Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Mg* ped 1st cons rom inc preg anal oral mc ScFi Author: YAWN - Yet Another Writing Newbie. Copyright 2010-2011 YAWN Electronic distribution permission granted to asstr.org. Permission for any other use must be obtained by contacting the author via asstr.org. If you can't tell this is fiction from the copyright date and the story dates, you're either not old enough or not smart enough to be reading it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thursday, 20 August 2015 07:40 "Daddy? Daddy? Can you and Sarah help with the pancakes? All the stuff that I can lift is on the counter." "Good morning, Molly." "Hi, Poppy." "Good morning, Sarah. Do you want to go help make pancakes?" "Pancakes? YUMMY!" "First we put on some clothes - cooking when you're naked can be dangerous." "Why is it dangerous, Poppy?" "How would it feel if some bacon spattered and it landed on your nipple?" "That would hurt! I'll put on clothes." "Daddy, can we show Sarah around today?" "Yes, Honey, but I have the watch at 14:00. That's 2PM on your watch," "Can we bring books and a quiet game and stay with you? Can we do other stuff?" "Molly, you know that 'other stuff' depends on whether things are quiet or not. You may spend the entire time in the little office." "I understand, Daddy. Can we finish Beth's dollhouse after your watch?" "We need to see if the other girls are available to help and if someone can keep Beth busy while we're working." "Poppy, who's Beth? Wait... Let me read Molly. Beth is Mr. Mason's granddaughter. Jane is her sister. Mr. McGregor is their Daddy. Lacey is their cousin. The dollhouse is a surprise for Beth's birthday next week. Molly wants to bake a cake for Beth because there aren't any cakes in the store." "Very good, other daughter!" "Oh, Poppy, say 'daughter' again." "OK, my other daughter Sarah has learned what my daughter Molly is trying very hard to keep a secret, so my other daughter has to keep it a secret also." "You're silly, Poppy, but I love being in a family that has fun!" "Let's go fix pancakes and then we can show Sarah some places she might like, starting with the Commissary, then the library, then the sports fields and the bike paths." "I helped my Daddy with pancakes, but we had a squeeze bottle of batter." "No more squeeze bottles are available, Sarah, but we can get all the ingredients in the Commissary and mix them like the recipe on the box shows. I have the mix and milk and powdered eggs and oil and all the measuring spoons, but Daddy says I must wait for him to measure things out because some of the containers are too big for me to handle. Once he measures stuff, I can pour it in the bowl and mix it up." "I don't see a mixer." "Because Daddy showed me how to mix it with this wire thingy. It's just as fast as a mixer but it's something I can manage." "Sarah, the wire 'thingy' is a 'whisk'. Since it's hand powered, almost anyone's hand can use it. Would like to try?" "Your Daddy even lets you cook, Molly! I'm in the best family ever!" "Slow down Sarah; we want to keep the mix in the mixing bowl. We get it to the right consistency by the number of strokes we use, not by how hard we mix it." "How many strokes, Poppy?" "What does it say on the box?" "Two minutes or 100 strokes." "Then start counting." "Forty-one. Forty-two. My hand is getting tired." "Molly, you want to mix some?" "Yes, Daddy. Forty-three. Forty-four." "Poppy, what do you cook the pancakes on?" "A griddle would be nice, but since we don't have one, we use this big skillet." "Seventy-two. Seventy-three. My hand is tired too, Daddy." "OK, Honey. I'll finish the mixing. Can one of you get out a big plate to put the pancakes on?" "Me!" "Me! Oh. I guess Molly better do it - I don't know where things are in this kitchen." "Cabinet on the left side of the dishwasher, Sarah." "Thanks, Molly." "I'm glad you two work together like sisters. I think I'll enjoy having 'twins'. Skillet's hot. Molly, do you remember how big to make the pancakes?" "Yes, Daddy. But do we have enough batter for pancakes that size?" "Yes, Honey. I doubled the recipe to be sure both my pancake monsters were filled. Molly, did you take the anti-nausea pill last night?" "Yes, Daddy - and I have the pre-natal vitamin by my plate." "Do you also remember there's a limit on how many pancakes you may have? And that there some other foods you need to eat with this meal?" "Yes, Daddy. I have to eat the right things to take care of my babies. That means I should have some protein. Can I put peanut butter on my pancakes?" "Yes, smart girl. That will work for this meal only; we'll be back to Dr. Chambers' list for lunch." "I know - we're celebrating my new sister!" "And my new daughter!" "And my new family!" "Why are you crying, Sarah?" "Because I'm so happy. I didn't think anyone would ever want me because I was different, but now I'm in a family that wants me and I have a 'twin sister' who's just like me! I could just stay here and hug both of you all day." "What if we eat breakfast, then hold hands with Sarah in the middle while we go exploring?" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Finish up, then let me wash those sticky faces." "OK, Daddy." "OK, Poppy." "Sarah, did Colonel Mason give you a tag like this last night?" "Yes, Poppy. He said it would get me anything I needed. I think it must really work, because I have a new family!" "What he meant was that it's your key to the Commissary, what Molly and most of the other kids call the 'store'. We want to show you where it is and what you can get there. I wouldn't send Molly alone to get groceries because there are things she can't lift, but the two of you might be able to manage almost everything." "Really? You'd let us push the buggy and pick all the things to put in it?" "Within limits, Sarah. You would be shopping from a list I wrote for you - and there would be consequences for not sticking to the list." "Did you ever get 'consequences', Molly?" "Not for something at the store, but for something I said. I teased Daddy by calling him 'old man' and he warned me not to do it again. When I did it again, he paddled me on my bare butt." "Really hard?" "Hard enough to sting, but not to leave a mark. Daddy never wants to hurt me, but he does want to make sure I remember the things I shouldn't do." "Then we beg for candy and stuff while he's making the list?" "Until he tells us to stop. Daddy, will Sarah share my magic word for stopping or will she have her own?" "I think it might be confusing for you to share a magic word, so Sarah will have her own. Her magic word is 'teapot'" "That's not a magic word.. Magic words are things like 'alakazam' that sound magic." "For our use, a word that doesn't sound magic is much better. No one will notice if I say 'teapot', but everyone will look if I say 'alakazam'." "Why do I need a magic word?" "Because I never want you to feel that you have to do something in our - I think you called it 'special time'. If something hurts, or is too scary, or you change you mind about doing something, you can say or think 'teapot' and I'll stop. If you hear me say or think 'teapot', you know you should stop what you're doing and look like an innocent little girl again." "Molly, do you have a magic word? Does it really work?" "Yes and yes. Because Daddy loves me so much and is so careful about things that might hurt or scare me, I don't think I've used my magic word except when he asked me to test it to know that it worked. But he's used it a lot - sometimes I just don't want to stop when we're doing the fun stuff and he has to remind me that other people might hear or that people are coming to where we are." "Prove that 'teapot' works!" "OK, Sarah take off your shirt and let me kiss your nipples." "But I want you to do that! Please don't stop!" "Try your magic word." "OK. Teapot. Why did you stop? Oh, it really does work!" "Yes, Sarah, our magic words work because Daddy always wants us to feel safe." "Put your shirt back on, Sarah, and we'll go exploring. We have about an hour before lunch." "Is there a pizza place or a fried chicken place where we can eat?" "Sarah, there are no restaurants or fast food places. If we want pizza we get the ingredients at the Commissary and we make our own. The crust is a form of bread, so we use some of the same ingredients that we use to make bread. We have tomato sauce in a can and some specially preserved cheese that we can use. If we want sausage or pepperoni, it will either be canned or freeze-dried because meats prepared that way last a long time." "Are we going to be here forever, Poppy?" "Not forever, but probably 20 years - which I'm sure sounds like forever to someone who's six years old." "But why are we staying here? I want to go out and play in the sun and go to the beach to swim and water ski and all the other outside stuff." "Molly, can you explain?" "I may need you to fill in some of the parts, Daddy." "That's OK; you ask when you need me to fill in." "We're here because Yellowstone isn't just the big sprays of hot water - it's a really big volcano. It's starting to send out ash and lava." "Ash is the black and gray stuff that's everywhere and what my Daddy said stopped the cars from running?" "That's right, Sarah. My first Daddy thought that Yellowstone would erupt so big that food wouldn't grow and the lakes and oceans would be so dirty that the fish and shrimp and stuff would all die. A lot of other people thought so too, so they built a bunch of these Survival Buildings. We have food and water and doctors and stuff to take care of us now, and when our babies get big enough they can work in the hydraulic gardens and start growing all the foods we used to have. When the skies clear, we can clean the ash off the land and plant food again. Did I get it right, Daddy?" "Close, Honey. The gardens are hydroponic, not hydraulic. That means the plants grow in tanks of water with the right nutrients instead of growing in the ground." "I know about hydroponic - my Daddy grew orchids in little hydroponic tanks in his greenhouse. He showed me how to test the water to see if it was the right temperature and had the right stuff in it to make the orchids grow. Will we really be here 20 years?" "The truth is we don't know how long we'll be here. We've planned for 20 years because we think the air will clear in that time. If it happens in 15 years, we'll be very happy. If it takes 30 years, we'll be eating only what we grow in the hydroponic gardens because we will have eaten all the food we have stored here." "It seems like almost all the people are Daddy's and little girls. Why is that?" "Because if all the people on Earth are killed by the volcano, we'll need lots of new babies to grow up and live on the Earth when it's safe to be outside." "Since six year olds don't normally get pregnant, something special was done to Molly and me and all the other girls so we could have babies sooner?" "Yes, and also things so the babies would be born sooner. Instead of 9 months, the time until a baby is born is half that - 4 1/2 months." "But we weren't asked if we wanted to!" "That's right, Sarah. But someone who loved you very much wanted the new people on Earth to be very special - so your Daddy said he wanted his daughter to be one of the mothers of the new family on Earth." "Oh. My Daddy thought I would be a good mother for a lot of the people who fix the Earth?" "Yes, Sarah. He thought you would be a wonderful mother - he loved you very much." "Wah! I MISS MY DADDEE!" "Sarah, let me hold you and rub your back." "I'm getting sleepy, Poppy. Can we still have piz..." "Molly, I don't think we'll get to explore before I go on watch. Can you use the terminal here to see if the library has a recipe for pizza? I think we have most of the ingredients. If not, you can stay with Sarah while I go to the Commissary." "You're the best Daddy in the world!" "Why is that?" "Because you got me a sister. Because you do little things that make her feel loved just like you do for me. Because you trust me to take care of her. I love you, Daddy!" "I love you too, Honey." "I found some pizza recipes. Some of the things are the same but some are different." "You stay with Sarah and I'll see if any recipes match our ingredients." "You've been rattling cans a lot, Daddy. Did you find something?" "The can rattling was checking at the back of the pantry and the fridge for things we brought from Safety House. There's some mozzarella cheese, so you can have the gooey, stringy cheese that you like. The ingredients we have for making bread will work for pizza dough. We can have pizza in about 30 minutes. Should we let Sarah sleep or would she want to help?" "I think she'll want to help." "I'll wake her. Sarah. Sarah? Daughter?" "Oh. Hi Poppy! I love it when you say 'daughter'." "Then would this daughter like to help my other daughter make pizza?" "Make pizza?" "Yes, pizza crust is a kind of bread and we have the ingredients to make bread. Molly's already started, but I thought you would want to help." "YES!" "Daddy, can you spin the pizza crust and make it big?" "You want me to toss the pizza?" "Is that what they call it? 'Toss' sounds like throwing a ball." "Places that hand make the crust really do toss it. Watch." "How do you do that, Daddy?" "How do you keep it from falling on the floor, Poppy?" "I've had lots of practice - I worked at a pizza place when I was in high school. The first couple of crusts that I tried to toss wound up on my head, but then I got it right." "Pizza on your head? You're silly, Daddy." "No, Honey. Most of the people who worked there had pizza crust on their heads the first day or two they worked." "That was quick, Poppy. Do we put the other stuff on now?" "Yes, but there's a proper order for the toppings. Tomato sauce, then cheese, then meat, then you two probably want more cheese." "Yes!" "Yes!" "Did you wash your hands?" "Yes." "Yes." "Use this big spoon to spread the tomato sauce. Sprinkle on the cheese. Spread the sausage - I know Molly, not on your side of the pizza. OK, you two back away from the oven and I'll slide the pizza in. We'll have pizza that we made in just a few minutes." "Does this pizza taste so good because we made it?" "Probably, Sarah. There's something special about foods that we prepare with our own hands." "Can we make something special tomorrow?" "Don't you have a cake on your list for tomorrow, Molly?" "Yes, Daddy - Beth's cake. Can Mr. Mason do something special with Beth so Lacey and Jane can come over and help decorate the cake?" "I'll ask him when I call about Jane and Lacey coming to help finish the dollhouse today." "Ed, this is George. Can you keep Beth busy while Jane and Lacey come over to work on the dollhouse later today? I think they will also want to help decorate Beth's cake tomorrow. My watch ends at 1800 today. I'll be free most of the day tomorrow, so we can work on the party stuff earlier in the day - maybe the girls can come after lunch tomorrow?"." "Girls, would you like to go play with Molly later today?" "Yes." "Yes." "Can I stay with you, Grandpa Ed?" "Yes, Beth, you may stay with me." "I have two takers, George. Call when you get off watch and I'll send them over. I'll ask about the other thing tonight." "Thanks, Ed. Have you told them about Molly's new 'sister'?" "Not yet." "Don't. We'll let that be a surprise." "OK, daughters, gather your stuff if you want to stay with me during my watch. If you get really bored, you might want a blanket and a bear so you can nap." "Yes, Daddy." "Yes, Poppy." "George, I didn't know you let Molly bleach her hair blond!!" "I didn't, Ian. This is Sarah, one of the kids we rescued last night. She was in my truck so I don't think you saw her. She has no family. She and Molly hit it off immediately. Molly wanted her to be part of our family and Sarah agreed. I now have 'twin' daughters with different hair colors." "How will you keep up with two of them?" "I'll do the best I can and hope they help me along the way." +I love your mind hugs, Daddy. +.I didn't know you could get a mind hug. I love being in this family! +Teapot. Don't 'yell'. +I told you he would use the magic word more than you would. +.You're right, Molly, but I love having the magic word anyway. "Molly, take Sarah to the little office you've used before. If things are very quiet, I'll let you know that it's OK to come join me." "Yes, Daddy." +.Does he always let you know what's gonna happen like that? +Whenever he can. He says he wants to tell me as much as I can understand so I'll know why things happen. I was here when he went out to rescue you and the others. +.Mr. Mason said the blankets and bears for the kids were your idea. +Because someone did that for me once, I thought it would make the other kids feel safe and loved to have those things. +.You were right. I love my thoughtful, caring sister +And I'm glad to have my new sister. +.How does he do the mind hugs? +I don't know. Maybe we can ask him to teach us while we're here. "Daddy?" "Yes, Molly." "Can you teach us how to do mind hugs?" "Things appear to be quiet today so we have some time now. Maybe we got most of the local bad people last night, or at least we scared them enough that they won't bother us again for a while." "What about Yellowstone?" "Yellowstone is getting worse. We now expect it to have a major eruption in a few days." "But won't that kill a lot of people?" "Yes, Sarah. That will kill most of the people on Earth. A few will be safe in the Survival Buildings. Some others may have shelter in caves that have underground water supplies and are suited for growing a variety of mushrooms." "Mushrooms? Is that all they'll have to eat?" "Yes, Molly. I don't know how long people can survive on mushrooms. Is that something you want to research in the library?" "Maybe later. Can you teach us to do mind hugs? I never got one from my first Daddy and Sarah never got one from her Daddy. Are you the only one who can do them?" "I don't know whether other people can do them or not, Honey. I just wanted to hug you when I couldn't put my arms around you, so I reached out with my mind." "How do you 'reach out with your mind'?" "Sarah, put your arms out like you're doing a big hug. Now, let your mind stretch out along your arms. Can you put your arms down and still have your mind 'reaching out'?" "It's hard!" "Lots of things are hard the first time you try them - like riding a bicycle. You try it, Molly. Reach your arms out in a big hug, then let you mind stretch out along your arms. Now put your arms down but keep your mind reaching out." "Sarah's right, it's hard!" "What if we start smaller? Each of you go get your bear. Put it on the desk in front of you and take two steps back so you can't touch the bear. Reach your arms out in a hug for the bear. Now stretch you mind along your arms and out until you reach bear. Put your arms down but keep the hug up. Better?" "It's still hard, but I can do it." "Me too." "Now try it on each other, like a physical hug around your middle or your shoulders, but be gentle until you learn how 'hard' you can hug. When you learn to control the place and strength of your hug, you can try a mind hug." "Sarah, it tickles when you hug my ribs." "Molly, I feel you around my shoulders." "Now try for a very gentle hug." "Like a butterfly kiss?" "Yes, Honey, that's a very good description." "I can tell you're there Molly, but just barely." "You're a little snugger than a butterfly, Sarah." "More like this?" "That's it!" "Now you can try a mind hug, but I want you to try to me because I'm stronger than you are and can tell you to be more gentle if necessary - until you practice some, you might hurt each other." "Yes, Daddy." "Yes, Poppy. You're right Molly. He does always try to keep us safe." "Molly, you go first. Think of hugging my mind, not my body. Be even gentler than the butterfly kiss." "Like this?" "Much more gentle, Honey. There are no bones in a mind to handle a tight hug." "Sorry, Daddy. Is this better?" "Yes, much better. How much softer can you hug? Don't move your arms or your hands, just think a 'hat of love'" "Like this?" "Yes, Honey. Now try your hug on Sarah and see if it's gentle enough for her." "I like it, Molly. It's just like your Daddy's mind hugs" "Your turn, Sarah. Remember that more gentle is better." "Yes, Poppy. Like this?" "Can you hug softer?" "Like this?" "Yes, Sarah. Now try your hug on Molly and see if it's gentle enough for her." "I like it, Sarah. It's just like Daddy's." "Both of you remember how gentle this must be. Even when you're excited you still must hug in this gentle manner. A hard mind hug could hurt someone." "You really do think we're mature. You taught us something that could hurt another person - but you also taught us the proper way to do it to keep us and other people safe." "Yes, I trust both of you. There's another reason that I taught you this now. Remember that I said Yellowstone will erupt soon and people will die? That means that more people will try to get in the Survival Building with us. You know that the adults here will try very hard to keep you safe, but if you are in danger from outside people the mind hug can also be a weapon." "A weapon, Daddy?" "Yes. Remember how much I've stressed being gentle?" "Yes." "Molly, what would happen if you hugged a mind as hard as you can?" "Would that be like hugging someone so hard they can't breathe?" "Yes, except that it's their mind that can't 'breathe' and after a minute they would be unconscious. After 5 minutes, they would be dead." "But I don't want to kill anyone!" "I know, Molly, but didn't your G-O-O-D bag have a pistol in it?" "My first Daddy showed me how to use the pistol in case someone tried to keep me from getting to 'Safety House'." "Did you have a G-O-O-D bag, Sarah?" "Yes - and mine had a pistol in it too." "I've given you a new 'pistol', but it's one that other people can't see, it's silent, and it doesn't run out of 'bullets'. The rules for using it are the same - only if someone it trying to hurt or kill you or someone else in the family. Do you understand?" "Yes, Poppy." "Yes, Daddy. Do you really think that could happen?" "Anything is possible, Honey, and a six year old girl can't put up much of a physical fight, especially a girl that's pregnant. I just want to do all I can to keep my daughters safe." "I love you, Daddy!" "I love you, Poppy!" "I love both of you." Knock! Knock! "Come in. Ian. Hi, Beth. I heard you were staying with Grandpa Ed today." "Jane and Lacey are staying with him and I have my Daddy all to myself!" "Is it time to go already, Daddy?" "Yes, Honey. You girls get your things from the office and we'll go back to quarters. We have things to do today." "George, Ed asked if you would stop by on your way back to your quarters." "We'll do that." Knock! Knock! +You stand in front, Sarah. +.OK. "Hello, George. What's this! Isn't Molly a little young to be bleaching her hair?" "What did you say, Grandpa Ed? Molly bleached her hair?" "Come look, Jane." "Mr. Wilson, did you really say she could do that?" "No, Jane, he didn't. I'm not Molly, I'm Sarah." "Sarah? No, you look just like Molly but your hair is different!" "She is Sarah, because I'm Molly." "Grandpa Ed, they're twins! Mr. Wilson you didn't tell us Molly had a twin." "She doesn't have a twin, Jane. Sarah was one of the people we rescued last night. She doesn't have any family. Because they look so much alike, Molly decided she wanted a 'sister' and Sarah agreed to be part of our family." "You have the best things happen to you, Molly - a 'twin sister'." "You girls want to finish the dollhouse today? We'll have a cake to decorate tomorrow." "Can we stop by the school floor? Daddy took us down there to use the tables and art supplies to make the poster for Beth's birthday." "And we made some other stuff." "Let's go. Captain McGregor's watch ends in a little over 3 hours, so we'll need to hurry." "Safety glasses for all work; smocks when you're painting. Power tools are for adult use only unless I say someone's hands are big enough for a specific tool for a specific purpose." "Didn't we get this lecture yesterday, Jane?" "Yes, Lacey, but Molly didn't have a 'sister' yesterday. This is the first time Sarah's heard it." "Jane has wallpaper to install and we need to paint the roof and walkway. I have fast-drying paint for that so you can draw in the lines to make the 'shingles' and 'bricks'." "Poppy?" "Yes, Sarah?" "My Daddy said I was good at fine detail. Can I try the drawing the shingles and bricks?" "Yes. As soon as the paint there is dry. Would you like to try drawing the lines for the planks in the floor?" "Yes." "Mr. Wilson, Sarah is a good artist - the floor looks like real wood!" "Thank you Jane. It's good to have another person who has talents we can use. When Beth asks who made the dollhouse, we can say that all of you did." "The house is nice but there's no furniture in it." "You're right, Jane. But you haven't looked in the green box by the workbench." "It's full of stuff! Beds and tables and chairs and little wooden dolls - this one looks like Daddy!" "Your Daddy and your Grandpa Ed have also been working down here - mostly at night when you're asleep. They also wanted to give Beth something she couldn't buy. After they cut and carved the dolls, they printed out pictures of your Daddy's family and glued them on the doll faces." "Poppy, I'm so glad I'm with people who love each other this much!" "We're glad you're here too, Sarah." "Daddy, I didn't think the dollhouse would be very big, but with the yard around it and the tree - how do we wrap up something this big?" "We'll put it on the table and hide it with the 'Happy Birthday' poster Jane and Lacey made. We'll sing 'Happy Birthday' to Beth and let her blow out the candles on the cake, then she can look behind the poster." "She really will be surprised, won't she?" "Yes, Jane. I don't know if we'll be able to make birthdays for the rest of you this special - you'll suspect that we might be planning a surprise party." "You're right, Mr. Wilson, but this has been a lot of fun." "Remember, we decorate the cake tomorrow after lunch. Molly and Sarah will help cook it and do the basic frosting but you need to think of the decorations that Beth would like - whether it's princesses or pickles or frogs." "You're silly, Mr. Wilson, but it's fun being with a grownup like you." "Time to go back to quarters. Wash up - we don't want Beth to see paint or glue or markers on your hands." "Yes, Mr. Wilson." "Yes, Daddy." "Yes, Poppy." "Sarah, why do you can him 'Poppy' but Molly calls him 'Daddy'?" "He said it would be confusing to have two little girls who sounded alike yelling 'Daddy' - he wouldn't know which one of us it was. And I called my Daddy 'Poppy' sometimes." "Back to quarters, girls. Captain McGregor and Beth will be coming down the hall in a couple of minutes." "Bye, Molly. Bye, Sarah." "Bye, Lacey. Bye, Jane." "Can we have pancakes for supper, Daddy?" "Can we, Poppy?" "I think both of you know the answer to that." "I have to go back the food list from Dr. Chambers." "Yes, you do. But we won't make it harder for you by eating something different. If you eat your veggies and if you have fruit for dessert, Dr. Chambers gave me a book of 'Healthy Fun Food for Pregnant Women' that has a recipe for low-fat chicken enchiladas." "Chicken enchiladas? Really??" "Yes, Honey. Something that both of you like but made in a way that's better for you." "What can we help with, Daddy?" "Both of you can wash your hands, then we need this list of ingredients." "I don't see a jug of milk in the fridge." "Molly, do you want to explain that to Sarah?" "Fresh milk doesn't keep very long, so we have powdered milk. They make it by taking the water out of milk and sealing the powder either in plastic or metal containers. We have a container in the pantry, but Daddy will have to get it because it's too heavy for me to lift." "You mean you can make up just one glass of milk?" "Yes, Sarah. Or a big pitcher if we have lots of people who want milk to drink - like at Beth's party tomorrow." "How much milk do we need?" "Here's the measuring cup, Poppy." "How much powder and how much water to make that much milk?" "The chart only goes down to one quart. Do we make that much?" "Considering how much milk my daughters go through each day, we can make a quart." "Powder first or water first?" "What does the recipe say, Sarah?" "Add powdered milk to water, stirring constantly." "First we measure the water, then we add the measured amount of powder while we stir - and we stop stirring when it looks like milk." "Will our food tonight taste really good like the pizza we cooked at lunch?" "You're doing the cooking, aren't you? You said that made a difference with the pizza." "There're no tortillas in the fridge." "Where do we get bread products, Sarah?" "We make tortillas too?" "We make everything that can't be dried or canned." "This is a lot more work than going to Taco Tico for enchiladas." "Yes, Molly. But only because you can't see the people who make the tortillas and all the other things they use. Someone, somewhere always has to do the food preparation." "Are they ready yet?" "Hand me the plates, Molly, and I'll serve up our healthy meal of fun foods." "I'm not so sure about this. I remember Mommy making some 'healthy' meals that tasted like chewing on a towel." "I'll make a deal with you, Honey. If it tastes like a towel, I'll eat the ones that are left on the platter." "Can I have another one, Poppy?" "Me too, Daddy." "So they don't taste like a towel?" "No, they're really good." "Molly, when you finish, take your morning sickness pill." "I have it here, Daddy." "Help me clear the table and then it's bath time." ""Do I have to?"" That's the first time they've achieved unison on a response. "Yes. You have three choices. I can wash each of you separately. I can wash both of you at more-or-less the same time. You can wash each other - but your level of cleanliness is subject to my inspection." ""You wash both of us. In the shower."" Unison again. Are they planning this or do their thoughts get closer as they spend more time together? "It's the time we spend together, Daddy. It mostly happens when we're both excited or both unhappy. I don't think Sarah can read your mind, at least not yet." "I could read my Daddy's mind a little, but I was with him a lot more." "I think you'll be reading me in a week or two, Sarah. Please tell me when you can so I don't get surprised by something you say or do." "Yes, Poppy. I want to be family with both of you in all the ways I can!" "And we want you to be family in all ways, Sarah." "Poppy, you call Molly 'Honey' sometimes, but you don't have a special name for me." "I think Molly may have been 2 years old before I had a nickname for her. That's something that happens as we spend time with someone and get to know them very well." "Can you find a special name for me before 2 years go by?" "I'll try, Sarah. I saw Molly a few times in those 2 years, but I never spent a lot of time with her until after she was 2. Her Mommy and Daddy wanted to go mountain climbing and I spent a week with Molly. She only wanted bread if it had one thing on it." "She wanted honey?" "Yes, Sarah. So I started calling her Honey. She liked the nickname and it's been my special name for her ever since." "What if she had wanted pickles? Would you have called her 'pickles'?" "Probably not. 'Honey' sounds more like someone I would want to be with. Enough questions - you still need baths. Pick out jammies or gowns and have them on the bed or I run you through the shower and pick out what you sleep in tonight and what you wear tomorrow." ""No way!"" Unison again. At least they're on key. "Who's first?" "Molly, because I had special time with you last night and she didn't." "That's very sweet of you, Sarah." "I think you have a name for her, Daddy." "What name?" "Sweet or sweetie. Because she is." "I don't know if she is or not. I'll have to have a bite of rib to see." "Eeek! I gotta go pee!" "I thought so. Better on the toilet than in the tub or shower." "Does he read your body like that, Molly?" "Yes, and he usually goes after my ribs when I need to go pee." "Then it really is like I'm your sister and our Daddy knows all about both of us." "Both my daughters need to be in place for washing or neither gets any special time tonight." "Does he ever do that, Molly?" "Yes. Sometimes when I'm tired he just rubs my back and puts me to sleep, even though I know how much he likes doing kissy-face and other stuff. I know he loves me because he gives up the fun stuff so I can get more sleep." "Poppy, you really are the world's best Daddy." "We need to finish your baths or you'll both be asleep and still soaking wet." "OK. Wash Molly, then me. We'll stop trying to stay up later." "Thank you, girls. Would you like for all of us to sleep together tonight? No kissy-face or other stuff, just one of you on each side of me with my arms around you?" "Can we sleep naked?" "Yes, but no other stuff." "Just the one time? I don't want to give up the fun stuff." "I don't either, Molly, but this will be something different for both of you." "OK, Daddy." "Brush your teeth and come climb in bed with me." "I feel so safe snuggled up under your arm. Can we sleep this way every night?" "Sorry, Sarah. This bed is OK for me and one of you, but it isn't big enough for all of us." "Can we get a bigger bed?" "Is that what you want too, Molly?" "Yes, Daddy. One of us can sleep on the other bed if we don't want to be in the big bed." "I'll check in Housing Supplies tomorrow." "Rub my back, Daddy?" "Rub my back, Poppy?" "Yes, daughters." That's the first time I've had two mind hugs at the same time. I love my talented daughters, but the hugs are a little too strong. +Candlestick! Teapot! "Why did you yell at both of us, Daddy?" "Remember what I said about being gentle with the mind hugs, even if you were excited?" "Sorry, Daddy. I'll try not to hurt you again." "Sorry, Poppy. I'll try to remember too." "Snuggle in. I'll have you practice mind hugs tomorrow while you're throwing a ball or something, so you have to practice splitting your attention. After you practice keeping enough attention on the hug for a while, I think you'll do fine." +What a nice day tomorrow will be: practicing mind hugs with Daddy.