Aged 8

Ollie age 7

"I've got it, Murry!" Ollie bolts from the back stoop of his house and races over holding the stolen ceramic teacup filled with supplies.

I open the arched cottage door for him and I scan the lush back garden to be sure we haven't been spotted, then shut the door as Ollie scurries inside.

My Mary Jane shoes catch on the plaid Burberry blanket we've collected from the family room inside. I fix the folded corner and dust off the dirt and turn to see Ollie dig out a lighter from his pocket.

"Oliver!" I gasp and fear fills me as he flicks it twice then, lastly, on the third attempt a flame is created. "We aren't allowed to play with fire." My nerves prick at my skin and I'm afraid that my father will find us in our hideaway with this lighter.

"Shh! Don't be a baby." His dark brows scrunch together and he throws me a glare over his shoulder then produces one of Martha's candlesticks from under his shirt. "It is essential for the oby-ounse." 

"The what?" I ask inching forward watching him light the candlestick and set it on the table made just for our small sizes.

"No idea. I heard Mummy say it once when she was lighting her candlesticks for Christmas dinner."

I watch the flame flicker around, still afraid it'll jump from the long stick and set our playhouse on fire, but Ollie moves on, unbothered.

From the tiny cabinets with the play sink, Ollie empties more of the items from his pockets. Coming beside him I look down and watch him gather his stolen items together. He snatches the scotch tape and the small plastic carton of thumbtacks.   

Soon, I've forgotten the fire burning on the candlestick and I'm consumed with happiness helping Oliver hang the fairy lights we found beneath the stairs earlier in the day. Webbed across the ceiling of our little cottage we've strung all the fairy lights. 

Just as we finish stringing the lights, a low rumble of thunder sounds, and we both gasp throwing excited looks at one and another.

"Did you hear that?!" Ollie beams and I laugh. "C'mon then, better hurry before your father comes looking for us."

He's right. Dad will be looking for us soon to bring us in from the rain when it starts. So, before he has a chance I grab Ollie's hand and thread my fingers between his and pull him to the center of the tiny playhouse and roll back to my rear pulling him with me to lay on the soft blanket.

"Wait!" He rocks back and runs to the table and blows out the candle then stands to his tiptoes flicking the tiny black switch on the fairy lights.

They switch on and my eyes go wide as I take in all the twinkling lights taking over the top of our playhouse.  he hustles back over and lays next to me, "Wow!" He says and then goes silent.

We both gaze at the lights and don't speak, appreciating our little stolen galaxy we've created. 

My fingers search for his beside me, and when I find his hand I smile wider. "Do you think they will let us stay the night out here?" I ask, but know the answer.

Ollie laughs and gives my hand a squeeze, "We could always sneak out?"

"We can't sneak out. We would be in big, big trouble."

"One day we will sneak out. When we're older." 

I'll never sneak out. Never.

Suddenly a loud crack of thunder shakes the small playhouse and causes us both to jolt and then giggle.

"When we're older do you think we'll still be best friends?" He asks his voice hushed as the plastic roof is tapped with several raindrops.

His question surprises me so I roll to my side to give him a glare, "Of course. We're going to be best friends forever."

Ollie's eyes lit by the fairy lights above connect to mine, "You promise?"

"Yes I swear!" I declare loudly then the rain begins to pound loudly coming down in sheets of rainfall.

"Muriel!" Dad's voice calls from the Thomas's house. "Oliver! It's time to come inside!"

"Pretend like we don't hear him." Ollie pulls his eyes away from mine and gazes back up at the lights.

Nervously, I gnaw on my lip and consider leaving for a moment, but when the rain falls harder drowning out my father's call again I nestle in beside Ollie.

"I love the rain," Ollie mentions and I nod against his shoulder in a sort of trance listening to the rain and gazing up at the twinkling lights.

"It's nice."

"I reckon it's like confetti from the sky."

I laugh loudly and shake my head. My ears train on the sound of my dad calling for me again, but I blissfully ignore him.

My imagination begins to conjure up the image of rainbow-colored raindrops falling from the clouds above leaving the ground in a mess of brightly colored scraps of confetti. 

Another crack of thunder shakes the tiny cottage and we sit up this time. Ollie sighs and nods and we both stand and walk to the door, opening it to find the ground has already turned into a muddy mess of puddles. The sheets of water rain down relentlessly.

"We're going to get soaked!" I yell at him so he hears me over the rain.

Just then Dad appears in the doorway with a scowl and waves us inside, then turns and disappears inside the house.

Ollie steps first and I cast a look upwards at the dark storm clouds clustered above us. We're going to both get soaked after one step from the cottage. And Dad is going to be so mad we didn't come in the first time he called.

Ollie breaks into a jog as he heads for the door so I skip a step and go after him, fisting his football jersey and yanking him back. He trips back kicking up muddy water onto my shins and I laugh. "C'mon! I want to play!" I say and twist around leaping and jumping into the deepest set puddles I could find.

Ollie's face lights up and he cheers then follows kicking the puddles and stomping with both feet. 

Both of us laugh and within a matter of seconds we're drenched from the rain and our clothes are ruined from the mud we've kicked up.

"MURIEL! Get inside now!" Dad barks suddenly. I grab Ollie's shirt again and skirt around the backside of the cottage and we both take shelter under the small roof.

"We're in big trouble, Murry." Ollie wipes his dripping face and I nod, for once not caring about the consequences for not listening.

"Can you promise me something?" I ask him quickly, unsure at the moment what I even want to be promised. 

"Yes," He smiles, "Pinky swear, cross my heart."

Then my heart speaks, "Promise that whenever it rains you'll always be the one to dance with me in it."

Ollie laughs a high-pitched laugh and nods grabbing my hand and runs out from the shelter dancing the funniest dance I've ever seen.

This is the last chapter until the epilogue!

Thanks for reading everyone!

❤