A Trigger-Happy Morning

Nicole groggily thudded down the stairs in her bare feet, wearing monochrome camouflage pajama pants and a black sports bra: her typical sleep and workout wear. A glance at the living room clock told her it was 9:45 am. Merlin, was Nicole glad she no longer had to worry about seeing Shelly off to Muggle school! It was still a little early for Nicole, but the witch was already up and moving so why not?

As she entered the kitchen, Nicole began making a pot of coffee and assembling some manner of nourishment for Shelly and herself. However, Nicole only just had the empty coffee pot over the sink when she spotted something move out of the corner of her eye. Caught unawares she dropped the coffee pot with a thud, reached for the gun tucked into the back of her pajamas and pulled the trigger half a dozen times...

... only to realize the weapon was unloaded, and it was just the news delivery owl sitting upon her dining room table.

With a huff of frustration Nicole slammed down the empty firearm and approached the bird. If she wasn’t wide awake before, she certainly was now. “Can’t you drop this and a bill off out front instead?” muttered Nicole, untying the paper from the bird’s leg and grabbing coins enough to pay it from a jar on the nearby counter. “Thank you. Now scram before I find some bullets.”

The owl puffed up indignantly and took off in a flash, letting Nicole get back to coffee and breakfast. She left the newspaper on the table, in no mood to read it at present. Now devoid of distractions and excitements Nicole proceeded to make coffee without a hitch. Breakfast for two consisted of cinnamon toast (one of the things she could “cook” without burning it), bowls of cereal – Lucky Charms for Shelly and Cheerios for Nicole – and milk, and a tall glass of orange juice each.

Nicole loaded the plates, bowls, silverware, and glasses onto a tray. Normally they would have their meals in the adjacent dining room. Mornings, however, were different: they would take their breakfast in the living room and entertain themselves with either cartoons or movies. Nicole really wasn’t one for cartoons but she stayed nearby for Shelly’s sake, often taking that time to get in a light workout while “watching” the television. Nicole tucked the newspaper under her arm and picked up the tray to carry it into the living room.

With a sigh Nicole placed the tray on the coffee table once she reached the living room. To her frustration she ended up dropping the newspaper and had to backtrack to fetch it. She jumped when a fire in the fireplace sprung to life – an enchantment on the house that Nicole had yet to get used to despite having lived here for nearly nine years. Slapping the coiled paper next to the tray, the witch took a moment to stretch before striding to the stairs. She took a deep breath and at the top of her lungs called up, “SHELL! BREAKFAST! COME PICK OUT A MOVIE OR SOMETHING!”

“Coming!” replied Shelly. Unlike her aunt, Shelly trotted down the stairs fully awake and dressed for today. ”Can we watch the old cartoons, Nikki?”

“If that’s what you want to watch...” answered Nicole, shrugging. Even before she had answered, Shelly was already getting things ready. Nicole decided to place her toast on top of her bowl of Cheerios and sit on the arm of the couch, one knee to her chest and the other leg dangling over the side of the furniture.

Shelly sat on the floor approximately six feet away from the television, giggling at the classic Looney Tunes argument of whether it was rabbit season or duck season. Nicole rolled her eyes slightly, remembering her near-altercation with the owl not long ago. With slight amusement she doubted there was such a thing as an ‘Owl Season’.