The Jester's Lament: Tessa & Jack's Journey

Three: Getting To Know Jack

That night, Theresa had so much fun with Jack. They ate many treats and played some carnival games, winning cute and colorful stuffed animals. They rode a bunch of rides and even walked through the house of mirrors and the funhouse. The whole time, Theresa had forgotten about her worries. Instead, she got to be a kid, playing games and riding all the rides till she thought she might throw up. By the time her eyes started to feel heavy, Jack carried her back into her room and tucked her in. "Night, little princess," he whispered as he covered her up with the blankets.

Theresa smiled in her sleep and sighed. "Night... Jack."

The Next Day

Theresa woke up with a smile on her face and looked around her room. She didn't see Jack. A pout came to her lips but she shrugged it off as a silly fantastical dream she had. She quickly got out of bed and started her morning routine. Shower, change into clothes for the day, eat breakfast, and wait for Grace to show up.

While Theresa sat at the kitchen table spooning Cocoa Puffs into her mouth, her favorite nanny walked into the kitchen. Grace Cunningham. She was a beautiful young woman in her mid twenties. Her hair was like corn silk and honey that fell to her shoulders and framed her delicate face. She had beautiful blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. She wore a cute white sundress with floral print and nylons with white tennis shoes.

Grace approached Theresa with her hands behind her back. "How's my superstar?" she asked with a grin. Theresa quickly swallowed her food and smiled. "I'm great! I got an Easy-Bake Oven for my birthday!" she cheered. "That's so awesome!" Grace giggled. "But guess what?" "Hm?" The young girl stared at the woman she admired. "I got you a gift too." Grace pulled her hands from behind her back and held out a long rectangular box wrapped in bright pink wrapping with white flowers all over it. Theresa didn't hesitate to take it and immediately started ripping the paper off of it.

Inside was a friendship bracelets kit. There were all kinds of colorful beads that were shaped in different shapes and sizes. "I thought you could finish up breakfast, then we could make some bracelets?" Grace suggested with a sweet smile. Theresa adored her. She looked at the blonde woman and nodded with a smile. "I love it! No I gotta show Jack!" "Jack?" Grace asked, her expression taking on a confused look. This is when Theresa bit her lip. "Uh, my new stuffed animal," she quickly lied. She didn't wanna get in trouble for getting that box down from the closet, so she probably shouldn't talk about her very tall and friendly clown friend she met last night.

"Oh, well, we can definitely show Jack, then..." Grace uttered. She encouraged Theresa to be a kid. She also showed her how to be compassionate and caring. One day, Theresa wanted to be just like Grace. She wanted to be kind and loving with a beautiful smile. She wanted someone to look at her the way she looked at Grace. She admired the blonde woman. She had such a big heart and was just an all around beautiful person. Grace also got along with her mom and dad, so she got points for that. And she baked good treats.

"I'm going to get this set up, you finish eating, kiddo." Grace caressed Theresa's cheek before leaving the kitchen with the box. Theresa quickly ate her breakfast.

"You lied to her..." Jack said as he sat at the breakfast bar. Theresa looked over at him. "I had to. I don't wanna get in trouble, I wasn't allowed to have that box you came out of..." she whispered to him. "It's still not nice to lie, Theresa..." the man warned her. "Especially to someone you admire so much." Theresa shoveled bites of Cocoa Puffs into her mouth, finishing off her cereal in record time. "I know it's not nice, but... daddy took your box away, he said clowns aren't nice and they're scary..." she mumbled.

"What was that?" Grace asked as she entered the room. "I heard you talking to someone?" she asked before looking around, but there was nobody else but her and Theresa. The girl looked at Jack who was still sitting at the breakfast bar. He put a finger to his lips and shushed her. "She can't see me..." he whispered to Theresa. "I can choose who sees me and who doesn't. Just pretend I'm not here." "Uh, I was talking to myself," Theresa said before walking to the sink to clean her dishes. But she couldn't reach the sink.