| Children Fiction posted January 8, 2025 |
Adventures of Jordan and Quinn
The Attic
by Begin Again
Jordan dropped her bookbag on the floor and slouched into the Queen Anne chair in the library. "Mom, why do we have to stay at grandma's house? There's nothing to do here."
Quinn, the youngest by five minutes, snickered, "Except choke on dust bunnies."
"That will be enough of that, young man." His mother raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you should spend the day dusting and cleaning if you are worried about it."
Quinn's gaze darted around the room. His seven-year-old mind could not see his afternoon spent dusting off old, worn-out books. He sneezed before addressing his mom, "Allergies, remember? Wouldn't want to stir up the dust."
"Hmmm - I've got to go." She leaned over and kissed the sandy-haired heads of her two children. "Remember — grandma is old, so please behave."
Jordan was still sulking, but she nodded in response. Quinn cast an adorable smile upward toward his mother's face. "Of course, we will be your little angels."
Lorraine took a deep breath, straightened her suit jacket, and muttered, "That's what I am afraid of." She moved toward the door, yelling goodbye as she hurried off to her busy day.
Quinn eyed one of the books on the side table beside his chair. The men on the book cover wore strange uniforms and a cannon exploded across the page. A moan slipped across his lips. "The Civil War! That's not the adventure you promised we'd have, Jordan."
"As if I am responsible for the rain? I don't like this any more than you do, but we're stuck here. It's a big, old house. I'm sure there must be things for us to do."
Quinn dropped the book on the table with a thud. "You must be kidding. Everything in this house, including Grandma and Grandpa, is old, creaky and covered with dust."
"Be nice." Jordan inhaled and smiled at her brother. "Grandma made cookies. That's a good start."
A smile lit up Quinn's face. "Cookies! It sounds terrific, but what do we do for the next six hours after the cookies and milk are gone?"
"I'm sure we will find something to do."
Shelf after shelf of books lined one wall. Jordan climbed from her chair and moved to the bookcase, examining the books and returning them. She wrinkled her nose and groaned, "These are all books about history."
Quinn joined her, hoping to find a book about aliens or a Western. He flipped through a few pages of one of the history books. "I don't get it," he said with a sigh. "This stuff is so boring. Why does any of it matter?"
Their grandmother entered the room with a soft smile, hearing their complaints. "I know it's a dreary day, but reading is important, children," she said. "How will you learn about the world if you don't read?"
Quinn made a face. "Grandma, I'm learning about history, but it's not fun like adventures. Why can't we just go outside? We planned to explore the forest down by the river. There's always something great to do there."
"Well, the rain has other plans for us today," Grandma said, shaking her head. "But you can always explore the world of books, and who knows? Maybe you'll learn something that'll spark your imagination."
Both children rolled their eyes but remained silent.
With a knowing look, Grandma added, "I'm going next door to help Mrs. Barkley shell beans. I'll be on her back porch if you need me."
Jordon nodded. "We'll be fine, Grandma." She waved the book she had in her hand. "Just reading."
"You two are such good readers," Grandma said with a warm smile for each of the children. "But remember, stay away from the attic. Your grandfather always said the attic was full of dust and old things. I'd rather you didn't go poking around there."
A spark of interest flashed across Jordan's eyes, setting off alarm bells in Quinn's head. He quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandma. We'll just be sitting here — reading."
Grandma raised an eyebrow. "It's good to know the history of our country, but it's also important to stay curious and explore other things. Keep reading, and if you're hungry, there are cookies in the kitchen."
With one last look at the twins, Grandma headed out the door, leaving them with the quiet sound of rain and the aroma of fresh-baked cookies wafting from the kitchen.
The twins sat silently for a moment, staring at the books in front of them. But Jordan's gaze wandered toward the old wooden door at the far end of the hallway — leading up to the attic.
"You heard Grandma," Quinn said, his voice filled with a little nervous excitement. "We're not supposed to go up there."
"I know, but what if there's something interesting?" Jordan whispered, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Are we really going to spend all afternoon reading about stuff no one cares about?"
Quinn hesitated, feeling the weight of their grandmother's warning. "I don't know — what if it's dangerous?"
Jordan stood up, her feet quietly padding across the wooden floor. "Come on. Let's just look. We can always come back if it's nothing."
Quinn stood up, too, but more slowly. He glanced back at the books and then down the hallway at the attic door. "What about the cookies? Grandma said we could have cookies."
"Fine. You win," Jordan said. "You get the glasses for milk, and be careful. Last time, you broke one of Grandma's glasses."
"Aren't you coming? You know we aren't supposed to eat in the library."
From the corner of her eye, Jordan could see the attic door, and her mind was filled with thoughts of what adventure might be behind it. She shifted her gaze to Quinn, who was waiting in the doorway. "I'm going to pick out a book first. I'll be right there."
Inhaling the aroma of freshly baked cookies, Quinn couldn't resist it anymore. "You better hurry because I can't promise I won't eat them all."
Jordan smiled. "I'm not worried. Just don't spill anything."
Quinn raced down the hall toward the kitchen. Two glasses were already sitting on the table beside a tray of cookies. Quinn smiled. "Thanks, Grandma." He opened the fridge and chose the chocolate milk carton.
"Jordan, come on. It's all ready."
He waited, but his patience was thin. He set the milk carton on the table and walked down the hallway, expecting to see his sister coming his way. Instead — his mouth dropped open.
The attic door stood open, and Jordan was nowhere to be seen.
He raced back to the kitchen, grabbed two cookies from the tray, and headed toward the attic door, moaning, "Jordan, if we get into trouble —"
And just like that, the twins ventured toward the attic, unaware of the adventures that awaited them.
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