Maggie followed Charlotte through the kitchen and out onto the porch. There, sitting on the porch swing in the morning sun was Eliza.

“Morning Momma,” Charlotte said and gave her a hug.

Eliza sniffed the air. “Smells like one of you need a change.” She looked at Maggie. “Or maybe both of you?” Eliza got up from the swing and took Charlotte’s hand. “Come on munchkin. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

It took a while, but eventually Eliza and Charlotte returned. Charlotte was wearing the same type of short dress as the day before, except it was pale yellow today, and her hair was back in pigtails. Maggie was next and in no time at all, she was washed and powdered. Eliza held up two diapers for her.

“So, teddy bears?” she wiggled one of the diapers. “Or do you want the pretty flowers?” she wiggled the other.

Maggie decided it was probably best to play along to avoid raising suspicion. She pretended to think about it for a few moments and then she gave a little giggle and pointed at the diaper with the flower prints.

“El… I mean, Mom?”

“Yes dear?”

Maggie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like dresses. Can I have pants like Maria? Pretty please?” she said, knowing that if she was going to be walking around the forest, she wanted pants and not a dress that would get caught on everything.

“Are you sure? You looked so pretty in your dress yesterday.”

“Mm-hm.” Maggie nodded.

“Well OK, but then you have to remember to let me know if you have to go poopies.”

“Like now?” Maggie asked, feigning innocence.

“Oh, you have to go now?” Maggie nodded in reply and was quickly helped off the changing table and to the toilet. Sitting down and letting go felt better than in a long time. Still, Maggie was surprised at how little it bothered her to be doing this in front of someone who was essentially a stranger. This place is really getting to me.

 

Minutes later, Maggie was washed, powdered, diapered and back in the kitchen. She was wearing overalls with colourful patches sewn on the bib and on one of the knees. Charlotte was sitting by the table drawing something. Maggie looked over her shoulder. In the middle of the paper was a house.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a treasure map of course. We can’t go on a treasure hunt without a treasure map”

“Ah, of course,” Maggie said. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She sat down next to Charlotte and helped her with the map, drawing trees along the edges. Eliza went back outside and for a while it was just the two of them. The house seemed almost cosy; even if it repeated the same day over and over. Stop that! Maggie shook her head to clear it.