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Memory Lane

The news of Ivy's house being sold left her feeling gloomy for the rest of the afternoon. She wouldn’t even speak to Pip, which was very surprising for Ivy. After a few hours of giving Ivy space to cope, Pip gently wiped the tears from her face. He told Ivy she needed to stop moping around and get up because he had a surprise. With a smile, he handed her their old map of "VIPip Land," marked with all their favorite spots in the house. "Let’s go on a little walk down memory lane," he grinned.

Their first stop was the living room. As they entered, they exchanged a sly look, both wearing devious expressions. Pip whispered in Ivy's ear, "the pillows and cushions on the couch look a little too neat."  Without hesitation, Ivy and Pip began tossing the pillows and cushions off the couch, stacking them on top of one another. Once they were finished, they stepped back and admired their creation, agreeing that it was the biggest pillow mountain they'd ever made. 

Their next stop was the Forbidden Cave (Ivy's parents' room). They decided to take Ivy's sadness as the perfect excuse to explore, because, to her, no parent would get mad at a child who had just found out she had to move away. They crept into the room, careful to make as little noise as possible. They scoured every corner, hoping to find something fun and interesting. But after five minutes of thorough investigation, Ivy and Pip found nothing and decided that Mom and Dad’s room was actually quite boring. They even joked about renaming it on the map to "Boring Cave." They then made their way to the kitchen - their favorite place to create potions. Ivy’s mom had always hated those potions, especially the mess they left behind. They giggled at the memory before moving on. Throughout the entire day, they re-explored the house, reliving their favorite memories on repeat.

After a long day filled with many emotions, they finally reached Ivy’s treehouse - her "Sky Gallery," where she’d done most of her crafts and the place where she first created and drew Pip. Sitting down, Pip gently reminded her, “Change is good - there will be new places to explore in the new home.” Ivy didn’t want to believe it. She thought this house was perfect, full of magic. She was scared - new school, new house, new everything!  She didn’t want change; she wanted her home. Ivy stood her ground, doing her best to block Pip out. Pip lifted his hand and gently rested it on her shoulder, turning her to face him. He looked her in the eye and explained that he didn’t want to move either, but that they had no choice. He assured Ivy that it was okay to not be okay, and that things might be hard at first, but he would be with her every step of the way; making sure she felt safe and helping her enjoy the next chapter of her life. After all, what was most important was that they would be together.

Ivy’s eyes began to crown with water as she hugged Pip tightly. As they pulled away, Pip handed her a small box, and they began packing up, starting with the treehouse - the place where it had all begun.

^ Image from Pinterest

#changeisgood #memorylane #bestfriend #movingaway

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^ GIF credits to AWeber

The Worst Day Ever!

On a gorgeous spring day, the birds were chirping, and the sun was shining through Ivy’s bay window. Pip excitedly woke Ivy up and handed her a list of all the fun things they were going to do that day. Ivy sprang out of bed with the biggest smile. She quickly put on her favorite butterfly shirt and purple polka-dotted capri leggings. Of course, she couldn’t forget the hair accessory! Ivy whipped open her drawer, closed her eyes, and let fate decide which accessory to wear. She reached in, and like a lottery win, pulled out her favorite orange butterfly hairpin. Ivy knew today was going to be good.

^GIF By: Vanessa Stancato (Me)

Ivy and Pip ran down the stairs like it was 5am on Christmas morning. To make Ivy’s day even better, her dad had also woken up early to make her favorite blueberry pancakes. Ivy was stunned. “Is today my birthday and I forgot?” she thought to herself, until Pip butted in, reassuring her that her birthday was in December.

After they gobbled up the delicious breakfast, they raced up to the treehouse and tried to prioritize what to do from all the amazing things Pip had written on his list. They spontaneously decided they were going to try to catch butterflies with ivy's pink, sparkly net that she received for her birthday last year from her grandma. As they were playing, Ivy's parents walked out onto the deck, accompanied by a woman Ivy had never seen before. She looked important, she was wearing a beige pantsuit and had a fancy navy blue leather binder. Curious, Ivy and Pip decided to put their butterfly hunting on hold and investigate.

They quietly crept over to the edge of the deck, and Ivy pulled out her "cup phone"; two cups connected by a string. She’d seen it on one of the spy shows her dad watched on Wednesday nights. Ivy carefully placed one cup near the deck, so she and Pip could get a better listen to what her parents might be talking about with the mysterious woman.

^ Image from iStock

When Ivy overheard the conversation and news that her house had been sold, she was devastated. As soon as the real estate agent left, she ran to her bedroom and slammed the door. She flopped down at her desk and began sketching furiously. Her drawing was a pretty accurate image of the real estate agent - though in Ivy’s version, the agent was a villain, destroying "VIPip Land."

As Ivy drew, her parents very quickly made their way to her bedroom, sensing that something was wrong. They reached her bedroom and knocked softly on the door. In an instant, Ivy dove under her bed sheets and curled up, just in time for them to enter. Her face was buried in her pillow as the harsh reality hit her - her parents confirmed that their home had indeed been sold.

Ivy’s parents hated seeing her like this; they tried to reassure her that the new house would be amazing, but Ivy blocked them out, their words going in one ear and out the other. So, they quietly left her alone, giving her space to let the news sink in.

^ Art By: Vanessa Stancato (Me)

#theworstdayever #sold #devastated

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^ Art By: Vanessa Stancato (Me)

Pip and Ivy

Ivy never quite fit in with the other kids. She was different, not in a bad way, just... different! Ivy was a creative little girl who enjoyed her own company above all else. She had short, brown hair and bright blue eyes, with a small brown spot in her left eye that she loved. To Ivy, it was something unique, something that set her apart. You’d often find Ivy wearing colorful outfits, paired with some out-of-the-ordinary hair accessory. She loved experimenting with new things, and that was partly why she didn’t have many friends - no one could quite match her bold fashion choices or her quiet personality. This never mattered to Ivy because she was never truly alone; after all she had Pip.

You might be wondering, "Who is Pip?"  Well, Pip is Ivy's imaginary friend.

Pip was short and shaped like a rounded triangle, almost like a warped piece of candy corn. He had two horns protruding from each side of his head and a huge mouth full of sharp, shark-like teeth. Ivy was obsessed with sharks, so this made Pip even more special to her. He had two little arms and legs, positioned where you'd expect arms and legs to be, and two big eyes beneath his bushy eyebrows. And, of course, Pip was fluffy and Orange, Ivy's favorite color.

Ivy and Pip were inseparable. They did everything together - played dress-up, built fairy houses, drew, and read side by side. But their favorite thing to do was create drawings or paintings of their adventures.

On one hot summer day, they spent the entire day in Ivy's treehouse, working on a magical map of the world they created. They called it "VIPip Land," a name they thought was clever because only they had access to the map, making them "VIPs." Every time they went on a new quest, the location within their property was added to the map.

For example, the treehouse was called "The Sky Gallery," and the living room became "Mount Everpillow" after the monstrous pillow mountain they built. Ivy’s parents’ room became the “Forbidden Cave” because Ivy and Pip were punished after exploring it without permission…they came up with so many clever names for the places in their world. They were a perfect team - they just clicked.

Truly, they were the best of friends. Ivy liked Pip because he never judged her and always made her feel safe. Over time, though, Ivy's parents started to get a little concerned. The school had mentioned that Ivy didn’t spend much time with other kids, and her parents had noticed this as well, especially since they’d saved so much money by not having to buy birthday gifts for her “friends”. Their concerns only deepened when Ivy asked if they could make a seat for Pip at the dinner table.

Ultimately, Ivy's parents just wanted her to be happy. They understood that it was likely her young age and creative personality that made Pip feel so real to her. So, they decided to let it go, hoping that one day she might grow out of it. 

#alonetogether #bestfriends #VIPipLand

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Never Truly Alone

PROMPT: Alone Together

Read in this order:

Each story acts as its own "Chapter."

Pip and Ivy

The Worst Day Ever

Memory Lane

#shortstories #friends # theworstdayever #memorylane #pipandivy

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^ Art By: Vanessa Stancato (Me)

Meet Pip and Ivy

#imaginary #friend #pipandivy