Flora and Florence

As Pa came up the dirt road, Anne jumped and squealed. She then bounded in the dirt house. 

"Ma! Ma!" she yelled. "Pa's home!" 

Ma rushed out. Ma was a pretty lady with beautiful blonde hair and lovely dresses. Duke, the German Shepard bounded beside Ma. After her, Flora and Felicity, the brown-headed identical twins, rushed outside. They have taken off their shoes even though Ma told them not to.. They were bad little girls at the age of 8.

She held baby Charles in her arms while rushing out to meet Pa. 

"Whoa," Pa said, and Brandy and Skipper stopped. 

"Girls, could you please take Brandy and Skipper to the creek? They need some water." Pa said, getting off the wagon. When he got down, he picked Charlie up.

"Well hello, Charlie," he said, and he swung him around. When Charlie went back down again, Pa took the water Ma had given him from the leather canteen he made. A few feet away, Flora and Felicity were fighting over Brandy. Anne, as the big mature girl of 10, grabbed Skipper's reins and walked off to the creek. Flora and Felicity stopped bickering and stared at Anne walking off. Flora walked up to Anne and pushed her. 

"Hey!" Anne yelled, falling into the mud. "You ruined the pretty dress Ma made me!" 

Flora stuck her tongue out, took the rein, and walked off with Skipper as Anne trudged up to the dirt house.

Pa just came back from visiting the village of gypsies nearby. He went to trade tomatoes and apple for cloth to help Ma make the girl's dresses. He brought back beautiful cloths of all colors and types. Pa, Ma, and the children lived in a house they made in Oklahoma.

Ma was outside of the house helping Pa unload the wagon. 

"Anne! What happened, girly?" Pa asked, trying not to laugh. Ma elbowed him. 

"While Flora and Felicity were arguing about Brandy, I just took Skipper to the creek, but then Flora shoved me and walked away with Skipper while I fell in the mud. It ruined my dress that Ma made me." Anne was a big girl, and big girls don't cry, but she really wanted to. 

"I can make you a new one, don't you worry 'bout that." Ma said, smiling. "Remember, Pa went to the gypsies village to trade knew cloth. You can choose it if you'd like." 

Anne looked up, feeling much better. 

"Yes, please," she asked. 

Pa piped in. 

"That was very naughty of them to do. So when they come back they will get consequences." he turned to Ma. 

"Emma, I have some leftover tomatoes. Make some tomato soup, please."

"Yes, James." Ma said. She grabbed the tomatoes and went inside the house. Anne followed her in to help her make the soup. 

The dirt house was a rectangular wooden house covered with mud on all sides. Right in front of the front door, there is the kitchen with a small table in the middle and a fireplace in the corner. There's also a small cupboard that Pa made several years ago when they lived in a town. 

Behind that, there are three beds. One for Ma and Pa, one for the naughty twins, and another for Anne. Charlie is small enough to sleep on his chair in the kitchen. 

There is a stable behind the house that holds the horses, Skipper and Brandy, the cow, Bessie, and the bull, Bruno. Next to that is the outhouse Pa made with Mr. Barnes, a wood cutter. 

The twins bounded in with muddy feet and hands. Even their brand new dresses were ruined. They were dirty and ripped. 

"Girls!" Ma looked very cross. "You have been very naughty!" 

Flora and Felicity glared at Anne. 

"Why did you tell Ma!?" complained Flora. "You are such a tattle teller!" 

Anne tried not to cry, she was a big girl after all. 

"I would have known because you both are very disobedient girls. I am disappointed in you." Ma replied. "And don't yell at Anne."

Anne thought Ma being disappointed was a lot worse than her being mad, but the twins didn't seem to care. 

"You are going to bed without supper." Ma said, pointing to their bed. 

Now, the twins seemed to care. 

"No Ma!" Flora complained. 

"Please, Ma!" Florence cried. "I didn't do anything!" 

"Did you help Dorthy up?" Ma asked.

"Well, no." Florence hesitated.

"Alright then. Go." Ma spoke. 

"Fine." Flora and Florence trudged off to their bed, and the Jensen family ate in peace. 

The next morning Ma had Flora and Florence do extra chores around the property. They had to pick up the cow dung that was around the house and put it in a big bag. At the end of the day, when the bag was almost bursting, they stumbled back to the house. 

Anne was just passing by, tending to the horses when the Twins caught sight of her. She passed by saying a polite: "Hello." The Twins tripped her and made her fall on the dung bag, and breaking it. 

"Oops." Florence laughed.

They walked away wondering what they were going to have for dinner. 

Anne stood up and walked home, forcing herself not to cry. 

"Ma! Ma!" Anne burst into the house. "Flora and Florence tripped me and I fell into their dung bag and it burst!" Anne started to sniffle. There, the house burst into a fit of giggles, only Ma and Pa were not amused. 

"Come, and we can choose the cloth for your new dress." Ma said, holding out her hand, Anne took it. 

"I want a new dress! I want a new dress!" Flora and Florence hollered, bounding up to the cloth bag. 

"No, girls. You have been very naughty today, again. Tomorrow you will stay in the house the whole day." Pa said.

Once again the Twins complained, for staying in the house is the worst punishment for the Jensen girls. There was nothing to do except sleep and do chores. 

Anne got to chose a new dress pattern, a pretty dark blue silk cloth. The Twins were very angry at Anne, though she did not do anything wrong.

The next day there was a wonderful surprise on Anne's chair in the kitchen. Ma had stayed up all night to finish the dress.

"Oh Ma, it's beautiful!" Anne cried. 

"Well thank you." Ma smiled.

"May I touch it, Anne?" asked Pa.

"Oh yes, Pa!" Anne said.

"Well, it sure is soft," Pa told Ma.

"May I wear it? Oh please Ma! Please Pa!" pleaded Anne.

"No, you may not." Ma said softly. "This gown is for sleeping." 

Pa overheard the Twins whispering about ripping it so he hid the dress in the barn. 

Pa was out tending the cattle, Anne was wading in the creek, the Twins and Charlie were with Ma in the kitchen. 

"This is the only time you will be able to get outside when you are in trouble, but I need water from the creek, please, so be good girls and get it." Ma said, handing them the pails. Although the Twins did enjoy teasing Anne, they loved being called good girls by Ma more. So they went out, promising Ma that they would be good girls.

"Finally," said Flora. "We're out." 

"Look! A cave!" shrieked Florence. "Let's go in!" They stayed there for a while, laying in the cool, dark cave. They finally remembered the chore, got out and headed towards the creek again. 

"Arent you supposed to be with Ma?" asked Anne, when she caught sight of them.

"That's none of your business!" harumphed Flora, the naughtiest of the Twins. Florence elbowed her and said:

"Ma sent for us to get water from the creek." 

Suddenly, they noticed that they had not seen a bird or a squirrel today. That seemed quite odd... They looked out into the distance and saw a grey funnel that moved towards them at a tremendous speed. 

"Tornado!" yelled Anne. "I've read about this! We need to get underground, quick!" 

"Flora and I saw a cave when we came!" Florence shouted over the high winds that were picking up. 

The girls ran to the cave and sat. 

"What about Ma and Pa and Charlie and Skipper and Brandy and Bessie and Bruno and Duke!?" Flora asked worriedly. 

They ran to the house and called out to Pa and Ma and Charlie. They rushed out.

"What is all this racket!?" asked Ma calmly.

"There's a tornado!" yelled Flora. "We know where to go!"

Pa looked behind him.

"Emma! Get Charlie and Duke follow and Flora with Skipper!" he screamed. 

"Florence! Get Brandy and ride him! Anne, come with me!" 

Anne grabbed Bessie and led her to the cave and Pa grabbed Bruno. Bruno would not walk so Pa had to leave him be and hope he would be safe. They went as deep as they could in the cave. The only sound was Charlie crying and the whoosh of the wind. Then the loudest thing they have ever heard went on top of them. Louder than stampeding buffalo, louder that Duke's howl. When the wind stopped and all was completely still Pa slowly came out. He blinked at the sudden brightness and the led Bessie out. They went to the creek to drink some water but the creek was no more. The house was also no more. The whole house disappeared. The barn, on the other hand, was perfectly safe with Bruno still in there. Annie's nightgown was still there, too and Annie was pleased. 

"Flora, Florence, you have transformed." Ma said, feeling proud.

"What does that mean?" asked Flora. 

"It means you've changed," Pa explained. "And you have for the better."

"I have gone through a transformation," Florence told everyone, feeling satisfied.