The Adventures of Harley and Harper

“Harley, move.” Harper directed as she put a short step ladder down where he was standing, “Now you can reach it.” She watched excitedly as Harley readily climbed to grab the old sheet. 

“Catch,” Harley said as he dropped it. 

“Perfect! Grab one more just in case!” 

The twins were being allowed to sleep in the living room and watch a movie marathon as a reward for their good grades. They had decided they would sleep on an air mattress surrounded by an epic fort that they were now building. 

Harley told Harper, “Get the chairs from the dining room, I’ll get the office chair and we can start draping the sheets.”

“What if we used the couch as the back of the fort? We can lean against it while watching the movie.”

“No, the chairs are better, it will make a square shape easier.”

Harley nodded with uncertainty. 

Next, they positioned the chairs around the air mattress, “No, Harper, you’re doing it wrong. We need to put the tallest chairs up front so we can see the TV.”

Harley listened and rearranged the chairs with hesitance.

It was time to drape the sheets. They each took an end and Harper climbed up on a chair ready to fluff the sheet, but Harley was quick to comment, “Harper, you have to stand next to the chair, not on top of it.”

Harper was growing frustrated, “Why can’t I stay here? I get a better—“

“No!” Harley interrupted, “You will mess up the sheet from spreading equally on the chairs.”

Harper slowly got down unhappily. 

After they had the second sheet draped, they discussed how to keep them in place. 

“How about we use rubber bands? We can bunch the ends of the sheets and wrap them together?” Harper suggested.

“Naw, clothespins will be easier, we can borrow some from the outside line.”

Harper crossed her arms, “Why can’t we use rubber bands?”

“It will make gaps and it’ll look awful.” Harley defended his stance.

“Harley, you’re being bossy with this entire fort.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Are too! Everything I say you have shot down. What's wrong with my way?”

“My way is better!”

Harper swallowed a lump in her throat, “This was supposed to be fun, but you’re ruining it. If you love your fort so much, you can have it!” She ran to her room and slammed the door.

Harley stood in place, not seeing why his twin was so upset. Shrugging, he went back to the fort and began to adjust a pile of pillows to go inside. 

Mom heard the door and came out from the laundry room, asking Harley, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Harper is just being dramatic.”

Mom sat down beside him, “What is she being dramatic about?”

Harley gestured at the fort, “This. She thinks I was being bossy while we made it.”

Mom smiled, knowing her son’s ‘take charge’ tendencies, “Were you being bossy?”

“No!”

She tilted her head knowingly.

“Well…maybe a little. But her ideas didn’t make sense.”

“Just because they didn’t make sense to you doesn’t mean that they don’t matter.”

“But mine were better, look how great this fort turned out!”

Mom nodded, looking at the fort, “It sure is nice. It’s too bad that you won’t have anyone to share it with.” She got up and returned to the laundry room.

Harley tossed a pillow into the fort, thinking about his mom’s words. It’s fine. This is better, he had more space for himself now. Smiling, he lifted one last pillow when Wrinkles, Harper’s stuffed cat, fell out. Holding Wrinkles up, he realized Harper had packed him for their night in the fort.

Suddenly, he became sad. They were supposed to watch a movie marathon together. They were supposed to eat popcorn and stay up late. They were supposed to build the fort together…they were supposed to have fun. 

The fort being perfectly built by his ideas no longer mattered if he wasn’t able to share it with Harper. 

He went to Harper’s door and knocked.

“Go away!”

“Harper, I’m sorry. I was being bossy.”

The door opened a crack.

“We can tear the fort down and start over, I don’t care, let’s do it together. Please?”

The door opened and Harper stood with a small smile, “Really?”

“Really! We can use the couch as the back this time, it’s a good idea. Come on!” He took her hand and pulled her out with a big smile.

* Do you like making forts? What do you use to make them? Making a fort can be a fun time, even more fun when you include everyone’s ideas to make it happen!