The door shut sending a hot, buttery breeze past us, wafting peppermint from the gumdrop tree. We turned in anticipation looking for the next face to join our family’s traditional Christmas cookie- making party. We had been banished from the kitchen earlier in the morning after Mykayla’s mother tripped over Jim. We were sent to the dining room to play with Legos® Grandma had seemingly pulled from thin air. Harley walked in and deposited my baby cousin, Kristin, with a warning, “Be careful, and make sure she doesn’t eat any Legos®.” I wasn’t worried; I wasn’t going to share my Legos® with a baby. After Harley retreated to the kitchen, we returned to our Lego® creations. My deluxe dinosaur castle, featuring two stories and a swimming pool, was almost complete; I just needed one Lego® to finish it. I fished around with my hand, searching the floor around me, unwilling to take my eyes of my masterpiece. My Legos® were gone.

“Did someone take my Legos®?” I asked, thoroughly confused.

“You’re probably sitting on them,” Jim replied. Naturally, I stood up and looked franticly in the spot I had previously occupied. I heard a muffled snicker behind me and when I whipped back around Jim ducked behind the tower he was building.

“Give them back!”

“I didn’t take them, honest.”

“Please, Jim. I just need one more. You can keep the rest.”

“He didn’t take them,” Mykayla intervened, taking Jim’s side while playing her usual role of peace keeper. “Here you can have one of mine.” She took the light purple Lego® off the top of her pyramid and gave it to me. I greedily took the Lego® and put it on my castle, finally done. Then, I looked back at Mykayla’s project now incomplete. I felt bad for being selfish. I took off the Lego® and held it out towards her.

“Here, I don’t need it. I can take off a few other Legos® to make it match,” I told her.

“Thanks,” she received the Lego® smiling. Jim, Mykayla and I had all finished our Lego® creations.

“So, what do we do now?” I asked.

“No idea,” Mykayla replied.

“We could start over,” Jim offered.

“I don’t want to destroy my castle, it’s perfect!” I protested

“Yeah, and I’m hungry,” Mykayla added.

“Let’s steal a couple cookies then, I don’t want to wait until the oven shuts off,” Jim declared. We crept up the door way separating the dining room and the kitchen using the “sneaky-sneaky walk”, as seen in The Pink Panther. Jim peered around the door frame into the kitchen. I could hear the bustle just around the corner and wondered what he saw.

“You first,” he whispered to me, turning back, “You’re the youngest.”

“Okay,” I shrugged, pretending I wasn’t scared. I decided to just be blunt. “Mom? Could I have a glass of juice please?” I asked stepping into the kitchen. I heard Jim and Mykayla groan behind me.

“Can you get it yourself, Laura?” my mom called over her shoulder.

“Sure!” I retrieved the juice from the fridge and set it on the counter. As I reached up to grab a glass, I slipped three peppermint-swirl cookies into my pocket. I poured my cup of juice, and put the juice away. Then, I walked calmly out of the kitchen to where Mykayla and Jim stood gaping at me.

“What were you thinking? How are we supposed to get cookies now?” Jim whispered furiously at me. I grinned at him and whipped the cookies out of my pocket.