The Bland Sisters' mailbox was a metal box nailed to a wooden pole. A red flag on the box would be turned up by the neighborhood postal carrier, Miss Penny Post, if mail had been delivered. Jaundice and Kale had learned this the hard way; recently, they discovered that several years of correspondence had accumulated in the mailbox, as neither of them had been checking it regularly.
Today, the red flag was up. Jaundice felt a twinge of excitement. She had signed up for a subscription to a magazine called Nuts for Knots and was very much looking forward to her first issue. Unfortunately, upon opening the mailbox, Jaundice beheld an envelope far too small and thin to hold any periodical.
"We've got a letter," Jaundice announced as she returned to her place on the couch. She ripped open the envelope with one finger, careful not to give herself a paper cut.
"Is it from our parents?" asked Kale, emerging from the bathroom. Jaundice passed the letter to her sister so she could read it for herself.
Darling daughters,
Fabulous news—your Aunt Shallot is coming to town! She'll be looking for you at the Dullsville depot on Saturday just before noon; we hope you might help her with her bags and with anything else she might need. We're sure you'll recognize her immediately, but just in case, she says she'll be wearing one of her trademark hats, and she now has gray hair and wears glasses.
Have fun!
Yours,
Mom and Dad
"A visitor? Staying here? What shall we do?" said Kale, wringing her hands.
"I suppose we'll have to send for a fresh sundries basket," Jaundice said. The Bland Sisters received a regular delivery from the Dullsville Grocery, a basket which included bread, cheese, soda, sock-darning thread, and other necessities.
"But where will she sleep?" asked Kale. "She can't sleep on the couch. Where will we do our sock darning? And where will we watch the grass grow?"
"Maybe she should sleep in one of the rooms upstairs," suggested Jaundice.
The Bland Sisters rarely ventured into the upstairs of their house, where their parents had slept and worked. To conserve heat, Jaundice and Kale kept the door leading upstairs closed and locked.
"I don't think we should allow guests up there," said Kale. "It's private."
"It's not like anyone is using it. And besides, it's just Aunt Shallot. She's family," said Jaundice. She reread their parents' letter, noting the date. "She's coming on Saturday. What's today?"
"Friday," said Kale, after a moment of thought.
Jaundice stood up. "That's tomorrow. Next time I see Miss Penny Post, I'm going to have a word with her. At this rate, I'll be as old as Aunt Shallot before I see my first issue of Nuts for Knots."
"If you need me, I'll be cleaning. Starting with the bathroom," Kale announced, retreating to the toilet, which she decided needed rescrubbing.
