The Perry Brothers - Ch. 5
Terri and Terry, 9 years old
Mom and dad are drinking coffee and the twins have strawberry milkshakes. Mom and dad are listening to the radio and Terry and Terry are playing with cards. Dad breaks the silence "Have you come up with something to do with the school performance day?" "No... Terri just won't let go of his dancing idea." Terry mutters. "Once again, WE have to do it together. We can never pair up with anyone else." Terri complains and goes back into the game. Their parents look at each other, thinking the same thing. Mom goes to the kitchen to get more sugar and says: "Well, I think you have advantage. Since you're brothers." "How does that change anything? It's even worse that way." Terry says shaking his head. "When's the performance day gonna be?" dad asks. "Valentine's day... And we have to make valentine's day cards too." Terri says. Terry stops for a while and then excitedly says: "Cards. I think, I might know our solution!"
Terri and Terry are at the school yard, waiting for them to get inside with all the other kids. As always, there are a few kids screaming and laughing, but it's still silent. The brothers can hear each other's breaths more clearly than ever and it's nerve-racking. Terri can feel someone staring at them. He turns around and almost falls over, due to Terry not realizing that they're turning around. It's the new girl in class, Samantha. She has been here only for half a year. She has grey skin with a small shade of blue, and black scaly hair. "Hi." Her small voice with no emotion doesn't get an answer. Terry and Terri have been talking about her and her creepiness. She doesn't have any friends, though it doesn't seem to be bothering her. The twins are saved by the clock from this awkward situation and they go inside.
Mrs. Beanery rings the bell and starts talking: "Hi, everybody! Everyone's got their performances ready, I assume." Half of the class answers with a nervous "yes". Terry is feeling confident, while Terri is slightly nervous, even though he's usually more social. There were a lot of singing performances, where you barely heard anything of the high pitched, quiet voice. Finally after a lot of small plays and a couple of comedians it's Terry's and Terri's turn. They take their props. White gloves for Terry, a top hat for Terri, and a pack of cards. While doing their simple tricks, both of them have their hands trembling, but they keep the smiles on their faces. The audience is amazed and the twins feel good about themselves. They must have done something right.
After the show, they go back to their place and there's one more performance. It's Samantha. She takes a small piece of paper filled with text and goes to the front of the classroom. "People kick dirt and stones on them. People step on them. People ignore them. They're just like us. They live their lives, they laugh, they feel sorrow. They're complex creatures, but they're very plain. They're everywhere. They exist, thanks to light, but they're everything but light. I play with them. I run with them. I tell them my secrets. They make me feel important. Only a few understand, how special they are. They're my friends. They're shadows." The classroom stays quiet for a long while, before Mrs. Beanery starts clapping, just like after every show. The other students' expressions are either bored or confused. Both Terry and Terri are amazed. Terry has been reading enough poetry to know that, that was quite amazing from a nine-year-old, and Terri has had to look at Terry reading poetry enough to know that it was "pretty cool". Neither of them knew, that she had it in her. Also the "They're my friends. They're shadows." confused them a lot. Is it a metaphor? Is it true? Is there something wrong with her? Samantha smiles once she sees the stunned faces on the twins.
Everyone takes out their Valentine's day cards. Mrs. Beanery instructs everyone to walk around the classroom and put the cards in the receivers' desks. Terri and Terry put their cards as secretly as possible, because they don't want their own brother to know, who they possibly have a crush on. Once everyone's put their cards to the desks, they go back to their places and see what they got. In the middle of the brothers' desk, there's one purple card, decorated with pink flowers. The twins read it silently. "You make me fly. You're in my dreams. You take me to a place where I've never been before, every day. From ???, to Ter-" Both of them stop, look at each other, look at the card, and freeze in confusion. Terri finally opens his mouth "It... It says T-E-R-R... an-" "A heart." Terry finishes. "The last letter is marked with a heart... How are we supposed to know, who it's for?" "No idea." They look around for a bit, as if the answer was floating around them. There's no one to go talk to and expect, that they'd start talking to the one it was meant to. There's no one to ask, since the senders name in the card is "???". Terry and Terri look at each other and with the look in his eye, Terry sends his brother a simple message. "Perhaps we'll never know."
Terri and Terry are at the school yard, waiting for them to get inside with all the other kids. As always, there are a few kids screaming and laughing, but it's still silent. The brothers can hear each other's breaths more clearly than ever and it's nerve-racking. Terri can feel someone staring at them. He turns around and almost falls over, due to Terry not realizing that they're turning around. It's the new girl in class, Samantha. She has been here only for half a year. She has grey skin with a small shade of blue, and black scaly hair. "Hi." Her small voice with no emotion doesn't get an answer. Terry and Terri have been talking about her and her creepiness. She doesn't have any friends, though it doesn't seem to be bothering her. The twins are saved by the clock from this awkward situation and they go inside.
Mrs. Beanery rings the bell and starts talking: "Hi, everybody! Everyone's got their performances ready, I assume." Half of the class answers with a nervous "yes". Terry is feeling confident, while Terri is slightly nervous, even though he's usually more social. There were a lot of singing performances, where you barely heard anything of the high pitched, quiet voice. Finally after a lot of small plays and a couple of comedians it's Terry's and Terri's turn. They take their props. White gloves for Terry, a top hat for Terri, and a pack of cards. While doing their simple tricks, both of them have their hands trembling, but they keep the smiles on their faces. The audience is amazed and the twins feel good about themselves. They must have done something right.
After the show, they go back to their place and there's one more performance. It's Samantha. She takes a small piece of paper filled with text and goes to the front of the classroom. "People kick dirt and stones on them. People step on them. People ignore them. They're just like us. They live their lives, they laugh, they feel sorrow. They're complex creatures, but they're very plain. They're everywhere. They exist, thanks to light, but they're everything but light. I play with them. I run with them. I tell them my secrets. They make me feel important. Only a few understand, how special they are. They're my friends. They're shadows." The classroom stays quiet for a long while, before Mrs. Beanery starts clapping, just like after every show. The other students' expressions are either bored or confused. Both Terry and Terri are amazed. Terry has been reading enough poetry to know that, that was quite amazing from a nine-year-old, and Terri has had to look at Terry reading poetry enough to know that it was "pretty cool". Neither of them knew, that she had it in her. Also the "They're my friends. They're shadows." confused them a lot. Is it a metaphor? Is it true? Is there something wrong with her? Samantha smiles once she sees the stunned faces on the twins.
Everyone takes out their Valentine's day cards. Mrs. Beanery instructs everyone to walk around the classroom and put the cards in the receivers' desks. Terri and Terry put their cards as secretly as possible, because they don't want their own brother to know, who they possibly have a crush on. Once everyone's put their cards to the desks, they go back to their places and see what they got. In the middle of the brothers' desk, there's one purple card, decorated with pink flowers. The twins read it silently. "You make me fly. You're in my dreams. You take me to a place where I've never been before, every day. From ???, to Ter-" Both of them stop, look at each other, look at the card, and freeze in confusion. Terri finally opens his mouth "It... It says T-E-R-R... an-" "A heart." Terry finishes. "The last letter is marked with a heart... How are we supposed to know, who it's for?" "No idea." They look around for a bit, as if the answer was floating around them. There's no one to go talk to and expect, that they'd start talking to the one it was meant to. There's no one to ask, since the senders name in the card is "???". Terry and Terri look at each other and with the look in his eye, Terry sends his brother a simple message. "Perhaps we'll never know."
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