I walked down the hall feeling worn out. All evening I had been making some cupcakes. I had to make two batches because my sister is celiac and it was hard work. I walked into my room, and decided that I was going to make the frosting for them tomorrow. I pick up my computer and sit down to reread my old stories as some amusing entertainment.

I look up after ten minutes and stare.

My room is full of people. I begin to recognize them after a moment of confusion. There’s Matthew Anderson wearing his fancy lace clothes from the Georgian days. He’s glaring at his grinning brother-in-law, Alexander.

Little Tilly Herndon sits on the floor in a lacy white dress looking lonely and Spartan, sits in a corner, hiding her face. I hear a ruckus out in the hall and run out to see what’s going on.

Ryan and Dylan are arguing loudly. I groan. Why did I have to make them fight so much? Now I have to listen to it. Against the wall stands Matthew Anderson. Wait a minute, that can’t be Matthew, he was in my room. It must be Tomas. He is watching Ryan and Dylan with great interest.

I get sick of their fighting, but there’s only one character I know who can stop them. I can’t see him however. I’ll just have to watch out for him.

I see Willie holding a knife in a threatening manner towards Major Hatchcombe. The major looked mad, a common occurrence.

“Hey,” I say making Willie look my way. She frowns and points her knife towards me. The major cuffs her on the ear, knocking her over.

“Stop it major, you shouldn’t hurt children.”

Willie scrambles up and looks at me, worried. “Have you seen a cute fawn anywhere?”

I shake my head but start looking about for Royal, the fawn.

At that moment, I see Terry. “Terry,” I call over the din of all the talk.

“What,” he asks without lowering the book he’s reading.

“Ryan and Dylan are about to get in a fight.”

He nods and I start paying attention to other things. Tomas, who had been following me, grins.

“Hello, beautiful,” he greets, lifting his quizzing glass to his eyes. I know now why it makes Matthew so mad.

“Stop acting like a ninny,” I snap, “ You can’t fool me.”

He looks anxious. “You’re not a British spy are you?”

I shake my head and go down the stairs.

Chaos reigns in the living room. I see so many of my characters, I’m amazed. Aaron, leaning on his crutches chatters to Pete with some animation. Jaycee and Kaycee are whispering in the corner.

I groan again when I see Victor. He looks like an idiot. He’s wearing everything cowboy style, cowboy hat, boots, and vest. He’s even wearing chaps and spurs. He’s wearing an orange and yellow handkerchief and a bright neon green shirt. Beside him, Marcus is scowling and looking disgusted.

“If it weren’t for your sister, I’d move to Alaska, if it meant getting away from you. You’re a grown man, for heaven’s sake. You’re supposed to be a detective, not a theatrical clown. Go take off everything except the shirt and trousers. In fact change your shirt to a gray shirt or something.”

I step into kitchen and stare. Ronan and Rupert are making something that smells delicious. They both grin when they see me. I look between the two, trying to tell them apart. I give up after a minute. I go back to the living room and sit on the couch, enjoying the show.

Suddenly the front door flies open and Mr. Bunyon comes in holding a gun.

“I’ll kill him,” he says, his face viscous. I shrug.

“You’ll fail,” I say smiling. He only swears and goes up the stairs. I follow and notice Ryan and Dylan are no longer there. However, their younger brother, Anthony is, along with a half grown mountain lion, a baby moose, and two wolves.

“Anthony,” Dylan pokes his head out of my room and scowls. “Take those things outside. I thought you were trading them to live in the wild.”

Anthony grins and obeys. I sit back down and pick up my computer, absentmindedly.

Everything disappears and I blink. I think it’s a dream until I go downstairs to the kitchen. The whole table is spread with a delicious meal. Best of all, I don't have to make frosting for the cupcakes. It's already done.

PS: This is only a small portion of all my characters, but it was already so long that I ended it.