Through the Mirror and Into Snow

by Ann T Bugg

“Have you ever seen a possum before?” Samantha asked Valerie, suddenly very excited at the prospect of an adventure.

  “Only a stuffed one at the Science Museum. Have you ever seen one?”

  “Nope, only pictures. I’m sure we have nothing to worry about. If it didn’t do anything but hide with your mom out there, it can’t be vicious. It’s not like it’s far away; it’s just to your barn. We’ll run out to see if it’s still there then come right back in. I really want to see one up close.”

  “Fine by me,” Valerie said, giving in without a fight.

  Although best friends while still in diapers, the two girls could not be more opposite, except when it came to finding ways to earn their double-trouble reputation.

  While Valerie’s complexion was fair and her hair blonde, Samantha had dark brown hair and always looked tan, even in the winter. Her deep brown eyes sparkled with kindness and friendship.

  Their differences went far beyond the surface. Valerie was a country girl and didn’t have much time to worry about fashion. Samantha, on the other hand, had quite the wardrobe and makeup collection. They had gotten their ears pierced together at a young age, but Valerie’s closed long ago. Samantha still changed earrings daily. Their likes and dislikes were also completely opposite, but that never slowed down the friendship. Where Valerie loved reading wonderful fantasy tales of faraway lands and loves that happened “Once Upon A Time,” Samantha was much more into “hands-on” activities—like her dance classes.

  “Dibs on the Barbie flashlight,” Sam said.

  “That’s fine. I got a Ninja Turtle one last week,” Val said.

  “Ug. You’re such a boy sometimes, Val.”

  “You’re the one that watches football with your dad.”

  “You watch things blow up with your dad.”

  “It’s a good show.” After digging through a drawer, Valerie let out a cheer. “Found ‘em!”

  Locating two flashlights was a great accomplishment, considering the condition of her playroom. Usually ten minutes after a friend’s arrival, a small army was required to help clean it up. At nine o’clock, they made their way down the stairs to begin their quest for the possum. They carefully clung close to the wall, being mindful of the creaky areas of the steps.

  The light in her mom’s room was on, so they detoured into the kitchen for snacks instead of going outside. On the way back, Val stopped at the computer desk.

  “Look, Sam. It’s the book my mom has been writing. We should read it. If she’s still up, she must be reading. We could be waiting for a while. This will give us something to do while we wait it out.”

  “Didn’t you say she had a file on the computer for her book that was titled ‘Read this and Die,’ Val?”

  Valerie laughed. “Yes, but this isn’t in the computer now, is it?” She tucked it under her arm and walked back up the stairs.

  They read for a long while, thoroughly enjoying the crazy stunts and funny personalities her mom had given the two of them. She'd even written Valerie’s brother into the tale.

  “Have you seen him lately, Val?”

  “Not since we moved him into his new apartment. I like that he’s even closer to the Science Museum now. I’ll probably get to go when we visit him.”

  “That’s cool. Maybe I can meet you there sometime.”

  “Mom said it’s about half way to your house. I think she’s making it a plan.”

  Even though Valerie’s brother was thirteen years older than she was, they were close. Before the “I’ve missed you” hug, they shared a special handshake when they first saw each other. Val laughed that her mother had included that in the story. Her portrayals of Sam and Valerie weren't far from the truth, either. They giggled their way through the pages until well past eleven o’clock.

  Valerie suddenly stopped reading and shrieked. “I almost forgot about the possum!” She realized she said it a little too loud and covered her mouth with her hand. “Let’s get going,” she whispered. “I’m sure my mom is asleep by now.”

  They went down the stairs a little faster than they had the first time around. As soon as they reached the kitchen, Val's chocolate lab, Otter, begin to whine. Otter never skipped a beat. If someone was up, she was to be petted and let out of the combined bathroom and laundry area she shared at night with Val's Dalmatian mix, Dottie.

  Otter was an outside dog at heart, whether it was thirty degrees below zero, raining, hot, windy, or even late at night. There was no question of leaving her behind, so Val let her out. Dottie, very much an indoor dog, barely acknowledged the disturbance.

  “It'll be good to have her along for protection,” Val said.

  “If by ‘protection’ you mean she’ll lick it to death, then I agree.” Sam laughed.

  It had stopped raining long ago, but there was still a slight chill to the breeze. The girls pulled light rain jackets on over their pajamas.

  Otter pranced around them, happy for the change in her routine. She didn’t get to go outside after dark often. Once they were out, it didn’t take her long to charge after one of the barn cats. When in pursuit, she couldn’t be stopped. Otter didn’t hate cats; she simply chased what ran. Some cats took off at the sight of her, some rubbed up against her when she entered the barn. Some did both. Val guessed it was more of a game than anything else.

  Valerie put her hands up to her mouth to call for Otter, but Sam yanked them back down. “Don’t! You’ll wake your mom!”

  “Good call. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sure she won’t go far, anyway.”

  Val was happy to see Otter sitting at the barn door when they got there, patiently waiting to be let in.

  “It’s funny she knows where we’re going, Val.”

  “She’s what my mom calls a ‘creature of habit.’ She assumes we’re doing what we did last time we came out. If we’d gone for a drive, she would have run to the garage.” Val pointed to the side of the barn door. “That, and the fact that the cat she was chasing squeezed in through there and she’s waiting for us to let her in,” she said with a laugh.

  “Why doesn’t she use the horses’ doors?”

  “She’s probably too lazy and knew we were coming.” Val shrugged.

  The girls stood for a moment, staring at each other, as if each one was waiting for the other to chicken out. Valerie finally reached up to unlatch the door. Before they could walk in, Otter darted in ahead of them and started sniffing around. The trail led her to the wooden ladder that reached the top level—the hayloft. The cat must have run up it to safety. Not being quite brave or dim-witted enough to climb it and finish the pursuit, Otter continued to sniff around with a new-found vengeance.

  “I bet she smells the possum,” Samantha said.

  The girls checked out the counter. Sir Lexington was there, eager to be loved, but he was alone. He got a good dose of loving from both of them.

  “Where’s your friend, Lex?” Valerie asked.

  Samantha took her turn petting him. “We heard you had an ugly buddy. Where’d he get to?” Sir Lexington replied with his happy purr and enjoyed the late night guests. Lifting her head at Otter’s whine, Sam saw she had her nose pressed up against a small hole by the doorframe to the tack room, and was excitedly wagging her tail.

  “Val, look.”

  Val turned toward the small room where the saddles and such were stored, and immediately walked over. Sam stopped her kitty loving and followed her.

  Chapter 3