Sophia sat looking out her bedroom window. The world outside was white with snow and she wanted to go out and play in it with her sister Minnie and their dogs, Fin and Finette.
Sophia ran to her Papa, who was sitting in his study reading.
"Papa please may Minnie and I go outside to play?" She pleaded. Her Papa looked up from his book and replied, "Sophia, it is much too cold outside for you to go out and play. A snow storm is on its way and it will be supper soon." Sophia sighed as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Maybe tomorrow will be better" Papa said as he got up from his chair and walked over to his young daughter, "for now why don’t you go back to your room and play with your sister. Later tonight I will read you a story before bed." Sophia’s Papa gave her hug and a kiss on the forehead and sent her back upstairs.
Halfway up the staircase Sophia stopped and wondered what fun she could have inside. She didn’t really want to play a boring game with her sister. Maybe the servants in the house had something more fun for her and Minnie to do. Sophia ran up the stairs back to her room where her sister sat playing with a doll.
"Come Minnie, let’s go see what Cook is doing downstairs." Sophia said excitedly.
"But Sophia, we are not supposed to go downstairs. If Papa finds out he will be mad, and Cook doesn’t like us in her kitchen." Minnie was hardly able to finish her sentence when Sophia took her hand and led her to the opening of their bedroom door.
"Well then Minnie, I guess we will have to make it our secret mission to get downstairs without Papa or Cook knowing." She grinned as she led her sister quietly down the servants’ staircase.
Sophia had forgotten that to get to the basement she and Minnie would have to get passed their Aunts room. The girls Aunt was very strict and would be very cross if she caught her nieces playing around the servants stairs to the basement and even more cross if she found out they had gone down them.
The servants were always busy working. Going up and down the stairs with hot water, trays of food and dishes. If Sophia and Minnie were to get in the way of one of the busy servants they could be hurt accidentally, or accidentally cause one of the servants to be hurt.
Sophia turned to her sister as they came closer to their Aunts sitting room door and slowly raised a finger to her mouth, "Shhhh" she whispered to her sister. Minnie pretended to place a button over her mouth and the two tiptoed passed the door. Inside the room Sophia and Minnie could hear their Aunt singing Christmas carols softly. A floor board creaked as they made their way around the corner passed their Aunt’s door and the singing from inside the room stopped. Sophia and Minnie pressed their backs against the wall around the corner from their Aunt’s Room, just as their Aunt opened the door.
"Hmmm" said their Aunt as she looked around suspiciously and then stepped back into her room closing the door behind her.
Sophia and Minnie breathed a sigh of relief and continued to make their way to the top of the basement stairs. Sophia peeked over the railing and Minnie peaked through them as they tried to see or hear any of the servants.
Besides the Cook there were three other servants who worked in the house; the butler, a footman and a maid. The Butler Sophia thought, must be in his room, the footman was probably in the stables tending to the horses and Bridget the maid was likely nearby in the basement helping cook prepare supper. Christmas time was fast approaching and guests would be arriving to stay at the house for the holidays soon. Cook was very busy preparing whatever she could for the upcoming holiday parties.
As Sophia and Minnie began to take their first few steps down the basement stairs they could hear the sound of pots and pans clattering and then the sweet and savoury smells of the kitchen began to fill their noses. The two girls smiled at each other and in unison quietly said "Mmmm."
