Unraveled- Part 5

Patricia and Samuel laughed until their sides hurt and they had tears running down their faces. Finally, they were able to catch their breath and compose themselves while Samuel showed Patricia his fence- patching handiwork. Apparently the look on her face set Samuel off and he naturally dragged Patricia into another gut-splitting laugh, the kind that makes you feel like you've done 30 crunches..After a while, it was time for Samuel to pack up and go home, and Patricia said she'd fix the fence the next day, which she did.

A couple of days later, she spotted the mailman approaching her mailbox and went to apologize to him for the fiasco with the loose horses. He'd been her mailman for years, and he laughed it off, adding that " all's well that ends well when you don't end up with a wayward horse in your lap at work." He handed Patricia her mail, smiled and drove to the next mailbox. She sifted through the mail, the usual suspects were there- eat a steak and buy a burial plot, switch cell carriers and get a gift card, blah blah blah. And then she saw the envelope from the City with her name handwritten on the front, "Patricia Smith." She ripped it open and a handwritten letter asked her to come to City Hall to meet with the Mayor and discuss the request. She re-read it to find out what the request was, but it didn't say. It was easier just to go down there than to reach them by phone, so she called Samuel and he agreed to go with her out of sheer curiosity.

Two days later, they were in the Mayor's office. He was reading some paperwork, so they looked around while they were sitting in the oversized chairs. He had pictures of his family and his cats and his dog wearing Christmas outfits. And on one shelf, there was a miniature figurine of a seamstress all by herself, and Samuel felt like he knew her back story but just couldn't place her.

The Mayor cleared his throat and said," Patricia, we had you come down today to sign the paperwork for your sanctuary request. But, I guess first I should verify that you have given permission to Yarnell Tiddlywinks to apply for a squirrel sanctuary at your address." He peered over his glasses , awaiting her response. "You do know Yarnell Tiddlywinks, correct? " Patricia was staring at him with her mouth open, still trying to process the fact that a half knitted pair of shorts submitted an application for a squirrel sanctuary. Samuel was really quiet, and when she looked sideways at him, all bets were off. He started laughing hysterically, and Patricia, despite all efforts to maintain a professional demeanor, couldn't contain herself anymore and started laughing hysterically. Samuel slid off his chair and that made Patricia laugh even harder. By now, the Mayor, who had been smiling and wondering what was so funny, started giggling and took off his glasses and set them carefully on his desk. He leaned forward over his desk, still giggling and said "who is this guy anyway? I mean, who names their kid Yarnell Tiddlywinks in the first place?" Patricia made a valiant effort to regain her composure while Samuel was writhing in hysterical laughter, clinging to her chair now. She cleared her throat and quietly said, "yes he's staying at my house and he met a squirrel- I mean, he likes the squirrels. And wants to make sure they're safe."

The Mayor raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side and nodded, saying "well to me they're just rats with furry tails, but to each his own, I guess. Permission granted for this squirrel sanctuary." By now, Samuel was laying on his own chair trying to regain his composure with his eyes closed, because he knew that if he looked over at Patricia, her expression would send him back into a round of hysterical laughter.

The ride home was quiet. Both of them were still trying to process the idea that not only did the yarn have a name, but that it actually had shacked up with a squirrel. 🐿️

As soon as they got to Patricia's house, she walked in the door and made a beeline for the knitting needles, and was staring intently at them when Samuel came up beside her. In his best authoritative voice, he looked at the needles laying there, and asked "and just who are you two?"

Author's Note: Part 6 will be written by Rowan Finley