Chapter 11

She can drink the coffee now? But it's still steaming a little. Doesn't that mean it's too hot?

Winter looks confused as she turns towards Matilda who is already taking a sip of her coffee.

"Mmm, feeling awake already," she says as her eyes turn from groggy to awake. "Aren't you going to try it?"

Winter nervously nods, afraid to drink something new after the bitter tea that Mabel gave her.

She hopes it isn't bitter...

Winter takes a single, small sip of the coffee, and immediately she spits it out.

It tastes horrible! It's even more bitter than the tea was!

Winter sets the cup on the table with disgust, sliding it as far away from herself as she can.

She doesn't even want to look at it!

"Oh my, does it taste that bad?" Matilda asks, clearly surprised by Winter's reaction. "Maybe a little sugar will make it taste better"

How can something that gross possibly taste good?

Winter can't hide her skepticism in the slightest. She does not trust the gross coffee even slightly.

As she stares with contempt at the bitter brown liquid that sits in a cup on the table, Matilda grabs something from one of the cupboards in the kitchen. A brown sack, and inside the sack is some strange, glittering white substance.

What is that? Does it taste bad like the coffee and the tea?

Winter sits leaning away as Matilda approaches with a spoonful of the white substance.

"Here, I'll put a little sugar, and then it should taste sweet instead of bitter," Matilda says, dropping the spoonful of sugar into Winter's cup of coffee.

Winter watches as the sugar immediately dosolves in the coffee, disappearing from sight.

Where did it go?

Again, Matilda drops another spoonful of sugar into the cup of coffee, and again, the sugar disappears. After a third spoonful is dropped into the coffee, Matilda then stirs the cup thoroughly.

It smells sweeter now...

Winter looks interested in the cup of coffee once more, her initial disgust having left in the presence of such a sweet fragrance.

"Here, try it now," Matilda says as she hand the cup to Winter.

Winter nervously takes the cup, but she doesn't hesitate to bring it to her lips and take another sip.

The coffee is still bitter, but not as bitter. In fact, there is a hint of sweetness in the drink, and the terrible flavor tastes better with the sweetness helping it.

Wow, sugar is amazing!

Winter is slow to drink, but she steadily drinks her coffee that Matilda gave her, and Matilda does the same despite having no sugar at all.

How can she drink that terrible drink without any sugar at all? Do bad things taste good when you get older?

Again, Winter looks down at herself, realizing how young she is all over again.

Yeah, she still wants to grow up as fast as she can! In fact, she wants to grow up right now!

Winter's body takes in a sudden flood of energy, seemingly from nowhere.

She feels like she can do anything right now! She wants to run! She wants to explore! She wants to play! She wants to do everything!

"Oh, maybe giving you coffee wasn't such a good idea..."

Matilda pales as she looks at Winter, who is jittering with energy. She has a small tremor of shakiness in her movements, one that is very clear to see.

"What was I thinking? Ugh, this is why I need coffee in the mornings, so I don't make mistakes like this," Matilda says, putting her hands in her face.

"Come on, let's go outside. We need to burn that extra energy you have as quick as we can," Matilda says as she stands, gulping down the last of her coffee.

Winter does the same, finishing her own cup as the shakiness goes up a notch.

She wants to go outside!

"Jeez, what was I thinking..."

Wait, she can't go outside without shoes! Paul said so, otherwise she would have gone with him!

Winter quickly points at her feet, desperate to get across the situation she has found herself in.

"What is it? Why are you pointing at your feet?" Matilda asks, a look of confusion on her face.

Shoes! She doesn't has shoes to wear!

Winter looks like she would be screaming the words if she could, her body shaking with every moment?

"What about your feet? Do they hurt?"

Winter quickly shakes her head.

"Are they cold?"

Again, she shakes her head.

"Hmm... Oh, is it shoes?"

Yes! Yes it is! She doesn't have any shoes!

Winter vigorously nods her head, her hair flying in all directions as her head swings back and forth.

"Hmm, you're right, you don't have any. Well, we can play just outside the house in the grass. There aren't any sharp rocks to cut your feet on, so you should be fine, just make sure to watch your step, okay?"

Winter vigorously nods her head once more, her hair becoming a mess with all of the motion.

"Okay then, come on, let's burn that energy of yours," Matilda says, walking to the door.

Winter quickly follows behind, almost bouncing by the door as Matilda stops to put on some shoes.

"Calm down a little, I'll be ready in a moment," Matilda says, sensing the increasing impatience in Winter's demeanor.

But we need to hurry! She wants to go play outside! She doesn't want to wait!

Time slows to a halt as Matilda pulls on her shoes, but fit she manages to finish.

"There, all ready. Come on then, let's go," Matilda says, opening the door.

Before the door had a chance to swing all the way open, Winter was already outside, her body moving impossibly fast, her legs a blur beneath her.

The soft grass beneath her feet tickles as she sprints all around the house, having already circled it before Matilda had the chance to close the door behind them.

Finally, she was outside! She can run as much as she wants! Climb as much as she wants! Explore as much as she wants! Play as much as she wants! The world is hers!