Continuing the series of “shorts” I am writing, one from each book in the Trixie Belden series, “Sibling Rivalry” examines the truth about how sisters and brothers really relate to one another. It’s not always easy or fun and things don’t always get resolved the way they perhaps should. It is based on scenes from #27, The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon, occurring in the cream paperback version just after the paragraph break at the top of page 31.

Let me caution you that this story, which fits into the book, does not end on a very happy note. But if you’ve read the book, you’ll know that the book clears it up, albeit in my opinion, too much later rather than sooner.

This is also a submission for the GWP “Fall Memories” (not associated with the Trixie Belden Homepage). Included elements are seeing a long lost relative, a new sweater, the phrase “it’s perfect football weather”, hot chocolate, jumping into a pile of leaves “Linus style”, and a large green unripe pumpkin.

Random House, Inc owns Trixie Belden and all associated characters. No profit is being made from this story, which is being written entirely for tribute and compliment only.

Sibling Rivalry

Trixie lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. Every few minutes or so she would turn to one side, and then the other trying to find a comfortable position. She tried to close her eyes and let sleep come but it would not. Each time, her eyes would involuntarily open and she would begin to think once more about the quarrel she had just had with her brother Mart.

She was also thinking of their childhood. They had grown up together in much the same way that they interacted now. He would goad her into loosing her temper; she’d respond and Brian would intercede. Later on would come the inevitable make-up. There were times of course that when others would tease her, Mart would step in and defend his sister, as she would do for him. But more often than not, it was Mart that could get away with the comments.

She recalled the incident just before the ice carnival that the Bob-Whites had held to benefit the library of their pen-pals from Mexico. An earthquake had damaged it. That time she had stayed fairly upset at Mart until she really knew that he felt bad.

It was so important to me that he realized that he had hurt me. And I held a grudge against him until I was sure that he had. Was that really horrible of me? I should have forgiven him much more quickly. And tomorrow will be no different. I should forgive him and walk into the kitchen in the morning like nothing is wrong. And yet I know that when I wake up tomorrow, if I should ever get to sleep, I will still be upset at him.

Trixie sighed and turned over once more so that her eyes faced her windows. She could see a few lights on at the Manor House. It appeared that Honey was in bed, but Jim was still awake. She smiled a little as she remembered the conversation that they had just before she left Manor House that night. Honey, Jim and herself had stood in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate and discussing plans for the next day’s trip but when Trixie was ready to leave, Honey had stayed in her room to pack (and secretly, Trixie thought – allow her and Jim some privacy). Jim opened the door for her and led her out onto the veranda into the crisp cool air.

“It’s perfect football weather tonight. Too bad the Sleepyside Wildcats couldn’t be playing Croton-on-Hudson tonight instead of tomorrow.”

“It is beautiful weather. I can just imagine sitting on those cold bleachers wrapped in one of those new sweaters Moms bought me in White Plains the other day.”

Jim raised his eyebrows at Trixie’s mention of new clothes. “One of those sweaters wouldn’t happen to be blue, would it?”

Trixie looked at the ground as she realized that she had been rather thinking aloud than planning to discuss her clothing choices with Jim. “One of them is blue, yes. It matches Sleepyside colors. Moms thought I might want to wear it to the basketball games, but when she found out that we were going to go to some football games as well... well, I guess it’s perfect for those too.”

“I know it is, Trix. Why don’t you bring it this weekend?” he smiled.

Now, Trixie was wishing she had just stayed at Manor House. Although somewhat embarrassing, her conversation with Jim was much more pleasant than the fight she had just had with her brother. Mart just never seemed to know when she had had enough. Or was it that he didn’t really care.

No, that can’t be right at all. Give him some credit Trixie. Mart is a brother. He’s supposed to tease you. But does he have to be mean about it sometimes? Maybe he doesn’t really see it as mean. Maybe he’s just having fun, a voice inside her head whispered. Yeah, but at my expense? Another voice whispered the last statement to her.

She turned over on her back away from the house on the hill. Brian’s defense of her was certainly welcome, although she knew she could perfectly well defend herself to her brother. But still, it was nice to know that Brian believed in her. He might not always show it, especially when he was concerned for her safety. Never in a million years did she expect to hear him say the same words in front of all the Bob-Whites as he had said to Mart.

Maybe I need to think of the good things about Mart and I. Perhaps that will jostle me out of this funk. She did her best to conjure up past memories involving Mart and herself. She remembered the time that they were both responsible for taking care of their younger brother Bobby who had been 4 at the time. Trixie was 12 and Mart 13. Their father and mother had taken Brian with them to White Plains for the day and had instructed the three other children to have the yard raked of leaves by the time they returned. The leaves were neatly raked into piles and placed into bags all except for the biggest pile. Mart had slowly rolled their Halloween pumpkin over to the pile for Bobby to sit on while they finished placing the last of the leaves into trash bags. Bobby, however had other plans, and as Mart finally rolled the heavy round green unripe object over to the pile, he saw Bobby who was holding a sucker that he’d been slurping on, take a flying leap into the middle of the leaves, landing squarely on his rear end.

“Look! I can holp too!” Bobby yelled. “I can jump on the pile and you can catch the leaves as they fly up to stick ‘em in the bags!”

“Um, I don’t think so,” Mart said, trying to hide a smile. “Half-pint, I think you’d be more ‘holp’ sitting here on our pumpkin while Trix and I do the leaves. And don’t finish that lollipop. It has debris all over it.”

“What’s dabreee?” Bobby asked, holding out the lollipop for Reddy to eat as the huge Irish Setter came lopping over. Reddy gobbled the red sucker in one gulp, swinging his head from side to side and smacking his chops as he tried to figure out what to do with the paper stick hanging from his mouth.

Mart looked at Trixie who had one hand over her mouth stifling a giggle while the other hand grasped the rake she was leaning on for support. “Never mind. It’s not really important anymore.” Trixie motioned for Mart to hold open a bag and as she bent down to begin stuffing the leaves into it, with their heads close together they talked quietly about the unexpected little boy who really had brought such joy into their lives.

She remembered also the time that they had first met their great Aunt, whom Aunt Alicia had found by years and years of inquiries and research. Aunt Yvonne was a loud sort of woman who never allowed a chance for anyone else to be right. Mart and Trixie had hid on the upper stair landing listening to the conversation below, laughing that Aunt Alicia, for all her searching, was probably wishing that her Aunt Yvonne had stayed hidden.

Looking back now, it wasn’t that it was difficult to find good memories that she and Mart shared. It was just difficult to ignore the fights. And that was what she was struggling with now. She remembered a bible verse that her parents had taught all of them when they were younger. It said not to let the sun go down on your anger.

Well, I’ve just let the sun go down and the moon come up on my anger. And I have a feeling that unless I think of something soon, the sun will rise on my anger as well. She turned in bed this time towards her door, wondering if she should go to Mart’s room and try and straighten things out. But why should I. I didn’t start things. He was itching to pick a fight with from the moment I walked in the door. But as she thought this, she remembered another verse that she had heard. As far as it depends on me, I am supposed to get along with others. I guess that means I should do everything I can to make things right. I should be the one to fix things. But I’m not ready to do that. And furthermore, I don’t think it should be me. That is so selfish, one voice whispered to her. But it’s the truth, another voice said.

Trixie sighed loudly as she flipped over to her stomach. Maybe tomorrow will take care of itself. Maybe tomorrow I will wake up feeling like a new person and I can just forget about it. She shook her head as unbidden tears threatened to fall to her pillow. And maybe pigs will sprout wings tomorrow too.