No, Marene! I don’t!” Grace thrust her pudgy piggy toes in front of her friend. “See? No slippers.” She followed up the action with a giant group hug. “Just the best friends a girl could ever have.”
FIN

Very funny and cute.
thanks,
Terie

Congratulations Jill, you had me worried there for a bit too. and I have to say that it is an immense relief to have our cherubs back in true form. While Pammie's fluttering about could you arrange for her to drop one of those chocolate confections my way?

kav