the bills that come to the house each month—for electricity and cable TV and things like that—it's your job to pay them."
"Yes, I do know that," Annie said irritably. "The problem is, I can't find them!"
"I still don't understand," Georgia said, "and that's really saying something. After all, as everyone knows, ever since getting my power and having my own month, I am marginally smarter than I used to be."
"Believe me"—Rebecca held her thumb and forefinger about one-sixteenth of an inch apart as she sneered at Georgia—"that is a very small margin."
Annie shook her head, ignoring the squabbles of siblings.
"It's like this," Annie said. "Every time we get the mail, I take all the bills out and put them in the top drawer of the desk in Daddy's study."
"Oh, that sounds like a real system." Rebecca rolled her eyes.
Annie continued ignoring Rebecca.
"Then," Annie went on, "I pay all the bills on the first of the month. It's a habit I've gotten into since reading a book on household finances that suggested doing it this way so it's easy to remember."
"Well, yes," Rebecca admitted. "You may have something there—you know, regarding a system."
"The problem is," Annie said, "that today is the first of the month, and when I went to look in the top drawer just now—all the bills were gone!"
"Oh no! Oh no!" Petal cried. "This is awful!" Petal stopped looking distressed long enough to look puzzled. "What does that mean, the bills are gone?"
"They're gone means they're gone!" Annie said, looking almost as distressed as Petal had a moment before. "Somehow they've become misplaced. And if I don't find them, if I don't pay each and every bill on time, the bill collectors will come after us."
"Oh," Durinda said soothingly, "I'm sure it can't be as awful as all that."
"But it is," Annie insisted. "It's what that book I read on household finances said: if people don't pay their bills on time, the bill collectors come after them!"
"Why don't we just start looking, then?" Jackie suggested in a reasonable tone of voice. "I'm sure if we all look, we're bound to find them."
"That's good." Annie visibly fought to gain control of her panic. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Great," Jackie said, and then she began to organize all of us. All of us except for Marcia, that is, who still hadn't shown her face. "Durinda," Jackie said, "you search the kitchen."
"What would bills be doing in the kitchen?" Rebecca said with a sneer. "They can't just walk there on their own."
"I don't know," Jackie said. "Maybe robot Betty was using them as a fan to flirt with Carl the talking refrigerator."
"Aye, aye!" Durinda saluted Jackie smartly.
"Georgia, Rebecca, Zinnia, you check out Spring, Summer, and Fall," Jackie directed, naming three of the four seasonal rooms that our scientist-inventor mother had created so we could go to whatever season we wanted whenever we were in the mood for a change. "I'll take Winter."
"What about me?" Petal asked.
"Why don't you check out the basement and the tower room?" Jackie suggested.
"The basement and the tower room?" Petal gulped. "All by myself? But that's where the spiders are most likely to—"
"How stupid of me." Jackie cut Petal off midworry. "What was I thinking? Of course you can't do that."
"Then what can I do?" Petal asked.
Jackie placed her hand on Petal's shoulder as though she were about to give her the most challenging mission of all. "You just stay here and worry," Jackie said solemnly. "Have fun with it."
"And me?" Annie asked.
"Go through the other drawers in Daddy's study," Jackie said.
And we were off—all of us except Marcia—to do the things Jackie had directed us to. Petal was particularly good at her part.
But after searching all the places Jackie had suggested, along with several that she hadn't, we met up again—all except Marcia—in the drawing room to admit that none of us had had any luck.
"They must be here somewhere." Jackie tapped her lip thoughtfully, and
"Yes, I do know that," Annie said irritably. "The problem is, I can't find them!"
"I still don't understand," Georgia said, "and that's really saying something. After all, as everyone knows, ever since getting my power and having my own month, I am marginally smarter than I used to be."
"Believe me"—Rebecca held her thumb and forefinger about one-sixteenth of an inch apart as she sneered at Georgia—"that is a very small margin."
Annie shook her head, ignoring the squabbles of siblings.
"It's like this," Annie said. "Every time we get the mail, I take all the bills out and put them in the top drawer of the desk in Daddy's study."
"Oh, that sounds like a real system." Rebecca rolled her eyes.
Annie continued ignoring Rebecca.
"Then," Annie went on, "I pay all the bills on the first of the month. It's a habit I've gotten into since reading a book on household finances that suggested doing it this way so it's easy to remember."
"Well, yes," Rebecca admitted. "You may have something there—you know, regarding a system."
"The problem is," Annie said, "that today is the first of the month, and when I went to look in the top drawer just now—all the bills were gone!"
"Oh no! Oh no!" Petal cried. "This is awful!" Petal stopped looking distressed long enough to look puzzled. "What does that mean, the bills are gone?"
"They're gone means they're gone!" Annie said, looking almost as distressed as Petal had a moment before. "Somehow they've become misplaced. And if I don't find them, if I don't pay each and every bill on time, the bill collectors will come after us."
"Oh," Durinda said soothingly, "I'm sure it can't be as awful as all that."
"But it is," Annie insisted. "It's what that book I read on household finances said: if people don't pay their bills on time, the bill collectors come after them!"
"Why don't we just start looking, then?" Jackie suggested in a reasonable tone of voice. "I'm sure if we all look, we're bound to find them."
"That's good." Annie visibly fought to gain control of her panic. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Great," Jackie said, and then she began to organize all of us. All of us except for Marcia, that is, who still hadn't shown her face. "Durinda," Jackie said, "you search the kitchen."
"What would bills be doing in the kitchen?" Rebecca said with a sneer. "They can't just walk there on their own."
"I don't know," Jackie said. "Maybe robot Betty was using them as a fan to flirt with Carl the talking refrigerator."
"Aye, aye!" Durinda saluted Jackie smartly.
"Georgia, Rebecca, Zinnia, you check out Spring, Summer, and Fall," Jackie directed, naming three of the four seasonal rooms that our scientist-inventor mother had created so we could go to whatever season we wanted whenever we were in the mood for a change. "I'll take Winter."
"What about me?" Petal asked.
"Why don't you check out the basement and the tower room?" Jackie suggested.
"The basement and the tower room?" Petal gulped. "All by myself? But that's where the spiders are most likely to—"
"How stupid of me." Jackie cut Petal off midworry. "What was I thinking? Of course you can't do that."
"Then what can I do?" Petal asked.
Jackie placed her hand on Petal's shoulder as though she were about to give her the most challenging mission of all. "You just stay here and worry," Jackie said solemnly. "Have fun with it."
"And me?" Annie asked.
"Go through the other drawers in Daddy's study," Jackie said.
And we were off—all of us except Marcia—to do the things Jackie had directed us to. Petal was particularly good at her part.
But after searching all the places Jackie had suggested, along with several that she hadn't, we met up again—all except Marcia—in the drawing room to admit that none of us had had any luck.
"They must be here somewhere." Jackie tapped her lip thoughtfully, and
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