Bellia

The country life was a life of routine that Bell Hopscotch Rabbit was always accustomed to. It had taken some getting used to at first, but soon Karen became used to it, too. Dinner was always set before Harlin came home from work and always of the same rotation of dishes. Boiled flour, carrot soup, light brewed tea, biscuits, seasoned boiled flour, stewed squash, etc…

Bedtime was also a meticulous array of activities to be done in order. Bell and Skip would brush their teeth with toothbrushes, while Karen and David used intense mouthwash. (Toothbrushes weren’t a regular shipment to Cloverleaf Clovers, so Harlin couldn’t get any for the Chiffon Dogs).

Then, one by one they’d file out the bathroom and over to their beds. Bell and Skip would crawl into their bed set, while David and Karen went down to the living room to sleep on the sofas and combined arm chairs. That would be that, until recently.

Karen had started to notice Bell change up. She would always, like a good little rabbit, tuck into bed immediately after her ‘good night’ series. Nowadays, she would often spend minutes staring intensely at the little monthly calendar the children hung up with weeks and days arranged neatly with studying subjects.

It wasn’t like her to linger before bedtime.

One night, Karen walked up and asked, “Hey, Bell. What’s the matter? I’ve noticed you keep staring at that calendar.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just counting down the days until my sister Bellia comes back.”

An idea flicked inside Karen’s head. Bell and Freya had told her about Bellia, Bell’s twin sister who had been accepted into a detailed foreign exchange program two years back. The program would take her all over the world for a fine tuned education and immersive experiences. Heidi had been so proud of her daughter for getting into the limited spaces. Most weeks, the house would at least get 4 calls from her. Now, after so long, Bellia would be coming back.

Sure enough, the very next day, Heidi Choch, always a critter of fret, spent the whole day cleaning and cleaning. She scrubbed the tub clean with deep cleaning sprays, washed up all the towels and blankets, and made all the children take a fur scrubbing bath.

“What’s going on?” David asked when the children were all lined up to be inspected for cleanliness.

“Bellia’s coming home in two days. You know Ms. H. Choch. She’s always fretting for family matters,” Karen informed. David understood, and made sure to be extra clean up to Heidi’s standards.

The next day, Heidi personally drove out to town to get the freshest ingredients. Harlin was staying at home to watch the children. Honey, always disliking a deep fur scrub, said, “Dada. No like,” as Harlin rubbed her fur.

Harlin chuckled and said, “Mommy just wants everything to be perfect for your older sister’s arrival. Don’t you remember Bellia? She met you guys when she was at the town stop of her trip.”

“Coo,” Honey giggled.

When Heidi came back, she announced, “This is going to be perfect. I’ll cook up all of Bellia’s favorite dishes. Carrot tea, carrot soup with a side of salted and peppered boil flour!”

“I’m so excited,” Heidi whispered to her husband in bed that night.

The next morning was bustling, all the kids were expected to do a final face fur wash, while the babies were all told to be on their best behavior. Heidi spent the whole morning cleaning carrots, brewing tea, and boiling flour to the perfect consistency.

Harlin had woken up extra early that day to drive to town and pick up Bellia. She was to be travelling by the tram through the town side of Sylvanian Village back to Cloverleaf Corners.

The blue car pulled up into the driveway of the Deluxe Village House with Heidi scrambling to hug Bellia!

“Bellia!” everyone said aloud. Bellia was a rabbit with white fur and chocolate dipped ears, like her aunt. She was the twin sister of Bell, so she always dressed the same. She was slightly taller than Bell.

“My! How you’ve grown!” Heidi commented as she realized her daughter was now taller than her twin.

Teri interjected, “Didn’t I tell you so, sister? The food in Sylvanian Village is always much more nutritious for growth.”

Heidi waved the comment off, and led Bellia inside.

“Wow, the place is spick and span, and everything is so cozy. Just the way I remembered it!”

Honey and Hopper were sitting on the sofa, and stared curiously at their older sister.

“Aww! How I missed my favorite baby siblings! They’re so cute!”

Honey and Hopper, understanding the word cute, smiled and giggled.

“So tell us all about the world!” Bell pleaded as everyone gathered around Bellia.

“You must have so many stories,” Skip added.

“Why, yes! It was so much fun. I’ll never forget how fancy the town was. I learned all about manners, proper dress, and a bit on designing!”

The girls’, especially Freya’s, eyes lit up at the mention of all the town talk. As Heidi was fixing up a plate of Bellia’s favorite foods, Bellia told an exciting story of how fancy town was.

“The dresses are always in pastel style colors: red, blue, purple. The girls will always have the prettiest accessories, and the men have cute little bow ties made of satin. The program had arranged for us to try on the fancy dresses. I got one of red satin and a cute white hat to match to try on! But don’t worry, Dad, I still missed the country life every one bit. And, Mom, this food is delicious. No one in this world makes carrot soup with seasoned boiled flour like you do!”

Teri then commented once more, “Hmm…I would love to send my daughters on such a program. It sounds like loads of education and fun.”

The whole family of Hopscotch, Chocolate, and Choch Rabbits, as well as the guests, listened to the wonderful stories all day.

At the end of the day, Bellia ended with, “But of all those places around the world, my favorite is still home sweet home.”