Moving Too Fast
Nessa heard the thundering footsteps of her new roommate approaching, and looked over as it approached. She had a laundry basket under her arm, and set it down beside the sofa as she sat down. “Oh, you don’t need to fold them, I can do that easy. You take a break!”
With a smile, Claire pat the seat of the sofa beside her. “Come on then, dear, show Nanny what you can do.”
Taking that as a challenge, Nessa hopped down from her chair, briefly cringing at the feel of the carpet beneath her feet, then leapt across to the sofa, sitting up where Claire had pat. “Just watch me!” Starting with socks, Nessa bundled up them into pairs as she grabbed them. Then she tried out some shirts, folding them quickly, and setting them in a small pile. After her third shirt, Claire interrupted her with a paw.
“Oh dear, stop, slow down. It seems my special girl is back to making messes again!” Claire took the shirt Nessa was holding, gently, and set it down. Next she lifted the girl’s bandana and wiped her chin, before patting her on her head. “Look, sweetie, how about Nanny shows you how she does the shirts, and then you can help her?”
“Why? What’s wrong with how I did them?”
“Well… nothing is really wrong, they’re just, not quite… It’s less that they’re wrong, and more that Nanny Claire thinks her special little girl deserves only the bestest. So, they should be folded far more neat and tidy. Like this!” Lifting the shirt she took from Nessa, Claire folds it slowly, making sure to show off each step a couple times to the girl. Smoothing it out once she’s done, she sets it down beside the pile the girl did.
“But that’s how I always do it…”
“And how Nessa always does it was okay! They were good enough! But now Claire is here, and Nanny wants more than ‘good enough’ for Nessa, when it can provide that.”
Claire opened one of the shirts Nessa folded up. “The little missy went a little too fast and was not quite tidy enough when she did it. See these lil lumpy parts? You smooth them out, or else you might cause extra creases!” Claire refolded it in a much neater fashion. Seeing the look of disappointment on the girl’s face, Claire ruffled her hair and then pat her head. “Look, you did a wonderful job of the socks! Very tidy!”
“Yeah, I did!” Nessa beamed, leaning into the headpats.
“Claire finds it pretty cute that Nessa doesn’t seem too good at shapes or colours, either.”
“Huh?”
Wiping the girl’s mouth again, a faint glowing to its paw as it does so causing Claire a brief double take. Continuing on as if nothing happened, it opened one of the bundles of socks. “See? Nanny noticed her little girl muddled up the pairs. None of them she did matched. That’s okay though! Nanny will pair them up, then Nessa can bundle them! Nanny likes it when her little girl needs her help.”
Watching Claire open them one by one, Nessa started feeling rather sheepish. “Well, I guess, um, I was in a bit of a rush… normally I fold my clothes all perfectly good, and get the pairs all right… I didn’t want you to think I was slow… I must just be feeling a little off today…”
“Off? If Nessa is sick she doesn’t need to do anything, Nanny will take good care of her every need!” Claire said, starting to stand up.
“No, no! Not necessary! I just had a couple dizzy spells, and I’m still tryna process everything, I’m really gonna be fine”
“Nessa can do the socks today, after Nanny has paired them, then Nanny Claire can help you learn to do the rest properly with time… or at least however good her special little girl can manage.” Claire said, already starting to lay the socks out in pairs. “Don’t go fast, though? Even if Nessa is slow, Nanny will love her not one bit less.”
Nessa rubbed her temples with her soft, warm paws, muttering what Claire said back to her for a moment. Eventually stopping, she started to bundle them. Each and every one seemed more difficult than the last, and the girl was mentally exhausted by the time she was done. Such a simple task normally took a lot out of her, but once started she could usually still do the entire thing without feeling so dreadfully tired.
Claire noticed Nessa struggling, and after she put the final pair of folded shorts into the basket, she put a paw on Nessa’s shoulder, and used her free one to put the bundles of socks in it as well. “Dear, are you sure you aren’t feeling sick?”
Shaking her head, Nessa took Claire’s paw off her shoulder and with great difficulty held it into her own. “I think it’s just, look, I said it was a lot to take in, and maybe I just need a little bit of a lie down.”
“Shall Nanny get you ready for bed, dear?”
“No, not like that, I’ll just lie down here for a bit. I probably won’t even sleep, anyway.”
“Well, if you drift off then Nanny will be sure to tuck you in all snug.”
“If I ‘drift off’ today then I’d like you to wake me, ideally before it’s too late for lunch time, okay?” Nessa asked.
“If that’s what my Nessa wants, then that’s what my Nessa will get. One wake-up before lunch. Nessa is going to lie down now, as Claire is sure it doesn’t help that her poor little body isn’t too used to magic, either. Claire has been trying to limit how much it exposes Nessa to, so she can get used to it, but maybe its been more stress than Nanny thought it would.”
“I suppose so. I was a little tingly after these clothes, and the coupla times I almost fainted, I think… I think I should be fine. Just a bit fatigued, we’ll get through this! Do you think you could prep something for lunch before waking me, though? Whatever your favourite meal to make little girls like me, if we’ve got the ingredients! Pretty please?”
“Happily, dear, you just get some rest.” Claire stood up and swung Nessa round to a lying position, rubbing very faintly glowing paws over her body beforehand.
Nessa smiled at Claire, who was now holding the basket, as the girl lay her head down. Waving Claire goodbye, Nessa slowly drifted off.