Demitri was waiting for Laura on the bottom stair.  Laura had just spent another grey day doing nothing tha wouuld draw attention to herself.  She was secretly pleased that there was a human being that was pleased to see her.

"Miss Laura -- Miss Laura!!" Demitri lept up and Tomo lept clear. "Guess what's happening tonight."

"The circus is coming to town?"

"Even bigger!"

"What's bigger than the circus?"

"A Full Lunar Eclipse!  My teacher told me that it is happening here -- tonight.  And my mom said I could stay up.  It's even a school night. Do you want to stay up with me?  Please?"  Demitri grabbed her knees and looked up with his best puppy dog face.

Laura paused and processed what ahe just heard. Tomo decided she was taking too long in deciding and climbed up her jeans and wedged himself between Demitri and Laura.

"Prrrrrrrrroooowww?"

"Okay -- I can't say no to both of you."

"Can Liz come too?"

"Liz doesn't like going outside.  Tell you what, you come over this evening and well look up lunar eclipses on the Internet."

"Yay!  I'll go ask my mother!" Boy and kitten were up the stairs in a flash.

Laura's day had brightened immensly.  She went upstairs with a skip in her step.  She revelled in the slick feel of the bannister. Kids are definately the world's assets.

Her good mood lasted as she heated up her dinner bowl.  She picked out her biggest, fuzziest, most compfiest sweater. Compfiest wasn't really a word, but it fit.  Wearing a big sweater was like wearing a hug.  They kept the office too warm for her to wear sweaters to work.  Maybe she could figure out how to reroute the heating ducts to make her cubicle colder.  Then even fewer people would visit her.  She'd be the Ice Queen. Ruler of her own icy domain. Mwah ha ha ha.

The beep of the microwave brought her back to reality. She pealed back the plastic film and stired together the gooey part and the pasta part. Mmmmmm warm cheezy goodness.  She had just tossed the cardboard bowl when there was a knock at her door.

Laura opened the door and Tomo bounced in.  Demetri stood there with a box full of steaming pots.

"What are the pots for?"

"My mother says you never eat real food."

"Really?"

"And that you don't eat enough to feed a bird."

"O-Kay..?"

"And that I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Hey," intruded a new voice, "who made the jarkoye?"

"My mother did.  She mades the best food. It always makes you full."

"Smells good.  I haven't had real food in awhile. Think you mother would give me the recipe?"

"I'm sure she would."  Demitri beamed.  The best way to endear yourself to him was to praise his mother -- or his kitten.

"Why doesn't everybody come in?"