Pass It On

A magic coin means wishes and adventure for those who find it

Destiny and Katie stood on the front porch and frowned up at the dark clouds. Katie shook her head. The scent of rain was in the air. “It’s gonna rain Dezzi.”

Destiny rolled her big hazel eyes and crossed her arms against her chest. “Quit being so negative Katie!”

Katie’s blue eyes saddened and her head dropped. “I’m sorry.”

“Aaauuggghhhh!” Destiny threw up her hands in frustration. “Quit saying you’re sorry all the time.”

“I’m sorry for saying I’m sorr...” Katie put her hands over her mouth as she realized she’d done it again. She then sat down on the porch step and sighed sadly. A light mist began to fall.

Destiny smiled at her and then sat down beside her. Sitting down ... Katie wasn’t quite so tall and the pair looked even more like sisters. Both girls were freckle faced red heads who wore their hair up ... Destiny in a ponytail and Katie in pig tails. They both loved to ride bikes, play curb ball and give hugs. Their idea of a perfect meal was Mom’s macaroni and cheese with a free mini cone from McDonalds or a free cookie from Kroger’s as dessert. They never met candy they didn’t like and a Kit Kat bar was their absolute favourite. If you saw one ... you saw the other. In their hearts and in the eyes of those who knew and loved them ... they were truly sisters.

But ... to anyone else passing by the house, they would see a twelve and a half year old girl with psoriasis sitting next to a thirty nine year old woman looking quite ridiculous in pig tails and bows. Bodies however are only the gift wrap for the soul and those who opened the wrap and saw the soul of these two girls knew without a doubt they were beautiful and they were sisters.

Destiny’s parents had the heart and the wisdom to see past Katie’s birth date and body. They saw the little girl who lived within and welcomed her into the family. Dad said Katie was Destiny’s shadow as wherever Destiny went, Katie was sure to follow. Mom said her two girls were practically twins. The only difference between them was height and age. Katie was taller and Destiny was older.

The “big sister” hugged her little one. “It’s okay Katie. I’m just upset because I wanted to go to Tommy’s baseball game and now ...” She felt the mist kiss her nose. “It’s going to be rained out.”

Katie smiled as she always did whenever anyone hugged her. “Maybe ... maybe it won’t rain Dezzi. Maybe the sun will come out and ... and they’ll play the game ... and Tommy will hit the game winning home run and we’ll catch the ball and then ...” Katie’s blue eyes smiled dreamily. “Then ... he’ll walk over to where we are sitting in the bleachers and ask you for the ball ... and ... if you want to go out with him after the game.”

Destiny punched Katie’s sore left shoulder adding a little more purple to the bruise she’d put there earlier in the week. Katie pulled back, grabbing her shoulder as both her feelings and her arm were hurt. “Hey quit hitting me Dezzi. I thought you liked Tommy.”

The smile on Destiny’s face and the red on her cheeks said she liked the cute boy next door, even before she reluctantly admitted the truth to her sister. “Yeah ... okay ... so I like Tommy, but ... he’s never going to ask me out. That’s just a wish ... a wish that will never ... ever come true.”

Destiny’s smile faded as reality and the first few drops of rain dampened her hair and her spirits. This time Katie put a loving arm around her big sister and hugged her, telling her everything would be okay and hoping somehow it really would be.

The two girls sat quietly for a while, watching their hopes for baseball, cute boys and bike riding fade away as the rain fell steadily. It was then Paris; big sister to both girls came walking down the street hand in hand with her handsome magic man, Larry.

Love seemed to be their umbrella as they walked along without a care, totally oblivious to Mother Nature’s efforts to rain on their happiness. Paris managed to take her eyes away from Larry’s just long enough to see her sad little sister’s sitting on the porch. Pulling her handsome prince along with her, she headed for them.

“Hey Doodle ... Hey Kay Kay what’s wrong with you two?”

Destiny pointed at the dark clouds. “We were supposed to go see Tommy play baseball, but now they aren’t going to play because of the stupid rain.”

“Yeah” Katie followed Destiny as always. “And Destiny was going to catch Tommy’s home run ball and he was going to ask her out.”

“Katie!” Destiny blushed and threatened to hit the bull’s eye on her sister’s sore shoulder again.

Katie flinched and leaned back against the bricks. Paris giggled and stepped in between her sisters. “So ... you like Tommy huh?”

Destiny turned her head away. “No ... I hate him.”

Paris winked knowingly at Katie. “Yeah right ... you hate him like I hate Larry.”

Destiny turned back round and frowned at Paris. “He doesn’t like me ... at least not like I like him. He doesn’t pay any attention to me.”

Katie shook her head. “That’s not true Des. I told you I saw him checking you out when were walking past his house.”

“Katie’s right”, Paris confirmed Katie’s claim as she scooted in close to Destiny. “Tommy’s noticing you. I’ve seen it too.”

Paris’ eyes drifted to Destiny’s t-shirt and the outline of growing breasts that were pushing it out. “You’re starting to get the boobs Mom lost, just like I found her butt. Trust me. He’s definitely noticing you and I think he likes you.”

“I wish! I wish Tommy did like me.” Destiny said with a dreamy sigh as she glanced down at her chest and then her hips. “Just like I wish they’d grow like yours did Paris.”

Katie nodded knowingly as she looked at her long lanky too big and too old for her spirit body. “I wish too. Only I wish my body would ... would … ungrow ... and shrink down to just the right size to fit the real me.”

Paris put her arms round her sad and frustrated little sisters. “Sounds to me like what you two need is a few magic wishes.”

Katie’s blue eyes sparkled as she smiled dreamily. “I sure wish we had a few wishes and I sure know what I’d wish for.”

Destiny put her hand out and watched the rain splash in her palm. “I’d just wish the rain would stop so we could go riding. I don’t even care anymore about Tommy and his stupid baseball game.”

Paris turned toward Larry who’d been a silent spectator to the "sisterfest" on the porch. She put out her hand. “You still got that coin we found?”

Larry nodded and reached into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out again, a very old and tarnished silver coin was sitting in his palm. Paris plucked it from there and then held it in her own.

“We found this while we were at Orange Park. It was in the dirt by the swings.”

“What is it?”, Destiny and Katie asked in unison as they tried to get a closer look.

Paris turned the coin over in her hand as the rain drops washed away a bit more of its dirt. “I really don’t know. It looks very old. It might be worth some money, but the weird thing about is the writing.”

Katie and Destiny leaned in. Destiny started to read the inscription aloud. “To the bearer of this coin …”

Katie jumped into finish. “Come three wishes. Use them wisely.”

“Wow!” Destiny’s eyes went wide. “What does the other side say?”

Paris turned it over again and revealed more tarnished words “After using ... please pass it on.”

“Do you think it could really be a magic coin?” Katie asked with the hopeful innocence of the child she so wanted to be.

Destiny shook her head and scooted over. “There’s no such thing as magic coins and magic wishes ... just like there’s no such thing as Tommy ever asking me out or ... a baseball game today, because you can’t just wish the rain away.”

Paris took the coin and flipped it toward Destiny who caught it in her hand. “I don’t know Destiny ... maybe there is no magic or magic coins and maybe Tommy won’t ask you out and maybe you can’t wish the rain away ... but ... if it was me ... and I had that coin, I wouldn’t be afraid to wish for it.”

“Afraid!” Destiny jumped up and her eyes went wide as she squeezed the coin in her palm. “Afraid! I’m not afraid of anything.”

Paris giggled as she stepped back from porch and then gently teased her little sis. “Sure Des ... whatever you say, but I sure don’t hear anyone making any wishes.”

Destiny made a fist and started toward her sister. Paris stopped. “Bring it on little girl.”

Destiny drew back. “You’ll think little girl.”

Katie the peacemaker as always, jumped in the middle. “Please ... please don’t fight!” She begged.

The two sisters glared at each other for a moment and then smiles turned at their lips as fists lowered and Paris offered Destiny a hug. “I love you, sis.”

Destiny accepted the truce and stepped into the hug. “I love you too, sis.”

Katie, always tagging along, didn’t miss an opportunity to do so and wiggled her way in to make it a group hug.

Finally, the embrace broke and Paris took Larry’s hand. Before leaving, she looked back at her sisters. “Have fun girls and like the coin says ... use your wishes wisely and then pass it on.”

CHAPTER ONE