Jelly's Mittens

By Joti Heir

N J Heir

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joti Heir
• Release date: Nov 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9781778271540

Book preview

Jelly’s Mittens

By Joti Heir

ISBN: 978-1-7782715-4-0

Copyright © 2024 JHP

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. First Printing, 2023

www.jotiheir.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Whatever you do, if you do it with love and kindness, all the magic doors open up.

Chapter 1

The Pills

Jelly set up her old music player on the kitchen counter and turned on her favorite song while she washed the dishes. It made her happy even though she was washing dishes at home during her school lunch hour instead of playing with all of the other kids at school.

Jelly, come upstairs, yelled Mr. Pill who was her father but she wasn’t allowed to call him Dad nor was she allowed to call her mother Mom. She had to call them, Mr. Pill and Mrs. Pill.

She turned off the water faucet and ran upstairs.

Yes, Mr. Pill?

Where is your music player?

Downstairs.

Go get it, he said.

Jelly ran back downstairs and brought the music player up to him.

Mr. Pill threw it in the trash.

Jelly started to ask, Why … ?

But Mr. Pill towered over her and growled, Go back down and finish washing the dishes.

But I don’t understand, I didn’t do anything bad. What’s wrong with it? Jelly asked.

Are you questioning me? he shouted. How dare you question your father, you horrible child. Go downstairs and do not question me or I will make you sorry.

Jelly walked back down the stairs to the kitchen feeling lonely and bad. She couldn’t understand why her father was so angry. She washed the rest of the dishes and got back to school just as the lunch bell rang.

Jelly had a test after lunch, but she couldn’t concentrate because she didn’t feel good. After school, she raced back to her house to make dinner for Mr. and Mrs. Pill.

She made spaghetti and meatballs and wondered to herself if Mr. and Mrs. Pill would remember that it was her seventh birthday the next day. Last year they hadn’t, but Jelly decided she would try to be positive.

The next morning Jelly woke up early to wish herself a happy birthday. After that, she got ready, went downstairs, and made herself some buttered toast.

Get me my toast NOW, Jelly, yelled Mr. Pill as he thundered down the stairs. Jelly gave him her slice of toast and prepared herself another one. 

Are you giving me cold toast with grease on it, Jelly? Do you not have any respect for your father? he wheezed.

Jelly said, Sorry, and toasted new slices of bread for Mr. Pill and served them to him alongside little bowls filled with butter, jelly and peanut butter.

Jelly loved peanut butter, she wished she could have some on her toast too, but there wasn’t

much left in the jar so she knew she had to leave it for Mr. and Mrs. Pill. Jelly sat down with her buttered toast and took a bite.

What are you still doing here, Jelly? Get to school, Mr. Pill said.

Jelly swallowed her toast down whole, then she cleaned the counter, washed the dishes, got her backpack on, and ran to school. By the time she got to the school, class had started.

What a tardy student, tardy students will be very lazy adults, sighed Jelly’s teacher, Mrs. Proop.

Sorry, Jelly said.

Jelly didn’t have any friends at school, it was hard to make friends because she had to go home for lunch, and she wasn’t allowed to play with anyone after school because she had to make dinner. But still, she had this secret wish in her heart that someone would wish her a happy birthday. But of course, they didn’t, no one at the school knew it was her birthday besides Mrs. Proop, and Mrs. Proop didn’t care about birthdays.

As Jelly walked home after school she imagined Mr. and Mrs. Pill being nice and surprising her with balloons, a cake and presents. She crossed her fingers and wished and wished.

Despite all of the wishing, no one was home when she got there. Jelly prepared a vegetable stew for dinner and then went up to her room and sat on her cot. Don’t be sad, Jelly. Just because no one else is celebrating your birthday doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate it yourself.

Jelly had $15 saved up from the tips she received when she helped Mrs. Pill clean people’s houses. She decided to use the money to buy herself a present from the discount store nearby. It was a cool autumn evening, the sun had already set so the fluorescent street lights were on. They cast a yellowy green tinge on all of the little gray houses on the street.

The store was about a ten-minute walk from her house. It wasn’t a very big store, but there was a lot of stuff piled on top of other stuff. Jelly was trying to decide between a unicorn stuffed animal and a box of chocolates when she spotted a pair of the most lovely mittens she’d ever seen. They were soft and red with cheerful white polka dots on them.

When she picked them up she thought she heard the sound of jingle bells, but of course that was not possible. Jelly decided they would be her birthday present to herself. She took them up to the counter to pay for them. 

Hello dear, well these are some lovely mittens, it is very strange, but I don’t remember seeing them, the lady at the counter said.

How much are they? asked Jelly. The lady turned the mittens over and then checked inside them for a price tag, but she couldn’t find one.

Well, most mittens like these are $20, the lady said at last.

Jelly’s stomach did a flip.

Oh, ok, thank you, Jelly said as turned around to go put them back.

Don’t you like them, dear? asked the lady.

Jelly liked them but she felt disappointed when she said her next words, I like them, but I think I didn’t bring enough money with me today, maybe I can get them next time.

The lady behind the counter was very smart and also very kind so she replied, Well, I would love to see those mittens go to a good home. How does $10 sound to you?

"That sounds perfect.

Thank you," said Jelly.

The lady wrapped up the mittens in brown kraft paper and tied the package up with twine.

Here you go, dear. I hope you have a lovely, warm winter.

Thank you, you too, Ma’am, said Jelly.

Jelly felt like the happiest girl in the world as she walked home with her package.

Where have you been, where is my dinner, Mr. Pill yelled as soon as she walked into the house.

"Sorry, I just went for a