She drove to the other end of town to look in on the Tumble Twins who, today, were apparently at the pottery studio.
“Hello,” said Simon.Raven had arrived just in time to pass students filing out the door on their way to the gym.“We’re just finishing up here.Give me a moment.”
He turned to say goodbye to the students and to make sure their creations were safely set on a nearby rack to dry.His daughter, Sally, and Sarah’s daughter Riley, were helping—Sally washed down a large table with a sponge while Riley dried and put the tools away in their respective drawers.
“I’ve never been in here,” said Raven, walking over to the rack to view what the children had created that day.“These are great.”
“We’re doing hand-building in this class, and the kids are creative.We have a lot of stencils and other tools they can use to make their plates.Tomorrow we’ll be building cups.”
“Then they paint them?”
“Once these dry and they trim them—remove any excess clay—I’ll fire them in the kiln.The next day they’ll glaze and try different types of underglazes, and then we fire them again.”
“So you teach half a day?”
“Each class is about half a day.This group is off to spend the other half of their day in the gym down the hall.Then the gym group will come in here.”
“Sounds like a great camp experience,” said Raven.“And the kittens?”She looked around the room, which was absent of any four-legged creatures.
“Dot and Dash are in the back.”He turned to Riley and Sally.“Why don’t you two take Raven to see the kittens while I finish up in here?”
The girls pulled off their smocks and led Raven through a door to a hallway.“That’s where the kilns are,” said Riley, pointing to a closed door as they passed it.She pushed open a door to a large storage room lined with shelves and supplies.A playpen stood in the middle of the room with a large net draped over the top to prevent any escapes.The kittens stopped in mid-tumble when the trio walked in.They stood together, staring at the intruders.
“It looks like they’re having fun,” said Raven.
“Yes,” said Sally.“But now it’s time for them to have some water and to, you know…” She pointed to a litter box and water dish in the corner.
“Right,” said Raven.“And what time do they eat?”
“In the morning before we go to camp we give them some food, and at dinner time,” said Riley.“We time it.That way they both have the same routine, and when they come to one of our houses, they don’t have to change.”
“We also give them some kibble for snacks,” Sally added, earning a nod from Riley.“Because they’re little and they need to eat more often than a grown cat.”
“Impressive,” said Raven.“And how do they get along when they’re separated?”
“Well,” Sally said gravely, “Dot took longer to get used to being alone.She whined for a couple of days.But now she knows me and…” She looked around the corner before speaking further.“Don’t tell Daddy, but she sometimes sleeps on my bed with me.”
“I see,” said Raven, biting back a smile.“And Dash?”
“He’s pretty good.We play a lot at night and then he gets tired and wants to sleep most of the time.”
“Thank you for telling me about their care,” said Raven.“I’ll let them drink their water and do their business, and I’ll go talk to your dad.”She left the pair reaching into the playpen and walked back to talk to Simon.
“They showed you where we’ve got them set up for the day?”he asked.
“Yes, they seem quite happy there.And how are they doing when they’re apart?”
“I think Dash is doing well—from what Sarah told me—and Dot has settled in.I’ve found her curled up with Sally on her bed at night.”
“Really?”Raven chuckled.“That must mean Dot’s comfortable with her.”
“And Sally loves her.I even caught her reading a book to Dot the other day.”
“They seem well taken care of, and the girls certainly know their routine.Thanks for letting me check in.”
“Anytime,” said Simon.
“And they’re okay going from house to house?”
