Chi: Well, here’s to another one of my fantastic stories.

Y. Chi: That’s a laugh.

Chi: Shut it, you.  Please read and review!

Y. Chi: I want the flames!!!  Can I keep ’um???  Please???

Chi: I highly doubt I’ll get any, but—

Y. Chi: Another laugh.

Chi: …grrr…

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Cherry Blossoms in the Winter

By: Chi Yagami

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Chapter 1: Fish-Heads, fish-heads! Roly-poly fish-heads!

“We’re moving?”

       “Yes, dear.  I thought you knew that already,” replied Mrs. Sereine.  “We already have a sign up.”

       “Sign?  What sign?”

       “A moving sign…  Isn’t there a moving sign out in the front yard?”  Mrs. Sereine got up off the couch and walked over to the front window.  She pushed back the white silk curtains and peered out.

       A mini windmill twirled in the light breeze, and the small water fountain bubbled in the winter sunlight.  A paved walk leading from the large veranda that wound round the side of the two-story house met up with the quiet street just after passing the polished-stone mailbox.  The emerald-green grass was trimmed to the brim, and two blue jays swooped down from the heavens and perched on the birch birdfeeder.  A sign out near the street read Yard of the Year.  Two tiny holes in the earth next to it told Mrs. Sereine the answer she’d been searching for.

       “Well,” she announced as she returned to the satin cushion that was perched atop an ivory chair, “you would’ve known that we’re moving, except for the fact that your sister removed the sign.  Chiharu!”

       Muffled footsteps could be heard against the marble staircase that looked like an exact replica of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase.  A porcelain chandelier hung from the lofty ceiling, and a clock embedded with rubies was tacked to one of the glass walls.  Faded pictures in jeweled frames showed the house’s history: children playing in the backyard, a couple returning from their honeymoon, and several school photographs.  Many golden plates sat upon marble shelves, and a long ivory bench was placed near the solid gold door.  When at last Chiharu had descended from the stairs and joined her mother and brother in the living room, a suspenseful atmosphere arose.

       “Chiharu Alexandra-Nicole Sereine, what in world were you thinking when you removed that sign from the front yard?”

       Chiharu’s bowed head didn’t move.  She finally looked up at her mother with her “innocent-puppy-looking-eyes” and pretended to shed a fake tear.  She is exactly five feet and two-and-a-half inches tall.  Her jet-black hair is cut to her shoulders, and her dark-brown-almost-black eyes could see a woodpecker a mile away.  She was only twelve.  Chiharu studied her mother for a while before answering.

       “Well…”

       “‘Well’ what?” her mother repeated

       “Um… Well, you see…” Chiharu stammered.

       “No,” said Mrs. Sereine said, “I don’t see.”

       “Mummy, you know what I mean!”

       “No, I don’t know.  If I did, I wouldn’t be asking you, now would I?”

       Chiharu’s ears turned red.

       “Mummy, I…  All I wanted to do was rid the yard of that hideous sign that makes me gloomy!  And I still don’t understand why we’re moving in the first place!  I mean we’ve got a big house, don’t we?”

       “I was about to explain that to your brother,” said Mrs. Sereine.  “The reason we’re moving is––”

       “Where are we moving to?” Chiharu interrupted.

       “Will I have to change schools?” added Will.

       “Children, calm yourselves down, or we’ll be having fish-head gumbo tonight!”

       Will and Chiharu looked at each other and pretended to throw up.  The last time they’d had fish-head gumbo was when they had visited their great-aunt, Ms. Suzette Von-Trapp in her summer home.  Fish-head gumbo was the only thing Ms. Von-Trapp ate.

       “Well,” said Mrs. Sereine with a small frown, “we’re all going to have to get used to fish-heads.”

       “Why?”

       “Well, as you know, fish-heads are all that Ms. Von-Trapp eats.”

       “MS. VON-TRAPP!?” both children shrieked with horror.

       “But Mummy,” cried Chiharu, “I thought the conversation was directed at us moving, not that old hag!”

       “To answer your first question, Chiharu, we’re moving in with Ms. Von-Trapp, and we do not call our relatives hags.”

       “But,” protested Will, “Ms. Von-Trapp lives all the way over in India!  I’m already taking French!  And now I’m going to have to learn the Indian language, too!”

       “First of all, we’re not moving to India.  Ms. Von-Trapp’s summerhouse may be there; however, her home is located in Heighten View Terrace, Maine.  So you will have no need of taking a new language,” replied Mrs. Sereine.  “Because Maine is along the Canadian border, Will, I’m sure you’ll get plenty of time to practice French.”

       “So I am going to have to change schools.  Darn it.”

       “You both will be attending St. Cecilia’s Private Academy for Boys and Girls.”

       “Why can’t we go to the public school?”

       “Heighten View Terrace is so small that there isn’t one.  The whole town goes to that one school,” said Mrs. Sereine.

       “Do they have a band there?” asked Will eagerly.

       “I don’t know…  Children, we haven’t even reached the most important part of this discussion.”

       “What?”

       “Why we’re moving.”

       “Oh…  I think I interrupted you, Mummy.”

       “Now listen very closely.  You’re father got an inquiry at work that he couldn’t handle… and he was fired.”

       “What?” both children cried, hoping that their mother was joking.

       “The stock market also crashed.  We’ve lost everything: furniture, toys, food, money, you name it.  Now go and pack your most precious possessions before the men get here.  Go!”

       Will watched his mother weep on the chair for a moment, then followed his sister up the stairs.

       “Will, do you think we’re going to die?”

       “What?” he asked, shocked to hear such a thing from his fearless sister.  “No…  Well, maybe from the gumbo.”  It was the first time they’d laughed all day.

       Once in his room, Will pulled out the largest suitcase he find and began to fill it with stuff: books, music sheets, pictures, clothes, CD walkman and CDs, stuffed animals (the few he had), his laptop and video games, night-accessories, gameboy, yearbooks.  He decided to leave his stereo and TV.  Then he stuffed his new watch in there, too and anything else he felt was valuable to him.  Then he went into his sister’s room to help her.  If it was anybody else except his mother telling him the news, he would’ve laughed, but Will knew his mother well enough to tell whether she was joking or not.

       After that, they heaved the five suitcases (two of the children’s and three of the parents’) into the car; they waited for the men to arrive.  They’d been lucky enough to keep the car.

       “Well, tomorrow will be your last day at school in Texas,” said Mrs. Sereine as they sat upon the porch steps.

       “And our last day of real food,” piped up Chiharu.  They all laughed.  It just now occurred to Will that he was leaving his friends, Beth and Ryan.  Will ran a hand through his black hair.  Beth and Ryan weren’t going to take the situation easily.

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Chi: Please review!  And I’m definitely going to update The Diary Of Teihonci!