Chapter 16.

Narrie Trish Middlecreek here volunteering at the food pantry with Ellie's grandparents neighbor... Hey! It's a close nit community here in the village of Noel, I mean... (Population, 973)

Anyways...

(Picture of Narrie and Stephanie raiding the community center pantry.)

"So Ellie's making a song," I was telling Mrs, Johannas, she's like one of the teacher peoples at the community center, " And it's going to be so cool and the circus theme song and everything and..."

So basically... There's this thing that's been on my mind, I told Grampa and... Well... What if it's not real huh? "You remember that dream?"

She nodded and def had no clue what I was talking about but I kinda love her inviting smile. But... I kinda don't ever want to have one like that! I mean, don't tell her this, but... Some people make fun of her..!

"So, Anyways..." I started to explain myself. Basically? After the other day at middle school I realized that... I need some grounding!

And Stephanie's a hat carrying witch, and they're all about grounding right? So... "I wanted to tell you something..."

"Alright!" Oh I love that gentle painted smile that Stephanie wears.

(Picture of a nervous smile painted on a mask.)

"Well, a few years, (months) ago, I had a dream alright?" I started to tell Stephanie the organized chaos that held my thoughts together and started to explain myself!

"And in it I saw Momma Lauri. And then I saw her a few days later at Moms work, and I got to know her, because..." I took a breath, and then started to admit out loud what I was piecing together, "Well, I also saw that person in my dreams too, and..."

Boy! That was hard... Do I want coffee? No, I already had some with Stephanie!

"I just remembered all that but you know how I'm changing my middle name to Trish, and how that's my angel grannie's name?"

"Yeah..." Stephanie answered and I think that she knows what I'm asking getting at now because her smile got less intense and...

(Picture of less intense face.)

"Well..." I breathed deeply and remembered that dream, "Trish" was waving at me, she looked kinda older then the pictures. She had gray hair, and a knitted sweater like Mom made for Lauri and..."

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I just looked at Stephanie, I know they have church services and talk about angels and stuff but... What if she thinks I'm just a stupid kid? Well..!

Her smile and the way she twinkled her earrings make me know for a fact that it will all be okay if I tell her..!

"This person who is sometimes in my dreams?" I took a deep breath and told her, "She looks kinda like Grammie Trisha."

"Okay Sweetheart."

(Picture of smiles!)

Okay! So this is why I'm telling Stephanie right, because number 1, she's like right here! And number 2... She has this reputation right?

"You can tell me, because I can keep a secret." Well... Kids aren't actually supposed to tell her secrets because she does in fact keep secrets! But she's really nice and wears such inviting outfits and makeup like a clown and,

"Maybe it was an angel?" She started talking, "Or maybe it was like those eye tricks where you fit in the pieces."

(Paradolia...)

Wait, So... You not only believe me but... "...Alright."

"And anyways," Stephanie looked at my nervous expression and told me, "it shouldn't stress you out Honey! No, it's like honey right? Little sweets in stuff, M&M's in your cookies. Etc."

"Really?" What? Huh? This is the other thing about Stephanie. Mrs Johanna is crazily too and... She just made me think of bubble coffee with whipped cream and tiny smarties on top and...

(Picture of drink.)

"Yeah, just like those happy thoughts," She smiled at me, "be it a smile, an angel, or a happy place, maybe a flower, or just like the best feeling in your world at whatever moment because that's what they are!"

Basically? She talks like a kid except a little smarter..?

"And they're like those chocolate chips in your plain old sugar cookie!" She gave me a bag of chocolate chips and had a thought!

(Light bulb!)

I love her thoughts, I think I do anyways... "Because when they get reheated, you know what happens?"

"Umm... The cookies melt and becomes really hard rocks?"

"Ha ha ha ha..." She chuckled, "I take it you've burned cookies before!"

Did I want to admit to it?

Not really.

"Well Hon..." She opened the pantry door and asked, "You ever make hot cocoa or cereal with them burned cookie pieces?"

(Picture of crumbled cookies over hot cocoa.)

"No... Wait," I mean... Oh My GOD! Cookie and Creamy hot cocoa??? "Can I?"

"Yeah, I mean I do. But I'm lazy, don't like cooking, tend to make a mess and have a thing about throwing stuff away, so..."

We went out of the "Quiet room" and well... That's why I like Stephanie. Because she's always happy to spend a few extra moments with you and... Sigh...

"Maybe then we can make sense of them sad little things," I muttered under my breath, "like the reason why I'll never get to meet grannie Trish..."

Stephanie glanced at me, smiled and then tried to raise my spirits by adding, "Well, then we'll just have to connect them feelings to a pretty fun thing. Like some chocolate chip cookie hot cocoa!"

"And yeah, we're making some!"

"Ha ha." Stephanie laughed and told me, "Well, then lets hope we, "don't", burn them!"