Time For A Little Spin

“Pepaw, what’s that?”

Olivia pointed to the strange object placed high on the shelves.

Pepaw looked to where Olivia was pointing. His granddaughter had superb eyes. He would have barely noticed it if she hadn’t said something. He pulled his step stool closer to the shelf so he could reach it. He had to move a few boxes, but soon he had grasped the object of Olivia’s attention. He descended the stepstool and set it on the ground in front of her.

“They call this a Sit and Spin, Livy. It was one of your mom’s old toys when she was your age. I forgot we even still had it.”

“How does it work, Pepaw?”

“Well Livy, you sit down on the big circle with your legs wrapped around the post and then you grip the steering wheel and turn it.”

“Can I play with it, Pepaw?”

“Sure, honey. It’ll give you something to do while I clean this filthy garage like I promised Nana.”

Olivia’s eyes lit up, and she practically bounced with joy. She scrambled over to the Sit and Spin and sat down on it like Pepaw said and grabbed the wheel like she was a racecar driver. She turned the steering wheel to the left, but it didn’t move; so she turned it to the right and it too wouldn’t move.

“Pepaw, this thing ain’t working.”

“What’s the matter with it?”

“It won’t turn.”

Pepaw knelt down and looked at it. He tried to turn the wheel but it wouldn’t move. It was made of metal and hadn’t been used since Olivia’s mom was little. The bearings inside the toy were probably all rusted. It would be easier to just buy a new one, but one look at Olivia’s disappointed face and Pepaw knew he had to fix it.

He picked up the Sit & Spin and carried over to his workbench. Fortunately, the toy was made back in the day before everyone became insanely safety conscious and there was only a single screw holding the steering wheel to the pole. The screw was rusty, so he squirted it with WD-40 and let it set for a moment for the lubricant to loosen it. He did the same to the bottom of the toy and the six screws on bottom. Once he had the covers off it was a simple matter to douse the bearings in WD-40, put the covers back on, and make sure everything worked.

He carried it back over to Olivia.

“Okay Livy, now try it.”

Olivia sat down once again and gripped the wheel. The Sit and Spin smelled funny now, and the scent tickled her nose. She sneezed. This time when she turned the wheel, the larger circle she was sitting on spun her around the pole. Olivia giggled, and she turned the wheel even faster. 

Pepaw never even saw Olivia vanish.

The world spun in a blur as Olivia gripped the wheel and continued turning. The scenery changed. Time flew backward from when it had begun, but her location in it did not. She didn’t notice what was happening, only that the Sit and Spin was glowing, and she was having fun. Her tiny arms soon tired, and she stopped spinning the steering wheel. The Sit and Spin spun on its own for a few more seconds before stopping.

Oliva felt dizzy and her tummy hurt. She looked around to tell Pepaw, but he wasn’t there. Maybe he went inside. Things looked unfamiliar now, but she didn’t question it. This was still Nana’s house. She stood up to go tell Nana she didn’t feel good, when the door opened. It wasn’t Pepaw or Nana who emerged, but another little girl who looked to be her age.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Ellie. What are you doing in my daddy's garage?"

“My name is Livy, but this is my Pepaw’s garage.”

“Nuh uh, it’s my daddy’s.” Ellie spied the Sit and Spin behind Olivia. “What’s that?”

“Pepaw called it a Sit and Spin.”

“How’s it work?”

“You sit on it and turn the little wheel. You can try it if you like.”

Ellie handed Olivia the glass of iced tea she was holding and sat down on the Sit and Spin. She gripped the wheel in both hands and began turning it clockwise. 

“Go faster, it’s lots of fun.”

Ellie did as instructed. She turned the wheel faster and faster. The Sit and Spin started glowing as Olivia watched. Sparks flew from the bottom. She had never seen what it looked like while someone else rode it. It was pretty. Just then the door opened, and a lady came out. She had brown hair tied in a bun and wore a blue apron.

“Ellie, you come on in the house for lunch. Your Daddy can eat whenever he gets back from wherever he went.”

Olivia looked back to Ellie to tell her that lunch was ready, but Ellie was gone, and so was the Sit and Spin.

“Ellie?” She walked over to where they had been just moments ago. There was no trace that either of them had ever been there.

The lady laughed. “You’re a funny girl, Ellie May, but you come on in before your lunch gets cold.”

It took Olivia a moment to realize the woman thought she was Ellie. Olivia worried about Ellie and the Sit and Spin. Her stomach rumbled and the smell of whatever the lady had cooked for lunch smelled yummy. She forgot all about not feeling good a few moments ago, her upset tummy replaced by a hungry tummy. Surely, Ellie wouldn’t mind Olivia eating her lunch since Ellie had run off with the Sit and Spin.

“Okay, Ellie’s Mama.”

Ellie’s mom just smiled and shook her head as Olivia hurried inside.

Ellie laughed and turned the wheel until her arms grew tired. She stopped turning the wheel and waited for everything to stop spinning. Just like Olivia, she hadn’t noticed the scenery changing around her until the Sit and Spin stopped. She looked around, confused. It still looked like Daddy’s garage, but everything in it was different, and there was an old man in short pants and a t-shirt moving things around. He didn’t look like her daddy or her Pepaw. Mommy and Daddy always warned her about strangers.

Who was he? Where was she? This wasn’t her Daddy’s house, even though it looked like it. Where did Olivia go? Where was her Nana? Ellie’s fears bubbled over as she began crying.

The old man in the funny clothes immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed over to Ellie.

“Are you okay, Livy? What’s wrong, honey? Did you hurt yourself?”

Someone else heard the crying too. A kindly looking old woman opened the door and stepped into the garage.

“What’s going on, Pepaw? Why is Livy crying?”

“I don’t know, Nana. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

The woman called Nana stepped over to Ellie and put her hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Livy. Tell us what’s wrong.”

It took a few moments for Ellie to calm down enough to talk. In between sniffles and whimpering she was finally about to tell them, “but I’m not Livy, and this isn’t my house,” before she started crying again.

Nana and Pepaw looked at each other and at who they assumed was Olivia. The little girl looked like Olivia. She wasn’t wearing the same clothes Olivia had on earlier, and her voice was different. Her eyes were a different color too. Olivia had brown eyes, and this girl had hazel. The differences were subtle enough that it was no wonder that at first glance they had both mistaken her for Olivia. Now they both became concerned. Who was this strange girl, and where had she come from? Why did she resemble Olivia, and where was their precious Livy? Pepaw didn’t want to scare the girl more than he already had; so, Nana took charge of the situation.

“It’s okay, honey. What’s your name?”

“Ellie.”

“Pepaw, why don’t you look around the house for Olivia, and maybe ask the neighbors if they’ve seen Olivia. Once Ellie calms down, I’ll call Olivia’s mother. Maybe she picked her up and just forgot to tell us.”

Nana scooped Ellie up in her arms and carried her in the house, while Pepaw started searching.

Nana got Ellie a cold drink and a snack to help ease the girl’s fears. The situation reminded Nana of a story her mother told her when she was younger, about the day a strange little girl suddenly appeared in their garage. Her mom said she mistook her for Elanor and said the girl’s name was Olivia. Nana just thought it was an interesting memory her mother had shared with her, but now she wondered if there might be a kernel of truth to it. 

She watched Ellie wolf down the juice box and the cubes of cheese. She couldn’t shake the fact that she knew this girl. Ellie even looked like she did when she was little. It was one reason everyone always said Olivia looked like her. Ellie. Short for Eleanor. Nana would bet money that the girl’s middle name was Maybelle too. Her mom always called her Ellie May. Was it possible that her younger self had somehow traveled forward in time and was now eating cheese at her dining room table? Was that why Ellie seemed so familiar? The idea sounded preposterous, but it was all she had to go on.

Once Ellie finished her snack, Nana asked Ellie some questions.

“Ellie how did you get here?”

“I came here on that metal toy Olivia appeared on in my daddy’s garage.”

So Ellie had seen Olivia. That was good. 

“Mommy had finished making lunch, and I went into the garage to tell him. I didn’t see him, but Olivia was there. She thought it was her Pepaw’s garage. I was curious about her toy and asked to play on it. She held my tea for me while I sat on it and spun. That’s how I ended up here in your garage.”

Somehow Olivia had gone back in time and swapped places with Nana’s younger self. According to Ellie, the Sit and Spin was part of it. If Ellie was right, then the story told by Nana’s mother was true. That meant at least Ellie was safe. Nana’s mother had let nothing happen to Olivia. She was probably having the lunch Ellie missed out on and getting to spend time with her great grandmother, whom she had only known briefly, before she passed. It would be an experience Livy would remember. Nana smiled. She would give Ellie one to remember too.

“Are you still hungry, Ellie? I can fix you something else if you like.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

This was a special opportunity that would never come again. It’s not every day you cook something for your younger self. Nana knew it would have to be something special, something she loved now, that Ellie could take home with a love for it too. Pepaw would never believe this story.

As expected, Pepaw didn’t believe it. Pepaw was skeptical of anything strange. Sure, he read the Good Book like everyone else, but they were just stories and metaphors to him. Magic wasn’t real. But he couldn’t argue with Nana. They had to try something.

Nana knelt down next to Ellie as Pepaw watched. Ellie sat on the Sit and Spin. She was ready to go home.

“Now, remember what we talked about, honey. Turn the wheel slower in the opposite direction and watch the workbench. Stop spinning when you see yourself come outside to meet Olivia. When you see Olivia tell her what I told you.”

“Okay, Olivia’s Nana.”

Nana gave Ellie one last hug and then stepped back next to Pepaw as Ellie began turning the wheel counterclockwise. 

“This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. We should call Olivia’s mother and the police.”

“Hush, Pepaw, and watch.”

They watched as Ellie turned the wheel, but nothing was happening. Maybe she was turning it too slowly.

“Ellie, dear, turn the wheel a little faster.”

Ellie did as Nana instructed and turned the wheel faster. The Sit and Spin started glowing and sparks shot out from underneath the larger circle. Nana and Pepaw watched in amazement. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing. They never thought this old toy of Maureen’s was capable of this. They had just thought it was nothing more than a toy. They were pinning their hopes that Ellie would return home and be able to send Olivia back.

Then, to their astonishment, Ellie and the Sit and Spin vanished in a shower of sparks.

After lunch, Olivia fell asleep on Charle’s chair in the living room. Ellie’s Mama sat in silence on the couch and watched her sleep. Over lunch Olivia told a tale of how she ended up in their garage. Charlotte wasn’t sure she believed the girl’s story, but something strange had occurred. It only took Charlotte a few minutes to realize this girl was not Ellie. Olivia said that Ellie disappeared just before Charlotte came outside, which was how she had mistaken Olivia for Ellie. Charlotte prayed that Olivia was just making it up. She had hoped Ellie’s dad had taken her with him when he left, and that they would show up shortly, but after nearly an hour neither of them had shown up. She hoped Charles had just gotten him and Ellie lost in the fishing aisle at Tucker’s Department Store again.

Olivia woke with a start and yelled, “Nana!”

“It’s okay, Olivia. It’s Ellie’s mommy. Remember.”

Tears threatened to fall from Olivia’s eyes. “I want to go home.”

“I know, honey. We have to wait for Ellie and her Daddy to get home.”

“Can we wait in the garage?”

“Sure, honey.”

Olivia hopped down from the comfy chair in the living room and ran to the door. She wasn’t scared anymore, she just wanted to go home. Ellie’s mommy was right behind her. When she opened the door though, she didn’t see Ellie or the Sit and Spin. She didn't want to wait anymore; she wanted to go home now. Olivia started crying.

Though she didn’t know who Olivia was or where she lived, Charlotte understood her desire to go home. It was as strong as Charlotte’s desire to know that Ellie was okay. She also wanted to make sure Olivia got home okay. What the Dickens could be keeping Charles and Ellie? Charlotte held Olivia in her arms and told her that everything would be okay, that they would get her home. 

In the middle of the garage, Ellie returned in a shower of sparks on what Charlotte could only assume the Sit and Spin Olivia had mentioned.

Charlotte had to blink several times and pinch herself to convince herself she wasn’t hallucinating. Ellie sat on the toy as the glow faded. She hopped off, raced over to Charlotte, and threw her arms around her mama. It wasn’t a dream, Ellie was real, and she was home safe. It was Charlotte’s turn to cry.

Olivia’s tears dried almost instantly when Ellie returned. She was happy that Ellie was back, and even happier that she would soon be on her way home. She pulled away from Charlotte, but Ellie stopped her. 

“Olivia, turn the wheel the opposite way from the way you did to get here. You must turn it fast enough for it to work, but slow enough you can watch the workbench. When you see yourself disappear, stop spinning, and you will be home.”

“Okay, Ellie. Thank you.” She hugged Ellie and then ran to the Sit and Spin. 

Ellie and her mama watched from the steps as Olivia turned the wheel, slowly at first and then a little faster. The Sit and Spin glowed, and a few seconds later, it and Olivia vanished in a shower of sparks.

Olivia would forget the adventure she had soon after, as would I until my mother reminded me when I was twenty-six years old. It would be a secret I carried for the rest of my life. When Olivia is a little older, I’ll tell her the story.

© Gary Phillips 2020