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knuckles. "Still gotta keep my strength up, you know."
    "I'm feeling hungry too," Georgia added. "Do you think the previous renters left fixings for chocolate chip pancakes?"
    "Perhaps after we unpack and spend a few hours on the beach," Pete said, "I should find a grocery store so we can stock up."
    "I knew this vacation would somehow result in my cooking!" Durinda fumed.
    ***
    Once we de-fumed Durinda with promises to help her—it was anyone's guess if we would keep our promises—we set about the business of unpacking the car. Once again, Annie had a clipboard with a manifest attached, this time an unpacking manifest.
    "Mr. Pete," Annie directed, "you bring your and Mrs. Pete's suitcases to the biggest bedroom."
    "Thanks, pet," Pete said. "It's nice of you to assign us the biggest room."
    "Not really," Annie said. "It's just that there's only one biggest room. If one set of four Eights got it, the other set of four would be upset, and there'd be fighting and tears."
    "With Petal there's always tears no matter what's going on," Rebecca said.
    We ignored Rebecca.
    "Georgia, Jackie, and Marcia," Annie directed, "you bring your suitcases to the medium bedroom on the right side of the Petes' bedroom.
    "Durinda, Petal, Rebecca, and Zinnia," Annie directed, "you bring your suitcases to the medium bedroom on the left side of the Petes' bedroom. Oh, and Rebecca, since you're the strongest, get mine too and put it in the right-hand bedroom."
    "Why can't you carry your own suitcase?" Rebecca objected.
    "Someone has to organize things so that everything goes smoothly, doesn't she?" Annie said. "Besides, I thought you enjoyed showing off your strength."
    Annie consulted her unpacking manifest.
    "Mrs. Pete," Annie directed, we must say in a lot more polite tone than the one she used to direct us, "could you get the bag with the beach items in it so we'll be ready to go just as soon we do a few other things here?"
    "What do you mean by 'a few other things'?" Georgia said. "We're nearly done unpacking. Why can't we go as soon as we're done?"
    Annie ignored Georgia, which gave us pause. What could Annie be referring to with her 'few other things'?
    It was ominous. And while we'd grown accustomed to ominous things from evil persons and others outside our immediate circle of friends, we hated the idea of something ominous coming from a family member.
    "Where do you want Daddy Sparky and Mommy Sally?" Pete asked, one under each arm. Apparently, while we were talking, Pete had anticipated the next item on Annie's unpacking manifest.
    Annie tapped the end of her pen against her lower lip thoughtfully. We thought it showed her ability to think like an adult that she didn't tap with the nib of the pen, which would no doubt have resulted in blue lips.
    "I think," Annie said at last, "that you should pose them in those two comfy chairs in front of the sliding glass doors. That way they can have a prime view of us when we play later on the beach—you know, after we finish doing a few other things."
    What other things?
    "It's not really possible to sit the suit of armor down in a chair," Pete called over, "but the dressmaker's dummy is very bendy." Pete brushed off his hands. "There, that's done," he said cheerily. "I think that's everything from the car."
    "It can't be everything," Annie said, looking panicked as she consulted her unpacking manifest. "What about that box I asked you to pack?"
    "Oh, right," Pete said, striking the heel of his palm against his forehead. We hoped he hadn't hurt himself. "How could I have forgotten that heavy box?"
    As Pete went to fetch it, we wondered what it could contain. Mentally, we ticked off items on our own unpacking manifests: bathing suits, flip-flops, towels, sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shorts and T-shirts, one dress each in case a fancy occasion arose, pajamas, slippers, things with which to entertain ourselves. We already had everything we needed, we thought. So what could be