Part I

Trixie spun her compact car into the parking lot of the Sleepyside Community Center and pulled into the first available space she saw.  Jumping out, she ran to the front entrance and fidgeted anxiously while waiting for the doors to slide open.

“Tad!  Tad!” Trixie called out as she entered the spacious lobby.  Growing frustrated when she couldn’t find her boyfriend, she quickly checked his office, the cafe area and the fitness room.  As Trixie rounded a corner, she caught a glimpse of him going into his office.

“Tad!” she called out and sprinted toward the young man.

Turning, Tad grinned when he saw the rapid approach of the enthusiastic blond.

“Tad, I have the best news,” gasped Trixie. She reached out and grabbed her boyfriend’s hands in hers, eager to share her news.

“Whoa, Trixie.”  Tad steadied his girlfriend.  “Slow down or I might have to have a talk with you about running in the building,” he teased.

“Tad, listen to me.”  Trixie impatiently shoved her purse onto her shoulder.  “You’ll never guess what happened!”

“What?”  Tad opened the door to his small office and ushered Trixie in.

“It’s so exciting!”  Trixie plopped her bag down on Tad’s orderly desk, knocking over a picture of the two of them in anticipation of her news.

“I’m listening.”

“Well, you know that big football game that’s being played in a few weeks between Syracuse and Boston College?”

Tad nodded, keenly aware of the decades old rivalry between the teams that, due to expected record- setting crowds,  was being  played in Bell Stadium in New Jersey.  Eager fans had snatched up tickets up as soon as they’d become available. Despite having been a member of the baseball at Boston College, Tad had been unable to secure any of the coveted passes.

“How would you like to go?” Trixie asked breathlessly, her eyes snapping in excitement.

Tad’s eyes widened. “Go? I’d love to but the game's been sold out for months.”

“Correct.  But a few minutes ago, while driving to work, there was a contest on the WSSD radio station for tickets and I was the first one to call in.”

“You mean you won tickets to the game?”  Tad’s face lit up.  “This is unbelievable.” He reached out to embrace her, then stopped suddenly.  “Wait a minute. When did you become a fan of college football?” Tad looked at Trixie suspiciously, his brows raised in question.

Trixie stamped her foot lightly in protest. “I enjoy a good football game like everybody else.  I just don’t live and breath the game, unlike some people I know.  Anyway, I just couldn’t resist calling in.  Can you believe I won?”

“So, we’re definitely going to the game?  Belden, you’re amazing!” Tad engulfed Trixie in a crushing hug.

“Well, almost.”

Tad pulled back and looked at her suspiciously.  “Almost?”  He propped one hip on the corner of his desk, waiting for Trixie’s tale to begin.

“See, I was the first one to call in.  Only the first five callers get the chance to earn the tickets.”

“The chance to earn the tickets?”  

“Yes.”

“And…”  Tad made a circular motion with his hand encouraging Trixie to continue.

“And then the callers have to go on a scavenger hunt and the winner gets two tickets to the football game.  Oh, Tad!  We’re going to have so much fun at that game.”

“So, we have to win the scavenger hunt in order to win the tickets to go to the game.  Is that right?” Tad’s right eyebrow raised in question.

“That’s it,” beamed Trixie.  “And the tickets are on the fifty yard line.  I can’t wait!” She clapped her hands excitedly.

“But we have to win them first,” repeated Tad slowly.

“Oh, pooh.”  Trixie scowled at Tad.   “With your athletic skill and my super detectiving powers, we have this one in the bag.”  

Tad listened while Trixie outlined the specifics of the contest, his excitement growing as Trixie’s conviction that they would win the tickets proved to be infectious.

***************

A week later, Tad, Trixie and the other contestants met at the Sleepyside Metro Park. The day was sunny with a brisk breeze that freed the late autumn leaves from the trees.   A table surrounded by bobbing balloons was located near the entrance and music blared from a large speaker.  The DJ from the radio station, WSSD,  was talking into a microphone, giving listeners updates regarding the scavenger hunt.  Trixie and Tad received the requisite papers from the DJ and quickly read through them.

Congratulations!  You are part of the WSSD scavenger hunt.  Your team color is blue.  In the course of this game, you will only open the blue envelopes.  Other teams have been assigned other colors.  If you open a different colored envelope, you will immediately be disqualified.  All teams have the same clues, but the orders of the clues will be different. As you travel through the area, please observe the rules of the road and be respectful of the surroundings. Good Luck. 

After skimming through the legal jargon, Trixie and Tad signed their names at the bottom and returned the paper to the DJ.

“Remember,” Trixie whispered, “we’re going to win this.  Trust me.”

Tad couldn’t help but grin as Trixie paced around the sidewalk, anxious to be off on the hunt.  After a brief on-air discussion with the announcer,  the DJ blew an airhorn indicating the start of the scavenger hunt.  Trixie tore open their blue envelope and she and Tad stepped away from the others to read their first clue.

Welcome to this mighty fun race.  Hoping you excel and earn first place.
        Melanoplus differentialis rests on high, Find the first clue, give it a try!

“Gleeps!” moaned Trixie.  “I can’t even pronounce the words, let alone begin to figure out the clue.”

“Where’s your phone?” demanded Tad,  eyeing the other groups who were also busy deciphering their own clues.

Trixie slid the device out of her pocket and held it out in front, her fingers poised over the screen.  “Okay, spell that ridiculous word.”  

Trixie typed in the letters that Tad quietly recited.  Seeing the search pop up on her phone, Trixie grinned broadly and held out her phone for Tad to see.

“Let’s go.”  Tad grabbed Trixie’s hand and the two ran to his car, hopped in, then sped off.  

“I can’t believe a picture of a grasshopper was the first thing that came up when I searched the definition of ‘melano-something.  That tells me that the answer to the first clue is ‘Hoppy’,”

Arriving at the town hall, Trixie and Tad rushed up the walk that led to the front door,  waving at the legendary copper grasshopper that was perched atop the building.

“Which way?” asked Trixie as she looked around the quiet lobby. Their shoes squeaked on the marble floor as they walked around, looking for a brightly colored envelope.

“Upstairs?” wondered Tad as he turned toward the stairwell.

“No, look!”  Trixie pointed to the wall where a wire rack held a display of area maps. Wedged  within the gridwork were brightly colored envelopes. Tad grabbed the blue one.

“Hurry,” ordered Trixie as he fumbled with the seal.  

After tearing it open, Trixie and Tad silently read the second clue.

         A compartment wrapped in silver, not ancient but old.
                    The next clue is here, or so it is told.

“What does that mean?” sighed Trixie, stamping her foot in frustration.

“A compartment wrapped in silver.  Do you think it’s something like a mailbox?” asked Tad.

Trixie wandered over to a wooden bench, sat down, and stared at the clue in her hand.  “A compartment. A compartment,” she murmured.  Sliding her phone out of her pocket, she typed in the word ‘compartment’ and waited for the search to post. She clicked on the definition and began reading through the various entries.  Suddenly, she slid her phone back in her pocket  and, with a big grin on her face, stood up and held her hand out to Tad.  “Let’s go.  I know where the next clue is.”

“Where?” asked Tad as the two hurried out the front door.  

“A compartment is another word for a train car.  A silver train car has to be Wimpy’s”

“Wow, Belden.  I’m glad you’re on my team.”  

Tad and Trixie sped away from the town hall, their car’s tires throwing up small pebbles and gravel in their wake.

Arriving at the favored diner, Tad parked the car and the two ran inside, elated by their success at figuring out two of the clues.  

“Hi, Mike,” yelled Trixie as the two entered the small hangout.  “Do you have anything for us?”

“Like what?” asked MIke, scratching his head.  “Did you order some food?”

“No.  We’re in the scavenger hunt for a pair of football tickets and we’re sure the clue led us here,” explained Tad.

“Oh, that,” grinned Mike.  “I guess I do.”  Reaching under the counter, Mike produced three colored envelopes.  Tad selected the blue one and he and Trixie stepped aside to open the envelope in private.

“Hurry up, Tad,”  said Trixie as she watched Tad rip open the envelope. “What does it say?”

                “Au” or an attainment souvenir, a subsequent clue can be found here!

Trixie’s hand hit the lunch counter with a thud.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tad shook his head.  “Let’s just look at this for a minute.”  He stared at the printed words, silently mouthing them to himself. “Hey, what if the first word isn’t a word at all?”

“Huh?” Trixie stared at Tad, confused.

“I’ve seen this as a symbol.”

“Where?” demanded Trixie.

“On the periodic chart.”

Trixie rolled her eyes.  “Oh, great.  My lack of attention in science class is coming back to haunt me.  I don’t remember a single thing I was taught.”

“Ah, but I do and I recall that  “Au” stands for gold.”

“Gold?”  Trixie nibbled at her thumbnail.  “So the clue reads ‘gold or an achievement souvenir’?”

Tad nodded.  Glancing around the diner, his eyes fell on a picture of the 1962 Sleepyside football team and the trophy they had won at the state championship game.  “Achievement souvenir,” he repeated to himself.  Snapping his fingers, he grabbed Trixie’s hand and led her to the door.

“Do you know what the clue means?” demanded Trixie, trotting to keep up with Tad’s longer legs.

“Yup.”

“Where are we going?”  she asked as she climbed into the car.

“Gold or an achievement souvenir’ is an award or maybe a trophy,” answered Tad, grinning.

“The trophy shop!” exhaled Trixie.  “Good call, Webster.  Now, step on it.”

Trixie held on to the car door handle as Tad sped out of the diner’s parking lot and headed to the trophy shot that was located on one of the side streets.  

“Hey, look,” said Trixie, pointing at a car that was rapidly pulling away from the shop.  “There’s one of the couples.  Oh, hurry, Tad.  They might be ahead of us.”

Tad skidded into the empty space in front of the shop and the two hopped out, slamming their doors in their haste to get inside.

“Nick!  Nick!” they yelled as they yanked open the door.

Nick Roberts, a friend to both Trixie and Tad, stood behind the counter and laughed as the two tumbled into the shop.  

“Do you have a clue for us?” asked Tad excitedly.

Nick laughed.  “Gee, it’s nice to see you guys too.”

“Nick, hurry,” begged Trixie. “If we don’t win this scavenger hunt, I’ll just die. We can do the chit-chat stuff another day.”

Beside her, Tad chuckled at Trixie’s dramatic exclamation.

“Okay, here it is.”  Nick directed them to a pile of envelopes underneath a trophy display and watched as Trixie ripped open the blue one, then held it out to Tad.

             Look left, look right. In the morning or at night.
            Here in the stacks of vellum bound, a clue is waiting to be found.

Trixie rubbed her temples and groaned.  “What is with these ridiculous words?”

Tad frowned at the clue. “Yeh, I’m beginning to think I’m with the wrong Belden.  I bet Mart would know the answer to this.”

Trixie’s head snapped around.  “With the wrong Belden?  Let’s hear you say that when we’re snuggled under a blanket at the stadium, or would you rather share that with Mart too?”

Tad pretended to gag, then shook his head.  “Grab your phone and let’s figure this out.  Ready?”

Trixie held out her phone and quickly typed in the word that puzzled the two.  She read the search that appeared, her brows furrowed. “I don’t get this at all.  This word doesn’t even make sense.”

“Let me see.”  Tad took the phone and read the definition that was posted on the screen.  Scrolling to the top of the screen, Tad looked at the word Trixie had typed in, then the word in the clue.  Rolling his eyes, he tapped the screen a few times, then held the phone out to Trixie.

“You spelled the word wrong,  You typed in ‘velum’ which is some sort of a membrane.  That confused me too.  But the word we want is ‘vellum’, with two l’s.  That word means parchment or paper.”

Trixie grabbed the clue and substituted the word ‘paper’ for the word ‘vellum’.  “Paper bound,” she muttered.

“Paper bound, Trixie.  Books!” said Tad.

“Books!  I’ve got it.  We need to go to the library.”

“See ya, NIck,” called Tad as he opened the door and ushered Trixie through it.  

“Thanks, Nick.”  Trixie gave a quick wave before climbing into Tad’s car, then urged him to drive quickly to the Sleepyside LIbrary.

The autumn leaves crunched underfoot as Tad and Trixie ran up the brick walkway that led  to the heavy front door of the library.  Tad held the door open and let Trixie enter the building first.

“I don’t care how popular e-books are, I still love the smell of a book with real pages,” whispered Trixie as she paused and  sniffed appreciatively.

“I agree,” smiled Tad.  

Then the two got to work, poking around the check-out area for any brightly colored envelopes.

“I don’t see anything.  How about you?” asked Trixie softly.

“Nope.  But it’s got to be here.  Read the clue again.”

Trixie pulled out the neatly written clue and recited softly, “here in the stacks, in vellum bound…”

Before she could finish, Tad grabbed Trixie’s arm and steered her toward the back of the library, where the rows of books were located.  “It said ‘in the stacks’,” he whispered. “It’s got to be on one of these shelves.”

Trixie and Tad eagerly scanned the orderly shelves of books in search of their next clue.  

“I wish we knew which section to look in,” muttered Trixie.  

“Well, we’re trying to win tickets for a football game, so let’s look under ‘sports’,” decided Tad.

After locating the shelf with a variety of sports books, Trixie and Tad checked each book, sliding it out in hopes of finding the elusive envelope.

“Here it is,” whispered Trixie excitedly and she triumphantly held up another blue clue.  

“What was it under?” asked Tad.

“Let’s see.”  Trixie pulled out the books that had held the coveted information sandwiched between them.  “Haha, very funny.”  Trixie held out a book entitled Ideas for a Successful Scavenger Hunt.

“Perfect.  Now let’s see where we go next.”  Tad ripped open the envelope and pulled out the clue.  

               On the course of the secluded valley, in the hostel made of brick,
                                 find the next clue and find it quick!

After reading the clue, Tad and Trixie looked at each other and smiled.  “Glen Road Inn!” they said in unison.  Trixie slid the book back into its spot and the two hurried out of the library, their feet pounding on the carpeted floor.

Driving through the town, Trixie fretted aloud. “How do you think the other contestants are doing?  What if somebody has already won the tickets?”

“They sent us all off in different directions so we have no way of knowing what the others are doing.  All we can do is get to the Inn as fast as we can.”

“You’re right.  But can you drive a little faster?”

Tad looked at Trixie and laughed.  “My, my, Belden.  I never thought you would willingly break the law.”

“Well,” she giggled, “I guess I’ve never had such a desirable reward before.  Now step on it, Webster.”

Zipping through the quaint streets, Tad and Trixie pulled into the gravel lot of the Glen Road Inn within a few minutes.  The old brick structure seemed to be aglow in the late autumn sunshine and the windows reflected the leafless trees.

“Come on,” yelled Trixie, slamming her car door and running up the walk that was lined with a few leftover autumn flowers that had turned brown from the recent frosts.

“Okay, where is it?” demanded Trixie as she and Tad walked around the comfortably furnished lobby of the old hotel.  

“Hey, look at that postcard rack,” said Tad, pointing to the colorful display in the corner.

Trixie and Tad rushed over to the rack that held a special envelope in one of its slots.  

“I’m so nervous,” said Trixie.  “You open it.”

Tad ripped open the envelope.  “Oh, no.”  He slapped his forehead.

“What?  Did we lose?” asked Trixie quickly.

“No.  It’s another clue.”

“Read it!”

“Okay.  Here it is.”  Tad held out the clue and read aloud,

     Another clue, you’re almost there.  Go back in time, if you dare.
     One is ‘ium’,  more are ‘ia’,
      Run, run, run. Hope to see ya!

Trixie gritted her teeth.  “These clues are driving me crazy.  All I want is to win and spend a fun afternoon watching a great game in a great stadium.”

“Yeah, I’m with you on that, Belden.”

Trixie moaned softly.  “We’ve just got to figure out this clue.  If we go to this game, then I’ll be able to say I’ve been in one of the best stadiums on the east coast.”

Tad looked at her, his face in deep thought.    “Hang on a second.  You just said something.”

“I did?  What?”

“Something about being in one of the best stadiums.”

“Yeh?” Trixie sighed in exasperation as she waited for Tad to finish his thought.

“Belden, don’t tell me you didn’t listen in english class either. Stadium with an ‘s’ is not the plural of stadium. ‘Stadia’  is the plural word.”

Trixie looked around the lobby, her mind whirling.  “‘One is’ ium’,  more are ‘ia’,” she murmured.  

Suddenly, she snapped her fingers.  “‘Go back in time.’ It’s the high school stadium.  Let’s go.”

Tad and Trixie rushed to the car and sped out of the Glen Road Inn parking lot.  

“Come on.  Come on.” Trixie nervously gripped the door handle.  She glanced up at the yellow light overhead as the the two sped through an intersection on their way to the high school stadium.

Tad swung his car into the entrance of the high school and headed toward the back where the athletic complex was located.  Brakes squealing, Tad stopped the car and hopped out.  

“Tad, look!” cried Trixie, pointing to the far end of the football field.    

Following Trixie’s directive, Tad looked down the field where an arch covered with balloons was sitting.  

“Do you think we’re the first ones to get here?” asked Trixie.

“I don’t know, but let’s not waste any time trying to figure that out.  Let’s go.”  Tad grabbed Trixie’s hand and the two trotted toward the field.  But before they could even reach the field, another car sped into the lot.  Two occupants jumped out and began running toward the football field.

“Come on,” yelled Tad.  “We’ve got a race on our hands.” Tad and Trixie picked up the pace and began sprinting down the football field.  

“How far behind are they?” panted Trixie as she struggled to keep up with Tad’s longer stride.

“Don’t worry about that.  Just run!”

Their feet thundering on the turf, Tad and Trixie ran all the way down the football field, afraid to look behind them for fear that the other contestants would pass them.  

“We’re almost there,” yelled Tad.  “Hang on.”

Tad pulled Trixie’s arm hard, then leapt into the air, with Trixie at his side.  The soft grass helped break their fall as the two came down in a tumbled heap in the end zone.

“Did we win?  Did we win?” gasped Trixie, untangling herself from Tad.

“Watch out,” cried Tad.  He pulled Trixie over his body as the second pair of contestants careened past them, barely missing the couple on the ground.

Tad got to his feet, then helped Trixie up.  He could hear the DJ talking into his microphone,  telling the listeners what was happening.  Brushing himself off, Tad turned and grabbed Trixie’s  outstretched hand.  When he saw the announcer coming toward him, Tad looked at Trixie, a grin beginning to spread across his handsome face.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” he asked when the announcer reached his side.

Trixie looked up at the announcer.  “Did we win?”

“Congratulations!” said the announcer.  “You two just won the tickets to the big game!”

“Yay!” yelled Trixie, jumping into Tad’s waiting arms.  “We did it.  I knew we would.”

Tad laughed.  “I should never doubt you, Belden.”

“Still wish you were teamed up with Mart?”  Trixie’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Who?” replied Tad innocently.

“We’re going to have so much fun at the game.  I can’t wait.”

“It will be a memorable day, that’s for sure.”

“Make sure you get the day off,” ordered Trixie.

“You too,” echoed Tad.

Catching their breaths, Trixie and Tad followed the announcer who was waiting to interview the two.  Excitedly, they chatted with the DJ then happily left the stadium, the coveted tickets clutched in their hands.

“Although it’s going to be a great game,” said Tad, “I can’t imagine it being as exciting as our morning was.”

“I agree,” answered Trixie.  “Hey, let’s go to the compartment wrapped in silver and grab lunch. I can’t wait to tell everybody that we won.”

“Don’t you want to stop by city hall and thank the melanopo-something first?” teased Tad.

“Okay.  We can stop and thank everybody if you want.  I’m so excited I think I might burst.”

“Don’t do that.  You need to keep it together, Belden, so I have somebody to snuggle with at that game.  It’ll probably be pretty cold.”

As the two headed toward the car, Trixie bumped Tad with her hip.  “Cold or not, I plan on snuggling with you at some point during the game.”

After receiving congratulations from the other contestants, Trixie and Tad happily climbed into the car and drove off, eager to share the news with their friends and family.

**********

“Imogene!  Imogene!” Trixie called out excitedly as she entered Ingram’s Antiques later that day.   “Imogene!  Where are you?”

“Goodness, Trixie.  I’m right here.  You practically ran me down.”  Imogene stood in an aisle, surrounded by several sets of antique dishes.  She straightened her work apron, then looked expectantly at Trixie.  “Well?”

“We won!  Tad and I won the set of tickets to the football game.”

Imogene clapped her hands, her face beaming.  “I always knew you would.”

Trixie’s eyes flashed.  “It’s going to be so much fun.  I do have that day off, right?” Without waiting for an answer, Trixie continued.  “We’re going to drive to Bell Stadium in the morning, join the tailgating party hosted by the radio station, then sit on the fifty yard line to watch the game.”

Imogene smiled at Trixie’s enthusiastic plans.  “That game isn’t until Thanksgiving weekend. Is that correct?”

Trixie nodded, causing the few escaped tendrils from her ponytail to bounce around her face.  “Yep.  And that reminds me, you’re invited to Moms famous Thanksgiving Open House.”

Linking her arm through Trixie’s, Imogene led her to the cluttered back room so they could finish chatting while making certain that Trixie would have that particular Saturday off.

“Let’s see.”  Imogene pulled out a calendar from under a pile of papers on her desk then studied it.  “The football game is two days after Thanksgiving.  Hmmm...we’ll be pretty busy then but if you work Friday, then you can have that Saturday off.  How does that sound?”

“Gleeps!  It sounds perfect.  Thanksgiving and a football game all in one weekend.”

“Trixie, it could be a pretty chilly day by the end of November.”

Trixie smiled.  “I know. Tad has a nice warm blanket, plus some cushions for the stadium seats so we don’t freeze our rears.  We’ll be fine.”

Imogene’s eyes twinkled.  “Just be careful.”

“Careful?  Why?”

“You know the old saying:  “A snuggle under the blanket can lead to a bun in the oven’.”

Trixie stopped abruptly and stared at her boss.  “I’ve never heard that.”

“You haven’t?  Hmmm… I thought it was a well-known adage.”

Trixie looked up at the ceiling, then back at Imogene.  “Nope,  I’ve never heard that one before. Although I’ve probably heard ‘look before you leap’ at least a million times.”

“Well, my dear,  just remember what I said.”

“Imogene, we’ll be on the fifty yard line in a crowded football stadium.  I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine.”

Imogene shook her head slightly.  “You never can be too careful.”

After discussing the plans for the Belden Thanksgiving Open House, Trixie took her leave while Imogene returned to the front of her shop, chuckling lightly in amusement at her favorite employee’s spirited life.

***************

Sleet pinged against the steamy windows of Crabapple Farm and the long driveway was a sea of icy cars.  Inside, animated conversations by assorted neighbors, friends, and families echoed through several rooms. After spending the afternoon helping Moms with the open house, a weary Trixie, carrying her loaded plate, took Tad’s arm and led him to a corner in the living room where Mart, Brian and Honey were enjoying their own repast.  

“Have you checked the weather forecast for Saturday?” asked Brian, a concerned look on his face.

Trixie looked at her brother.  “No. Why?”

Brian stared at his sister.  “Seriously, don’t you know how cold it’s supposed to be?”

Trixie shrugged.  “I guess not.  Tad, do you know the weather forecast for this weekend?”

Tad shoveling a forkful of stuffing into his mouth,  shook his head.  

Rolling his eyes, Brian set his plate down on a nearby end table, pulled out his phone, and searched for an updated forecast.  Finding what he wanted, he held out his phone to his sister.  

Trixie read the alarming forecast, then frowned.  “I guess we’ll need to dress warmly, huh?”

“That’s an understatement, Trixie. The temperatures are going to be in the teens and that’s dangerous,” said Brian. “Hypothermia and frostbite are two very likely occurrences.” Brian watched Trixie intently, a concerned look on his face.

“We’ll be fine,” said Tad.  “I have a big blanket.  We’ll just snuggle under it.” Tad gave Trixie an inconspicuous wink.

Trixie grinned at her boyfriend.  “Sounds good to me.” She carefully stacked up turkey and dressing and potatoes on her fork, then popped the yummy concoction into her mouth.

Brian, shaking his head in frustration,  turned and saw Spider and Spider’s girlfriend Tracy pushing through the crowded room.

“Hey, Spider,” said Brian, “Do me a favor. Talk to your brother and make him understand how dangerous the weather will be this weekend.”

“I can try,” responded Spider with a shrug of his shoulders,  “but I doubt it’d do any good. I have as much luck with Tad as you do with Trixie.”

“I wa afraid of that,” answered Brian.  “Still, do those two have to be so stubborn? This weekend’s weather is going to be downright dangerous. Trixie and Tad have no business sitting in a stadium.”

Spider sighed.  “You don’t have to tell me that.  But I don’t think it will do us any good to tell them.  When they get their mind set on something, they can be scary crazy. I still shudder when I think of all the ridiculous things Tad did when he was growing up.”

Brian nodded sympathetically. “And I had to watch Trixie traipse through all her various adventures and mysteries.” He shook his head. “I wish I could convince them to give up the idea of going to the game and instead stay home and watch it in the warmth of the living room. Tad thinks they’ll be fine because he has a big blanket.”

Spider took a bite of turkey and eyed his younger brother who was rapidly scraping his plate clean. “It’d better be a super blanket,” he muttered.

“Brian,” interrupted Trixie,  “we’ll have more than a blanket.  We’ll also have those hand warmer thingies.”

Honey giggled, stopping when Brian turned and glared at her.

“Brian, Brian, Brian.” Mart put his hand on his brother’s shoulder and swallowed a mouthful of food.  “Don’t worry about our younger sibling. Think about it this way, if she gets really cold, she might freeze to her stadium seat and if she is adhered to her seat, then we’ll have at least three or four months during which we’ll know exactly where she is and what she’s doing.”

“Are you forgetting I’ll be there with her?” demanded Tad.

Brian and Mart answered Tad with matching scowls. “I believe it’s because of you that she latched on to the crazy scheme of winning the tickets in the first place,” said Mart. “You’re the one who went to Boston College and thinks this upcoming game is the cat’s pajamas.”

Trixie sputtered,   “The what?  What time era are you channeling, dear brother?”

“One that’s alive and warm, which is more that I can say of you in few days.”

Trixie stuck her tongue out at her brother. “I’ll have you know this game is a big deal and the tickets have been sold out since August.  We were incredibly lucky to win the ones we did.”

Ignoring his sister, Mart sought out the young woman who hovered at Spider’s elbow.  “Tracy, you’ll have to excuse my sister,” he said graciously.  “She has absolutely no idea how responsible and conscientious people live since she is missing both those attributes.  You’ll get used to it, especially if you continue to spend your time in the company of a certain Sleepyside police Sergeant.”

Laughing lightly, Tracy slid her arm through Spider’s.  “I’m sure I’ll be able to handle the stress of Tad and Trixie.  I happen to find them very engaging and a lot of fun.  More people should try to live life the way they do.”

Mart, Brian and Spider groaned in unison.  Trixie and Tad,  grinning broadly, shifted their plates in their hands and high-fived each other.

Imogene noticed the group in the corner and walked over and joined them. “You young folks look like you’re having a fun conversation over here,” she said playfully,  as she nudged Mart lightly in the ribs.

“We’re just talking about Trixie and Tad and the game this weekend.  They don’t seem to know how cold it’s going to be,” said Mart. He stepped aside and offered a seat to the older woman.

“Oh, my,” laughed Imogene.  “Trixie told me when they won the tickets that if it was cold out, Tad would bring a big blanket for them to snuggle under.  Of course, I had to remind her of that old adage.”

“What adage?” asked Tracy.

“A snuggle under a blanket can lead to a bun in the oven,” answered Imogene.

Brian and Mart looked at Trixie, who was happily eating Moms’ sweet potato casserole while Spider pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I’ve never heard that adage before,” said Mart, his brows furrowed.  “Did you know that although most adages seem to be nonsensical, they are in actuality quite accurate?”

The group groaned.  “All I can say,” continued Mart, “is that Tad and Trixie’s activities under this said blanket had better be keeping warm and nothing else.”

“Guys,” interrupted Honey.  “Do you actually hear yourself.  Goodness.  You act as if Trixie and Tad were teenagers. They’re adults and what they do is their business.  I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Honey.” Trixie smiled at her best friend, then turned to Tad.  “Let’s go get some pie and leave these worrywarts to sit here and dream up all the doom and gloom they can.”

Tad stood and, carrying his and Trixie’s plates,  followed his girlfriend across the room while Imogene, Brian, Mart, Tracy, Spider and Honey continued to discuss the upcoming weather and what Trixie and Tad should do about it.

Hovering over the selection of pies, Trixie and Tad selected several slices and slid them onto their plates before sitting down at recently vacated spots at the dining room table.

“You know, Trixie, if you want to stay home, I’d understand.  It is going to be cold,” offered Tad as he dug into a slice of apple pie.

Trixie looked at Tad.  “Oh, pooh. What’s a little cold weather? Besides, we plan to dress warmly and share a big blanket and drink lots of hot chocolate and…”  Trixie’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she talked.

Tad smiled and kissed her gently.  “You and I make quite a team, you know that?” he murmured in her ear.

“Yep,” grinned Trixie.  “So we’re not giving up now.”

Sharing a few more kisses, the two blissfully ignored the frowns and concerned looks from the group in the corner.

***************

Word count - 5,587