Eli in the Closet

Last night I sat on the couch reading while Lia worked at the computer. I heard some strange bumps and thumps in the night, apparently coming from the direction of the girls' room, and I asked Lia if she had heard anything. She hadn't, so I went on reading. But the noises recurred, so I went to investigate.

The first oddity I discovered was Eli's empty bed. Indeed, though Julia slept soundly--almost snoring--Eli was nowhere to be seen. Then I heard some unmistakable bumps from the direction of the closet. I opened the sliding door and there found the tiny frame and innocent face of Eli, caught redhanded in a quixotic attempt to rescue her princess books from Time Out. The books rested on a shelf some six feet off the ground; Eli had only a plastic red chair, some ten inches high, to aid her in the attempt. I scooped her up and placed her, disappointed at being thwarted when success was so nigh, back into bed. She passively received an additional hug and kiss good night, resolved to bide her time until the next sally.