The Inspiration to Write: A Short Vignette

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“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” – Dr. Seuss

This post was originally published on 8/23/2023. Heads up – you may have already read this.

I was sitting at my kitchen table working yesterday afternoon, trying to tie up the last few items before closing my laptop and going to get my kids when the doorbell rang. It was the <ding-dong><ding-dong><ding-dong> of repeated bell pushes used most frequently by the 7-years-old and under set.

So I wasn’t surprised to find the 6-year-old twins from four doors down the street hanging out on my porch. “We’ve come to see the puppy!” they announced in unison. Maybe a twin thing although these aren’t identical and I’m not sure if the twinning mind meld thing happens with all twins or if this was a fluke. But it was convincing enough that I held the door open wide to let them in, and we walked out to the yard.

I introduced them to the puppy and said, “I have to get back to work.” The more talkative one, Twin 1, said, “Okay, we’ll stay out here and play.”

And then the quieter one, Twin 2 said, “But do you have scissors to cut this tag off?” Pulling out a dog toy from her side.

Twin 1 interjected, “That toy is for our puppy!” And Twin 2 replied, “But Mom handed it to me on our way out.”

I said, “I have to get back to work.”

They said, “Okay.”

After a few minutes, they came in from the yard to where I was working and thought to ask, “Where are your kids?” I replied that they were at camp and school. Twin 2 said, “I’m hungry.”

I said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I have to get back to work and can’t make a snack right now but if you come back…”

Twin 2 said with a smile, “No problem, I can get the snack myself.”

Twin 1 said, “Where’s the cat?” I explained she was probably in my bedroom because she’s upset about the puppy. Twin 1 said, “Oh, I know where that is, I can go on my own” and left the room.

I felt myself shrugging my shoulders and smiling at this random interruption when I heard rustling noises from my pantry. Twin 2 reappeared with her cheeks full of food, and said, “You have good nuts.”

I said “thank you” and was still chuckling when the twins older sister appeared at the door and took them home.

No point to this – I just was thinking that maybe Dr. Seuss worked from home.

Where have you gotten your inspiration to write today? Any twins show up on your porch lately?

(featured photo from Pexels)

34 thoughts on “The Inspiration to Write: A Short Vignette”

  3. I’d remember the visit by the twins, but not how the story ended. “No point to this.” Ah ha! 😂😂😂 That’s so kind of you to let the kids into play and help themselves to your pantry, even when your own kids aren’t around.

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  6. Wynne, you have the patience of Job! 🙏🏼 But honey, we would never go into someone else’s fridge or roam around their house on our own. I had that kind of momma who would snatch us like a bad tooth if we did. By the way, did you ever finish your work??? LOL 🤣😝😂

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  9. I used to have a British friend who shared with me how she grew up under the maxim “children should be seen and not heard” :O No, she didn’t pass that on, but her stories came to mind as I read your story … 😀

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  10. “No problem, I can get the snack myself.” 🤣🤣🤣 At least he was an independent young man.

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  12. I have images of both the twin girls from The Simpsons cartoon and the twin girls from The Shining horror movie. Both seem apt. I have to chuckle at how assertive they are with both the pup, your home and snacks.

    “We’re here to see the pup” just makes me chuckle.

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  14. You were certainly patient with these uninvited guests! And since I’ve seen photos of Cooper, I can understand why these guests would want to see him 🙂 While I was reading and chuckling over your story, I couldn’t help but think of my twin daughters doing this. As far as I know, they never went into a friend’s house when the kids weren’t home 🙂

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  17. That was a cute story. Kids can be so bold because they don’t have the boundaries that we have. I remember in my son’s PreK class he had identical twins. I asked him how he could tell them apart, because I couldn’t. He said, “By their voice. I ask are you Mark or Evan and they answer.”

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