Chapter Three

    

He entered his home, leaving me out with the two plushes that sat on the swing. I walked over to the plushies, sitting in front of the swing, watching as the swing moved up and down softly. I just smiled a bit as they continued to swing. Once more it was a bit of a blustery day, but it concerned me when the pig plush looked like it was about to fly away. Before it could, I latched onto it. Holding it close, I looked at the poor pig plush before walking over to put it back on the swing, only to notice the bear plush had gone missing.

I look in my arms to see the pig plush moving. I gasped, putting the plush down and backing up. The plush looked at me and smiled, “H-hey! I’m Piglet! And you are?”

“N-Nancy. Nancy Silberhaus,” I answered.

“Y-you wouldn’t have to be Christopher Robin’s little sister, right?”

“I am his sister. His only sister.”

“W-well then! Thats marveliorous.”

The way that Piglet tried to say marvelous made me smile in a way; my heart glowing with the interaction with an actual toy. Soon enough, walking out from behind the tree was the bear plush in the bandana. He had in his arms some sort of pot. Looking at the pot, there was a word written on there: “Hunney.” From the writing, I could tell it was supposed to be honey but the wording was just so funny. The bear then sat next to me before saying, “Hello there,” he turns to Piglet, “Piglet, old friend, who is this?”

“W-why Pooh,” Piglet stuttered, “This is Nancy! Christopher Robin’s little sister!”

“How do you do?” I spoke as I stood up, curtseying.

“How do you do?” he responded back, offering me some honey. I sat down before eating a small pinch of it. The rest of the time, we conversed and talked while Christopher Robin was out preparing for tomorrow, or whatever he was doing. Pooh, Piglet and I played many games around the Hundred Acre Wood. I was even introduced to the others like Tigger, Owl, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore and Rabbit. The peculiar thing about Rabbit’s home though was that we had to enter through a small hole in a burrow. Pooh and Piglet went the other way while I crept into the hole. Rabbit offered lunch, of course. But it was odd to think I was having lunch with a rabbit plush.

“So, the other day when Christopher was here,” Rabbit started, “Pooh got stuck in my home. Right where you entered.”

“Oh my,” I spoke, “I feel sorry for you.”

“Eh, don’t be. Now Pooh knows otherwise. Make yourself at home, Ms. Silberhaus. O-Or maybe don’t–” was what Rabbit said before I positioned myself to the point I was breaking most of Rabbit’s furniture.

“O-oh dear!” I gasped.

Piglet stammered, “W-well, maybe you won’t be stuck like Pooh was. Hopefully.”

I shrugged before trying to fix myself. It was after a while I heard Christopher Robin far off in the distance calling out my name. I believe it was time to go home. But I didn’t want to go home just yet, I was having such a marvelous time! Pooh and Piglet left first as I tried to exit out of the way I entered; only for me to suddenly stop, noticing that only half of my body was able to go through. “O-oh dear!” I tried to get myself out but alas, I was stuck. Rabbit began to panic once more as he ran outside, trying to tug me out. 

“R-Rabbit, I am truly sorry!” I apologized.

“I-It’s alright, little Silberhaus,” he spoke, “no need to fret!” But just when he said that, he hopped away before screaming:

It was indeed a while but Christopher was luckily able to get me out. He held me into his arms while everyone looked at the both of us, walking away. I look back before waving goodbye to everyone as they all waved back. Pooh followed along, walking along into the sunset back home into our little vacation spot in England.

The drive was really long just to reach Las Vegas, Nevada. Teresa wouldn’t shut up about gambling and other random nonsense. All I knew was just we were going to be here for a will hearing. She can gamble her money away all she wants, but me? I’m just here to reunite with all of my brothers, get whatever father is going to give me in his will or not, and then just plan our route home. I didn’t care for the flashing lights or the tons of gambling machines or places this area had, I just wanted to get one thing done and over with. We drove up to Caesar’s Palace just to get our room and the next thing I knew, Teresa began spewing shit.

“So, do you think we’ll be able to meet any cute boys? What about cute boys we can-”

“Don’t,” I cut her off. I just laid still on the bed, taking out Drosselmeyer’s nutcracker that laid in my bag. I just couldn’t leave it at the house for it to be stolen. I took it with me so I could watch over it. After a while, I thought it was a good idea just to go see the sights of glistening Las Vegas. The strip was buzzing with casinos just for the common gambler to go waste away their money. Then there were the clubs in which I shouldn’t get into detail on what they were about. Finally, there was the Fremont Theatre. There didn’t seem to be a lot of showings today so I just got a ticket for the featurette of Winnie The Pooh and the Honey Tree. I sat down in my seat and watched as the featurette began playing. It was just like how I remembered in a way, especially since the childhood memories of when my family lived in England for only a short while, a year or two. Possibly a couple months; the memory was so far off I lost count.

I do remember the odd adventures I had with Pooh and Piglet but those adventures felt more like something from a dream. I sighed, watching the featurette before it ended. I walked out of the theatre before seeing a familiar face approach. “It’s been a long while, hasn’t it?” the shaggy haired man smiled. He wore a vest along with a tanktop turtleneck and some long jeans. I smiled happily before running over, giving him a hug. “Oh Christopher Robin!” I exclaimed happily.

“I assume you went to go see that movie?” he asked.

“It just reminded me of what happened with us when we were children.”

“You know, I still visit them.”

“Pooh? Piglet?”

“Do they live with you?”

“I told them I couldn’t do that to them, but they begged so I brought them to America. They’re still getting used to the culture shift.”

Father's sudden death changed everything for us. It pulled me and Nathan together out of sheer need. Dr. Drosselmeyer stepped in as our guardian. He managed our home with a firm hand, guiding two young twin siblings through grief. Nathan and I clashed often. Our views on life pulled us apart like threads in a frayed cloth. Simple things sparked arguments along with how we spent our days or what dreams we chased.

But Christopher Robin's visits lit up those dark stretches. He arrived usually with Michael, Tyler, and John in tow for monthly visits. Laughter filled the air as we played in the garden or shared stories by the fire. Christopher Robin stayed a kid at heart. He chased butterflies with the same wide-eyed joy. Those moments chased away my worries. We built forts from old blankets. We whispered secrets under the stars. Pure fun, no strings attached.

 

The wind blew softly as the sunset has concluded with the rise of the moon; the lights of the strip grew brighter and brighter, the sounds grew louder and louder. 

Christopher soon walked me back to the hotel before smiling. I smiled back, feeling the childhood joy once more of being with my favorite brother out of the bunch. We held each other into an embrace before breaking it off, waving goodbye. I stepped into the bright chaos of the casino floor at Caesar's Palace. Slot machines beeped and flashed under low ceilings. The air hummed with chatter and the clink of coins. My feet moved slow at first, just a gentle walk through the crowd. It helped calm the knot in my gut from all the weird stuff I needed to sort out. What was really happening here? The stroll let me breathe for a second.

Then a chill hit me. Someone trailed too close. Sure, people bumped elbows everywhere in this packed place, especially those who want a turn with the slot machines. But this felt different. My pulse quickened. I picked up my pace, weaving past a group at the blackjack tables. Heart pounding, I ducked into the nearest bathroom. The door swung shut behind me.

My body slumped against the cool tile wall. Legs weak, I slid down a bit. I pressed my palm to my forehead. A sharp throb built in my skull, turning into a full migraine. The door opening was what caused me to let out a strong yelp before revealing it to be Teresa with a couple hundred of dollars in her hand. Just as I knew, she decided to go gambling. I was shocked to even see that she had won a couple dollars. “Everything alright, Nancy?” she asked me, concerningly.