tea

By Danika Vergara-Abreu

 

   The lights hung in the trees like little fairies come to watch the scene. They illuminated the small vase of flowers and the rosebud tea set. Three sat in the child-sized wooden chairs. In these chairs sat a small dwarf rabbit in a puffy pink dress with a pink hat, a tall corsac fox wearing a black, white, and navy blue three-piece suit, and a little six-year-old girl wearing a green dress sprinkled with small flowers of yellow and pink.

   The little girl sipped the tea out of her cup. “Ms. Cannon, whatever flavor did you choose for our tea today?”

   “Yes,” said the fox. “It’s quite different from your normal high-sweet tea.”

   The rabbit -Ms. Cannon- laughed a sweet-pitched laugh. “Thank you. Can you guess what flavor it is?”

   A few hums of thought ringed the air, as the fox and the little girl pondered their answers.

   “Could it be London Fog?” the little girl asked.

   Ms. Cannon jumped in excitement, her nose twitching with joy. “Yes! That’s right!”

   The little girl clapped to her own victory, as the fox eyed her with a smirk on his face. “And how would you know what London Fog tastes like, Ms. Lacey?” the fox asked. “You’re far too young to be drinking such a flavor.”

   “The perks of having mommy let me try hers,” said Lacey. “Must mean my tastebuds are better than yours.” Lacey commented, sipping her London Fog tea as a lady of her stature both would and should. 

   Ms. Cannon held in her laughter to Lacey’s comment. “Got you there, didn’t she, Mr. Reynard?”

   The fox -Mr. Reynard- sat in a bit of disbelief at Lacey’s comment, though continued to drink his tea. “I suppose.” 

   Finishing her laughter, Ms. Cannon turned toward Lacey. “And how was your day, Ms. Lacey?” Ms. Cannon asked. Just then, Lacey frowned. “Is everything alright, Ms. Lacey?”

   “It’s nothing,” Lacey responded, putting her tea cup down. “Just tired.”

   “Not too tired if you’re with us,” Mr. Reynard pointed out. 

   “Did you stay up too late last night?” Ms. Cannon asked. 

   Lacey shook her head. “No, I just had a bad day at school.” 

   “Well, at least you’re here now,” Mr. Reynard said. 

   “Yes, I am!” Lacey said, picking her teacup back up. 

   Ms. Cannon quickly took another sip of her London Fog, quizzical expression still remaining on her face. “Did a teacher give too much homework?” she asked. “They’re always out there with their wicked plans for you children, such ridiculousness they create, and for what?”

   Lacey hid her laughter, as Mr. Reynard put his tea cup down and held a stern expression towards the rabbit. “That’s quite a statement, Ms. Cannon.”

   “But it’s true!” Ms. Cannon called. “What’s the point of lessons when you don’t use them later?”

   “Some lessons come to use in an upcoming future,” Mr. Reynard said, as Lacey leaned over to the sugar bowl, putting some more sugar in the fox’s cup, mixing it for him. “Just yesterday, Lacey read the word ‘phenomena’ in her book and knew exactly what it meant.”

   Lacey’s face beamed with joy. “I did! Oh, it feels so good to be smart!”

   “But you are smart,” Ms. Cannon said. “Whoever told you otherwise?”

   Lacey frowned again as she refilled Ms. Cannon’s tea cup, placing a carrot-shaped pastry in front of her. “Stupid girls,” Lacey responded, muttering to herself mostly. “Real ones.”

   The fox struck a look toward Lacey. “Language.”

   “Father says worse,” Lacey said.

   “And are you your father?” Mr. Reynard asked.

   Lacey slumped in her seat, a bit in dismay. It was very unladylike of her to do. “No.”

   Ms. Cannon leaned in a bit closer to the table, her light-weight body just barely making the table unsteady. It was a garden table after all. “But, who are the girls you’re talking about?” she asked.

   “No one. Just girls.” Lacey said.

   “Was it Diana again?” Mr. Reynard asked.

   Lacey shook her head. “No. She moved weeks ago.”

   Mr. Reynard stood in a bit of shock. Well, perhaps ‘shock’ was a big word. Surprise was the more correct term to use. “My. Really has been some time, hasn’t it?”

   A small hum escaped from Ms. Cannon’s mouth, as a sad smile grew on her face. “It has.”

   Lacey finished sipping down the tea from her cup. She looked at the empty interior, even though it’d been empty for quite some time now. “Although, I suppose I’m ok.”

   “What makes you say that?” Mr. Reynard asked.

   “I’m not really sure,” Lacey said. “Let’s get back on with our tea, shall we?”

   Ms. Cannon’s tail fluffed up at the mention of continuing on with the party. Was it even possible for a rabbit’s tail to fluff so quickly? “Oh, yes! Let’s continue!”

   While Lacey and the rabbit began to continue munching on pastries and drinking their tea, Mr. Reynard simply couldn’t help but look to Lacey. His eyes couldn’t believe the many changes that had occurred in just a matter of weeks. Last time he’d checked, he could’ve sworn Lacey had visited he and Ms. Cannon more recently than it was stated. “You truly have grown, haven’t you?”

   Lacey turned toward Mr. Reynard, confused. “What?”

   “Lacey!” A voice called from afar. Lacey snapped out of her game, turning toward the direction of where the voice had come from. “Dinner’s ready!”

   “Coming!” Lacey called, leaving her stuffed animals sitting on their chairs at the tea table, as they watched her walk away inside the house.

   “You think she’ll remember to fetch us, this time?” Ms. Cannon asked.

   “She will,” Mr. Reynard said. “I know it.”