Fay LaFarge rolled quietly out of bed and held her breath so she would be skinny enough to squeeze past the bedroom door without making it creak.\u00a0 There was a new, crisp, completely unopened box of Cinnamon Rogers cereal in the kitchen, and she wanted the prize in the package.<\/p>\n
If she woke up Skipper, who was five, he would pout and whimper and make Mom feel sorry for him. If she woke up Tilly, who was fourteen, Tilly would start her misunderstood teenager drama and make Dad feel sorry for her. But Fay being ten, was neither cute nor misunderstood, and if nobody would look out for her, she\u2019d sure as heck look out for herself.<\/p>\n
\nLike a stealthy, slinky cat, Fay crept down the stairs, stepping carefully over the third stair from the bottom, which always squeaked. There was just enough morning light that she could see, on the kitchen counter, bright and tantalizing, the fresh box of Cinnamon Rogers.<\/p>\n
\nSneaking, sneaking, the prize as good as hers, Fay reached for the box.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cHands off!\u201d shouted Tilly from the hallway. \u201cThat box is mine!\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFay clutched the cereal to her chest, grabbed a wooden spoon, and leapt into position like a swordfighter.
\n\u201cNot while I’m living!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n
\nTilly never sneaked. She stormed. And before Fay could react, Tilly stormed to a strategic position in front of the dish cupboard and turned to glower darkly at Fay.
\n\u201cYou might have the Cinnamon Rogers, but you’ll never get a bowl!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cScoundrel!\u201d gasped Fay as she faced off on the opposite side of the kitchen table from Tilly.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI don’t want the Rogers,\u201d chimed in Skipper, who was thumping down the stairs on his bottom. \u201cThey’re too cinnanummy.\u00a0 I\u00a0 just want the PRIZE!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe prize,\u201d said Fay, \u201cis tiddlywinks. You never beat me at tiddlywinks! Are you sure you want it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI want it!\u201d cried Skipper. \u201cAnd it’s called Flippin’ Eights,<\/em> not tiddlywinks!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cWhatever,\u201d said Fay. \u201cbut you still want it, even after I saw you trade your apple for a Goober Bar at lunch yesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cSpy!\u201d said Skipper.<\/p>\n \n\u201cSneak!\u201d said Fay.<\/p>\n \n\u201cNo bowl!\u201d growled Tilly.<\/p>\n \n\u201cHey!\u201d said Fay, suddenly looking out the kitchen window. \u201cUnited Delivery is bringing a package…and it’s that hot\u00a0 United Delivery guy!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cNo way!\u201d cried Tilly. She ran to the window, combing snags out of her hair with her fingers.<\/p>\n \n\u201cThanks for the bowl,\u201d said Fay, making a dash for the needed dish, and sliding into a chair at the breakfast table.<\/p>\n \nTilly looked disgusted. \u201cThere’s no delivery guy, you dweeber.\u201d<\/p>\n \nFay was even more disgusted. \u201cSomebody already opened this box. There’s no prize either.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cWasn’t me,\u201d said Tilly.<\/p>\n \n\u201cMe neither,\u201d said Skipper.<\/p>\n \n\u201cMe,\u201d said Mrs. LaFarge, walking into the room with baby Lynette on her hip, \u201cI opened it last night. Lynette had an earache. I gave her the tiddlywinks in the box to cheer her up.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cThey’re not tiddlywinks,\u201d said Skipper. \u201cThey’re called ‘Flippin’ Eights.’\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \n\u201cMom!\u201d scolded Fay. \u201cLynette’s too little for tiddlywinks! She’ll choke and die and turn blue!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cShe’s almost two,\u201d said Mrs. LaFarge, sliding Lynette into her highchair. \u201cBesides, I’ll keep an eye on her.\u201d<\/p>\n \nFay, Tilly, and Skipper looked at each other in disgust and shared defeat.<\/p>\n \n\u201cI’m having toast,\u201d grumbled Tilly with a scowl.<\/p>\n \nMr. LaFarge entered the kitchen, stepping carefully over the bits of cereal Lynette was busily flinging on the floor. He buttoned his white lab coat and adjusted his name badge.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \n\u201cWho cares if she does, Dad?\u201d said Fay, answering quickly so Tilly couldn’t. \u201cShe can eat plain Jolly Rogers. Don’t change the flavor for Tilly.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cMine Roshers!\u201d squealed Lynette, flinging another handful of cereal.<\/p>\n \n\u201cThey’re not too cinnamony, Dad,\u201d said Tilly, rolling her eyes. \u201cYou’re a perfect chief chemist. They’re not going to fire you. I just feel like toast.\u201d<\/p>\n \nMrs. LaFarge picked several stray bits of cereal out of Mr. LaFarge’s hair. \nMr. LaFarge drummed his fingers on the table. \u201cToast, toast, toasty sweetness,\u201d he said thoughtfully. \u201cWould you say Jolly Rogers have just the right amount of toasty sweetness?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cJust right,\u201d answered Fay. \u201cExcept for one thing…Make them put more than one prize in each box.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cThat’s not my department,\u201d replied Mr. LaFarge. \u201cI’m just the flavor guy. But don’t expect Mr. Arg to spend money on extra prizes…he’s a little tight that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cWatch what you say about your boss,\u201d warned Mrs. LaFarge, picking more Cinnamon Rogers out of Mr. LaFarge’s hair, \u201cbecause he’s…well, your boss.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\u201cYes, he’s my boss,\u201d agreed Mr. LaFarge, with a slight shudder. \u201cAnd what a weird day that was when they put him in charge. Something about his take-charge attitude is what they said…but he takes more business trips than anyone I\u2019ve<\/em> ever heard of…\u201d<\/p>\n \nThere’s not much time to dawdle over breakfast on a school morning, so Skipper and Tilly had soon piled their dishes in the sink and gone off to get dressed as Mr. LaFarge left for the cereal factory.<\/p>\n \nFay, however, was not concerned with whether her clothes matched, and poured more Cinnamon Rogers into her bowl.\u00a0 Then, something in her bowl went \u201cclink.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cClink,\u201d\u00a0 was not the sound she expected from Cinnamon Rogers, so she fished around with her spoon, and scooped out…a quarter. <\/p>\n No. It wasn’t a quarter. Instead of being round it was\u00a0 not-quite-round around the edges, and there was no eagle, and no \u201cIn God We Trust.\u201d<\/em> Instead, on one side, was a picture of the sun with its rays pointing to the words \u201cpass with time or pass time by.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \nFay turned it over. Cool. Very cool. On the flip side a cracked skull lay in two split halves under the words \u201ceither way your time will pass.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Turned out Dad was wrong. Mr. Arg was already putting two prizes in each box, and this time, Fay realized with delight, she had gotten there first.\u00a0 She smiled and, as sneakily as always, put the coin in her pocket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fay LaFarge rolled quietly out of bed and held her breath so she would be skinny enough to squeeze past the bedroom door without making it creak.\u00a0 There was a new, crisp, completely unopened box of Cinnamon Rogers cereal in the kitchen, and she wanted the prize in the package. If she woke up Skipper, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions\/60"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.emilygillespieclement.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cDon’t tell me,\u201d he said .\u201cYou think Cinnamon Rogers are too cinnamon-tasting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cNobody creates better flavors than you Lyle,\u201d she said lovingly. \u201cYou have a magic touch. Jolly Rogers cereal is practically addictive.\u201d<\/p>\n