I had no sooner put pen to paper than I heard my downstairs neighbor, Eilonwy, calling my name. I peered over the edge of the house to speak with Eilonwy.
"Hello Eilonwy. Did you call?"
"Yes, indeed. Could you come downstairs a minute?"
Never one to refuse a friend, downstairs I went.
"Hitty Rowan, the girls have been speaking of pumpkins all morning. They believe some pumpkins may even be outside the house as we speak, just waiting to be carved. Have you heard any news on that?""Oh, yes...yes. I was with our person last week and we did indeed select the Halloween pumpkins. But, they are not carved yet. I think our people will do that tomorrow."
As soon as I finished saying the pumpkins were here, the girls began chattering with excitement. "Oh, could we see them? Can we go outside....can the academy girls go with us?"
"Well," replied Eilonwy, "I don't mind if you go see them, but you will have to ask Ms. Merriweather's permission to take the academy girls along."
Lily immediately set off to beg Ms. Merriweather's permission. Since it was Saturday, the academy girls had no lessons and were free to play, do homework, read or visit.The staff were likewise free to visit among themselves over tea...and to have some peace and quiet. Lily hesitantly knocked on Master Elrond's office door and was immediately invited in.
It was rather intimidating for the child to be the lone little girl among all the academy staff, but Ms. Merriweather greeted her kindly and Lily made her request. Permission was granted, as long as Lily, as the eldest girl, kept her eye on the others.
Lily quickly went to the girls' dorm. She was rather suprised and disappointed to find most of the students engaged in projects they didn't want to leave at the moment. They had actually already been promised a field trip to see the pumpkins and were content with that. Lily noticed that two students, Merilwen and Miffy, were missing.
"Oh, Merilwen left an hour or so ago," sweet little Betsy informed Lily. "Miffy left right after Merilwen. I don't know where either one of them went....not to do something they shouldn't, I hope." Even the other students were well aware of Merilwen's penchant for finding mischief.
Lily checked the classroom, but it was empty. 
She wandered through the corriders until she passed by Elrond's grandaughter, Amberle's, room that had been set up in anticipation of her arrival in December. She thought she heard voices inside and cautiously opened the door.
"I'm telling!" came a tiny little bear voice.
"NO YOU ARE NOT!" came a louder voice.
"Yes I am. I'm telling." said the tiny reply.
It seemed to be an ongoing discussion. Lily entered the room to see Merilwen seated on the bed, with a strange case in front of her...and what looked like small potion bottles spread everywhere.
"Merilwen...why are you in this room? And...what were you doing with that? Were those potions? Are you allowed to have them? I thought you only got to work with potions when an adult was with you?" Lily inquired.
"She ISN'T allowed to have them!" Miffy chimed in. "I followed her yesterday. She got a box from the dolly door. She snuck it in here. Amberle sent it to her! NOBODY believed me, but I saw her! She has hair growing potions, and hair color changing potions, and potions to make you pretend you are sick so you can get out of class, and potions that make you move really fast to get your homework done really fast, and potions to make you invisible a little while so you can sneak out, and..."
"Oh, BE QUIET, Miffy!" Merilwen interrupted.
The dolly door, otherwise known by humans as the mail slot, is where we dolls enter and exit the main house, as well as receive our own mail and packages. The mail slot in the front door is really not even used for human mail, so we view it as our very own.
""Uhhmmm, Merilwen...you really, really, shouldn't have those things, and Amberle shouldn't either...she shouldn't have sent them to you...if Ms. Merriweather finds out...." Lily began.
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, these are harmless." Merilwen replied.
Merilwen hid the box behind the bed.
Lily didn't like the situation at all, but didn't want her friend to get in trouble, so she decided to let the matter drop. She asked Merilwen if she wanted to go see the pumpkins. Merilwen eagerly accepted the offer. Miffy quickly chimed in, "Me too, Me too!!!"
Merilwen told Miffy she couldn't go along on the adventure if she told about the case of potions, which silenced the little bear, at least temporarily. Lily asked, "Why can't you two just get along? I don't argue with my sisters like that."
"Miffy and I are NOT sisters, and Miffy is a tattletale." Merilwen answered.
That led to a steady stream of "Am not's" and "Are too's" all the way to the porch.
Fortunately, the girls were so excited by the sight of the pumpkins and gourds on the porch, they forgot their argument temporarily.
And, our person happened to be spinning on the porch enjoying the fall day. The girls eagerly joined her, helping by pushing the pedal of the wheel up and down.
And all the rest of us enjoyed a bit of quiet....at least for a little awhile! The adventure is sure to continue, however!
Hitty Rowan
