THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS

"Uncle Jason, when are you coming home?"

Jason’s face spasmed up in a smile hearing Eleanor’s cute little voice.

"Have you been missing your awesome uncle so much?" He gave Cheryl a playful wink when he saw the smirk on her face.

"I’ve been missing uncle all day. I thought you would be home for dinner so that I can see you, but you are still not here even after dinner has been long over. Don’t you want me again?" Eleanor complained, her voice almost cracking up in a cry.

"Hey! Sweetheart you don’t have to cry. I will be back soon."

"Are you sure?" Eleanor didn’t sound convinced from the other end of the phone.

"Of course, sweetheart. But I will be home much sooner if you end the call now and I quickly finish the big task I have to do now,"

"Go ahead with your big task, uncle. I will not take your time again," Eleanor wisely said, making up her mind not to sleep until her uncle comes home. "Bye Uncle, and don’t forget to come home as soon as you are done with your work."

"I won’t, sweetheart. Bye."

"So what’s the "big task" you claim to have? I thought we were here to eat?"

"Staring at your beautiful, seductive face all evening and not being able to take a bite is surely a big task, don’t you think?"

A slight colour crept over Cheryl’s ears at the implication from Jason’s words.

"Can you be any serious? I’d advise you to stare more at the food than on irrelevant matters."

"I wouldn’t say you are irrelevant, but even if you were, I would still prefer the food you offer more," Jason said, frowning like a child who has been denied the opportunity of playing with his most favorite toy.

He raised his hand to caress her face but his hand was smacked away even before he had the joy of feeling her smooth blushing face.

"Shameless," Cheryl uttered, then cat walked towards the diner without waiting for Jason.

Jason let out a deep chuckle, and with just two strides of his long legs, caught up with her and linked his hand through hers before stepping in through the motion sensor door that opened automatically on their approach.

Unfortunately for Eleanor, before her uncle was done with his "big task" that night, she was already in dreamland arguing with a fairy who had mistakenly swapped her princess dress with Sophia’s.

Somehow she didn’t know how everything suddenly changed and they were in her school for the sports event.

Everywhere was bobbling with various activities and the children were practically everywhere having the time of their lives.

When they received the signal that the guest had arrived, she and Sophia hurried up to welcome the guest as they were instructed by their teacher.

But instead of presenting the garland to the guest, she planned with her friends to kidnap the guest with the help of the fairy and they took him to her little room and locked him in her tiny cupboard with her dolls.

Don’t ask me how he was able to fit into such a tiny space because I don’t have the answer. Besides, I was not in Eleanor’s dream, but happened to be passing by.

Elvis looked down at his sister who was smiling foolishly in her dreams and didn’t know what to make of her.

"I wonder what nonsense dream she’s having so late in the morning," he muttered to himself before gently shaking her shoulders.

"Eleanor, Eleanor, wake up," he whispered.

Startled, Eleanor stirred and rubbed her eyes, feeling slightly annoyed at being woken up. "What? Elvis, what are you doing?"

She had just succeeded in coaxing the handsome uncle to get married to one of her dolls and he had almost agreed when she heard her brother’s voice.

"Why did you wake me up? Now I don’t get to see the wedding."

"What wedding? If you continue dreaming, you might not even get to see the sports event today?"

"What? Is it morning already?"

"It’s morning, sis," Elvis grinned. "We have to get ready, or we’ll be late. Remember today is the sports event?"

Eleanor lazily glanced at the pink clock on the wall and realized it was indeed time to wake up.

Though still half-asleep, she didn’t forget to scold her brother.

"Why didn’t you wake me much earlier? What if we go late because of this?"

Elvis was rendered speechless. How was it his fault?

She grudgingly got out of bed, but when her head was fully cleared and she remembered what was ahead of her for the day, her anger dissipated and was quickly replaced by the excitement for the day.

By the time she got downstairs, everyone was seated at the dining table ready to have breakfast.

She sat down at her usual spot on the table and not long afterwards, Mrs Carr placed a colorful bowl of fruity cereal in front of her.

"Good morning mummy, good morning uncle."

Her eyes shone at the vibrant colors of strawberries, slices of almonds and a drizzle of honey toppings which matched her cheerful mood perfectly.

She loved to pair it with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, which was soon brought by Mrs Carr.

Elvis also had a plate of cereal but instead of fresh strawberries and a drizzle of honey toppings, he preferred just sliced almonds and maple syrup toppings.

It was after her greetings that she remembered that she seemed to have had an agreement with her uncle last night.

"Uncle Jason, you didn’t keep to your promise."

Her countenance changed when she remembered how she stayed up last night waiting for her uncle in the living room. It was not until 9pm when her mother coaxed her to sleep, promising to wake her up when her uncle arrives, that she reluctantly went to her room.

"I’m sorry sweetheart. I didn’t get to finish on time. But I’m here now. And guess what?"