The Phantom Bell

 

Kashi was at her wit’s end. Her sister’s kids were staying with her for the summer, bringing the total number of children in the house to four. It was a chaos. The tantrums, fights, and endless messes left her no time for herself. By the time, she had collapsed onto a chair, her clothes soiled and hair askew, the children had woken from their nap.

“Go play in the garden,” she ordered, slamming the door before they could protest.

In the silence that ensued, her eyelids grew heavy and she began to drift off when the doorbell rang. Grumbling, she opened the door only to find no one there.

“Very funny,” she muttered, shutting the door with a sharp bang.

She had just settled back onto the chair when the bell rang again. Frustrated, she threw the quilt onto the floor and marched to the door.

“What!”

Once again there was no one there. This time she slammed the door shut with enough force to rattle the frame.

Her anger started to simmer. The deliciously calming afternoon was slipping away, and she desperately needed that nap. With a shaky breath to calm down, she parked herself by the door, ready to catch the culprit in the act.

When the bell rang again for the third time, she yanked open the door, only to find the porch empty again.

Stepping outside, she yelled, “Kids! Get here, now!”

The four children came running from the garden a second later. Their faces were wide-eyed with confusion. Kashi wished she could discipline them like her mother, but she took a deep breath. She had promised herself she wouldn’t be like her mother.

“Why are you ringing the bell like fools while I’m trying to nap?” she scowled.

“We didn’t, Ma!” one of them protested.

She stooped low, hands on her hips and said through clenched teeth. “I won’t be mad, just tell me the truth.”

“We are not lying!” the kids cried in unison, “We were climbing the tree!”

Kashi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but then the bell rang again.

She turned toward the sound, and surprisedly, it came from outside the gate. Sure enough, just a few feet beyond their property, a cow stood grazing, the bell around her neck tinkled with every movement.

Kashi blinked, unable to believe her eyes, and she burst out laughing despite herself, leaving the children puzzled.